Assessing Chappell Roan’s “Country” Song “The Giver”
65 Comments
“The Giver” is fundamentally a pop song, though with a very strong and prominent fiddle part, which is so pronounced in the song, it truly does pull it into the realm of country, or at least, country pop.
Album Review- Lori McKenna’s “The Tree”
51 Comments
Mother of five Lori McKenna from Stoughton, Massachusetts is saving country music. You no longer have any legitimate license to say, “Oh, I’ve heard the name. Isn’t she a songwriter or something?” and consider yourself and enlightened music fan. Brushing Lori McKenna off is brushing off one of the greatest living songwriters of our generation.
Willie Nelson Announces Frank Sinatra Tribute Album “My Way”
29 Comments
As first reported by Saving Country Music weeks ago, Willie Nelson’s next record will be a tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. Now we have confirmation and details of the new record to be called My Way that is set to be released on September 14th via Sony’s Legacy Recordings.
George Strait’s Cumulative #1’s Record Wrecked by Florida Georgia Line & Billboard
85 Comments
“Meant To Be” recently helped Florida Georgia Line shatter what once was thought a bulletproof record—George Strait’s cumulative frames for songs cresting a week at #1. With a whopping 45 total #1’s spanning over a quarter century in the business, there’s a reason Strait earned the nickname “King” George over his Hall of Fame career.
Brandi Carlile Shows Needed Leadership in Launching “Girls Just Wanna” Festival
49 Comments
Once again Brandi Carlile has proven why she is a gem of independent roots music, and an asset to the planet. While other people have talked, planned, promised, and threatened to throw an all-girl festival or tour in the roots realm, Carlile has hauled off and actually done it.
How Brooklyn Became a Bastion Of Independent Country Music
63 Comments
In the late 80’s, there was a commercial for Pace Picante Sauce that featured a bunch of cowboys sitting around a campfire eating a chuck wagon dinner. When the cowboys ran out of Pace made in San Antonio (by folks who know what Picante sauce is supposed to taste like, the commercial proclaimed), the cook […]
Kenny Chesney’s “Better Boat” (co-written by Travis Meadows)
45 Comments
Nearly everything about “Better Boat” is right. The songwriters Travis Meadows and Liz Rose are right. The entirety of the instrumentation being performed by Mac McAnally on an acoustic guitar is right. Kenny choosing songwriter Mindy Smith to perform the song with instead of some pop star is right.
Willie Nelson’s Earliest Recordings Released in “Things to Remember – The Pamper Demos”
15 Comments
For the first time—at least in physical form—Willie Nelson’s earliest recordings have been compiled together and released as a proper album. Called ‘Things To Remember–The Pamper Demos,’ it contains the very first recordings of what would go on become some of Willie Nelson’s most iconic songs.
Corb Lund Hits Texas and the West on “Western Destinations” Tour
21 Comments
“I’ve been wanting to do a tour like this for years and years, so I’m thrilled that it is finally happening,” says Corb Lund. “We’re playing a bunch of places we’ve never been before and it’s long overdue. I grew up in a rodeo and ranching family and I write songs about western life, so it makes sense for me to do a tour focused on this part of America.”
Women Performers Speak Out Against 50/50 Trolling of Festivals
35 Comments
Plain and simple, the trolling of music festivals on Twitter for not having 50/50 men vs. women on their lineups is very specifically hurting the cause to include more women on festival lineups. Expecting every festival to achieve 50/50 representation of women immediately is unreasonable to impossible in certain sectors of the music economy.
Chris Stapleton Earns Marty Stuart’s Praise – “It’s Not Bull$hit Country.”
52 Comments
The biggest adversity to independent music is success. Nobody knows this better than Chris Stapleton. After he was fully embraced by the mainstream industry and was winning awards left and right, folks began vilifying him as a sellout and for not being as country as advertised. But Marty Stuart doesn’t see it that way.
Newest Additions to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#24)
10 Comments
Freshly provisioned for your summer road trip, the Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist has been reinforced with some doozies of modern country greatness. Leading the charge is the staunchly traditional singer and songwriter Shane Owens, with the lead track off of his recently-released EP “It’s a Southern Thing.”
Album Review – Cliff Westfall’s “Baby You Win”
67 Comments
Hot damn. I don’t know who the hell Cliff Westfall is or where he’s been hiding out for so many years, but he just released a hot shit country record that will whip the pants off of most others released this year and many from years prior, and get you making room on your list of favorite artists.