Willie Nelson Readies a Toast to Merle Haggard
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No rest for the Willie. Along with still constantly touring at 92, he’s also good for about a two-per-year clip of new albums. This year, both of those albums will be tributes. Next up is Merle Haggard.
Album Review – Ben Jarrell’s “A Country Song”
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Country music. No qualifiers, no hyphenated terms, no squinting to make an “Americana” act appear to be country just because they have a steel guitar in the band. With “A Country Song,” there are no hijinks, and no crazy tangents.
Sturgill Simpson Debuts Johnny Blue Skies at Outside Lands
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For the first time in three years, Sturgill Simpson took the stage to perform a full set of music. And for the first time in an even longer period he took the stage with guitarist Laur Joamets, Kevin Black on bass, and Miles Miller on drums.
Album Review – Billy Strings – “Live Vol. 1”
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Even stone sober, Billy Strings and his band can take your mind places otherwise inaccessible under normal circumstances, opening up portals of enjoyment and understanding that is nothing short of life-altering.
Newest Adds to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#144)
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We’re rounding the corner on the summer, but the hits keep coming. The last month or two has seen some of the top album releases of the year, and many of them are represented in the latest additions to the playlist.
No, Tom Petty Did Not Hate Country Music
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You almost hate to even broach this subject from fear of giving it too much oxygen. But no, Tom Petty did not hate country music. He loved country music. Tom Petty was a roots rocker from Florida influenced by country.
Robert’s Western World Celebrates 25 Years on Lower Broadway
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It was 25 years ago on August 5th 1999 when young Nashville Lower Broadway performer, Jesse Lee Jones, finalized one of his most important decisions, to buy Roberts Western World from its founder, Robert Moore.
Album Review – Karen Jonas – “The Rise and Fall of American Kitsch”
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Simply the title of this album feels ambitious. But not even this prepares you for what you’ll experience if you approach this album with an open mind, and as a linear work. Karen Jonas has released an exemplar take on the American concept record.
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit to Release “Live From The Ryman Vol. 2”
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Jason Isbell’s extended residencies at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville every October have become an annual tradition in Music City. Now he looks to commemorate some of the best performances over the last few years.
Alli Walker’s New Song “Nashville” (A Rant)
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If you’ve ever wondered who those zombies are whose idea of a good time is to frequent Lower Broadway and spend five hours hopping between corporate bars, this song is exclusively for them.
On Randall King Finally Getting a Single on Country Radio
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There is a positive sign that perhaps Randall King is finally getting his due. It only took half a decade and two album releases, but Warner Music is finally promoting a proper single to country radio.
Album Review – Lance Roark’s “Tenkiller”
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With his new six-song EP Tenkiller, Lance Roark steps out of the shadows of being a Turnpike Troubadours beneficiary. He also breaks out of the singer/songwriter shell to turn in a full-tilt Red Dirt rock experience
Charlie Starr’s Son C.C. Gray Releases Debut Single
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It turns out now that Blackberry Smoke may birth a second generation. Frontman Charlie Starr has a son who has decided to get into the family business, and he doesn’t sound too bad at all, or too far off from pops.