Classic Rewind: Terri Clark and Trace Adkins pay tribute to Conway and Loretta – ‘After The Fire Is Gone’

Single Review: Brad Paisley featuring Alabama – ‘Old Alabama’

While I’ve generally liked more of Brad Paisley’s music than I’ve disliked, I’m hardly what can be considered one of his superfans. Nevertheless, I’ve often defended him against hypercriticism in the blogosphere, and I’ve found myself in that position once again with the release of his latest single. “Old Alabama” isn’t a masterpiece that will profoundly change the musical landscape, but it doesn’t deserve the kind of derision it has received from some quarters. Clearly it was never meant to be anything more than a tribute to a bygone era and one its most commercially successful acts. This isn’t a record that lends itself to overanalysis; it just is what it is.

I’ve never been a huge Alabama fan but I have enjoyed a number of their songs, many of which happen to be the ones Paisley name checks. Fans who are too young to remember country music’s original supergroup in their heyday may have difficulty relating to the record, but it is sure to strike a chord with folks from Paisley’s — and my — generation, especially when the boys from Fort Payne themselves chime in for a few lines of Mountain Music”, one of their best songs. For a genre that is supposedly rooted in tradition, country music tends to underappreciate many of its legends, so it’s nice to hear a mainstream song that not only pays homage to a landmark act, but also serves as a nostalgic reminder of how country radio used to sound. Alabama was never the standard-bearer for traditional country music, but even their most slickly-produced records were rarely bland. In an age where the mainstream actively courts the Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus generation, it’s nice to hear a record that’s meant for us Generation Xers for a change. And for that, I say to Mr. Paisley, well done, sir.

Grade: B+

Classic Rewind: Keith Whitley – ‘She’s Making Plans’

A rare B-side:

Album Review: Terri Clark – ‘Live at Cedar Creek’

The third release from her own BareTrack label – and second live album – Terri Clark Live at Cedar Creek was released last month.  The CD/DVD combo marks the first time Clark’s road show has been captured visually.  The singer chose the picturesque Cedar Creek Winery on Lake Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia, and delivers roadhouse takes on past hits, with over half the setlist comprised of tracks from her latest album.

There’s no shortage of charm and energy to Clark’s performances here.  She saunters through the first two haughty up-tempos with so much ease, as easily as she segues into the ballads and newer material, all the while gladhanding the audience into the palm of her hand.  This collection’s best showcase for experiencing Terri Clark in concert come when the singer sheds all but her acoustic guitar to perform ‘A Million Ways To Run’ and ‘The One You Love’ – both tracks from The Long Way Home.  I could not find fault with any of the individual performances, or Clark’s stage presence.

The fatal flaw with the collection is nothing on the disc itself, but rather what’s not there.  Clark’s biggest hits are absent here.  There’s no ‘Better Things To Do’, no ‘If I Were You’, not even ‘You’re Easy On The Eyes’ is included.  I’m not sure if this it’s normal practice for our neighbors to the north to go to a show and not hear the singer’s signature tunes, but we expect them live and on live albums down here.

Grade: C

The DVD appears to only be available through Clark’s official website, and is actually less expensive than the CD version at amazon.

Classic Rewind: Conway Twitty – ‘How Much More Can She Stand?’

Classic Rewind: Terri Clark – ‘Girls Lie Too’

2011 ACM award predictions

The major country music awards are scattered through the year, so a new one seems to come along every few months. The Academy of Country Music is presenting its awards for achievement in 2010 in Las Vegas on April 3 on a televized show hosted by Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton. The West Coast based ACMs don’t have quite the prestige of the CMAs, awarded in November, but they have one advantage, in that their eligibility period is the previous calendar year, where the CMA and Grammy organizations have a strange mid-year cutoff which can make it hard to work out exactly what is eligible. On the downside, a few years ago in a misguided attempt at currying popularity with the public, the ACM decided to allow an online fan vote to determine the Entertainer of the Year and New Artist titles. This has been partially modified this year.

Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean
Toby Keith
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

Occasional Hope: There were loud squawkings from the fans of Carrie Underwood when she was omitted from the nominations this time, having won the title for the past two years. This is a partially fan-voted category this year, and with Carrie’s absence factored in, I think Taylor Swift is a slam-dunk for the victory, with her enormous and youthful fanbase. Surprise nominee Jason Aldean has earned platinum status for his last two albums and a string of top hits, so although I am underwhelmed by his heavy rocking brand of country, he might just have enough of a fanbase, and have the commercial impetus to impress the industry enough to achieve a surprise win. But the talented Miranda Lambert had a great year last year, and she would be my personal choice.

Razor X: This seems like it will be Miranda‘s year. If the award were entirely based on fan votes, Taylor Swift would be a very strong contender, but I think that because industry votes will be counted as well, they’ll offset the fan voting.

J.R. Journey: I’m assuming the members will win the battle in the combination membership/fan voting for the Entertainer race this year. Paisley may well hold his own in the online voting pools too, but I think he’ll outdistance the others as the overall vote-getter.

Top Male Vocalist of the Year

Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban

O.H.: Brad Paisley has won this title for the last four years. I can’t see anyone pushing him out this time either. I can’t say I feel very enthusiastic about this category despite the underlying talent of those nominated. None of the nominees produced particularly memorable music in 2010 – Blake Shelton may be the reigning CMA Male Vocalist and half of country music’s favorite courrent love story, but I think the ACM likes to differentiate itself from the CMAs occasionally. I liked ‘Twang’, but it under-performed at radio.

J.R.: In addition to his co-hosting duties, Blake Shelton seems poised to finally unseat Brad Paisley as the reigning Male Vocalist this year.

R.X.: Blake Shelton . Again, I think the ACMs will follow the CMA’s lead. It’s time for some new blood in this category and I just can’t see the award going to Aldean. At least I hope not.

Classic Rewind: Buck Owens – ‘I Wouldn’t Live In New York City’

Week ending 3/26/11: #1 singles this week in country music history

1951: There’s Been A Change In Me — Eddy Arnold (RCA)

1961: Don’t Worry — Marty Robbins (Columbia)

1971: I’d Rather Love You — Charley Pride (RCA)

1981: Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground — Willie Nelson (Columbia)

1991: Loving Blind — Clint Black (RCA)

2001: You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This – -Toby Keith (DreamWorks Nashville)

2011: Don’t You Wanna Stay — Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow)

Week ending 3/26/11: #1 albums this week in country music history

1966: Eddy Arnold – My World (RCA Victor)

1971: Lynn Anderson – Rose Garden (Columbia)

1976: Various Artists – Wanted: The Outlaws (RCA)

1981: Dolly Parton – 9 to 5 And Odd Jobs (RCA Victor)

1986: Earl Thomas Conley – Greatest Hits (RCA)

1991: Garth Brooks – No Fences (Capitol)

1996: Shania Twain – The Woman In Me (Mercury)

2001: Various Artists – O Brother Where Art Thou (Soundtrack) (Lost Highway)

2006: Carrie Underwood – Some Hearts (Arista)

2011: Sara Evans – Stronger (RCA)

Classic Rewind: Allison Moorer – ‘Pardon Me’

Classic Rewind: Ronnie Milsap – ‘Day Dreams (About Night Things)’

Album Review: Ashton Shepherd – ‘Look It Up (EP)’

Ashton Shepherd’s fate has been uncertain in the three years since the release of her debut album Sounds So Good, which was acclaimed by traditionalists but underperformed commercially. In the past, artists in her position have been forced to modify their sound, toning down the twang, fiddles and steel in order to garner the approval of country radio and more mainstream appeal. And in more recent years, declining revenues for record labels have made it difficult for struggling artists to release new albums at all, without first racking up a big radio hit. It is, therefore, nothing short of miraculous that Ashton was not only allowed to release new music, but was able to keep the traditional country elements in her music front and center.

The title track, which Occasional Hope reviewed in December, has been slowly but steadily climbing the charts and is currently at #23. If it can climb higher than #20, it will become Shepherd’s highest-charting single to date. There is no reason to believe it will not do so; the catchy and energetic tune is easily my favorite single of 2011 so far, and is the strongest track in this four-song collection. “Where Country Grows”, one of two original compositions Ashton contributed to the project, is on the surface another “I’m from the country and proud of it” anthem, but she manages to sound sincere and authentic, preventing the tune from sounding cliched and overcoming the slightly too-loud production. “Beer On A Boat” is a little light lyrically, but the melody is infectious and it sounds like a good summertime tune. “More Cows Than People”, the second Shepherd-penned tune also celebrates country living, albeit a little more effectively than “Where Country Grows”, thanks to more vivid imagery in the lyrics.

Throughout the four tracks, Ashton sounds both enthusiastic and at ease. Her Alabama accent is never toned down, nor does it sound exaggerated and affected. If the current single manages to become her commercial breakthrough, she may be well positioned to become country radio’s token traditional-leaning female, a niche that has been vacant since Patty Loveless slipped off the charts. It would have been nice to have had a ballad thrown into the mix, but that minor flaw can be overlooked due to the restrictions imposed by limiting the collection to four tracks.

Though I was initially disappointed that Look It Up was only an EP, the four tracks are all strong ones, and after such a long wait, I’m happy to have any new music from Ashton at all. It isn’t clear whether plans to release a full album this summer are still on track, but this collection will fill the gap nicely in the meantime.

Grade: A

Look It Up can be downloaded from Amazon and iTunes.

Classic Rewind: Bill Carlisle – ‘Too Old To Cut The Mustard’

Album Review: Terri Clark – ‘Life Goes On’

Life Goes On was the last album Terri Clark released during her decade-long association with Mercury Records.  It’s also her first without long-time producer Keith Stegall at the helm, as Byron Gallimore and James Stroud produce different tracks.  While it would be her only number-one charting album (on the Canadian Country Albums chart), only one single gained a little traction at radio. Two subsequent releases failed to chart in the U.S. or Canada, a sign that the label wasn’t at all invested in the album’s success.

The lone hit single from the set, ‘She Didn’t Have Time’, is a waltzing three-act story song that follows an independent woman through a separation from her husband, reinvention as a single mother, and finally, on to a happy ending when she meets the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, this stalled at a rather disappointing #25, no other singles charted, and was the signal of the end of Terri Clark’s hit-making days with country radio.

As with most Terri Clark records, here ballads make for the strongest moments. The album’s cornerstone is ‘I Wish He’d Been Drinking Whiskey’, a stone-country weeper in which the narrator laments her newly sober husband telling her he doesn’t love her anymore. And then there’s ‘Not Enough Tequila’, an understated healing-heart ballad that leans more to the contemporary than most of the album, and is another highlight.

The disc opens on a high note with a couple of jaunty up-tempo romps. The title track ‘Life Goes On’ revisits past heartaches on the way to true love, while ‘Damn Right’ bemoans the loss of a ill-fitted, yet passionate, love affair. Both follow the Terri Clark sound-template with the electric guitar leading the way, but also with prominent fiddle and the rhythm section mixed in high. The raucous ‘Honky Tonk Song’, from the pens of hit-making heavyweights Kent Blazy and Leslie Satcher, is another high-octane number that hits all the right grooves.

The only duds come from the unbalanced number of up-tempos. Songs like ‘Bigger Windows’ and ‘Cowboy Days’ sound forced in both production, and Clark appears to be phoning them in. These are counter-balanced nicely by some of Clark’s own co-writes stacked at the end. ‘Travelin’ Soul’ is the obligatory life-on-the-road song the singer always finds room for, and ‘Everybody’s Gotta Go Sometime’ is a shuffling number with the theme of goodbye is inevitable. Embrace it.

Label support or no, Life Goes On would prove another strong album in Terri Clark’s discography.

Grade: B-

Buy it from amazon.

Classic Rewind: Terri Clark – ‘I Wanna Do It All’

Album Review: The Gibson Brothers – ‘Help My Brother’

On what I believe is their tenth album, the bluegrass-singing brothers from rural New York state (Leigh and Eric) offer compelling tenor vocals with an edge and the kind of close harmonies only siblings can produce, fine songwriters with an ear for melody and the willingness to put the song at the center, and serve it sensitively with the right vocals and instrumentation for that particular song.

This album (their second for Compass Records) is produced by the brothers with their bass player Mike Barber. The excellent, and never overpowering, solid bluegrass backing comes mainly from the brothers’ band. Eric plays banjo and Leigh guitar, and the band is rounded out by Clayton Campbell’s fiddle (whose playing sings beautifully over the rhythmic instruments) and Joe Walsh’s mandolin, with Mike Witcher guesting on dobro on a couple of tracks. There is an interesting selection of material, just over half of it written by one or both of the brothers.

Leigh sings lead most frequently, but Eric sings lead on and wrote my favorite song, the wistful ‘Dixie’, asking Vegas era Elvis if he would go back to the innocent happiness of youth, “back before your hair was black, before they called you King”, and to the arms of his first sweetheart. It is immediately followed by the other song he wrote alone, the faintly Byrdsish ‘Frozen In Time’, which is less memorable musically, but has quite a quirky lyric about a quietly lonely man “living in the past”:

My clothes don’t fit the fashion of the day
That’s all right, nobody’s watching anyway

The vibrant title track, written by Leigh, is an idealistic declaration of changing one’s life to help others:

Call it compassion, call it charity
I call it living like living should be

Leigh duets with Claire Lynch on his own ‘Talk To Me’, a soothing song about a marriage in a little trouble due to lack of communication, but not beyond salvation, while Alison Brown takes over the banjo strings. My favorite of Leigh’s solo compositions is the closing track, the historical ‘Safe Passage’, about his ancestors, a Scots family who emigrate to Canada, whose son or grandson then fights in the American Civil War and settles on a farm in upstate New York. The story ends with the brothers themselves, having left the family farm for another kind of journey, for a life in music.

Leigh and Eric teamed up with Tim O’Brien to write the thoughtful and mature confessional of ‘Want vs Need’:

I want an encore, a standing ovation
A crowd that laughs at everything I say
I want a hit song that everybody’s singing
I just walk out to the mail to get my pay

But I just need my own song
One that I love singing
A simple song that takes me down the road

This reflection is inspired by a woman the protagonist has taken for granted, leaving, but overall the mood on this album is a fairly happy one. Even the extremely bleak lyric of ‘One Car Funeral’, which the pair wrote with Jon Weisberger about a man who has touched other’s lives so little he has no one to mourn his death, is married to a surprisingly cheery tune which keeps the mood upbeat. Perhaps this is the point: that this man has touched life so little that even the singer and musicians don’t care.

Alongside the new songs, there are several relatively obscure covers, my favorite of which is the O’Kanes’ country hit ‘Just Lovin’ You’ (#5 in 1987). There are also an enjoyable, slightly raucous take on Jim and Jesse’s ‘I’ll Love Nobody But You’, and a beautifully sung low key version of the religious song, ‘He Can Be Found’ (recorded by the Louvin Brothers on their classic Satan Is Real album).

Ricky Skaggs shares lead vocals and harmonies with the brothers on the new but very traditional sounding trio, ‘Working As We Rise’, which recalls the melody of ‘I’ll Fly Away’. I also really liked Chris Henry’s cheerful rambling song about ‘Walking West To Memphis’ to be reunited with a more sedate loved one, the kind who drinks lemonade rather than her lover’s choice of whiskey, but has a powerful enough attraction to drag him from his gambling ways, even if he has to walk all the way from Nashville.

This is a very good collection of material, sung and played beautifully, which grows with every listen.

Grade: A

Buy it at amazon.

Classic Rewind: RIP Ralph Mooney

Ralph Mooney, who died on Sunday, was one of the most distinctive steel guitar players ever in country music. His work for Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard helped to form the Bakersfield Sound, and his later years backing Waylon Jennings helped to keep the Outlaws rooted in country tradition. He wrote the classic ‘Crazy Arms’, and just last year Marty Stuart showcased Mooney’s playing on an instrumental version of the song on his aclaimed Ghost Train.

For a nice tribute to him, read this. For a musical tribute, listen to this song from independent artist Shane Worley.

Here he is backing up Waylon on a cover of Haggard’s classic ‘The Bottle Let Me Down’:

Single Review: Terri Clark – ‘Girls Lie Too’

One of Terri’s biggest hit singles never appeared on a studio album, but was one of the new tracks included to persuade fans to purchase a Greatest Hits compilation in 2004. It can now also be downloaded individually. It was her second #1, but sadly her last really big hit single.

Answer songs have a long tradition in country music, but have fallen out of favor in the past 20 years. But at least thematically, this hit single was definitely an answer song to Tracy Byrd’s hilarious 2003 hit ‘The Truth About Men’ (written by Paul Overstreet, Rory Lee Feek and Tim Johnson), which revealed some of the white lies employed to keep gender relations on an even keel within a romantic relationship.

Written by Connie Harrington, Kelley Lovelace and Tim Nichols, this sardonic response putting the feminine point of view is a bit heavy-handed in comparison, and has a less interesting tune and rather loud production. Where the original didn’t take itself altogether seriously, but combined a self-deprecating sense of fun with a grain of truth which most men and women would recognise, this song feels as though it is trying a little too hard to prove a point. Terri’s energetic and committed vocal helps to sell the song, perhaps better than anyone else could have done, but despite being one of her biggest radio successes, it is not one of her best moments on record.

Byrd’s record recruited Blake Shelton, Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry to help out, and perhaps Terri’s song would have worked better with a similar playful chorus of female stars.

Grade: B

But the song at amazon.

Classic Rewind: Billy “Crash” Craddock – ‘Rub It In’