We Need To Talk About These 2024 ACM Awards Nominations
Every year as the nominations for country music awards come and go, it’s hard to not fall into a perfunctory attitude about them due to the cyclical and predictable nature of the nominees.
Every year as the nominations for country music awards come and go, it’s hard to not fall into a perfunctory attitude about them due to the cyclical and predictable nature of the nominees.
“Deeper Well” might have a few more memorable songs and mark a return to a more organic sound for Musgraves, but that “something’s missing” feeling persists. It seems to be marked by boredom.
When Kermit The Frog took the stage to sing “Rainbow Connection” with Willie Nelson to start off Willie’s set, it checked off a bucket list moment for the folks in Luck they never knew they had.
Instead of a return to country like was being buzzed about, Musgraves adopts a Greenwich Village folk motif of classical guitars and dressing like an English goat farm lass in the “Deeper Well” video.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are once again Grammy winners. So are Grammy favorites Brandi Carlile and Brandy Clark. Chris Stapleton is the king of the country categories so far. And Allison Russel is finally a Grammy Award winner.
Some moments, and some songs are bigger than genre, or even era. They resonate with the audience irrespective of age, race, creed, gender, or anything else. They’re universal, regardless of the story or the style behind them.
How big is Zach Bryan? Just merely mention his name and watch the comments section fill up with pointy-nosed hipsters and agro purists telling you how much he sucks. That’s how big Zach Bryan is.
Nominations for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards have just been revealed, with lots of interesting and worthy names popping up in multiple categories, including independent country artists vying for top prizes.
The latest Maren Morris temper tantrum comes in the form of two new songs and videos released via an EP called The Bridge. It was serviced via Columbia Records out of New York as opposed to Sony Records Nashville.
Not only is country music codifying its monopoly at the top of the charts, it’s being done by independent and outright unsigned artists that came up solely from the strength of grassroots support.
Zach Bryan deftly and poignantly encapsulates the sincerest feelings of people that they can’t begin to express themselves. When they listen to his songs, it’s like staring straight into their very souls.
Zach Bryan is getting ready to release what will be one of the most important and anticipated albums in country music in 2023. Despite some false starts and misinformation on the album…
In the current country music landscape, it is not country radio, it’s not the major labels on Music Row, it’s not even the media, or pop or hip-hop artists trying to break into the country mainstream that are blurring the lines of what country music is more than ever before. It is Apple Music above all entities.
In a recent behind-the-scenes clip as part of this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Maren Morris felt then needed to apologize to the drag queens competing on this season’s show on behalf of country music. But Maren Morris has some specific things she should apologize for personally.
Not all of us will end up making it to 90. But we’re all the beneficiaries of the fact that Willie Nelson (almost) has. On April 29th, Willie will officially turn 90 years old, and on that day and the next one, a massive cavalcade of stars will converge on the Hollywood Bowl in California.
Country artist Luke Bell was officially laid to rest in a private ceremony in Cody, Wyoming on September 9th. But on Saturday, November 12th, friends, family, fellow musicians and fans were given the opportunity to remember and celebrate Luke Bell publicly.
It’s a remarkable achievement that an album like this was even made under the otherwise repressive jurisdiction of the Music Row system in Nashville. No, you should not consider this like a conventional album release by Ashley McBryde, meaning a succession of potential radio singles and album cuts.
As reported by Saving Country Music in July, a new 6-part, 12-hour documentary named ‘They Called Us Outlaws: Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes, and the Rise of Renegade Troubadours’ is on the way, featuring over 90 interviews and 75 live performances, with Jessi Colter executive producing.
Though the film means well, and is generally well-made with superb cinematography and high production value, the approach and information conveyed in the film is problematic to say the least, actively participating in erasing the legacy of Black country artists in a film that purports to be championing them.
As times goes on and today’s consumers continue to grow increasingly frustrated with the lack of creativity, roots, and soul in today’s music, expect to see the back catalogs of guys like George Strait and other older country acts continue to remain popular.
In 2015, we couldn’t imagine artists not supported by mainstream country radio selling out arenas, and minting multiple Platinum singles without the help of Music Row. Here in 2022, Tyler Childers is considered one of the top artists in the entire country music industry, and now we have Zach Bryan.
Genre is not really the big issue with “Humble Quest.” It’s the energy, or lack thereof, and the generally uninspired matter-of-fact approach to the lyrics and really the music too that make Humble Quest just kind of pedestrian, especially for pop country.
All the appetites of your country music palette are satiated by the end of Jenny Tolman’s ‘Married in a Honky Tonk,’ with your funny bone tickled, you brain stimulated, and your spirit raised. Jennyville is a fulfilling place to spend a few hours, and return to often.
Mickey Guyton has been chosen as the artist to perform the National Anthem at the 2022 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 13th, and it most certainly will be a big moment for Mickey Guyton, and for country music. Not all National Anthem performances are built the same.