Rolling Country 2006 Thread

three things i learned while reading a kelefa sanneh review in the times this morning:
1) "someone is me" on blaine larsen's album (the clean-up-exurbia song, which for some reason i kept calling "someone LIKE me" above when really its title means "i AM somebody") is apparently also a track on the new kenny rogers album.
2) a cover of "girl next door" by saving jane, the original of which i still don't think i've ever heard, has apparently been added to the new julie roberts album, though it's still not on the advance CD i have, which i've barely listened to at all because i keep forgetting i have it because it was sent in one of those long skinny cardboard greeting-card-like sleeves that record companies send advance promos in sometimes and that hides it from my eyes.
3) trace adkins apparently also did a version of "break down here," off julie roberts's first album. i bet it wasn't as good as hers.

can we talk about the sexual politics of the new toby video

So I just got got emailed the new Julie Roberts CD from Mercury, downloadable via links. So maybe Don is right. A wave of the future. There goes my daily walking-to-the-mailbox-down-the-block exercise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqbGru-1sq0&search=toby%20keith

Why do you guys even care? It's not like you're going to do anything about it, like write something pointed and critical. "Here, take this shit and eat it" -- is what that p.r. statement says. Why not ask how much and what color?

"Promo Only program/player" is another piece of digital rights management software you get to download to your machine for the "privilege" of listening to a promotional copy. Yeah, sure, the company is going to make available unencumbered digital music files.

You're so used to having sand kicked in your face, now you've come to like it.

Oh, heavens, they'll take me off their e-mail list if I complain, then I won't even get the tips to the promo links.

You wanna bet they continue sending CDs to newspapers? They know the people on staff get flooded with material and, boy, isn't it smart to just give them a reason to ignore your product because the day's already too long and corporate network rules frowns on the downloading of outside executables to the system?

Some of you might want to consider, once you've downloaded a bunch of different firm's "audio content managers," what that means to your operating system when you're trying to listen to music that ISN'T mediated by either of them. Or what if the same piece of music is mediated by both at the same time?

Oh, my computer acts squirrelly now! Even more than usual! It runs slower and slower. It crashed and I had to get someone to make it work again. Now I can hardly play any music at all on it.

Yes, ask the P.r. person. They'll certainly tell you the unadorned truth and make your life easier.

Don't be mean, now. Don't say you're doing a story. You'll get taken off the digital promo list. You'll be deemed not cost effective and sub-worthless. Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!

xpost

I want to know where the youtube post of "Haji Girl" is.

truly odd

I've been listening a lot to Toby's "Pull My Chain" as recommended upthread and I like it a lot, which is only really strange because each successive song seems to be am essay in the kind of thing I don't relly like. But I can persuade myself that the strength of the material pulls it through. I should probably stop worrying about it really and get on with enjoying it.

I thought Kelefa did a good job on Blaine and Julie, but don't know about "Someone Is Me" as "fogeyish." I guess I don't get "exurbia" exactly, either, but more "lower middle classville" or something, which might be more or less the same thing in the Pacific Northwest where Laren's from? And of course I find the bit about folks looking askance at BL as he prays in a diner a bit perplexing, like Blaine's gonna strike a big blow for acceptance of Christianity in exurbia? Which for me really locates Blaine in some other place than the traditional country-audience area--like the Pacific Northwest, where I'm sure there are far more agnostics and "freethinkers" than here in Tennessee or Indiana or wherever. Or am I offbase here, can we talk about it...?

I cannot bring myself to listen to Julie Roberts right now...but I do kinda like this Hacienda Bros. record, "What's Wrong with Right," where they cover "Cry Like a Baby" and the Intruders' (?) "Cowboys to Girls." not much of a singer, but a good groove.

That's for sure. They even have mercy on the dial-up connection. Perhaps they know where their audience is and wish to optimize opportunities.

Anyway, that distro plan would automatically bite it on a dial-up. Hey, digital rights management and I don't see why, a year from now, they just ask ya for your credit card so they can charge you a nominal record-keeping fee for the privilege.

Now kids on their schools broadband or mom and pop's broadband, that's cool. Do the job from the Internet caff. You'll have all the broadband you need and just pay the caff's timeshare and you can download that promo copy and listen to it in the shop. Hey, I'm at the Internet caff right now maxing to the Witchfinder General live in '83 recording.

Let's just contact the p.r. ladies and get this all straightened out.
But it was such a jolly e-mail. "Hello to all, Universal Music is proud to announce" and you will get a "welcome." Roll out the welcome mat!

oddly, have no qualms about snailmailing promo CDs

No doubt because they're not part of a set of corporate "achievements" someone wants to be able to put in a memo at the end of the year.

(1) To fight leaks and cut costs, maximized use of technology by moving all promotional distribution to copy-protected downloads on the Internet.

Truly odd, this is a piece of malice, with a sort of silence of the lambs vibe.

wondering too how much of the intended audience gets the reference to cask of amontillado - there's been several pop culture nods to it in the past (the simpons comes to mind), so maybe it's become such a part of the lexicon that the source doesn't matter anymore.

i think that toby is going from strength to strength, though i like the early work, he has grown in sophistcation and delivery

Now, if they were honest, they would be telling you that they have instituted this program in an effort to staunch leaks. Weeding out the sub-optimal and non-cost-effective is a side benefit. Cutting costs is probably optional, because the company had to pay some other firm to develop their software rights management Hitlerware.

The movie industry tried this a year or so ago, with something that the newspaper movie journalist would install as hardware in his home, attached to TV. In other words, a special player, and then the encrypted movie disc would be furnished, and a special code would have to be input. And it flopped. Movie critics, who are higher on the totem pole than musicjournos, voted it down with their feet by not cooperating.

For the benefit of milchtoasts who will go along with the plan, here
this link, again, reviewing what an entertainment company will install on your computer for the privilege of playing their music:

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0547,smith,70217,22.html

Now, just multiply that by two or three times over the course of the year if you have to download different pieces of Hitlerware from other record companies. Why, they'll battle and get mixed up. And you'll be sitting at your machine wondering why it's so sl-o-o-w
and the CD tray keeps popping in and out or your computer says you no longer have a CD player, or Windows Media Player, says file not found, or incompatible coding, or something else impenetrable.

anyway, their writing is all I ever aspire to, as this Editor's Note on p. 3, headlined "Toby You Are Cool, But Your Latest Video Is Not."

"I'm a big Toby Keith fan and consider myself miles removed from being in the 'Fem Nazi' group and love video's (sic) that are sexy and show gals partying in bikinis, hot pants and sexy bras." (OK, I'm halfway with him so far...) "The members of the latter group (sexy bras? naw, Fem Nazis) consider these songs and videos abusive and degrading to women, and I'm the first to say 'Hey, you need to get a life. Sex is fun and part of every western culture in the world.' (like the emphasis on western culture, man knows on what side his pita bread is olive-oiled) However the physical abuse of women is a sensitive and controversial topic. We had seen the topic in Garth Brook's (sic) video 'Thunder Rolls' and The Dixie Chicks' 'Earl Has to Die' and now in Toby Keith's latest video 'A Little Too Late' directed by Michael Salomon. Someone in A&R forget (sic) to tell Toby the former two had a basic anti-abuse message and not a pro-abuse message. Tying up a woman in a basement, threatening to hit her with a shovel, having a wooden coffin to bury her, and building a cement wall to prevent her from escaping are beyond fun. (I'll say!) The only thing I liked about the video is at the end is Toby's plea after he realizes that he has trapped himself in the basement with the brick wall he built and pleads with his girlfriend to help him. The fun part of this vide (yeah, sic, sic) comes a 'little too late.' The message of this video is "Physical Violence Against Women Is Cool', which is NOT COOL....Toby you are too good of an artist to put your name on this video."

This is the real country-music writing. I read this magazine every month, even when it is "beyond fun."

And check out this prose from "Musicians Spotlight" on "Tab Laven" by JB Bruck:
"He plays guitar for Art Garfunkel...he's been on the Tonight Show hangin' with Johnny, Doc & Ed...he's been Harry Connick Jr.'s merchandise manager...calls 'The Long & Winding Road' his favorite song & may have a little astronaut in his blood...meet the incredibly talented Tab Laven..."

But shit, now I ain't making fun of Tabatt Laven, birthplace Minneapolis; he's hung with Doc & Ed, and for real, he's also played in Art's road band with the likes of Steve Gadd, and has six women walled up in his East Nashville basement as I type this! Beyond Fun!!

"I used to love her
But I had to kill her
I used to love her, Mm, yeah
But I had to kill her
I had to put her six feet under
And I can still hear her complain."

You think he'll cover "One In a Million" next?

ALBUMS
victory brothers/ leanne kingwell? /huck johns? /carter falco/korpiklaani?? PROB TOO WAY METAL BUT IT HAS LOTS OF FOLK POLKAS FROM THE OOMPAH FOREST ON IT /dale watson /toby keith/redhill EP (PROB TOO OLD)/carrie underwood/blaine larsen/dixie chicks/penny dale/ jamey johnson /shooter jennings /riverside PROB TOO OLD/shannon brown /lucas mccain/hank davison band? /irma thomas/oddysey band /dahlia Wakefield PROB TOO OLD/ uncle billy's smokehouse/rhonda towns /red swan? /shawn camp / southwind

SINGLES
carrie underwood = before he cheats /(shooter jennings - hair of the dog)NOT A SINGLE/penny dale - gypsy cowgirl (DO MYSPACE DOWNLOADS COUNT AS SINGLES?)/samantha joe - time for summer EP TRACK/ huck johns - oh yeah (ONE OF HIS LESS COUNTRY TRACKS, SO PROBABLY NOT)/ redhill - all night long (2004 EP TRACK, TOO OLD?) /redhill - rooftop (2004 EP TRACK, TOO OLD?) /b-star "bootleg dreams" EP TRACK/ hot apple pie - easy does it/ (shooter jennings - little white lines)NOT A SINGLE/chris cagle - wal-mart parking lot/ kt tunstall - black horse (200, PROB NOT COUNTRY ENOUGH)/dierks bentley - settle for a slowdown

2006 country reissues james talley - got no bread, no milk, no money, but we sure got a lot of love: 30th anniversary edition / lazy farmer /classic country: sweet country ballads /the duhks - the duhks fonotone sampler MAYBE NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR NASHVILLE SCENE BALLOT ASSUMING THERE WILL BE SUCH A THING THIS YEAR

I talked to Larsen about that first record before I wrote that Scene piece, Chuck, and he told me that except for one song, which one I'd have to consult notes I don't have in front of me at the moment, that whole first album is demos. It could be that Merle's contribution (Larsen told me they've never met; it was added later, I guess) is the song that wasn't a demo? And everything I've read about that first record backs up that it was composed of demos; and if you listen, you hear that the sound quality, while perfectly fine, isn't quite what they get on 16th Ave. S. Apparently Rory Feek and Tim Johnson and Larsen made the record on their own and then, when they self-released it and they had a hit with "In My High School," I believe it was, out in Seattle, then that started the ball rolling to get with BNA--Giantslayer, whose offices you can see driving down Music Row, is basically Feek/Larsen/Johnson, set up to make records for Blaine. So I think I was accurate there. I also said in the lead of that Scene piece that he "writes many of his own songs"--to have said "co-writes many of his own songs" struck me as stylistically inelegant (Beyond Fun!!) and anyway, that a young guy like that had *any* thing to do with writing his own material for a major-label country record struck me as pretty amazing. He also told me when I talked to him that one of those "Off to" songs was just him overdubbing himself, in his garage!

I'll go back and consult my notes--I can't remember at this point which of those "Off to Join" songs was added later; and for that matter, I've never seen the original, self-released version of that one, either.

and this raises a real interesting point about how things are done in Nashville. I did a thing on Mark Nevers at the same time I was working on Larsen's, and Nevers (who cut his teeth engineering at The Castle in Franklin, Tenn., one of the big ol' dinosaur recording studios, where Alan Jackson, Jones, et al ad infinitum, recorded) who's not exactly a shrinking violet in his opinions, went on about how the immaculate, or nearly so, demos that artists bring to the "real" recording session, are the blueprint for the finished product and thus preclude any deviation or looseness. In other words, the demos are basically almost as good as what you hear on the radio, and this seems to be the case with Larsen--they were done here but probably weren't done in a totally top-flight tracking room. One man's demo is another man's super-audio...anyway, below is the story, from something BNA sent me. Larsen throughout my talk with him referred to the songs that ended up on "Off to Join" as "demos." I probably should've quoted him directly!

the 18-year old Larsen recorded and was set to release his debut album, "In My High School" on his producer's own independent label "Giantslayer Records." When a Seattle-based BMG distribution employee emailed the label head of RLG Nashville, Joe Galante, Galante liked what he heard and signed Blaine to the label. But instead of recording an "all new" album as is usually done, BNA asked them to record one more track and also added Merle Haggard to one song. They changed the artwork and title.

The new song is one which was previously recorded by Jerry Kilgore, "That's All I've Got To Say About That"

Don, you're right about the Nasvhille Scene poll literal release date rule; technically, Carrie Underwood's not qualified for my list either, I guess. Doesn't necessarily mean I won't (or wouldn't) vote for her; literal release date rules are dumb! That said, I still think I'd have a hard time voting for an eight-year-old album I didn't hear until this year as a "reissue" if it was never actually reissued. (But that's my own self-limiting rule, not yours o'course.)

(or unintelligibly, as the case may be.)

I'm just real interested in *how* things are done here--and I am lucky to have visited Nevers' little house off 8th Ave. S. and seen the stuff he uses. And on the new PF Sloan record recorded here at Jon Tiven's, you can hear how what seems to be not-great equipment hobbles that record. As Keso pointed out to me, you can rent the world's greatest, hot-rodded mics here in N-ville, so if you have even a decent budget there's kinda no excuse for things to sound less than great. Not that I totally believe in all that pristine stuff, but I do appreciate it. No matter what anyone might say about the actual music or songs on a typical big-labe N-ville record, they mostly sound great, altho Nevers maintains that they've become more compressed than necessary, more pinched-sounding, as labels became somewhat less singles-driven (therefore, they want everything to be potentially a single, and master/mix/compress everything to fit into radio bandwidths far more than they used to).

It really hasn't been a great year for big-label country so far, has it? I forget, did Carrie's record come out late last year? What about Allison Moorer's record? No Depression gave it a good review, ditto Chris Neal in the Scene; I frankly haven't had the heart to listen to it, since I disliked her last depressive Stones/Aerosmith ripoff so much. And she's married to Steve Earle? How is that, for god's sake? And I tried to like Ralph Stanley's new collection of Carter Family songs, but I just can't get into it at all.

So far, Jessi Colter's record might be my fave, followed by Jamey Johnson's debut, followed by Blaine L.

And Talley's reissue, that's amazing.

I don't know right now if there's been any thought put into the Scene's country poll. I guess I could find out. I am supposed to go have a beer with Tracy Moore the new Scene music editor at some point soon, and maybe I'll ask her then.

I do know that the best *record* MADE in Nashville I have heard so far this year is Lone Official's "Tuckassee Take." A Nevers production. And OK, I am a well-known sucker for that sound of Television-style guitars and Pavement semi-skronk, and this record definitely plays off those conventions, but I swear it's an impossibly elegant record, with gorgeous pedal steel that's used intelligently and organically, and thematically, it's about as southern-fried as you can get--the leader Matt Button hails from Looieville Ky. and is obsessed with horseracing, betting, and feeling bereft in the Big City of Nashville, and I think he's an amazing, droll lyricist, and the record sounds amazing. I mean, most Nashville pop bands are so lame--there's a crop of them right now that everyone's raving about, like Lylas, the Pink Spiders, the Clutters, and many more, and try as I might they all sound like the Zombies deballed. No meaningful eccentricity, all toeing the indie partyline, where, to my ears, Lone Offical sound genuinely nuts, genuinely obsessed...and you know me, I often think Nashville lacks true obsession when it comes to pop music, real mania. (We're back now to the overly apollonian demo-thing.)

But I stray from country, and now back to giving Ronnie's CD one last spin before I do my final draft.

Singles:
"Life Ain't Always Beautiful," Gary Allan
"Are You Sincere," Bobby Bare
"Settle for a Slowdown," Dierks Bentley
"Believe," Brooks & Dunn
"Living In Fast Forward," Kenny Chesney
"Can't Let Go," Anthony Hamilton*
"Bring It On Home," Little Big Town
"I Still Miss Someone," Martina McBride with Dolly Parton
"When the Stars Go Blue," Tim McGraw
"The Seashores of Old Mexico," George Strait
"Your Man," Josh Turner
"Don't Forget to Remember Me," Carrie Underwood

*Haven't decided if I'm actually gonna include this - I mean, to me he's pretty gutbucket soul, which says/signifies country to me. Anyone else? I mean, I know his last album got some Scene votes...

Albums:
Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
Brokeback Mountain, Soundtrack**
Precious Memories, Alan Jackson
The Road to Here, Little Big Town
Greatest Hits, Volume 2, Tim McGraw***
Your Man, Josh Turner
Stand Still Look Pretty, the Wreckers
Living with War, Neil Young**

**Technically December '05, I think. Voting for it anyway. If there's a poll, that is.
***Technically this isn't a reissue? That's how I'd classify it, but...
****Again, not sure if I'd call this country, but it's kinda got that feel, at least in spots.

Reissues:
16 Biggest Hits, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
(That's all so far, though the Big Bill Broonzy box thing might make it on.)

Anyone know how best to get on promo lists, particularly from companies that still send out little shiny metal discs via the mail?

Today's mail looks promising, though, from a country perspective, and I'm guessing may well effect my year-end reissues ballot:

Tom T Hall *The Definitive Collection* (Hip-O) (Lots of overlap from *The Essential Tom T Hall,* it looks like, but quite a few tracks differ, and that was on vinyl and this one's a CD so there you go)

Ronnie Milsap *My Life* (see below)

Povertyneck Hillbillies *Povertyneck Hillbillies* (on Rust Records out of Ohio; their first "national" album, supposedly, though most if not all of the songs if not recordings look like they're repeated from the locally released Pittsburgh album *Don't Look Back* I mentioned up above, which I swear was in no way a demo to my ears.)

Johnny Rodriguez *20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection* (this is the one I'm most excited about! I've always wondered about him, and never heard enough to have an opinion. We'll see. Oddly, he appears to have the same haircut as Ronnie Milsap on HIS CD cover.) (I'm excited about the Milsap, too. Edd, I'm just curious: Any idea what Milsap's *nationality* is? These photos are making me curious.)

The 2006 (mostly) country reissue I've still yet to get to the bottom of (thanks to it having two discs and 46 songs) is the Yazoo *The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of* comp I mention way upthread somewhere. That could wind up on my list, if I ever decide one way or another whether it's got enough songs I need to keep on my shelf.

And yeah, that's the new Milsap. Sounds good so far!

And Thomas, Matt Cibula talks about Anthony Hamilton in re: country upthead. And Little Big Town's album is technically old, from last fall; I voted for it last year, though I wish I'd rated it higher. (And Edd, yeah, Carrie Underwear came out around Thanksgiving I think. The problem with these dumb literal release date rules in critics' polls is that late-year releases tend to get screwed, especially when they're the sort of pop-oriented albums which don't really make their greatness known until they break a couple hit singles. Which is why Pazz&Jop stopped using the rule back in 1979.)

>Also slowly exploring the two-disc, R Crumb-artworked new Yazoo comp *The Stuff Dreams are Made Of: The Dead Sea Scrolls of Record Collecting!: Super Rarities and Unisseued Gems of the 1920s and 1930s.* Quite a hodgepodge, united as the title suggests not by genre but merely by how hard the records are to find, never a good sign, but I'm liking pretty much all of it regardless and loving lots of it, including tracks by Dock Boggs, Andrew & Jim Baxter, Ollis Martinn, the Three Stripped Gears, and especially Wilmer Watts and the Lonely Eagles. Those are all on disc 1; haven't touched disc 2 yet. <

his "Day in the Life of America" is pretty great on the new 'un; sort of an answer record to Lee Dorsey's great "God Must Have Blessed America" from his last LP, "Night People" (which has been reissued on CD, and highly recommended to those who're like me and can't get enough Allen Toussaint). (and musing on Lee and Allen and country music the other day over a few beers with friends, we decided that Lee Dorsey could've easily applied his liquid voice to country music! there's nothing on the face of the earth that makes me happier than hearing Lee Dorsey sing.)

and good point about Carrie U. and end-of-year stuff. One record I forgot to mention that I really like is Shawn Camp's "Fireball." Excellent piece on him in the new No Depression--I had no idea of the breadth of his talent and accomplishments. Goes hunting with John Anderson, has songs covered by Blake Shelton, hung out with and wrote songs with Roger Miller's son, plays a mean mandolin and guitar, was a respected sideman, and got his second album axed by his label because it didn't sound like John Michael Montgomery! G. Himes did a piece on Shawn for the Scene and I originally thought Himes had really overstated his case; I still think he overstated it a little bit, but that's a really fine record, sorta the modern Billy Swan I guess.

Finally, heard from Yuval Taylor, who's writing a book on the '70s and is somehow making a connection between Big Star's Radio City, Gary Stewart's Your Place or Mine and John Prine's Common Sense. I had made Yuval a burn of that great Stoney Edwards LP, "Mississippi You're on My Mind," and he declared, "Man, that is the greatest country record of the '70s!" It's so nice to have friends who are such enthusiasts.