Even before he recently announced a diagnosis with what we all hope is a treatable form of Cancer, anyone who asked me to name the best singer of this generation would receive the answer “Raul Malo” back without hesitation.
There’s not much better than a song from The Mavericks when they really get a hold of one, and do what The Mavericks do. You’re almost apt to forget or overlook them as a country fan, but you shouldn’t.
Neil Diamond. The Jewish Elvis Presley as some have referred to him over the years. But country? That’s probably not what you think of when you think Neil Diamond.
If one of the things that gets your motor running is takeoff Telecaster guitar in a country song, then waste no time piping up the new track from The Shootouts with Marty Stuart. Ohio’s official throwback traditional country honky tonk band has a new album on the way called ‘Stampede.’
While you were putting on 40 pounds and watching Tiger King twice during the pandemic, Jamey Johnson was out there working towards earning his commercial pilot license. Apparently the songwriter has been flying to gigs fairly regularly while on tour.
In country music, one way to consider the quality of a song or album is to ask yourself what a country legend might feel about it. In the case of Jesse Daniel’s Beyond The Walls, I feel confident Tom T. Hall and Don Williams would approve of the way it helps reset your perspective …
One of the fastest-rising names in traditional country music over the last few years has been small town California-native turned Texas transplant Jesse Daniel. Now in a quick turnaround time from his highly-regarded album “Rollin’ On” from 2020, he’s ready to release another long player.
Trumpet player Lorenzo Molina Ruiz for the country and Latin group The Mavericks, and his friend Orlando Morales were allegedly assaulted early Sunday morning, October 4th, at Tony’s Eat & Drink in Franklin, Tennessee, allegedly for speaking Spanish.
With stellar frontman Raul Malo, The Mavericks have dabbled in Spanish language music before. But En Español is the first time the outfit delves into Spanish language material exclusively, both in the form of some new, original compositions, as well as some tasteful covers.
Up until now, aside from a song here or a song there, The Mavericks have entertained mostly in the English language. That is what will make their upcoming album ‘En Español’ unique not just for the Mavericks, but a rarity for the greater country music community.
2019 was a stacked year for top live performances. This was supposed to be a list of the top 10 live performances, but due to such a crowded field, things boiled over. And yes, there are three #1 acts. All should be considered equals at the very top level of live performance. They were all so great, it seemed unfair to put one over the other.
Any frustration you might have experienced with The Mavericks for not releasing an original album this year is chased pretty quickly when they light into their version of “Swingin'” made popular by John Anderson, and then “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” written and recorded by Waylon Waymore Watasha Jennings.
Whether you’re a fan of The Mavericks from the days of old when they were launching radio hits like “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” or their newer era with albums like their return record In Time from 2013 that won SCM’s Album of the Year, whenever they’re rolling through your town, they are a sure bet for one hell of a show to see.
Usually Christmas music gets shoved to the back burner around these parts, but this year there is such a surprising amount of quality selections of Holiday music being released, it’s worth a dedicated roundup. So if Christmas music is your thing—especially with a country or roots kick—give a gander to what 2018’s got in store.
Whitney Rose’s “Rule 62″ (which by the way is “Don’t Take Yourself Too Damn Seriously”), is fun and fashionable in that throwback sort of way that’s the rage of independent roots circles at the moment, while also being bolstered by quality songwriting framed within a vintage era that still appeals to the modern perspective.
“Rule #62” which states, “Don’t Take Yourself Too Damn Seriously,” is something the Canadian-born and Austin-dwelling honky tonk throwback singer Whitney Rose steadfastly adheres to, and it’s also the theme behind her upcoming new album of the same name.
Whitney Rose has relocated to Austin and can be regularly seen playing the famous haunts in the heart of Texas such as Austin’s Continental Club, and Luckenbach. Whitney Rose’s new EP ‘South Texas Suite’ finds her standing on her own two feet as producer, not just songwriter, and putting together what is tantamount to a love letter to her newfound home.
It’s a little hard to fathom that Chris Issak has never made a country record before. He combines the caramel singing and cool factor of Dwight Yoakam, the crooning capability of Raul Malo, and the lounge-like timelessness of Lyle Lovett into one smooth package that makes the felines swoon and the men hopping jealous. He’s a crooner whose styling cuts across all kinds of borders of taste and influence.
Willie Nelson is set to be honored by The Library of Congress and the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on Wednesday, November 18th at Constitution Hall in Washington. The concert will be recorded and broadcast nationwide through PBS on Friday, January 16th, 2016. “It is an honor to be the next recipient of the Gershwin Prize. I appreciate it greatly,” Nelson says.
In San Francisco this weekend, the massive Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is going on, and The Mavericks took to the Banjo Stage on Friday afternoon for their set. For whatever reason, the security decided to be extra vigilant, and wasn’t allowing folks to dance some ten feet in front of the already apportioned-off area in front of the stage. But frontman Raul Malo was having none of it.
Sturgill rescheduled the dates to make it up to the communities he missed because of the cancellation, including one of the few available dates in Charlottesville at The Jefferson Theater—the same night as 2015’s Americana Music Awards. Sturgill had a choice, and it couldn’t have been an easy one.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Saving Country Music’s 2015 Americana Music Awards LIVE blog! As the festivities stream live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, we’ll tag along to leave our observations, keep up with the winners, discuss the performances, and share what happened with the folks who missed it.
I don’t know what they’re lacing the Canadian municipal water supplies with these days that allows the great frozen north to churn out authentic country and roots artists worthy of ears in bumper crop fashion, but they better import some of that concoction down here to the States post haste because Canada is kicking our ass in cool new country artists per capita.
Listening to the first song from the album “All Night Long,” you might be mistaken that Mono starts off right where In Time ends, but in reality if there’s any one most dominant influence on the new effort it would be Jamaican ska. The style that emphasizes the two and four of the beat is called upon in multiple tracks during ‘Mono.’ But this isn’t a ska album, or a Latin album. It’s a Mavericks album.