Album Review – India Ramey’s “Baptized By The Blaze”
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This ravenesque honky tonk maven comes with a major dose of vintage Western vibes and just a hint of rockabilly to make it all feel dangerous, with songs that are fun, but aren’t afraid to speak to something deeper.
Aaron Watson Fights Fire with Country Rap Fire on “Hey Y’all” Song
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Texas Country music star Aaron Watson just released his 11th album Real Good Time on October 9th, and on the album the Amarillo native makes a good, healthy jab at the “country rap” phenomenon infecting country music’s airwaves. Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, and the rest of the laundry list country rap crowd are lampooned by a song that is so well written in the country rap vein…
.357 String Band Reissues Landmark Album “Fire & Hail”
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the loss of .357 String Band may go down as underground country’s greatest tragedy. I can think of no other project that was so ripe for becoming a success story of authentic American underground roots. They were brilliant, but accessible at the same time. It is a great sin of American music. They have re-issued their landmark 2008 album “Fire & Hail” on vinyl.
ABC’s “Nashville” Cast’s Real Life Counterparts
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Like most fictional characters in popular culture, the characters of ABC’s new drama Nashville are probably based more on stereotypes than real-life folks. But for fun, let’s see if we can’t match up who the real-life inspiration is for the principals of the Nashville cast, and through the experiment see if the show really does represent all aspects of the Nashville music scene.
Jamey Johnson’s “Living for a Song / Tribute to Hank Cochran”
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Jamey Johnson’s Living For a Song is a tribute to his musical hero; a man he met in 2008 when Cochran was already suffering from pancreatic cancer. I’ve always had great respect for Jamey Johnson the man, and his dedication and desire to see this project through elevates him yet another notch. But shoot me that I like my pulse raised when I put on an album.
Mumford & Sons Take Roots Music Mainstream w/ “Babel”
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By all accounts, I should hate these dudes, and this album by proxy. t was announced that Babel was the best-selling debut so far in 2012, selling 600,000 copies and outpacing folks like Justin Bieber. Really? Has the “roots” revolution reached such a point that it is the most popular, mainstream thing going in music these days? How am I supposed to be okay with that, and where is this leading?
How Billboard’s New Chart Rules Affect YOU
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When Billboard announced new rules on how the songs on their “Hot 100” country chart would be tabulated, it caused a tizzy amongst folks who pay attention to these sorts of things. But the average Joe fans out there may have a little trouble understanding why the issue is something they should care about, and how it could negatively effect the music they enjoy.
Sturgill Simpson’s “Life Ain’t Fair & The World Is Mean”
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The magic of “Life Ain’t Fair” is the way it trivializes all the issues it raises by simply pointing out the obvious: that life’s unfairness is inherent, and complaining about it or using it as an excuse to not pursue your dreams is foolish. It’s cynical and inspirational all at the same time, and that feat of acrobatics can’t be performed without some acute dexterity and prowess with the pen.
Billboard Changes Country Chart Rules, Boosts “Crossover” Songs
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This morning the country music world was turned on its head when Billboard, the longest-running and most respected publisher of music charts, decided it was making sweeping changes to the way singles are judged in country. If Billboard’s rules stay in place,the effects could be somewhere between dramatic and historic.
Sarah Gayle Meech & “One Good Thing” Revitalize Honky Tonk
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Lower Broadway in Nashville has a new songstress haunting the streets, and she’s a good one. If you want to know how to put out one badass independent/underground country album in Nashville, you could use One Good Thing as a template. With impeccable country taste and instincts, Sarah assembles 12 original and authentic honky-tonk hard country songs for your listening enjoyment.
ABC’s “Nashville” Makes Good Money Off Of Bad Music Drama
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Is it compelling? Sure. Is it right? Of course not. Will it result in either the increased exposure of good music, or the greater awareness of the issues plaguing mainstream country? Well have to see. But I remain skeptical. I would rather see Nashville attempt to fix their problems as opposed to try and make money off the drama they create. But of course, that doesn’t make for compelling television.
Producer T Bone Burnett Has Scathing Words for Nashville
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Big shot producer T Bone Burnett whose in charge of the music for the new ABC drama Nashville premiering tonight (10-10) had some pretty scathing words about the state of music in Music City when talking to The New Orleans Times-Picayune about the upcoming television series. “These days, (country) radio is essentially a guy in his room with a computer,” T Bone told the paper.
Song Review – Kacey Musgraves “Merry Go Round”
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The most powerful gift of music might not be its ability to console you in pain, but to pierce your reality bubble and let the wisdom of enhanced perspective guide you to your true self. As immature and judgmental as “Merry Go Round” might seem in places, this altruistic aim is its objective, and its outcome.