Album Review – Myron Elkins – “Nostalgia For Sale”
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Myron Elkins opens his mouth, and a wormhole appears to a smoky nightclub in blue collar Detroit in the 1970s, or a Muscle Shoals recording session pre air conditioning installation. It’s borderline unbelievable.
Sturgill Simpson Goes Badass & Breaks Up Fight at Ryman Auditorium
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Sturgill Simpson just wrapped up a stint of three sold-out nights at the Mother Church of Country Music in Nashville, also known as The Ryman Auditorium, and the word from the concerts was a good time was had and great music was made. But at one point during the Halloween show, stuff got a little rowdy.
Chris Stapleton to Perform with Justin Timberlake on the CMA Awards. But That’s Just The Beginning.
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Well well well. In yet another bid for you to firmly affix your eyeballs to the boob tube on Wednesday, November 4th for the 49th annual CMA Awards, it has been announced that critic’s favorite and thrice-nominated SteelDriver turned songwriter turned performer Chris Stapleton will be performing with former ‘N Sync member turned solo superstar Justin Timberlake. Though if you’ve been reading Saving Country Music, you probably already knew this.
The American Market Needs Ward Thomas. Now.
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Ward Thomas is Maddie & Tae without the baggage or the need for qualifiers or quips like “Oh, but at least it’s better than Bro-Country.” Ward Davis is First Aid Kit but with a more sensible, positive, and wide-appealing sound that doesn’t shed the intelligence or inspiration from the listening experience to get there.
Review – “Brennen Leigh Sings Lefty Frizzell”
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Tribute records, just like compilations and live recordings, can be a tough sell and a tedious listen. However, by smartly selecting songs that are worthy of being heard again, but are not the obvious “Greatest Hits” of Lefty’s legacy, Brennen avoids the common pitfall of tribute records. And making her renditions that much more compelling and unique is the fact that she’s a woman singing these songs.
George Jones “White Lightning” Moonshine & Vodka Looking to Go Nationwide
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George Jones “White Lightning” moonshine and vodka is looking to come to a liquor store near you. Currently sold exclusively through the George Jones Museum in Nashville, and manufactured by the Silver Trail Distillery in Hardin, KY, the brand is now looking to expand to national and international markets. The term “White Lightning” is trademarked by the George Jones estate…
Why The Release of Cam’s Debut Album “Untamed” Is Already a Failure
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Though the announcement of her debut album is something to celebrate for her fans, it also shows yet again how country music’s females, especially the non-established up-and-comers, are being treated as second class citizens by labels. It is this systematical, logistical downgrading of female performers that is making the struggles of country’s women a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Album Review – “Sidelong” by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
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“Sidelong” may find itself in a dark and troubled place much of the time, but it’s good old country music at its heart. You know, country music? That stuff they used to make before Music Row lost its everloving mind? Music that said something, and conveyed a feeling that bred a sense of commiseration and shared grief with the audience resulting in a strange healing? Yeah, that stuff.
The Amount of Solo-Written Hits Has Slipped from 51% to 2% in the Last 40 Years
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That’s the somewhat anecdotal, but still troubling conclusion of a recent analysis by ‘Billboard.’ Today, the more likely scenario for how a song is written is scheduled meetings in cubicle farms, or collaborations on Skype with individuals who are credited as songwriters, but are better described as producers or programmers. Ideas are thrown out in collaborative form, and then workshopped in a group setting.
Song Review – Kelsea Ballerini’s “Dibs”
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What bothers me the most about this song is how so commonplace it has become to see a song like this become a big success on country radio without any measurable clamor or concern about where this might be leading country music in the long-term. Kelsea Ballerini has no idea what country music is. At 22-years-old, she’s lived her entire life likely without hearing one authentic country song on the radio.
Lucinda Williams Announces New Album “Ghosts of Highway 20”
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Lucinda Williams isn’t slowing down anytime soon. After releasing a double album in September of 2014 called Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, and walking away with the Americana Music Awards’ Album of the Year, the legendary alt-country Americana songwriter has been back at work and is ready to release a new record called ‘Ghosts of Highway 20.’
Who Are ABC’s “Nashville” Characters Based On In Real Life?
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The allure of ABC’s hour-long drama Nashville lost its luster for yours truly many seasons ago after the drama got so ridiculous you could see the plot twists coming from a mile away. And the music—though still a decent component—got somewhat sidelined in recent seasons in lieu of keeping the sappy and seductive scenes coming to keep eyes glued on the TV screen.
Revered Texas Songwriter David Rodriguez Passes Away
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David Rodriguez, a beloved and influential Texas singer, songwriter, poet, and part of an extended musical family, passed away on Monday (10-26) at his home in the Netherlands according to his family. He was 63-years-old. Word quickly spread around the Austin and Texas songwriter community, and the Rodriguez-influenced Lyle Lovett dedicated his final song to Rodriguez at his show at Austin’s Paramount Theatre.