Kevin John Coyne

Women of the Decade

October 18, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 16

reba-mcentire Country Universe contributor and reader Cory DeStein flagged this rundown from Billboard regarding women on the charts this decade:

PERFECT 10: On Country Songs, Carrie Underwood ropes her 10th top 10, as “Cowboy Casanova” climbs 11-8. With the advance, Underwood now stands alone in first-place for most top 10s on the chart among solo women this decade.

Here are the solo females with the most top 10s on Country Songs since 2000:

10, Carrie Underwood
9, Faith Hill
9, Martina McBride
8, Taylor Swift
7, Sara Evans
7, Reba McEntire
6, Jo Dee Messina
5, LeAnn Rimes
5, Gretchen Wilson
4, Shania Twain

Notably, the artist who led the category among women last decade did so with almost three times as many top 10s. Reba McEntire ranked first among solo women in the ’90s with 27 top 10s on Country Songs. Trisha Yearwood placed second with 18 between 1990 and 1999, and Faith Hill, Patty Loveless and Tanya Tucker each posted 14 in that span.

The decline in fortune for women at radio this decade is even more pronounced when you compare the above top ten to the previous decade:

Say What? – Carrie Underwood

October 17, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 12

Carrie Underwood 09 As reported by Billboard, Carrie Underwood’s response to being offered a free copy of Miranda Lambert’s new album, Revolution:

No. I’m going to buy it.

Gotta love that!

Billboard’s been previewing some new tracks from Underwood’s upcoming third album, Play On. I’ve found “Temporary Home” and “Mama’s Song” to be far more promising previews of the new set than lead single “Cowboy Casanova.”

Check out the entire interview with Underwood here.

Daily Bargain: Willie Nelson, Phases & Stages

October 11, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 3

Willie Nelson became a superstar with the release of his now-classic 1975 concept album Red-Headed Stranger. But this wasn’t Nelson’s first, or even his best, concept album. In 1974, he released the absolutely brilliant Phases & Stages, which explored a dissolving marriage from the differing perspectives of the husband and the wife.

Several of Nelson’s best songs are included in this set, most notably “Bloody Mary Morning”, “Pretend I Never Happened”, and “It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way.” You can get this classic album for only $5.48 at Amazon’s MP3 store.

Worst. Country Year. Ever.

October 2, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 84

Comic Book Guy I’ve just gotta ask: Is this the worst year ever for country music?

Forgive me, but I can’t remember ever being so uninspired and uninterested in mainstream country music as I have been this year. I started listening to country around 1991, so that would make this the worst of the nineteen years I’ve been listening to it.

Even the nineties artists have been limiting themselves to covers albums and even sequels. Not that some of those aren’t good projects, but what does a guy have to do to get a solid studio album these days?

The reissue market hasn’t been any better. Even the upcoming Dolly Parton box set is a disappointment, a collection that abruptly stops in 1993. A collection claiming to be definitive that ends with her Billy Ray Cyrus duet “Romeo” does not bode well.

Justin Moore, “Backwoods”

October 2, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 12

justin-moore-copy Empty barrels make the most noise.

Written by Justin Moore, Jamie Paulin, and Jeremy Stover

Grade: D

September

September 27, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 15

There’s a certain sadness to the month of September. The first hints of fall feel like the beginning of the end, as summer warmth tuns to autumn chill. Perhaps that’s why there are so many great songs about this time of year, nearly all of them tinged with sadness.

For me, “September When it Comes” is the most beautiful example of this theme. The track was recorded by Rosanne Cash and Johnny Cash just months before he passed away. The song eerily foreshadowed his death, which would come to pass that very September:

Rosanne Cash featuring Bruce Springsteen, “Sea of Heartbreak”

September 20, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 10

rosanne-cash_12 Rosanne Cash previews her collection of classic popular songs with a spin on the Don Gibson classic “Sea of Heartbreak.” The impact of Cash’s music usually depends on her incisive songwriting, but she’s had success in the past with well-chosen covers.

Her take on “Sea of Heartbreak” works because of her restrained delivery, with the light and floaty arrangement suggesting that these are calm waters. The undercurrent of grief reveals itself through the guest appearance of Bruce Springsteen. His ragged vocal provides a strong contrast to Cash’s sweet delivery.

The resulting record turns a song that all of us have heard countless times before into something new. That’s always the challenge that needs to be met when covering a standard, so this is a promising preview of Cash’s upcoming set.

Bomshel, “19 and Crazy”

September 20, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 17

bomshel At the intersection of Taylor Swift’s present-tense teenage angst and Kenny Chesney’s trademark “those were the good old days” rememberings of carefree youth, you’ll find the new Bomshel single.

They’re old enough to be looking back on being 19 and crazy, but aren’t quite so old that those days seem completely idyllic. There’s a refreshing perspective here that those days were just stepping stones toward becoming who they are today. While they seem to say that they’d love to be 19 and crazy forever, the fact that they’re already figuring out how to explain that tattoo to their future children suggests that they’re not quite so eager to turn back the hands of time.

The song has an incessant driving beat that straddles the fence between urgency and just plain annoyingly fast. Also, like just about all the B-list singles out there these days, there’s far too much going on in the production. It would be nice to see more producers in Nashville show their confidence in the artist and the song by easing down on the clutter, but you’d have to be 19 and crazy to think that has a chance of happening.

Tim McGraw, “Southern Voice”

September 16, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 10

tim_mcgraw File this under great moments of incongruity:

Tim McGraw records an entire song celebrating the “Southern Voice” by listing the contributions of everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Rosa Parks against a musical backdrop that is virtually indistinguishable from the New Jersey sound of mid-80s E Street Band.

Perhaps there’s an intended reference in the production to the pollination of art and culture that goes back and forth over the Mason-Dixon line. More likely, Tim and his band just like to rock it out. The list of names included is so broad that it’s hard to discern any larger message here other than “Hey! We’re from the south! We rule!”

Beatlemania, Nashville Style

September 12, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 19

Beatles I’ve been working my way through the Beatles Remasters that were released earlier this week, thoroughly enjoying myself in the process. As I listened to Help!, I heard Ringo Starr doing his best Buck Owens imitation as they covered “Act Naturally.”

It’s pretty darn cool that the Beatles covered Buck Owens, and plenty of country artists have returned the favor ever since. With the Beatles all over the media these days, it seems as good a time as any to look back on some of country music’s biggest and best takes on the Beatles catalog:

Rosanne Cash, “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” and “I’m Only Sleeping”

Cash is the only country artist to score a #1 hit with a cover of a Beatles song, as her take on the Beatles For Sale track “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” became her eleventh and final #1 hit in 1989. An even better listen is her take on “I’m Only Sleeping” from her Retrospective release. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a much better song than “Party”, pulled from Revolver, arguably the best album the Beatles ever made.

Nickel Creek, “Taxman”

This progressive bluegrass band sounds great on record, but you don’t really get the full experience of their talent until you’ve seen their live show. Perhaps all of those royalties from their platinum-selling debut album pushed them into a higher tax bracket, as “Taxman” – another Revolver highlight – soon became a staple of their live shows.

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