One of the biggest adversities to a grassroots artist is success. As Chris Stapleton once said after he’d risen out of obscurity, “I have completely no street cred anymore.” Tyler Childers is the perfect example of this. He released his latest album ‘Country Squire’ earlier this year, and a small but boisterous contingent of fans love to say he “sold out.”
On NBC’s ‘The Voice’ Monday night (10-28), a contestant named Jake Hoot performed Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up” as part of the singing show. Taylor Swift, who was acting as a coach on the episode, even remarked “I love Jason Isbell,” when Jake Hoot said he was covering “Cover Me Up.” It’s more evidence the song has become a standard.
Eric Church’s latest album Desperate Man will win the CMA Album of the Year in 2019, beating out Thomas Rhett’s Center Point Road, Dan + Shay’s self-titled release, Girl by Maren Morris, and Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty. This is the bold prediction Saving Country Music is putting out there right here and now.
All of a sudden Hootie & the Blowfish—not just Darius Rucker—is signed to Universal Music Group’s country imprint in Nashville, is planning to release a new record on November 1st, and just released a straight up pop rock Hootie & the Blowfish single called “Hold On” that has just become the “most added” song on COUNTRY radio.
Carrie Underwood will win the 2019 CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year when it is handed out on November 13th, 2019. Mark it down. She will beat out Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, and Eric Church for the top prize of the night. This isn’t necessarily an endorsement, nor is it any kind of rebuke. It’s simply a prediction.
Not to spend too much time on the country music washout that is Zac Brown in 2019, but just to wrap a bow around the weird situation surrounding his recent solo pop album called The Controversy, we finally have an explanation of why the surprise album was pulled from multiple outlets and retailers after its release on September 27th.
Sure, talk’s cheap. And we saw that illustrated perfectly when Sam Hunt released a new single recently called “Kinfolks.” But the case is a bit different with Carly Pearce. Unlike Sam Hunt and other current mainstream stars, Carly started out in the traditional country ranks, and she’s also backing up her claims with her music.
“It’s definitely not a country record,” Sturgill Simpson told Sarah Silverman point blank back in November of 2018 about the new album. The “definitely” underscores that there’s no wiggle room in that interpretation. So the question is, why is Sound & Fury on the Billboard country charts?
The magic of what makes Tyler Childers able to write country songs that seem to resonate so deeply with listeners is not rocket science. The reason Tyler Childers and other Kentucky-born songwriters are currently acting like the spearhead in the effort to save country music is because they’re singing what they know about.
Something that became obvious while watching the Ken Burns documentary is a few of the egregious oversights the Country Music Hall of Fame has been a party to when it comes to its inductees. Unlike other Halls of Fame, The Country Music Hall of Fame is extremely selective of who they let in, only allowing three new members in each year.
Well because they’re fans of The Likely Culprits, of course. Who are The Likely Culprits? It’s a crew of seven all-star band members and session musicians who comprise some of the most highly-regarded pickers and singers in the country music business.
Not as a rebuke of the work of the documentary, but as an addendum for those who watched and might want to dig deeper into the history of country through some of its more important personalities not represented well in the film, here are some of the Country Music film’s biggest oversights.
Look, the semi controversy over the CMAs choosing to replace Brad Paisley as the long-time host in 2019 with Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire is water under the bridge at this point. But it is kind of amusing that the CMAs and ABC recently announced that Brad Paisley will be getting his own television special later this season.
The broadcast of the Ken Burns-produced 8-part, 16-hour documentary on country music could very well be the most significant event to happen in country music in 2019, if not in the next few years. For country music to receive the expansive documentary treatment for America’s preeminent filmmaking archivist could have significant implications.
As Tanya’s first original record in 17 years, ‘While I’m Livin” has undeniably helped put Tanya back on the map. Producers Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings deserve all the credit in the world for taking the initiative to make this record happen. However, there were a couple of curious and concerning things about the project.
Tuesday, September 10th is Suicide Prevention Day, and the day has been observed with renewed importance by many in the independent country and roots world after the recent passing of songwriter, player, and producer Neal Casal. The 50-year-old took his own life on August 26th leaving many with lingering questions about his passing.
Cody Jinks made his Grand Ole Opry debut on August 28th, and the Opry has finally gotten around to posting the full official audio of the show (listen below). In a segment hosted by Grand Ole Opry member Clint Black, Cody Jinks received a standing ovation after performing his allotted three songs backed by the Opry house band.
Whenever a songwriter sits down to write a song, their sincere hope is they will conjure up something that will stir the human soul in such a manner that it leaves an indelible mark upon listeners lasting well beyond the moments in audience with the song itself. Sad, happy, nostalgic, or tragic, as long as it awakens a keen sense of being alive.
The name of the tour is definitely a little dubious for the venues Garth has selected to play so far. But those complaining about Garth’s efforts here are missing the bigger picture. “I think he recognizes the significant role that smaller venues play in keeping country music going.”
Tulsa, Oklahoma native Zach Bryan took many fans of Texas, Red Dirt, and independent country music by surprise recently when he released an album of solo acoustic recordings on August 23rd under the title “DeAnn.” But the biggest question many have is, who is Zach Bryan?
Kane Brown is not happy about getting snubbed by the CMAs, again. And as he’s did last year, he took to Twitter on Wednesday (8-28) after the CMA nominations were revealed to show his disdain, posting a GIF of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry shaking his head in disappointment. Now he’s deleted his Twitter account.
The 2019 CMA Award nominees were announced Wednesday (8-28) morning, and those hoping for country music to have it’s “woke” moment with multiple women nominated for Entertainer of the Year, and Lil Nas X dominating everything else will be sorely disappointed. However the nominations did have some surprising moments.
Even ceding the argument that the album concept is dead for many listeners these days (which is not true at all for core, grassroots fans), there still doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of reason to release a large handful of your songs before an album’s street date, aside from that just seems to be what everyone does these days.
The Grand Ole Opry regularly loves to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and other such milestones for its members when they come around on the calendar. It’s a good reason for fans to tune in, and can build a good theme around a segment or an entire show. No anniversary for any Opry member might be […]