Rolling Country 2006 Thread

http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=silos

i took out the charley patton collection out of the library, and was kind of disappointed, ive listened to alot of country and blues from the 20s and 30s, well maybe not alot, but enough, and hes good, very good, but i dont know people like uncle dave macon, strike me as much better...

lw TW Artist Title TW lw Move
39 38 KEITH ANDERSON Podunk 513 427 86 2.836
66 ENNIS SISTERS Holding On 66 0 66 0.152
92 75 JOHN MELLENCAMP Our Country 21 15 6 0.274
87 79 BOB SEGER Wait For Me 25 22 3 0.308
72 80 POVERTYNECK HILLBILLIES Mr. Right Now 32 38 -6 0.239
116 101 BOB SEGER Real Mean Bottle (f/... 8 5 3 0.051
162 106 FABULOUS GUNSLINGERS She Rode The Bull 8 3 5 0.115
124 110 BOMSHEL Bomshel Stomp 15 14 1 0.087
117 SUGARLAND Mean Girls 5 0 5 0.160
146 122 NOMAD Meet Me At Midnight 6 4 2 0.080
109 126 MONTGOMERY GENTRY Hey Country 7 8 -1 0.090
128 SUGARLAND Sugarland 5 0 5 0.151
169 138 NO JUSTICE Bend But Don't Break 9 6 3 0.034
189 151 DANIELLE PECK Sucks To Be You 10 5 5 0.048
277 160 KAREN PECK & NEW RIVER Hold Me While I Cry 5 2 3 0.083
145 166 BILLY RAY CYRUS I Want My Mullet Bac... 5 6 -1 0.033
243 170 KENNY CHESNEY Please Come To Bosto... 5 2 3 0.044
176 171 SHOOTER JENNINGS Gone To Carolina 5 4 1 0.018
173 172 TYLER DEAN Built For Blue Jeans 5 5 0 0.032
149 174 JASON ALLEN Kickapoo Creek 5 5 0 0.019
224 183 LANTANA Country As A City Gi... 4 3 1 0.018
223 190 NO JUSTICE Red Dress 4 3 1 0.015
194 COODER GRAW Lifetime Stand 2 0 2 0.018
179 202 SPUR 503 Into You 5 5 0 0.023
168 207 GREAT DIVIDE Crazy In California 6 7 -1 0.024
209 LOST TRAILERS Gravy 3 0 3 0.023
306 219 BIG & RICH Jalapeno 2 1 1 0.010
222 JASON BROWN Touchdown 9 0 9 0.026
225 STONEY LARUE Down In Flames 1 0 1 0.016
240 RODNEY ATKINS Cleaning This Gun (C... 1 0 1 0.004
427 241 SONNY BURGESS A Little Bit Stronge... 3 1 2 0.012*
221 248 SHOOTER JENNINGS Some Rowdy Women 3 3 0 0.009
249 CLEDUS T. JUDD Bake Me A Country Ha... 2 0 2 0.014
227 250 RYAN SHUPE & THE RUBBERBAND Banjo Boy 2 2 0 0.004
260 DAN BERN Trudy 1 0 1 0.008
232 265 TRACE ADKINS Feels Like The First... 1 1 0 0.008
197 266 DOO-WAH RIDERS Dear Beer 4 6 -2 0.004
131 269 MONTGOMERY GENTRY Redder Than That 1 6 -5 0.004
105 270 MONTGOMERY GENTRY Takes All Kinds 1 9 -8 0.024
277 LITTLE BIG TOWN Bones 1 0 1 0.023
291 GRETCHEN WILSON Heaven Help Me 2 0 2 0.021
292 DR. ELMO Redneck Dracula 2 0 2 0.005
296 JIMMY BUFFETT Reggabilly Hill 1 0 1 0.029
304 POVERTYNECK HILLBILLIES One Night In New Orl... 1 0 1 0.008
311 GREENCARDS The Ghost Of Who We ... 1 0 1 0.007
402 324 ELEVEN HUNDRED SPRINGS Why You Been Gone So... 2 1 1 0.009
332 BAKER GIRLS My Kind Of Living 1 0 1 0.005
127 339 BLAINE LARSEN Baby Don't Get Hooke... 1 6 -5 0.005
344 SHOOTER JENNINGS Little White Lines 1 0 1 0.005
359 WELL HUNGARIANS Diamonds And Love 1 0 1 0.005
360 MIRANDA LAMBERT Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 1 0 1 0.004
362 WEIRD AL YANKOVIC White And Nerdy 1 0 1 0.003
213 380 COWBOY TROY Somebody's Smilin' O... 1 2 -1 0.002
388 BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR I'm Amazed 1 0 1 0.011
400 CHARLIE DANIELS BAND The Intimidator 2 0 2 0.005
403 BOMSHEL Power Of One 1 0 1 0.011
404 BOMSHEL Oh, Baby 1 0 1 0.011
407 MONTGOMERY GENTRY Git-R-Done 1 0 1 0.009
406 435 PEAR RATZ Just South Of The Nu... 1 1 0 0.004
298 447 MARK KNOPFLER/EMMYLOU HARRIS This Is Us 1 2 -1 0.001
256 451 HOGG MAULIES Goodnight 1 2 -1 0.004
178 452 DARREN KOZELSKY Messed Up In Love 1 3 -2 0.004
457 BE GOOD TANYAS When Doves Cry 1 0 1 0.001
461 WOODY HARRELSON/JOHN C. RILEY Whoop-I-Ti-Yi-Yo 1 0 1 0.003
467 CARRIE RODRIQUEZ 50's French Movie 1 0 1 0.001
468 SOLOMON BURKE You're The Kind Of T... 1 0 1 0.001
340 478 TODD SNIDER Looking For A Job 1 1 0 0.001
252 480 KASEY CHAMBERS Nothing At All 1 1 0 0.001

Best new band names: Nomad, Cooder Graw, Doo-Wah Riders, Greencards, Dr. Elmo, Well Hungarians, Pear Ratz, and Darren Kozelsky if and only if his song has a polka rhythm.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061104/ap_on_bi_ge/hispanics_country_music

"I do think a huge portion of the Latin American population loves the same themes: meetin', greetin', cheatin' and retreatin,'" said Eddie Wright-Rios, a Vanderbilt University professor who specializes in the cultural history of modern Mexico.

Where to begin? And the Jeff Walker quote about tapping into the market...No hay negocio como el show.

The power of Latin Country music is that it reaches all people regardless of race, language or ethnicity. The U.S. Hispanic Country Music Association is devoted to uniting Country music artists, musicians, songwriters and fans for the purpose of celebrating Country music in its authentic and universal form – whether in English, Spanish or a fusion of both languages. Together, Latin Country music is the bridge that unites Country music enthusiasts everywhere while acknowledging and appreciating the beautiful and rich Latin cultural influence in Country music.


[

kinda really liking the new darryl worley, which starts off with a great kiss-off to his old label and the n-ville establishment, and ends with one of the better iraq-war songs by any country artist, "I just came back from a war," which strikes me as very no-bullshit and real. I guess he does for blooze-country what dierks b. does for meta-grass outlawisms. I need another listen but so far, so really good.

haven't heard the womack yet.

great old stuff: ray price's "night life" and "marty [robbins] after midnight." got 'em burned on one CD, and enjoying them mightily, just smooth as hell, I mean marty does great by shit like "september in the rain" and ray seems to know plenty about "bright lights and blonde haired women." just the kind of thing I need right now.

and the stereo mixes of gene clark's one truly great and essential record, "with the gosdin brothers."

finally, anyone else know the beau brummels' '69 recorded-in-nashville "bradley's barn"? a fine record that really brings san francisco into mt. juliet, actually, and full of unexpected touches. very even-handed, a good version of the everly brothers song "turn around." a real lost moment of a real gone era, and just impeccable sound.

ooo, I beg to differ. The reissue of "White Light" with the bonus tracks is also great and essential.

wtf

Nah. I'm guessing that Country music probably needs the Hispanic demographic in the future more than vice versa (which isn't to deny it would be cool if Latin and Country really did find common ground.)

I was wrong about Kellie Pickler's album -- the second half (esp the proggily souped-up California-rock ballad "I Wonder," "Wild Ponies" with its waltz chorus melody that sounds like a bubblegum version of "Wild Horse" by the Stones just like the title says, "Small Town Girl" which I underrated, "Girls Like Me" where she smells the Magnolia trees and remembers kissing football stars) is every bit as much fun as the first half. And lots of it (esp "One Of The Guys" and "Gotta Keep Moving," which I swear starts out echoing "Roll On Down The Highway" by BTO) sure does boogie hard for bubble-country. Plus, at least three songs ("Red High Heels, "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind," "One Of The Guys") refer to clothes and/or getting dressed and/or going shopping. "I Wonder" seems to maybe be a confessional-teen-pop-style dealing with abandonment by dad song, but maybe I'm hearing it wrong. "I'm On My Way" might be about her dad, too. And I agree -- "Pickler" is a great country singer name.

http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=nickel+creek

I dunno, charley patton always struck me as the real essential delta blues guy, pre-war. he had the rhythmic thing down, he is really funky and rocking, and robert johnson sounds affected by comparison. steve calt's bio of patton could scarcely be improved upon. the thing is, what world was uncle dave macon living in? he was farming and so forth, owned his own land or what? patton, though, what did he own? he lived a tough life--that would seem the big difference, that and patton's music seemed to reach forward and uncle dave macon was a relic of the past--not that there's anything wrong with that, but seems to me the diff between "rock and roll" and, you know, that opry shit. which is of course is slightly unfair to the opry, but it makes me feel good to put it that way. I like all that old weird country stuff fine, but I honestly never felt the emotional connection to it that I've always felt to those old blues guys.

g. himes wrote about the mammals, well, for No Depression, a while back. having heard donna the buffalo, duhks, mammals, nickel creek, and as I like to call 'im Surfin' Stevens, I kinda find the whole thing tiresome. I actually dug the weird sound and *muffled yet angry* thing the mammals did on "departure," and admire ruth ungar's songs. the duhks doing fraser & deBolt was very cool, a stroke, but for my part, Cuban/Brazilian instrumentation does not make a Cuban/Brazilian rhythmic aesthetic, far from it. their last record was really accomplished and while I respect them--I had a great conversation with Scott Senior, and they all seem to be fine people--their music isn't for me, it's for people in Boulder or something. having lived in Boulder, I know about what that whole thing is about. nickel creek is just plain boring, and I never could work up enough enthusiasm to even comment on them. donna the buffalo have some verve, some skank, even. the next step for these bands--brad mehldau is a very fine pianist who covers some, er, interesting pop songs, just like cassandra wilson fell asleep during her attempt to do "pleasant valley sunday" a decade ago--is to make a Big Record here in N-ville with Edgar Meyer and Jerry Douglas and Emmy lou and all them. avant-bluegrass or whatever. all I can say is, there must be some weird folk scenes in canada, and that it's a long way from where I live.

and yeah, roy, I'm a gene clark fan and you're right about "white." it's good. I also quite like "no other" and those great demos he did, like "los angeles." but I love "with the gosdin bros."

He did? I thought that was me. :)

I pretty much agree with xhuxk on NC, save the part about the Sufjan comparison. I mean there's a long tradition of boring, non-rocking newgrass/bluegrass/mathgrass (© Edd Hurt), so who needs indie rock to explain why Nickel Creek is crippled?

But they can be decent live--not that that redeems much....

and I mean that's just my take on those bands. there's some part of me that kind of digs it but in the end I don't. it's sort of a good idea, what they do, and perhaps it comes down to the material, which is why I probably like the mammals the best, because their songs seem better.

and, I just checked out that memphis commercial appeal link that don forwarded, on george soule. fascinating. that's one I need to hear, since I've been steeped in muscle shoals/memphis white soul this last week, seeing donnie fritts and cropper and all them here.

xps

Memphis Jug Band are one of the great bands of the century, though I would assume anybody familiar with my second book should already know I think that. And anybody who can't find Double Album (is it in print anymore? I'm guessing not) should track down the '01 Yazoo CD The Best Of The Memphis Jug Band. Better yet: own both, like I do. There's some overlap, of course, but less than you'd think, as I recall (someday I'll compare them track by track.)

And right, the Memphis Jug Band's stuff is among my very favorite music, and damned if I don't have my double-LP, the one with the Crumb drawing, any more. Steve Calt gave that to me years ago. I made a tape of that with some Cannon's Jug Stompers and the prime Rev. Robert Wilkins stuff. So that's one I need to get on CD, and thanks for reminding me.

I've known Calt since around '93, when he got me to go down to Bentonia, Miss. and interview a blues singer named Jack Owens. He's always been a good friend and I believe his heart is in the right place; I don't agree with him about a lot of stuff, and his whole take on the blues always seemed like a strenuous effort to place blues into a...framework of the Larger Culture, to analyze it like any other artform. Which should work, but somehow doesn't. Because it's just too strenuous, and you don't get anywhere kicking yourself over and over about your youthful idealism that has now flown.
xps