All Entries in the "Reviews" Category
DISClaimer (9/25/09)
Yikes: How did it get to be the end of September already?
The official first day of Autumn was Tuesday, and everyone is polishing up their late-year releases. Tim scores big points in this column with “Southern Voice,” the title tune of his Oct. 20 CD. Last night, Miranda debuted her Revolution at the Ryman. That [...]
DISClaimer (9/18/09)
No cash this week, because there’s not a clunker in sight.
Everybody is playing at the top of their game, especially the ridiculously talented Steve Wariner, Gene Watson and Darius Rucker. Programmers are going to hate this next sentence. All 10 of these platters deserve airplay.
Polish off a DisCovery Award for Chris Heers. He is a [...]
DISClaimer (9/16/09)
The Americana music convention begins today in Nashville, so what better time to run a column about the genre?
The artists we’re talking about today are all up for awards at Thursday’s gala at the Ryman Auditorium. So we’re talking the cream of Americana, here. Earlier in the year, I raved about nominees such as Buddy [...]
DISClaimer (9/11/09)
It’s country collaboration day!
Ronnie Milsap is singing with Trace Adkins. Bruce Springsteen turns up as a guest on John Fogerty’s album. Billy Gibbons meets Brooks & Dunn in a roadhouse rumble. And in the most unlikely scenario of all, Hank Williams Jr. takes a ride in Appalachia with The Grascals.
And mostly the match-up listening is [...]
DISClaimer (9/4/09)
This is quite a mixed bag.
Leeann Atherton clocks in with a dreamy blues tune. Rocker Ronnie Godfrey has a Tennessee Titans fight song. We have excellent Nashville songwriter albums from Bill Luther and Kent Blazy. And there’s a whole flurry of newcomers. Among them, Melanie Denard wins our DisCovery Award.
And to add some extra [...]
DISClaimer (8/28/09)
The stars are twinkling so brightly that I am temporarily blinded.
That is to say, I simply can’t make up my mind. Should I choose the hearty male country vocal? What about our teen-queen sales champion? And then there’s the refreshingly rocking group performance.
All three qualify for a Disc of the Day prize, yet they’re all [...]
DISClaimer (8/21/09)
We live in an era of singles and tracks, but there are still a few out there who buck the trend.
It pleases me to report that there are several folks in this week’s stack of platters who still make true ALBUMS. There is an art to this that many mainstream country artists seem to have [...]
DISClaimer (8/14/09)
It is independents’ day.
We are in what are known as the dog days of summer, when major-label releases slow to a trickle in anticipation of the big fall product push. What better time for the indies to scurry about and make some noise?
As is generally the case in surveying indie singles, the quality varies widely. [...]
DISClaimer (8/7/09)
This stack of platters is a nice mix of veterans and baby acts.
In the former column are Marty Raybon and Brady Seals, both of whom have splendid CD’s coming your way. Somewhere in between vet and baby are Trey Hensley, The Coal Men, Emma Jacob, Mica Roberts and Lee Brice, all of whom competed for [...]
Book Review of “How The Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll”
How The Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll by Elijah Wald
(Oxford University Press, 2009)
Review by Belmont professor Don Cusic:
This isn’t really a book about the Beatles; rather it is a book that notes the distortion of the history of popular music through the years. Wald, who wrote an excellent book on Robert Johnson, notes that histories [...]
Book Offers Cultural Bill Of Rights
Book Review
Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights Bill Ivey (University of California Press, 2008)
Bill Ivey is one of the most articulate commentators on art and culture in America. He served as head of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton Administration and prior to that was Executive Director [...]
Bluegrass DISClaimer (10/2/09)
The best part of the bluegrass-music week starts today.
Up until now it has been mostly panel discussions, showcases, a trade show and last night’s awards gala. Today begins the Bluegrass Fan Fest part of the IBMA’s convention. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday you get nothing but music, music, music on the lower level of the [...]
DISClaimer 7/31/09
They didn’t win any of the big prizes, but two of our mid-level acts have some of the tastiest tunes this week.
Give an ear to the hilarious lyrics in Heartland’s “Mustache.” This thing is so wonderfully different that it could really perk up a radio station’s playlist. Also a writer’s delight is “Gypsy Boots,” the [...]
Gretchen Wilson and Sony Parting Ways
Statement from Sony Music Nashville:
Gretchen Wilson and her longtime record label group, Sony Music Nashville, have mutually decided to part ways. The Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter and Best Selling author, who exploded on to the country music scene and the national spotlight in 2004 with her smash hit “Redneck Woman,” released three No. 1 albums with [...]
Photos: Aquapalooza, Rascal Flatts, Jimmy Wayne on Crook & Chase
Alan Jackson headlined AquaPalooza 2009 on Lake Martin, Alabama on Sat., July 25. Numerous Nashville music biz execs made the trip to the boating and music festival which also featured performances by Columbia Nashville duo Caitlin & Will and Arista Nashville group Jypsi. More than 4,000 boats and 35,000 people attended, setting a new [...]
DISClaimer (7/24/09)
I am happy to report that our two big winners today are also the most “country” sounding discs.
Oh, there are some super-fine vocalists in this stack of platters, including Daniel Smith, Bekka Bramlett and Craig Reynolds. And songwriters don’t come any better than Vince Melamed.
But at the end of the day, the best piece of [...]
PLEASE COME BACK TO AUGUSTA MAINE...I was 1st in line for tickets...front row seats..Does not get any better then that, ...
I love WYNONNA! 
Just wondering why you stated that Rory Bourke is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame but not that ...
Hats off to J.D. Haas! 
Come to Tallahasse, FL P-L-E-A-S-E!!!!