Category: Country (Page 14 of 33)

Now That’s What I Call Country

November 10, 2008 / Mike Farley

Aside from the pop/punk genre, there really isn’t a more tired style of music than “new country,” a.k.a. the kind of country music that is coming out of Nashville’s Music Row these days, which is more like classic pop with steel guitars, and lyrics that try to make you remember your youth or complain about your lot in life today. This is opposed to the country music of your parents and grandparents, which wasn’t nearly as forced or made to fit into a pattern musically or lyrically. So anyone with a musical brain is likely going to be insulted if someone tries to convince them to like this stuff. Enter Now That’s What I Call Country, a compilation of some of the biggest chart-toppers of the past year or so. For fans of new country, it’s not really any different than what’s been beaten to death on your favorite radio station. For the rest of us, it’s mostly the same bland fare that gives us headaches—the nasally Carrie Underwood (“All-American Girl”), Lady Antebellum’s “Love Don’t Live Here;” a song with the same chord progression and melody as about 300 other songs you’ve heard in this genre alone. Ditto for Brad Paisley’s “Letter To Me” and Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” — seriously, in any other genre those two guys would be bagging groceries. We’d be remiss, of course, if we didn’t point out some of the bright spots here, such as Keith Urban, who actually makes his songs compelling on “Everybody” (maybe it’s because he can actually sing); and George Strait’s “I Saw God Today,” a stunning number about the beauty of becoming a father that any parent can relate to. At some point, someone is going to step in and shake this genre up, but not until advertisers stop ruling terrestrial radio. (LABEL: UMG Recordings)

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CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country

Brad Paisley Carrie Underwood country music George Strait Keith Urban Kenny Chesney Lady Antebellum new country Now That's What I Call Country

Seen Your Video: Hank Williams III, “Long Hauls and Close Calls”

October 22, 2008 / Will Harris

If you haven’t been introduced to the wild world of Hank Williams III, then now’s your chance, with “Long Hauls and Close Calls,” the first video from his new album, Damn Right Rebel Proud. (And don’t forget to check out our interview with HW3 over at Bullz-Eye!)

Artists, Country, Punk, Seen Your Video, Songs, Videos

Damn Right Rebel Proud Hank Williams III Hank Williams III Long Hauls and Close Calls Hank Williams III music video Hank Williams III video Long Hauls and Close Calls

John Paul: Belmont Boulevard

September 29, 2008 / Captain Capm

John Paul has the sort of musical dynamic that runs through a lot of Paul Westerberg’s best solo stuff. The guitars have a nice twang to their tone, and the rhythms and attitude are very much like the former ‘Mats frontman. Vocally, Paul sounds like a really young Don McLean mixed with Ryan Adams’ rough edges. Very impressive, no matter how you cut it. “21” is a killer song, showcasing all of these elements. “Set Me Up” certainly swings more to the twangy side of the Ryan Adams pasture, and “Chameleon” sounds like a great, long lost song from early ‘90s college radio. Sometimes things get a little CMTV sounding, as on “.45,” which has great potential but almost becomes undone by its arrangement and lyrics. But a song like “Sleepless” quickly remedies that, where Paul’s formula works perfectly. It’s also on this song that he sounds like his own man, and it’s definitely a standout tune. The production is lush and with any luck, John Paul will soon be a recognized name with this nice collection of songs. (Self-released)

John Paul MySpace page

CD Reviews, Country, External Music, Pop, Rock

Murry Hammond: I Don’t know Where I’m Going but I’m On My Way

September 26, 2008 / Lee Zimmerman

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It stands to reason that when the bass player of a successful band opts to make a solo album, he’d choose not to compete with his day job. So you won’t find Murry Hammond following the lead of his longtime collaborator Rhett Miller and recording a solo set that suggests his regular gig with the Old 97s is a superfluous sideline. Despite its exhaustive title, I Don’t know Where I’m Going but I’m On My Way offers a rootsy respite, one that shares its foundation with the Old 97s’ alt-country core, albeit at a more essential level. In fact, there’s more than a hint of Johnny Cash in these meditations and ruminations on mortality, spirituality, the railroad and the hereafter. Hammond takes a solemn and scholarly approach to these themes, and if some seem rather solemn and austere, the heartland authenticity remains true to tradition. Happily too, there’s enough sentiment stirred in the folk-like flourish of “In The Shadow of Clinch Mountain,” “Wreck of the 97” and “Life is Like a Mountain Railroad” to provide compelling listening, with acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonium, yodeling and whistling ensuring authenticity. It all adds up to an impressive solo foray and one that also ought to raise the worth of his stock in his regular band as well. (Hummingbird 2008)

Murry Hammond MySpace page

Americana, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Folk

Ry Cooder: I, Flathead

September 17, 2008 / Lee Zimmerman

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Ry Cooder’s artistic ambitions have always driven him to be an archivist of sorts, from his earliest days as a session player serving a wide array of A-list artists, to his initial solo efforts retracing the blues and on to his later forays into world music, including the groundbreaking collaboration with Cuban musicians that birthed the universally acclaimed album by the Buena Vista Social Club. More recently, Cooder’s musical explorations have veered closer to home while remaining no less eclectic. Consequently, I Flathead completes his so-called California trilogy that began with Chavez Ravine and My Name Is Buddy, an album cycle which spans the underlying influences that steered the state’s native sounds, from rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly to the feisty sounds emitted from its barrooms and barrios. Country still claims the most attention here – as evidenced in the titles “Johnny Cash” and “5000 Country Music Songs,” each of which references initial influences – but rock, ragtime and mariachi music also add to the mix. The deluxe edition adds a 96-page narrative that further underscores the premise (a group of guys racing in the salt flats and a fictional band of vintage variety) but whether the songs serve the story or vice versa is really no matter. An album driven by ambitious intents, I, Flathead is a new milestone on Cooder’s journey of rediscovery. (Nonesuch 2008)

“Ry Cooder MySpace page“

CD Reviews, Country, External Music, Folk, Rock