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WALKIN’ A COUNTRY MILE
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COUNTRY MUSIC COLUMN
by Scott
Stem
Don’t “Stay Gone” from JIMMY
WAYNE…
Wow, didn’t it seem like the Summer just flew by? It’s hard to believe it’s gone already….but the Autumn always brings great new albums with it! DIXIE CHICKS DO IT
RIGHT! I caught the Dixie
Chicks concert in Nashville earlier this month.
Without a doubt, it is one of the best concerts of the year in
any genre of music. Their harmonies were
impeccable; their musicianship was outstanding; and their stage presence
was amazing. Having their
stage in the middle of the auditorium with select fans in the interior
pits really brought intimacy to the arena.
The ever-changing stage and video monitors brought a new
dimension to each song. The
entire concert was a celebration of music and independence.
I saw more teenage
girls dancing and singing at this concert then I’ve seen at any other
show (rock or country) in the past several years.
The Chicks are outstanding entertainers. They continue to be wonderful ambassadors for Country
Music.
I also attended a
brief acoustic performance from Dierks
Bentley as well. He’s
currently on radio with his single “What
Was I Thinking?” and his self-titled album is out now from Capitol Records. This
man fully brings his charm and personality into his songwriting.
Expect big things from him over the next year. COUNTRY MUSIC’S
BIGGEST NIGHT…
By the time you read
this, the final nominations will already have been announced for the
upcoming CMA Awards. “Country Music’s
Biggest Night” will air live on Wednesday,
November 5 on CBS Television with Vince
Gill as host. The
excitement will continue to build over the next few months.
I’ll write more in next month’s column. COUNTRY CHATTER… •
Several high profile artists have split ways with their record
companies recently. Among
them are Deana Carter, Eric
Heatherly and Jamie O’Neal.
Let’s hope we see these
talented performers resurface with new label contracts soon. •
Australian singer/songwriter Sherri
Austin returns with her new album Streets
of Heaven on Broken Bow Records.
The title cut has made a huge impact at Country radio this
summer. Will this be the
album that firmly establishes the Aussie lass?
Could be -- check it out. Trivia
note -- did you know that Sherri played Australian exchange student Pippa
on the last season of the TV show, “Facts
of Life?” •
Brooks & Dunn have made the album of their career
with Red Dirt Road. Not
only is the title song the best single this long-running duo has ever
released in my opinion, but the album is just plain vibrant.
You can feel that this album is truly about these two guys and
their life experiences. The
music possess a ‘70s Rolling Stones flavor while still remaining
decidedly Country. And the fans obviously agree as their album recently debuted
at #4 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Charts with sales of over 130,000
copies of the album. That’s
the largest number of albums they’ve ever sold in one week in their
entire career. •
Unfortunately the legendary June
Carter Cash passed away earlier this summer, but her music
lives on. June had already
completed her next album, Wildwood
Flower, which is now in stores.
The album, produced by her son John
Carter Cash, is a wonderful tapestry of June’s life.
June performs 7 songs written by her uncle A.P.
Carter and originally performed by The
Carter Family, including “Keep
on the Sunnyside” and “Wildwood
Flower.” Her husband Johnny
Cash and former son-in-law Marty
Stuart provide guest vocals on a couple of songs, while her daughter
Carlene Carter and
granddaughter Tiffany Anastasia
Lowe are among the background vocalists featured on the album.
Stepdaughter Rosanne Cash
provides the moving liner notes that includes the eulogy she gave for
June at her memorial service. This
album is an absolute treasure. •
Sara Evans is back with her fourth album, Restless. The new
CD (her first since the birth of daughter Olivia)
features her current hit single “Backseat
of a Greyhound Bus.” •
Texas music giant Pat
Green returns with his second album, Wave
On Wave. The title
track has received quite a bit of airplay both on radio and at CMT.
The album debuted at #10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Charts,
which is an amazing accomplishment for this talented singer/songwriter. Green is a household name in Texas -- he’s on his way to
becoming one across the country. •
Alan Jackson’s Greatest Hits Volume II
showcases some of the most successful Country singles of the past few
years, including – “Little
Bitty,” “Right On The Money,” “Pop A Top,” “Where I Come
From,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” and of course, “Where
Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).” Jackson’s new duet with Jimmy Buffett, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” is also included. In all, 18 songs are featured on one CD and an additional 8 songs on a second “bonus” disk. It’s a great value and definitely worthy of your attention. •
RCA Records has released a tribute album to the late Waylon
Jennings. Aptly
titled –– I’ve Always Been Crazy: A Tribute To Waylon Jennings ––
the album features performances from Brooks
& Dunn, Deana Carter & Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney & Kid Rock,
Andy Griggs, Ben Harper, Alison Krauss, John Mellencamp, Metallica
guitarist James Hetfield, Pinmonkey, Travis Tritt, Hank Williams Jr.
and Dwight Yoakam.
Bringing the family
touch to the record, Jennings’ widow Jessi
Colter is also featured on one song, as is the band Stargunn, featuring lead vocals by their son, Shooter Jennings. •
Chris
Knight
returns with his third album, The Jealous Kind. Knight
has made a name for himself as both a songwriter and performer in the
past several years among the alt.country and Americana movements.
•
Jim
Lauderdale joins Don
The Buffalo for his new CD, Wait
‘Til Spring. Lauderdale
is an amazing songwriter and an Americana fave. Do yourself a favor...
check this out! •
Patty
Loveless is back with On
Your Way Home, due in stores September 16. The album features the new single, “Lovin’ All Night,” written by master songwriter Rodney
Crowell. Crowell’s
not the only great songwriter found on this album though. Matraca
Berg, Shawn Camp, Jim Lauderdale, Tim Mensy,
Buddy Miller, Julie Miller and Marty Stuart
are just a few of the top songwriters showcased on the project, once
again produced by Emory Gordy Jr.
•
The
Mavericks are back with their sixth album.
The group reunited earlier this year to the delight of music fans
everywhere. The album will
be in stores September 23. It’s great to have the Mavericks back. They masterfully
blend Country, pop, Cuban and more musical influences together to create
their own special blend of magic. •
Willie
Nelson has released three albums in the last year that
are worth your attention. Stars & Guitars, a live album recorded at the Ryman
Auditorium in Nashville in 2002, features Nelson performing with Ryan
Adams, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Bill Evans, Vince Gill, Patty Griffin,
Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Toby Keith, Matchbox Twenty, Brian
McKnight, Aaron Neville, Ray Price, Keith Richards, Richie Sambora, Rob
Thomas, Hank Williams III and Lee Ann Womack.
Live and Kickin’ was recorded at New York City’s Beacon Theatre in April 2003 in
honor of Willie’s 70th birthday.
Joining Willie on various songs are -- Ray Charles, Kenny Chesney, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Wyclef Jean,
Norah Jones, Toby Keith, Diana Krall, Shelby Lynne, John Mellencamp, Ray
Price, Leon Russell, Paul Simon, Shania Twain, Steven Tyler and ZZ
Top.
Finally, Willie has
released a duet album with the legendary Ray
Price called Run That By Me One More Time.
This album sounds as if you were listening to Country radio in
the 1960s -- and that’s a great thing!
Seventy years old and Willie’s showing no signs of stopping. Let’s hope he’s here to cross boundaries and entertain
for years to come! •
Brad
Paisley scored a career high when he debuted at #1 on
the Billboard Country Albums Chart with his new release, Mud
on the Tires, reaching sales of over 85,000 copies in its first
week. The CD also came in
at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.
Paisley is rapidly becoming a force in
Country Music with his insightful and witty songwriting, his amazing
guitar prowess, his talented vocals and his affable personality. Mud...
features the hit single “Celebrity,”
which pokes fun at the public’s fascination with celebrities and
reality shows. The hysterical video for “Celebrity”
has become a CMT staple over the summer, as it features Jason
Alexander, Little Jimmy Dickens, “The Bachelorette” Trista Rehn and even William
Shatner. But the album is not
all fun and games. Paisley covers the Vern Gosdin hit “Is It Raining at Your House?” and performs a sobering duet with
Alison Krauss on “Whiskey Lullaby.” Paisley’s
best yet! •
Wynonna returns!! The
title cut from her new album What
the World Needs Now Is Love is already racing up the singles
charts. It’s a delight to
have new music from Wy. Mother
Naomi Judd joins her on one
song, “Flies on the Butter (You
Can’t Go Home Again)”, while guitar great Jeff
Beck performs on Wy’s version of the Foreigner
hit “I Want to Know What Love
Is.” Also included on this
album is Wynonna’s version of the Elvis
Presley classic “Burnin’
Love,” which she performed on the soundtrack of the animated
movie, “Lilo
and Stitch.”
Have a great month… I’ll see you in October! |
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