Tag: country

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Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “(Kissed You) Good Night”

 

I’ve had this song stuck in my head for days. It has the classic country storyline of yearning for that crush in the eyes of both the guy and the girl and the video brings the tale to life for the listener.

 

The lead single off Gloriana’s sophomore release, A Thousand Miles Left Behind due in stores Tuesday, is a personal and relatable track and was inspired by real life for one of the band members.

 

“A lot of the songs on the album are written from the point of view of the person I would like to be,” Tom Gossin said. “’Like on ‘(Kissed You) Good Night,’ my alter ego comes in and does what I’m afraid to do in real life. It’s ultimately a song about not ending up with regrets because the worst thing is to look back on something and think, ‘I wish I had done things differently.’”

 

The trio’s latest hit recalls another three member country act — Lady Antebellum. With their alternating male/female lead vocals and memorable harmonies the single continues to climb it’s way up the charts. If “(Kissed You) Good Night” is any indication of the band’s upcoming album, it will no doubt be a solid release. I’ll be interviewing Gloriana next week so be sure to let me know if you have any questions and leave them in the comments!

 

 

I’ll be interviewing Gloriana next week so be sure to let me know if you have any questions and leave them in the comments!

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Song of the Week Videos

Song of the Week: "Let It Rain"

Yesterday, David Nail debuted the music video for his latest single, “Let It Rain” off his upcoming sophomore release. The song and dramatic video was inspired by the film, The Last Kiss.

“I had just seen the movie The Last Kiss, and it was a pretty powerful ending. I just tried to paint the picture of what that guy seemed to be feeling, when he realized the significance of what he had just done!

“With the video, I tried to recreate the rawness and reality of that moment,” he continued. “I wanted to grab people’s attention immediately, and I feel like Stephen [Shepherd] and I accomplished that. I can’t wait for the fans to see it because I think they will see this video is different than the past ones I’ve done.”

Co-written by Nail and Jonathan Singleton, watch “Let It Rain” below.

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Features

A Day in the Life with Josh Kelley

A few weeks ago, I spent the day with Josh Kelley while he was in New York promoting his debut country release, Georgia Clay. Throughout the day, the Georgia native filled me in on his songwriting process, his early years writing and performing with his younger brother, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley, and some defining moments in his career and personal life. You can watch the video below and for my complete writeup and interview, visit The Boot.

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Features

ACM Awards Performances: Collaborations Steal the Show

It was a night of jaw-dropping collaborations, surprises and new music at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

“Alright Mandalay Bay, ready to see a little music history?” Sugarland’s Kristian Bush asked the audience before bandmate Jennifer Nettles and R&B/pop sensation Rihanna took to the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino stage.

And music history it was. Rihanna appeared alone in a knock-out white dress, singing the first verse of her new single, ‘California King Bed’ as Jennifer’s vocals could be heard in the background. Soon, Jennifer appeared side stage and the two alternated singing lead and harmonizing throughout the remainder of the track. The vulnerable ballad showcased each artist’s incredibly powerful vocals and was just one of the many unexpected collaborations of the night.

Brad Paisley kicked off the night of collaborations at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino with his current single, ‘Old Alabama.’ Wearing blue jeans, a black Alabama concert t-shirt and his classic white cowboy hat, Brad wowed the crowd with his guitar skills for his tribute to the iconic country band before they came out and joined him mid-song. Alabama walked onstage with their guitars in hand to screams and helped Brad close the song with a fast-paced guitar jam.

For my complete review and photos of last night’s ACM Awards, visit The Boot.

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Features

10 Best Come-On Lyrics in Country Music

Don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day? Just turn on country radio, and you might get some advice for finding that special someone. Yes, country music is known for tales of love and heartbreak, but something’s gotta happen to spark all that romance. For some, it begins with a pickup line. Read below as I count down the best pickup lines in country music for The Boot, mixing the clever with the cleverly cheesy.

“Boy, if you wanna know the things I’ve been thinking/ You’d be meeting me outside”
‘Last Night Again,’ Steel Magnolia

That’s Meghan’s line, but an honorable mention goes to Josh’s equally provocative opening lyric: “Your lips are moving but I can’t hear you/Wish you would talk your way right over here.”

Last Night Again – Full Version – Steel Magnolia – Steel Magnolia Videos

“I’d like to check you for ticks”
‘Ticks,’ Brad Paisley

Known for his quirky and descriptive lyrics, Brad paints the vivid picture of meeting a girl at a bar before escaping to the sticks in hopes of getting to know her a little — make that a lot — better. Whether or not our amateur entomologist finds any bugs on her is another story.

And my current favorite (and cheesiest of all, I know).

“Are you from Tennessee?/’Cause baby, you’re the only 10 I see”
‘Pickup Truck,’ Shane Yellowbird

Pickup lines are abundant in this song; whether they actually work or not is still a mystery. “My name is Shane/How do you like me so far?” he asks, followed by the predictable “I need a map/’Cause I’m lost in your eyes.” Cheesy as a supermarket’s Velveeeta shelf, sure, but give the guy some credit for persistence.

For my complete list, visit The Boot and be sure to let me know some of your favorite (or least favorite) pickup lines in the comments!

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Features News

CMT to Air "Artists of the Year" Special December 3

Tomorrow night, CMT will honor Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band as the top artists of the year in a 90-minute special. Hosted by Kevin Costner, CMT’s  “Artists of the Year,” premiers at 8:00 p.m., ET.

Taped in Nashville, “Artists of the Year” will bring the honorees together with their peers for an evening of performances from the country world and beyond. Tune in for surprise guest appearances by Joe Perry, Maroon 5, Adele, Amos Lee and more!

This year’s acts were chosen by ranking the top five artists based on the following criteria: sales, country radio airplay, concert grosses, and activity on CMT.com. The rankings were then compiled to identify the leading performers across the four categories cumulatively.

Watch a preview of tomorrow night’s special below.

Related Links:
• Q&A with Lady Antebellum
• Q&A with Taylor Swift
• Q&A with Zac Brown Band
• Q&A with Jason Aldean
Categories
Concert Reviews

Brad Paisley Performs 'Live on Letterman'

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Staab of CBS

Brad Paisley performed an hour-long set for lucky New Yorkers earlier this month at the Ed Sullivan Theater. For those not in the Big Apple, the concert was streamed live for CBS Interactive Music Group’s ‘Live on Letterman’ webcast, allowing fans to watch the set in its entirety on CBS.com.

Moments before he took the stage, Brad tweeted, “About to go on here at the Ed Sullivan theater. Like the Beatles. Sorta.”

Though he’s in Manhattan for the next few days promoting his new greatest hits compilation, ‘Hits Alive,’ Brad never feels too far from home. “On the way in here, when we were coming in from the airport, we were in an SUV. Low and behold, somewhere right after we got out of the tunnel, we hit this little patch of mud. I don’t know where in the hell that came from. It wasn’t quite big enough to have much fun with with your truck, but it made me miss home,” Brad said before singing his huge hit, ‘Mud On the Tires.’

For my complete review visit The Boot. Watch Brad perform “Then” below.

Categories
Q&A

Lady Antebellum Talk Dating, Drunk Dialing and Dylan

To say 2010 is Lady Antebellum’s year would be an understatement. The trio kicked things off in January with the release of their sophomore album, Need You Now, and a Grammy win for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group under their belt. The nominations continued, as the band has five nods at both the CMA Awards and American Music Awards next month — tying them with the number of nods Eminem received for the latter awards show.

I chatted with Lady A’s Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley at their recent benefit performance in New York about success, songwriting (they’ve already begun penning a follow up to Need You Now) and why you should put that phone down at “a quarter after one.”

What is your songwriting process like?

Dave: If anything, it’s really musical. We start a lot with melodies and instrumentation and trying to figure out good melodies for verses and choruses. We get to lyrics sometimes second, so we’ll start humming a melody, finding something, and see where the music takes you as far as lyrics are and what you want to say and go from there. We love great melodies and great songs that have great hooks and melodies, so we start a little bit more on that side as opposed to other people that start more lyric-based. Sometimes we’ll do it the other way.

For my complete interview with Lady Antebellum, visit The Boot.

Related Links:
• Sara Evans, ‘A Little Bit Stronger’ — Story Behind the Lyrics
• Lady Antebellum, Amos Lee Dazzle for Musicians On Call
• Q&A; with Lady Antebellum
• Lady Antebellum Bring Nashville to New York at Sold-Out Show
Categories
Song of the Week Videos

Song of the Week: “Our Kind of Love”

Their third No. 1 single off sophomore release, Need You Now, Lady Antebellum have been making waves in the music scene. Being that I’ll be interviewing them next week and spent the past few days researching and watching old videos, I thought it’d be fitting to make “Our Kind of Love” my song of the week.

If you have any questions you’ve been dying to ask Lady A, let me know in the comments!

Watch “Our Kind of Love” below.

Categories
Concert Reviews

Miranda Lambert Kicks Off Revolution Tour

New York City’s Terminal 5 was packed to capacity Wednesday night for the start of CMT’s ninth annual CMT on Tour, this year featuring Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Josh Kelley. New Yorkers put on their cowboy boots and hats for the three-hour show and proved that the city that never sleeps has some very ardent country fans. Hats, beer cups and even one girl’s cowboy boot were raised in the air multiple times throughout the evening.

David Nail and Lady Antebellum were spotted in the crowd, as was Josh’s wife, actress Katherine Heigl, who danced along to most of Miranda’s set. On the heels of their Beacon Theater performance, Lady A and David opted to spend an extra night in New York to catch the show before flying to St. Louis to continue their current headlining tour.

The first day of the tour, Miranda confessed she missed sound check and instead spent the night in Nashville to celebrate fiancé Blake Shelton’s induction into the Grand Ole Opry.

For the complete review, visit The Boot.