Raul Malo – Voice of a Generation, and Mavericks Frontman – Has Died
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Even before his recent, harrowing battle with Cancer, anyone who asked Saving Country Music who the best singer of this generation is would receive back the answer without a hint of hesitation, “Raul Malo.”
Lew Dickey Is Out as Cumulus Media CEO – Replacement Named – Stock Plummets
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Lew Dickey, the embattled and polarizing CEO of Cumulus is out, and his replacement has been named as Mary G. Berner, a seasoned media business operator who joined the Cumulus board in May. Lew Dickey founded Cumulus Media in 1997, and has served as the company’s CEO for 16 years. Dickey will stay on at the company, but in a downgraded role as a Vice Chairman.
So Apparently All of Garth’s New Music Is On A Phone That He Fried & Can’t Power Back Up
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All of the music Garth has been working on for a new release over the last six months? It’s currently sitting on a phone that’s dead, and nobody can get it to power back up at the moment. That’s right, there’s no backup, no Plan ‘B’, it’s all just gone unless they figure out somehow to salvage the files. Six full months of studio time and effort could be completely flushed down the drain.
Song Review – Jon Pardi’s “Head Over Boots”
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“Head Over Boots” is not a great song, but it’s country, and it’s Jon Pardi, and it suits the ears just fine. The key for Pardi and Laird was to put something together that was positive in nature, but still native to Pardi’s sound, and something still traditional enough to delineate Pardi from radio peers. So they headed to the dance halls of Texas for inspiration.
Album Review – Thomas Rhett’s “Tangled Up”
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The hubris, the insult of calling Tangled Up “country,” the effrontery to the institution and the brazenness of the act are unparalleled, and start country music down a brambled path towards a terrible demise where it can’t define its own borders or distinguish itself from the rest of American music. For the first time, we ask the question, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” and cannot give ourselves a reassuring answer.
Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel Calls out Luke Bryan / Modern Country. “There’s No Originality”
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The songwriter, singer, guitar player, and frontman for the legendary Western Swing and classic country band Asleep At The Wheel had some harsh things to say about today’s country music in a recent interview, and specifically about the reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan.
Cumulus Stock “Decimated.” How Trouble at NASH Could Spell Trouble for Country
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Cumulus Media’s NASH concept wants to become the one stop shop for corporate country consumers, and the country industry is more than willing to play ball as long as the company spreads its capital around to launch grandiose ventures and continues to play its artists on the radio. But there’s a problem. A big one.
Emmylou Harris: Today’s Country Music Isn’t “Washed In The Blood”
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Emmylou Harris and long-time collaborator Rodney Crowell have a new album out with called ‘The Traveling Kind,’ and while speaking in a joint interview with radio.com recently, Emmylou had some interesting words about what she thinks about today’s country music.
Album Review – Eric Strickland’s “Revelate”
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It’s the combination of Strickland’s songwriting, and his amazing North Carolina-bred country voice that give you that tingle only true country music knows how to evoke. His frequent collaborator Gary Braddy also pens some of this album’s best songs, while the ‘B’ Sides continue to be one of the coolest backing bands in country music.
American Idol Loses Its Everloving Mind — Invites Cool Old Roots Artists to Audition
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American Idol is not going down without a fight, and is looking to field their strongest roster of participants yet. No stone is being left unturned apparently, and they’ve even resorted to reaching out to some quite unusual individuals with special VIP invitations for private tryouts, proving just how clueless the show’s talent scouts are, while also offering an interesting insight into how they actually find contestants.
Kenny Rogers Announces Retirement: How Your Local Kenny Rogers Roasters Will Be Affected
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This was the news from Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Rogers this morning on The Today Show when he stopped by the set to promote his new Christmas album, Once Again It’s Christmas. After over 100 million albums sold worldwide, over 120 charted singles in country and other genres, and a semi-failed chain of Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken restaurants, The Gambler is bidding his career adieu.
Album Review – Clint Black’s “On Purpose”
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It’s fitting that Clint’s last name is “Black” because he seems to have spent his entire career overshadowed by his peers, even when he was at his commercial peak. As part of the now famous “Class of ’89,” he was always vying for attention with Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Brooks & Dunn. He still was wildly successful. 22 #1 singles is nothing to scoff at.
Music Journalism Is Dying at the Hands of PR Firms
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Artists, labels, and PR firms being able to speak directly to consumers more than ever through the vehicle of social media arguably doesn’t make music media obsolete, it makes it more necessary than ever to help listeners navigate through a crowded marketplace, and make sure they’re not being misled by an industry trying to deal with their own revenue and contraction issue in the digital age.