Officially Declaring May 19th a Country Music Holiday
Attention all you card carrying members of the country music community, by the power invested in me, I am officially declaring May 19th, 2023 an official country music holiday.
Chapel Hart
Release Radar & Most Anticipated Albums for 2nd Half of 2023
We have reached the point of insanity these days with the amount of albums coming out each week in the greater country and roots realm. It’s like a full-time job just keeping track of it all, let alone navigate through the sea of releases to try and find what may be appeal to you.
Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam Has Become a Rite of Passage
For 20 years now (with a short hiatus during the pandemic) Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday during CMA Fest has been the crown jewel of the event for those who can secure a ticket to the Country Music Mother Church. What started as a more healthy alternative.
Holy $hit The 2023 CMT Awards Were Terrible
This weekend, Police and Fire personnel had large swaths of downtown Austin cordoned off due to a mass casualty/hazardous exposure event, also known as the CMT Awards. The barriers and checkpoints weren’t there to keep freeloaders out, it was to keep the grotesque infection of pop country quarantined.
How Country Beat Back Rap in Mainstream Country
For the last dozen years or so, one of the most contentious battles within the realm of commercial country music has centered around the incursion of hip-hop influences into the genre, and specifically the use of verses that are rapped as opposed to sung, and electronic beats replacing organic drums.
2022 Was a Historic Year for Grand Ole Opry Debuts
In 2022, something happened at the Grand Ole Opry that is only fair to label as historic. More so than any other year in its nearly 100-year existence, the coveted Grand Ole Opry debut was doled out to deserving artists from across the panorama, checking off bucket list items, populating glowing resume points…
Album Review – Drake Milligan’s “Dallas/Fort Worth”
Well damn. Drake Milligan did not win America’s Got Talent. The consolation prize for Drake Milligan fans is a good one. It’s an excellent new 14 song album that dropped the day after the AGT finale called Dallas/Fort Worth, and it’s way better and more meaningful then any silly trophy.
Amazon’s ‘For Love & Country’ Film Erases Critical Black Legacies
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.
On Chapel Hart Finally Getting Their Chance via the ‘Golden Buzzer’
Chapel Hart have been around for a while now, originally forming in 2014 and releasing their first of two LPs in 2019. They are also one of the most egregious victims of discrimination in country music. No, not just because they are Black, because they are country.
Album Review – Yola’s “Stand For Myself”
Yola’s 2021 album ‘Stand For Myself’ leans much heavier into the vintage soul space, and further away from country roots of her previous projects. ‘Stand For Myself’ also happens to be a very enjoyable listen, and a really inspiring work.
Grammys Right to Not Consider Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Star-Crossed’ Country
A Grammy Awards screening committee who must make the tough decisions of which albums are considered “country” in the ever-mutating world of popular music has deemed that the latest album from Kacey Musgraves called Star-Crossed should not be eligible for ‘Best Country Album.’
Album Review – Chapel Hart’s “The Girls Are Back in Town”
It all begins with the voices of Chapel Hart. When they’re at their best, any song could be stripped back to an a capella arrangement and still shine. But it’s the diverse expressions they explore within the country genre that makes this record entertaining, with unexpected turns .
On Breland and Keith Urban’s Collaboration, “Throw It Back”
Breland is back, and collaborating closely with Keith Urban in the hopes of giving him some credibility in country’s mainstream. Jokes on him though, because Keith Urban has no credibility to lend. Don’t believe me, just recall when he accidentally won Entertainer of the Year in 2018.