Top Ten Singles of 2017

While it does become harder and harder to assemble this list each year, it always amazes me that quality country music does exist, even if the upper echelon of the airplay chart screams otherwise.  Sit back and enjoy what I consider the ten best singles released this year:

10. Tanya Tucker – Forever Loving You

Go online and you’ll find countless videos of Tucker where she details the volatility of her relationship with Glen Campbell. She freely admits to the drug and physical abuse that defined their union, which became a cornerstone of her early 20s. Even after they split, and she went onto some of her greatest success, she clearly never truly got over him.

More than a tribute to Campbell, “Forever Loving You” is an exquisite love song. Tucker is in fine voice, which makes the longing for new music all the more aching. Why does this have to be a standalone one-off and not the lead track to a new album?

9. Alan Jackson – The Older I Get

Easily Jackson’s greatest achievement since “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore.” He’s in a contemplative mood, looking back in the year he received induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. If this is any indication, I look forward to whatever he chooses to do next.

8. Jon Pardi – She Ain’t In It

The best mainstream single of 2017 comes from the newly crowned CMA New Artist of the Year. The lyric isn’t earth-shattering, but the drenching of fiddle and steel more than makes up the difference. With his solid foundation in traditional country and his willingness to stay true to himself no matter the cost, Pardi’s future is bright. As of now, he’s one of the good guys.

7. Lee Ann Womack – Hollywood

A housewife is begging her husband to engage with her. He won’t bite except to dismiss her feelings or downright ignore their partnership. She’s exhausted from their loveless marriage, and the part he’s playing in it, so much so she wonders, “either I’m a fool for asking or you belong in Hollywood.” The first of two songs in this vein comes with that killer hook and Womack’s equally effective performance.

6. Alison Krauss – Losing You

Krauss revives a somewhat obscure Brenda Lee hit from 1965 and knocks it out of the park. The covers album that followed is just as rich and deeply satisfying.

5. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires

If life didn’t come with an expiration date, would we love as hard? Isbell asks that central question on the stunning centerpiece from That Nashville Sound. He proves mortality is actually a good thing, not something to be feared. For my ears, “If We Were Vampires” is the love song of the year.

 4. Chris Stapleton – Either Way

In my more than twenty years of seriously consuming country music, no song has stuck with me as long or had as great an impact on my psyche as “Either Way.” Lee Ann Womack brought it to life eight years ago in what still remains the song’s definitive version. Stapleton sings the fire out of it, too, but his greatest achievement is being the man who wrote it. He’s easily among the upper tier of the greatest country songwriters of his generation.

3. Brandy Clark – Three Kids No Husband

Clark teamed with Lori McKenna on an anthem for the women who assume all titles without a man to even the score. Both have recorded it, but it’s Clark who found the subtly within the lyric and ultimately drove it home.

2. Sunny Sweeney – Bottle By My Bed

Many songs have been written about the struggle for a woman to conceive, but none are as achingly beautiful as Sweeney’s tale of heartbreak in the wake of a miscarriage. A powerful and universal tale for anyone who has suffered the same fate.

1. Erin Enderlin – Ain’t It Just Like A Cowboy

I didn’t have a clear favorite single this year until I played these ten songs back-to-back when considering the rankings. Enderlin blows away the competition with her story of a wife realizing how foolish she is for staying with the cheating bastard who probably never loved her in the first place. A true country ballad for the ages.

Predictions for the 50th annual ACM Awards

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, The Academy of Country Music Awards is being held at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX  this Sunday on CBS. Blake Shelton is returning for his fifth year as host while Luke Bryan will co-host for the third consecutive time. Notable performers include George Strait, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, and Dierks Bentley along with the usual mainstream country suspects. Nick Jonas and Christina Aguilera will also take the stage as part of unique duets.

Along with the regular awards, the ACM will also be handing out specially designed 50th anniversary Milestone Awards to Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and George Strait. (Swift is expected to accept in person despite distancing herself from the genre).

Check out the nominations, here.

Entertainer of the Year

Garth Brooks, who has six previous wins, is nominated for the first time since 2001 in a year that saw him break ticket sale records, but underwhelm with his Man Against Machine album. The absence of Taylor Swift, George Strait and Tim McGraw left the category open for some fresh blood, resulting in Florida Georgia Line’s first nomination.

Should Win: Garth Brooks – he continues to show how it’s done, twenty-five years after his debut.

Will Win: Luke Bryan – he’ll ride his CMA momentum all the way to the finish line, scoring his second win in three nominations.

Male Vocalist of the Year

Despite eight previous nominations with five wins, it’s not shocking to see Brad Paisley included here. But after such an underwhelming year, it’s still surprising to see him included in a six-way tie. Dierks Bentley scores his second nomination in ten years, while half of the remaining four consist of previous winners. Jason Aldean has taken home this award for the past two years.

Should Win: Dierks Bentley – His only previous nomination came in 2005, while he was still in the promotional cycle for his sophomore album. His stature has only risen in the years since, with critical acclaim and consistent support from country radio, making him long overdue for his turn in the spotlight.   

Will Win: Luke Bryan – He’s arguably the biggest male artist in country music right now, eclipsing Aldean, Eric Church, and Blake Shelton with his stadium show, fast rising singles, and immense popularity. There’s little chance he’ll walk away empty handed, taking home his first win on his third consecutive nomination.

Soundtrack Review: “Glen Campbell: “I’ll Be Me”

Various Artists

Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

* * * 1/2

After going public with his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2011, Glen Campbell embarked on a final tour in support of his then recently released Ghost On The Canvas album. Director James Keach followed Campbell, capturing the journey for his film Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me.

The documentary, released last August, centers on Campbell’s struggles with the disease and goes behind the scenes of the tour. An EP co-produced by Dann Huff, consisting of five tracks, including three by Campbell himself, accompanied the film. A full-length soundtrack was released earlier this month.

The album includes “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” which Campbell wrote with the soundtrack’s co-producer Julian Raymond. His final studio recording, the track took home the Best Country Song Grammy and was nominated for an Oscar while its music video will compete for an ACM Award in April.

An aching piano ballad “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” is the haunting reflection of a man with a fading memory, singing to the wife he’ll leave behind. With that premise the hook is rather unapologetic, which matches his bluntly authoritative vocal performance.

Campbell also has four other songs on the soundtrack. “All I Need Is You” is an AC leaning string-soaked ballad while “The Long Walk Home” harkens back to his classic work with beautiful flourishes of gently strummed acoustic guitar.

The other two songs come from an historic concert Campbell gave at The Ryman Auditorium. “A Better Place” is a beautiful mid-tempo number while the other is a soaring rendition of “Wichita Lineman.” Campbell gives a deeply effecting vocal performance on his classic tune, even ending with a haunting wail of “and I’m doing fine,” which has the audience erupting in cheers.

Apart from the man himself, the soundtrack features a revelatory turn by The Band Perry on a cover of his 1967 hit “Gentle On My Mind.” The band shines with the banjo drenched backwoods arrangement that nicely modernizes the tune without sacrificing the unique qualities that endeared it to audiences more than forty-five years ago. The track appears in two versions, which are both excellent. I prefer the ‘single version,’ though, because it leads off with the banjo (opposed to a solo vocal opening by Kimberly) and gets to the goods much faster.

Campbell’s daughter Ashley takes the lead on the soundtrack’s remaining two songs. “Remembering” is beautiful autobiographical ballad, accentuated with ribbons of dobro and acoustic guitar, about her promise to keep her father’s fading memories alive. “Home Again” picks up the pace, with gently rolling banjo, and tells the tale of a daughter that has seen the world and now desires to go back to where she came from.

The highlight of Ashley’s tracks is how the production perfectly frames her voice, which has a sweet quality not unlike that of another Ashley (Monroe). The rest of the record is excellent, too, because it serves as the perfect snapshot of a man’s poignant reflections as he’s robbed of the life he’s always known.

It’s that time of year: Predictions for the 48th annual CMA Awards

With Brad Paisley and a pregnant Carrie Underwood set to host for the seventh straight year, and all the usual suspects set to perform, you’d think business would run as normal. But you’re wrong. Not only will this mark the first CMA telecast without Taylor Swift in nine years, pop starlet Ariana Grande is set to perform with Little Big Town while Meghan Trainor will sing her hit “All About That Bass” with Miranda Lambert. Few other surprises have been announced, but God only knows why Trisha Yearwood has been regulated to a presenter’s slot and not given prime exposure to sing “PrizeFighter” with Kelly Clarkson.

At any rate, here are the nominees. You’ll find my Should Win / Will Win perdictions below. Do you agree/disagree? Sound off in the comments.

Entertainer of the Year

Blake Shelton and Keith Urban have one trophy apiece while George Strait is nominated the year he gave his final concert. Only Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert, who are on their second nominations, have yet to win.

Should Win: George Strait – The Country Music Hall of Famer and country music legend wrapped his Cowboy Rides Away Tour a year after beating his younger competition to win this award for the first time in 24 years. When all is said and done, the CMA would be foolish to deny Strait his rightful place as an all-time category winner (four wins), along with Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney.

Will Win: George Strait – Prissy Luke Bryan can have his turn with his third consecutive nod next year. Strait, who’ll never be eligible for this award again, will go out in style.

Country 102.5 WKLB rebrands canceling Sunday Morning Country Oldies

Want yet another example of the corporate machine striking again? Well, here you go – Country 102.5 WKLB, Boston’s twenty-one year old country music station has cancelled their ‘Sunday Morning Country Oldies’ program after a twenty year and five month run, replacing it with the same mix of bro-country and progressive sounds that litter their airwaves every other hour of the week.

The move comes in response to the decision by 101.7-FM to switch from an EDM format to country, giving Boston two country music radio stations for the first time. This new station, run by Clear Channel and billing itself as ‘The Bull’ in a shameless effort to covet the younger country music audience, is the ultimate soul sucker. They’re running an uninterrupted commercial free summer to draw in listeners and have slotted the Nashville produced (i.e. syndicated) Bobby Bones Show during the coveted Morning Drive hours.

According to the Boston Globe article announcing the format switch at 101.7, Dylan Sprague, vice president of programming for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Boston, says the format switch is in accordance to the changing tastes of listeners, most of whom wouldn’t have considered themselves country music fans even ten years ago.

To achieve this goal, 101.7 has launched a “comprehensive search” for DJ talent, as Sprague puts it, to be put on air after Labor Day. The Boston Globe article doesn’t divulge how they plan to find this talent, or even how hard they plan to “search” but at least they have plans to bring a personal touch to the station, who’s call letters are WBLW, and aren’t planning on a syndicated format around the clock.

So, where does Country 102.5 WKLB, Boston’s Country Music Association award winning country music powerhouse, play into the equation? Well, in response to the new station they’ve rolled out what they hoped would be a subtle rebranding campaign as “Boston’s New Hit Country,” which in turn left no room for the venerable oldies program on Sunday mornings.

Sunday Morning Country Oldies began in January 1994, running 8am-noon with the hits from bygone eras no longer heard on mainstream radio. Hosted by Michael Burns and Stu Fink, the program most recently heavily featured 70s, 80s, and 90s country with a nod back to the 60s with a ‘classic oldie of the hour’ like Glen Campbell’s “Gentle On My Mind” or Roger Miller’s “King of the Road.”

Up until 101.7 switched formats, the Oldies program was going strong with no signs of imminent cancelation. This spring they even dedicated shows to featuring tracks from and giving away copies of Johnny Cash’s Out Among The Stars and Ronnie Milsap’s Summer Number Seventeen in coordination with the artists promotional teams in Nashville. On Mother’s Day, they played Jimmy Dean’s tearjerker ‘I.O.U.’ once every hour.

Now the program is gone, cancelled without warning to the listeners or the hosts themselves. Burns and Fink were told on June 16 that their final show had aired the day before. Burns will continue his relationship with Greater Media, who owns WKLB and a host of other stations, while Fink has been let go entirely. The fans of the program, who where wondering what was going on when they tuned in this past Sunday, flooded WKLB’s Facebook page with messages lamenting their anger.

Listeners reminisced about tuning into the program with their 97 year old parents or listening with their spouses who originally hailed from Texas and couldn’t find this music anywhere else beyond CDs and such. Others downright disowned the station and planned to never listen again.

As one of those disgruntled listeners, I’m deeply saddened by the show’s cancelation, but I’m not surprised or shocked at this move by Country 102.5 WKLB. We live in a world, especially with regards to media, where corporate greed wins out every time no matter how it might effect a entity’s image or well being within the community.

I’ve had by soul shattered by the continuing devolution of country music for years now, and I’d be a fool to think it could possibly recover even to a fraction of what it once was and should’ve always remained. The mainstream country music genre and establishment, no matter how much money it makes on a daily basis, is corrupt and morally bankrupt.

If I didn’t understand that fact before, the cancelation of Sunday Morning Country Oldies makes it loud and clear. This move puts Country 102.5 WKLB on par with 101.7 instead of establishing themselves as an exception to the rule. Sunday Morning Country Oldies is what helped them stand out from the pack and retain the older country music audience in and around Boston starving for authenticity out of the music they love. Without it they’ve lost, my 26-year-old self included, whatever fraction of that audience they had left.

I’d have to be an even bigger fool if I thought this move would significantly impact Country 102.5 WKLB’s bottom line. Will they suffer as a result of cancelling Sunday Morning Country Oldies? Of course they won’t. WKLB makes their money off of the latest and greatest in country music and their pivotal role of turning Boston into a must visit city for all major country music tours. With the growth of country music, they’ve become the number one most listened to station in Boston with ratings going through the roof. Country 102.5 WKLB hasn’t been this popular at any other point in its 21-year history.

With those statistics, it’s hard to believe they’d be so insecure about loosing their audience to 101.7 that they’d quickly rebrand and yank their Sunday morning oldies show. I find it mind boggling that a weekly four-hour block of classic country on a Sunday morning would deter listeners to another station. They seriously believe that fans are so impatient they can’t wait until noon for the likes of Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, or Jason Aldean? The thinking here, suggested by the cancelation of Sunday Morning Country Oldies, is flat-out ridiculous.

Michael Burns (Left) and Stu Fink – hosts of Sunday Morning Country Oldies

Without so much as a press release or statement from Country 102.5 WKLB explaining this move in their own PR spun words, is there any hope going forward for the fans of the program? With the damage already done, they’re shouldn’t be. By making the move in the first place Country 102.5 WKLB have shown their true colors as a station just like all the rest, a follower of demographics and industry trends. Keeping the show alive would’ve been the bold move, a stance against the devolution of corporate radio at a time when a protest is needed most.

There’s been speculation about Burns and Fink trying to revive the program online or through another medium but any formal announcement, beyond a ‘Save Sunday Morning Country Oldies’ Facebook page has yet to come down the pipeline. I sincerely hope they get the last word in all of this as they are the true victims here, lovers of classic country who had their voice diminished without as much as a chance to officially thank their listeners for twenty great years.

As for Country 102.5 WKLB, they can be yet another voice diminishing real country music on the airwaves, catering to the mainstream audience that’s done more to murder music row than any artist in Larry Cordle’s song.

WKLB, go and cram Luke Bryan’s August coming out party at Gillette Stadium down our throats. Its okay, now that we’ve seen who you really are once and for all.

Further Reading: 

Boston Radio: New Sheriff In Town Country Is #1

Clear Channel converts 101.7 to country music format

WKLB DROPS “SUNDAY MORNING COUNTRY OLDIES”

 

Television Review: “The Joey+Rory Show”

Joey + Rory

The Joey + Rory Show

* * * 1/2 

For those old enough to remember, Country Music has a long history with the variety show. Everyone from Porter Wagoner to the Wilburn Brothers, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, The Statler Brothers and even Barbara Mandrell (along with her sisters Louise and Irlene) graced America’s TV sets at one point or another.

This tradition has long since ended as the format died out over the past thirty years. The downfall in this type of programming meant generations of country fans wouldn’t have the opportunity to see their favorite performers on TV each week and get a chance to pull back the curtain to see the person behind the celebrity.

But thanks to RFD-TV, the format is coming back strong. The traditionally structured Marty Stuart Show has been showing his, and Connie Smith’s, brand of country music for a couple of years now, and The Joey + Rory Show debuted two weeks ago.

Mixing homespun wisdom and old-fashioned charm, The Joey + Rory Show is the perfect showcase for the husband and wife duo residing in Pottsville, Tennessee. Filmed on their farm and in their restaurant Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse, they make you feel like you’ve gone back to the simpler ideals of the 1950s/1960s when America’s beating heart resided in Mayberry.

This simplicity gives the show its pulse and encases each episode in a sincere authenticity that feels genuine opposed to concocted from a network executive.  Each thirty-minute episode (13 comprise the first season) is broken into segments from musical performances, comedy sketches, and cooking demonstrations, to an inside look at their life and marriage.

The music-centric portions of the program are the show’s strongest, with the “Story Behind The Song” feature standing as the highlight of the half-hour. By combining the couple’s instinctive storytelling abilities with acoustic versions of songs they’ve written, you glean a much-appreciated insight into the lives of the duo. I loved hearing Rory talk openly about the seven-year journey it took to get “A Little More Country Than That” recorded, and how the royalty checks from Easton Corbin’s #1 hit afforded them a new tin roof on their 1890s farmhouse. I also enjoyed hearing Joey tell the story of how the couple met and hearing her sing “A Night To Remember,” the yet-to-be recorded song written about that experience.

Also outstanding are the opening numbers, live performances of tracks from their excellent His and Hers album due July 31. They showcased the Kent Blazy and Leslie Satcher co-write “Let’s Pretend We’ve Never Met” in the premiere and Rory’s “The Bible and a Belt” last week, opposite ends of the His and Hers spectrum that highlight Joey’s comedic strengths and Rory’s rich family oriented storytelling.

Each week the duo also showcases guest performers, personal favorites of their choosing. By highlighting lesser-known performers, they spotlight a more refreshing crop of talents like Bradley Walker, the wheelchair bound traditional country and Bluegrass singer and 2007 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year. The inclusion of these such performers, opposed to drawing from a pool of more established acts, exposes the viewer to artists they may not have known before and I welcome, as well as appreciate, any and all opportunities to be exposed to fresh talent not connected to mainstream Nashville.

As a whole The Joey + Rory Show is unapologetically Joey  and Rory and if you’re not a fan of the couple’s aw shucks persona and simple lifestyle, then the broader moments of the program may not be for you. The weakest moment on the program remains an Andy Rooney style comedy commentary by their neighbor and friend Wynn Varble, an established country songwriter (“Waitin’ On A Woman,” “Have You Forgotten,” “Sounds Like Life To Me”). His southern sense of humor comes off a tad Hicky for my tastes. And while I love the charm of their cooking segments, like the Coca Cola Cake demonstrated in the first episode, they aren’t broad enough recipes to appeal to everyone. That isn’t a big issue, though, since I really enjoy these aspects into Joey’s other job as a restaurateur with Rory’s sister Marcy.

Overall, The Joey + Rory Show is a wonderful yet unconventional variety show bubbling with the personality both Joey Martin and Rory Lee Feek bring to the table each week. They wanted to create great family programming and they certainly achieve that objective tenfold, giving fans a very enjoyable look at what they’re about in all aspects of their life, proving they’re a natural at everything they do.

The Joey + Rory Show airs Friday nights at 9 EST on RFD-TV, Rural America’s Most Important Network