Rolling Country 2014

Angaleena Presley live show covers:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/at-hill-country-angaleena-presley-seems-set-for-post-supergroup-success/2014/10/13/d40632b6-52e5-11e4-b86d-184ac281388d_story.html

Before calling it a night, Presley turned her band loose for fabulous reworkings of Neil Young’s “Love Is a Rose” and Merle Haggard’s “Workin’ Man Blues,” though the latter was done as ZZ Top might render a Haggard song.

Hopefully not totally "post"--need more Pistol Annies!

growing to really love the angaleena presley album. i love how the solo annies are so different from both each other and pistol annies.

been hearing eric church's "talladega" on the radio lately. i was getting kind of sick of his rock rebel posturing and/or shameless rewrites of his previous hits so i am pleased. still haven't bothered listening to the outsiders though.

Laura Cantrell's newest record was really underwhelming on first listen earlier this year, but I heard a radio interview with her this weekend that prompted a revisit, and boy am I glad. Nothing earth shattering, but a really lovely album in the vein of Tift Merritt, Zoe Muth, or even Aimee Mann. Read: inoffensive, pretty, adult contemporary country/folk rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ejDvenTsdk

Fell in love with this song/video last night. Her album from this year, The Avenues (which this song isn't on), is likewise pretty nice.

It is! Though subtle-arty in unexpected ways; will take a little more getting used to (she's so confident though, she must be doing it right,eh?) Meanwhile,
@leeannwomack
Quebe Sisters @CityWineryNSH singin CindyWalkers Going Away Party..dont worry it wont be a loud party, dreams dont make noise when they die"
Oh yeah. Willie Nelson's Cindy Walker collection is mighty fine too.
Uh-oh, almost time for "Nashville" again.

sam hunt's album just came out, is he any good? he has written some songs i like but i am still unsure what kind of artist he is trying to be

Chris Richards was just drooling over Sam Hunt in the Washington Post, so I am curious as well.

In the case of country music’s hot new thing, his hotness and newness are self-evident. But this thing he’s got going — this hybridization of country and hip-hop that’s so elegant against all odds — is deceptively phenomenal. Hunt’s major label debut is a lean 10 songs, each one of them fantastic, all of them poised to raise Nashville’s temperature more than just a few degrees.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/10/28/the-months-best-music-sam-hunt-dej-loaf-ex-hex-tinashe-and-more/

It's on Spotify. "Lean": 10 songs in 38 minutes, and I 'ppreciate that, but still some of 'em are too long, like, of all things "Cop Car," where he's really sweating what her Daddy's gonna say, but still,"Somethin' in the blue lights' flashin'/Brought out the freedom in your eyes....I fell in love in the back of a cop car." Great first epiphany (and good build up to it),but, though he's always as earnest as Luke Bryant and Lee Brice, he lacks their corny flair, and this gets real solemn (and like Ah said, long).
He's also trying to be real tasteful, and not disturb the vibe, but this does lead to some interesting speculation, like right off in "Take Your Time," he "doesn't wanta go home with you," whom he's just met; he just wants to do it right here, right now, or maybe over there in the shrubbery, going by his down-low manner. "Single For The Summer" has a nice hazy loose-ends atmosphere, and he's very broad-minded: likes him some "debutantes...and small-town runaways," better than collecting sea shells. Could see this as a radio hit and subject of creeped-out tweets/Slate articles.
"Ex To See": realizes he's being used as the tool of her revenge, but, though he's dismayed, is still riding around with her as song ends (not real safe, maybe, but understandable; I've been there). Turnaround, maybe on the same lady, in "Make You Miss Me," where earnestness is now butthurt and truly poignant, even got an actual girl singing along a little bit; he gets my sympathy, and could see this as another hit, with no tweetplaints maybe.
Attempts at straight-up hick hop partying are even more generic than necessary (shoulda got one of the Lees in there), but I'll sure take him over Florida-Georgia, whose sprained twang, with or without autotune, is pretty painful.

Montevallo: name of a town and college in the town, where he's been doing all this studying, maybe.

"Fantastic"? "Elegant"? No.

interesting thoughts! i'll have to give it a listen

I've been to Montevallo and have friends who went to school there. It's in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Alabama.

hmmm i listened to the album and it's pretty boring front-to-back. :\ i wanted to like it b/c i love some of the songs he cowrote that other artists recorded.

actually the opening track is slightly interesting

Caramanica in the NY Times is excited by this tune from the latest Little Big Town album Pain Killer:

Finally, in “Girl Crush” — by the songwriting power threesome of Liz Rose, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey — Little Big Town delivers one of the most devastating country songs in recent memory, a scorching and pained meditation on jealousy delivered with heavy resignation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/arts/music/music-from-little-big-town-mila-j-oc-maco-and-ex-hex.html?ref=music

gorgeous song. i had no interest in hearing the album after "day drinking" which is such a terrible and shameless "pontoon" retread

Country Music Association Awards are on ABC tv now. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are hosting and have already started with bad jokes and Paisley strumming a fake song about George Strait, last year's entertainer of the year

They just gave out single of the year already--Miranda Lambert "Automatic"

The Paisley & Underwood ebola quarantine and leaked selfie joke songs were forgettable of course

Rather watch this, also live (incl. commercials): http://musiccityroots.com/roots-tv/

Yea maybe. But Kacey Musgraves just won "song of the year" (as oppose to single of the year) for "Follow Your Arrow"

Lady Antebellum's performance was ok

There's Dierks Bentley doing "Drunk on a Plane" . I like that song. Its catchy.

Miranda Lambert and 2 guys she writes songs with just accepted her/their award for something...

Checking out that Roots tv thing. Its on every Wednesday I see

Back to the CMAs. Miranda won for best album. She justt did a nice version of "Smokin' and Drinkin" with Little Big Town accompanying her

Vince Gill just got all choked up watching the video endorsement of him from Merle Haggard as part of the video tribute to him. He just got the Irving Waugh Award of Excellence

George Strait's baritone still sounds good. He dueted with Eric Church. Luke Bryan won entertainer of the year. But now they're letting the Doobie Brothers close out the night with "Takin' it to the Streets" with Brad Paisley on guitar. Oh country, you love those old pop folks. Michael McDonald is getting gospelly now with all of the backing singers...

I missed a couple of the other veteran with younger act duets--saw in the paper that Loretta Lynn did one.

A picture from life's other side (so this 'un ain't fair neither, butt its funny):
http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/archives/2014/11/06/48th-annual-cma-music-awards-fest-oh-balls-2014

Oh, I see on the Paisley thread some discussion of one of host Paisley's "jokes".

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/06/showbiz/cmas-highlights-brad-paisley/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Nikki Lane: still good. Prob in my Scene ballot Top Ten Albums.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B14AX6UCEAA348p.png:large

She's on a US tour now. Gonna be away tho and will miss my East coast gig

Also touring: Wine Women & Song, AKA Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss, and Gretchen Peters. Covered a WWS show in Columbus OH years ago. Purty cool: seasoned personal hits and more recent, well-placed co-writes, plus covers of Stones, Parsons, etc. What's that curled around Matraca's elbow? I asked but haven't heard back from her yet.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2GyNhNCUAEHukb.jpg

Tonight on Music City Roots, from 7 til some time prob a bit before 10 Central, Angeleena Presley and Mary Gauthier will be among the performers, with sets prob 25-27 minutes long, plus brief interviews. Scroll to the bottom of this page for livestream video and live radio links. For archived shows (back to 2010), click media, audio, downloads. http://musiccityroots.com/events/

Nikki Lane ‏@nikkilanemusic 2h2 hours ago

I literally just pissed all over myself in a traffic jam in Boston while trying to pee out of the side… http://instagram.com/p/vUYIbKOVC-/
0 replies 2 retweets 5 favorites

Really liked Holly Williams' 2013 The Highway and some earlier music.

Holly WilliamsVerified account ‏@hollywilliams1

Mama, Daddy, Waylon, Jessie-all legends in their own right ❤️❤️ #1979 #weddingday

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2XRNtzCMAAOKkz.jpg:large

Fine presentation: life & music of the late great Gary Stewart, country-rocker like no other---thx to @rekkidoftheday Phillip Overeem 4 alert http://bit.ly/1sW1bMU

He's *kind of* like if Jerry Lee Lewis had first emerged in the 70s, having to deal with all that and vice versa, but some wild desolate Hank Williams in there too, what if Hank had made it to middle age---here's my take, written right before/after his death, a decade ago: http://bit.ly/1uC1dh6

Minton Sparks is a story-telling poet with an ear for the music in spoken words. She's often held forth with guitarist John Jackson, who toured with Dylan long enough to be prepared at all times, so Live At Station Inn is a good place to start.
Studio arrangements ride along nicely too, and she's sure got a way with a beat. This fall's Gold Digger delivers more downhome truths in itchy empathy: "Every line is written on the body," and how. (If had to pick one for a comp, might possibly be "Tennessee Prison For Women," which is like a slice of Orange Is The New Black, although seems even more like based on her teaching there, or is that just a illusion of her deft realness)

That is, I don't know if she actually has taught there (could read the bio, but the music's the thing).

Cool convergence at the CMAa

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B25oAC3IQAAC-cF.png

Make a note

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B25tXTvCQAE8Jyx.jpg

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Starting a new series of Xmas EPs:
"I wanted to do an EP and spread it around over the next three years. I love it. I miss making Christmas music, so I'm happy."

Rimes says she felt very free to experiment with her sound on the release. "There's a little bit of dirty south kind of sound, but it's also very intimate. It was nice to do some songs that haven't been covered as much, so it was nice to set the tone with something a little different than what normal Christmas records have been." Nuthin too weird tho:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/6327687/leann-rimes-one-christmas-ep-interview?utm_source=twitter

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81v8plqSy8L._SY355_.jpg

Yep, Willie's Stash, a mixed bag which actually continues the zigzag grooving of most albums he's released in this century. But these 18 tracks, new recordings of vintage covers and (mostly) originals, from "Alexander's Ragtime Band to "Ou-es Tu, Mon Amour/I Never Cared For You," lyrical and blunt, well-remembered and impulsive.
He seems a little short-winded at first, but vocal levels shift as needed: he's scrawny, full-bodied, nasal, well-rounded, etc. Ivories are also flexible, while the geetar darts, jabs, practices Djangology (he said recently he'd been taking lessons in that, but sounds the same). She contours and solos too, given more space than usual (though also check last year's Let's Face The Music and Dance).
Each song lives in its own story, its own moment, streaming here for now http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=0

https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/fit/c/750/750/1*ixxCAKwejlS38CY4ek3ajA.jpeg

Pretty and spooky without being Southern Gothic, the current Cantrell vibe is "that's just how it is," cos love & music will only take you so far, no matter through what and for what (incl "Turn Down For What," not stylistically, but this music's into pleasure too). Sounds she knows she's on a roll, so why stop now, pick up some more sorrow and happiness on the way. Also sounds like She might be mildly surprised that I'm surprised at her unpretentious mastery and ambition (no dis on Brandy Clark, but those who think she's the best should hear the way Cantrell does less-is-more, vocally: "I'm gonna get these ol' clothes clean, do you know what I mean?")

Xgau pretty much nails it (think by "helpmeet" he means "co-writer"):

Laura Cantrell: No Way There From Here
(Thrift Shop)

Now in her mid forties, Nashville-born, New York-based Columbia grad Cantrell has always been one of those intensely likable, not necessarily female Nashville helpmeets whose own music is a quantum too mild to break out of their circle. But on her first album of new songs since she stepped back to have a kid, two cowrites with the darker and sharper Amy Allison are intensely flavorful: the pan-feminist “All the Girls Are Complicated” and the pining-for-my-guy “Can’t Wait.” Great melodies too from Jennifer O’Connor on the songwriter-centric “Beg or Borrow Days” and Franklin Bruno on the dislocated “No Way There From Here” and, hey, Laura Cantrell acting alone on the calmly bereft “Letter She Sent.” That’s a lot. Welcome outside the circle, ma’am. A MINUS

Also, despite the shifting songwriting credits (which I haven't checked), it's seamless, without being too smooth. A touch of the old Hoboken denim lilt in there too, so one for us Amy Rigby fans (first track even has a dbs feel).

Not that this is, eh, jangle-country.

Not pandering to her fellow fortysomethings' hip nostalgia, that is.

At long last I was able to put the dreaded Crowell/ Willoughby sense of shame and disentitlement to proper use. Recent adventures of Rodney C. (Lon Chaney Williams?)
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1siqmba

Chris Richards end of the year list in Washington Post has Sam Hunt, Miranda Lambert, sturgill Simpson, plus Lori McKenna and Hiss Golden Messenger

Methinks that Sam Hunt one is kinda uneven