Album Review – Sweet Megg – “Bluer Than Blue”
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Bob Wills and Western Swing were just as much jazz as they were country, and the same goes for Sweet Meg and ‘Bluer Than Blue.’ It’s boldly and steadfastly traveling back to the ’20s-’40s period, and reviving the era in sound.
The Whiskey Shivers Shine in New Self-Titled LP
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Trust me when I say if you go ambling through American college towns, you won’t find anything resembling a dearth of string bands with a bunch of young men and their banjos and fiddles stomping and shouting on stage. What you will find a dearth of are these bands that are actually worth listening to, at least outside of the context of a drunken college town barroom.
Tyler Farr Would Like To Smack Jody Rosen Upside The Head
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Hypothetically he does, or at least metaphorically. But depending on Tyler Farr’s proficiency at internet research (which I’m guessing is pretty sub-par) and his proximity to the Big Apple where New Yorker culture writer Jody Rosen—who coined the term “Bro-Country”—makes his bed, Farr will probably just have to settle for sending verbal daggers out towards Rosen in The Arizona Republic.
Album Review – Lee Ann Womack’s “The Way I’m Livin'”
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This isn’t just your average album release, or even your average album release from Lee Ann Womack. This one has a little more special meaning for Womack since it is her first release without a major label, and a release that helps rate of progress for both women and traditional country artists looking to revitalize their place to a wider audience.
R.I.P. “Bro-Country” (2011-2014)
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On Monday, September 22nd, the subset of American country music known to many by its nickname “Bro-Country,” died at its home in Nashville, TN. Though the specific cause of death has yet to be ruled on by the local medical examiner, preliminary findings appear to show that Bro-Country had been exhaustively over-utilized over the last few months and years until it finally passed away from overexposure.
Strait’s “Cowboy Rides Away” Album Butchered By Auto-Tune
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Nobody could have anticipated that a George Strait album would be the vehicle for the most excessive, and most blatantly obvious use of the pitch correction software known as Auto-Tune that I have ever, ever heard in the history of recorded music, barring projects purposefully using Auto-Tune as a special effect. The use of Auto-Tune on The Cowboy Rides Away is egregious.
Album Review – Tim McGraw’s “Sundown Heaven Town”
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I write these words knowing that many will roll up to this Tim McGraw dissertation looking for a bowl of blood as recompense for the emotional direst recent Tim McGraw singles such as “Truck Yeah” have waged on the mental state of many innocent country music fans. But the simple truth is Tim McGraw’s new album ‘Sundown Heaven Town’ deserves to be spared the most sinister strokes from the poison pen.
“Country Roads” Documentary Features Justin Townes Earle
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Acting as a guide through both the explanation of the roots of country music and the streets of Nashville, Justin Townes Earle and many others try best to define “country” for a foreign audience in the film. The Country Roads DVD also includes an entire Justin Townes Earle concert performed at Pace University on October 26th and 27th of 2012 called “The Spirit of Woody Guthrie.”
Hank3 & The Damn Band LIVE (A Photo Journal)
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On Wednesday September 17th, Hank3 stopped at the Outland Ballroom in Springfield, MO for the start of his current West Coast tour. Hank3 played three separate sets of music for the packed house representing the three facets of the 3rd generation performer: Country, Hellbilly, and Metal. Photo journalist Robert Kipness of Black Bird Creative was there to capture the event.
Why Lists and “Exclusive” Content are Killing Music Journalism
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Jack White’s criticisms of Rolling Stone, The Foo Fighters, and The Black Keys would probably be taken with a little more weight if they didn’t feel like they were so rooted in spite. But Jack raises a very important topic in how music journalism has evolved over the last few years, especially as print magazines have been forced to move into a more robust online presence.
Randy Travis Health Update: First Video of Star Since Stroke
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Ever since Randy Travis suffered a severe heart malady and subsequent stroke on July 7th of 2013, fans have been concerned about the condition of the country star, with little to no true information about his health condition or status. Now we get to see the first video of Randy, who is seen walking with the aid of a cane and looking good as he attended an annual fundraising function in in Denison, TX.
Review – Florida Georgia Line’s “Sun Daze” (a semi-rant)
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At this point, Florida Georgia Line has settled quite nicely into being the great American sedative of our generation. Just as producer Joey Moi did with Nickelback before them, this music affords a vacation from self-reflection or truly beneficial thought. This is the type of vacationary audio lubrication that keeps the engine of corporate America purring along just fine.
2014 Americana Music Awards LIVE Blog
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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Saving Country Music 2014 Americana Music Awards LIVE Blog! Emanating from the Mother Church of Country Music, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, The Americana Music Awards looks to recognize the finest artists in the Americana industry as part of the greater Americana Music Conference transpiring this week.