Rolling Country 2006 Thread

http://cdbaby.com/cd/bearfoothookers2

http://cdbaby.com/cd/bearfoothookers1

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of this Miko Marks CD, I keep being surprised by her voice, at moments when I'm not expecting to be surprised (I suppose that's a pre-requisite of being surprised, but still). Less so from Dierks Bentley, which I was expecting to like more than I do. The only bits I find myself responding to are the sappy bits, which I suppose isn't that unusual for me.

Yeah, replaying the first album, I'd say it's definitely more alt-country than the followup, though fairly often the rhythm does pick into a passably sprightly mid-tempo waltz or choogle for the aging longhair dancefloor. Still more Dead than Skynyrd, though "Dirty Whore Blues" does okay with the latter; she leaves his member sore and he tells her "woman don't come around here no more," you get the idea -- and this is one of their better songs, actually. They're not too complimentary of the gal in "Damn She's Fat" (5'2", 300 pounds) either. (But the album covers kind of remind me of Michael Hurley's.)

No FYPL though, I'm afraid, though I have the 7" on House of Orange if you don't mind a bit of off-centre pressing and the consequent wow (or is it flutter?).

If I'd had the choice, I'd have prioritised Ella Washington or Ann Sexton, but I don't know how the licensing works so I shouldn't criticise. I'm glad someone's doing it.

(This made me go and check to see what Ella Washington CDs are available, and there seems to be one containing at least some SS7 stuff, though it doesn't have the outrageously good "If Time Could Stand Still", which is a shame. Not such a shame that I haven't ordered it, obv.)

Oddly enough, the *newest* bearfoot hookers CD single (which I hadn't noticed in my pile til now -- one of those thin paper sleeves, you know how it goes) is called "I'd Rather Two-Step Than 12 Step," ha ha, funny title, and one of its lines is actually about "falling off the wagon." So good for them, but the title's the only really clever thing about the song, which is your usual alt-country joke hokiness.

Rachel Williams CD single from cdbbay: First song "Some Things Make Her Cry" mentions Springsteen and the 49ers (presumbably the football team not the old house music group); second song "Get Home" has gospel backup. Not bad, but not enough. Nice voice, forgettable tunes.

Am reading Kevin Phillips' American Theocracy and I'm at the bit on America's official religion and its intolerance and "disenlightenment." And that's Pentecostalism now and the Southern Baptist Convention he says, sounds right to me, so when the one contestant admitted to his P-ism to Wynonna like he should get a pat on the back, I naturally began to hate him. Even though he still sounds like a pro and does as good a job as all the others.

But the show's highpoint was its first episode and now it's just going through the motions, whittling away at the stick, everyone saying "I so do want that recording contract" like the song "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth."

how much of this shit is geographic

The upside of this is that I get to see Lee Ann Womack on Staten Island, in a theatre with a capacity of a couple of thousand. I imagine this venue to be smaller than she would regularly play in towns more receptive to country music.

No, no, no, I'm *IN* New York. I am not now and have never been and will never be "from" here, no way. And New York's illiteracy about country has indeed given me the opportunity to see excellent Miranda Lambert, Shelly Fairchild, Lee Ann Womack, Montgomery Gentry, and Big & Rich shows in rather small venues. (I even saw Toby Keith do some industry-only sitdown-and-strum thing maybe five years ago, before I knew who he was! Though I mainly went for the free food, I think.)

Quite right. We've been talking a bit more about her on this thread.

Anyway.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/tiffanyjoallen2

"Youngest to hit #1 on the Nashville Western Chart!", the cover says. Which is to say she hasn't even been a teenager very long. First song on her album. "Dear Carl," sounds great and wise and detailed and intense, and would have made more sense sung by somebody at least three times Tiffany Jo's age, but she pulls it off. (Unfortunately I listened to it a couple hours ago and can't remember per se' what exactly the details *are,* just that they're there.) Covers of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Louisiana Saturday Night" (hey maybe we should talk about Mel McDaniel, he was cool!), "Walkin After Midnight", and "Jambalaya" are well-chosen and done fine; "Living the Life of a Celebrity" seems not bad either. Seems a bit of a gyp that Tiffany Jo doesn't actually *yodel* til the eighth song, "Cowboy Sweetheart," and I'm happy when she finally does, but that's not to say I necessarily wish she yodeled more. "Hero In the Dark" is a sappy ballad that I could totally live without, about how everybody wants to change the world but the ones who do are ones who do it behind the scenes or whatever. Tiffany Jo's got vocal range many would die for I assume, and actually has a rich lower register, though sometimes when she drops down there I get the idea she's saying "Listen, I'm going to go into my rich and bluesy beyond my years lower register now, so watch out and prepare to be impressed." My intern Max just said she sounds like Leann Rimes; and he may well be right -- I've actually never paid attention to Leann's teen era stuff as much as her later dance stuff. (I've always assumed Leann got more interesting later; am I wrong?)

http://cdbaby.com/cd/tiffanyjoallen1

Cool stuff happening at the bottom of the Billboard country songs chart this week:
#58) Hot Apple Pie, "Easy Does It," their Lionel Richie imitation
#59) Ronnie Milsap, "Local Girls," not a Graham Parker cover apparently but Billboard says "tropical flavored" and his first chart spot in six years. I haven't heard it, but I'm guessing I might like this. I should really investigate Ronnie someday -- he's another one of those soul-music-as-country guys. Always loved his "Any Day Now".
#60) Carrie Underwood, "Before He Cheats", her punk rock revenge song!
#61) Cledus T. Judd parody of Three-6 Maffia's current hit, on how soul food is an excellent fiber source: "Ever Since I Could Remember I Been Poopin' my Collards." Okay, I just made that one up. Sorry.

I wonder how much those Hot Apple Pie and Carrie songs are getting radio-played. More promising titles: "The Seashores of Old Mexico" George Strait #21, "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)" Rodney Atkins #32, "Chicken Fried" the Lost Trailers #52. Anybody heard any of these? And who are the Lost Trailers, anyway?

OK, I want FRANK to listen to this one and figure it out. Are you out there, Frank? Three harmonizing Christian sisters who seem to want to look like the Dixie Chicks, all majoring in music at the University of Arizona, none of whom EVER seem to smile in any of their pictures. The first SEVEN (out of ten) songs on their album, including their uncharacteristically (at least comparatively) upbeat cover of "Ticket to Ride", all seem to be breakup songs. The first few, especially, strike me as very very dark, not to mention souped up with tons of Jim Steinman doing Bonnie Tyler melodrama. Opener "You're All I See" is the most over-the-top bombastic of all, but the close triple harmonies in it (is this a classical-training thing? a puritan Protestant church choir thing?) come off to me almost like some *Saturday Night Live* EZ-listening skit making fun of middle-aged ladies and their square square music, and its words are about going insane and feeling like you're locked in a cage in the heat of the desert, and after a stab at Spanish guitars, at the end the harmonies climb toward an almost operatic climax. Second song, right off the bat, concerns a disabled person and a suicide, so even darker, and though angels save the day they don't make the song any more cheerful. Next few songs are almost as dour, though "Marble Rain" seems to have a little bit of Stylistics or something in its melody, and the mood picks up a little for "Ticket to Ride" then the quite poppy "Between the Lines," which are still breakup songs nonetheless as far as I can tell, so by then you're wondering if they all broke up with the same guy (Jesus, maybe??); either way, they've got issues and they seem to want us to know it. Finally track 8 "Arizona Sunsets" is about finding an escape from climbing the ladder of success to the glass ceiling (they actually say "ceiling"), and the album closest with its funkiest track, a cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" which, like the Beatles cover, is forgettable but not bad. Their cdbaby page seems to suggest they self-identify as country (where else would they find an audience these days?), but I honestly don't hear much country here. And I honestly don't LIKE it much, but I'm still kind of in awe -- especially of that first song, which strikes me as fairly ridiculous, but also fully audacious in a way that I may not quite be getting.

..'cause you're haunted by the memory of the dude you just broke up with, and no matter what you do you can't shake the obsession (i meant to say.)

Sounds to me like an Auto-Tune thing. It's kinda hard to tell though over the net, but the harmonies have that flattened out quality. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I guess, but I'm not sure it's so good either. I like the version of "Ticket to Ride" though.

Her intentions are admirable, but the sign outside her mind reads Vacancy.

..and her single "country music love song" just entered the country chart at #59. (i got 2 billboards in the mail in the 2 days! hot apple pie as lionel now up to 54, carrie underwear i mean underwood keying cars up to 57, milsap down to 60). but i want to hear bomshel!)

god is nashville star boring

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 4, 2006

SARA EVANS AND WRITERS OF NEW SINGLE “COALMINE” BAND TOGETHER WITH RECORD
LABEL AND PUBLISHERS TO AID WEST VIRGINIA FAMILIES

April 4, 2006 -- Multi-platinum country superstar Sara Evans has joined
forces with her record label, RCA Records; writers Ron Harbin, Richie McDonald and
Roxie Dean; and publishers Harbinism.com Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and
Zomba Music Publishing to donate a portion of the proceeds from with her new
single “Coalmine” to a life needs/education fund for the families of the Sego
mine disaster in West Virginia.

Evans, currently on tour with label mate Brad Paisley, recently performed in
Morgantown, WV where they invited the families of the Sego mine disaster to
attend a special reception followed by the concert. Having spent time with
these families, Evans was moved by their strength and decided that she wanted to
find a way to contribute.

"It is truly a blessing that because of this song, so many different people
are able to come together to contribute to these families who have been through
so much," said Sara Evans.

The songwriters of “Coalmine,” Ron Harbin, Richie McDonald and Roxie Dean,
were also watching and reading about the Sego disaster and began to look for a
way to help out. Upon hearing that “Coalmine” would be the next single from
Evans’ album Real Fine Place, they contacted Evans’ management and record
label stating that they would like to donate a portion of the proceeds from this
record to the West Virginia families. RCA Records, Harbinism.com Music,
Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Zomba Music Publishing, a division of BMG Music
Publishing, were immediately on board to contribute as well.

“Ron, Roxie and I were saddened as we watched the news in West Virginia
unfold,” commented Richie McDonald. “When our song was chosen as the next single
for Sara Evans, we immediately knew that this was our chance to help make a
difference for these families who have been through so much.”

Working with West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin’s office, a foundation was
identified that will help the families with everyday needs as well as lend
assistance with their children’s education. Anyone who would like to make a
personal contribution can do so by purchasing a commercial digital download of
“Coalmine” available at iTunes, Walmart Digital Downloads, Napster, Real/Rhapsody,
MusicMatch, Microsoft, SonyConnect and Y! Music. A portion of the proceeds
from all digital downloads will contribute to the fund.