Articles by Kevin John Coyne
2011 Grammy Nominations
Here are the 2011 Grammy nominations, in the four major categories and all of the country and country-related categories. The big nominees in country are Lady Antebelllum, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, and…Gretchen Wilson?
General Categories:
Album of the Year
- Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
- Eminem, Recovery
- Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
- Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
- Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
Quick Take: Lady Antebellum is only the second country band to receive a nomination in this category, the first being the Dixie Chicks, who have been nominated three times and won once.
Album Review: Reba McEntire, All the Women I Am
Reba McEntire
All the Women I Am
A case study in musical identity crisis.
Here we have one of the most gifted vocalists in the history of country music, searching in vain for her voice. The trend has been going on for some time now, and if this isn’t its apex, we’re in for a long and bumpy ride. Not since her days with Mercury has McEntire ever tried so hard to fit in with the current sound on country radio, and much like those early records, this trend-chasing set is both overprocessed and underdeveloped.
Single Review: Brad Paisley, "This is Country Music"
I don’t think there’s ever been a song that I’ve wished remained an instrumental as much as this one, as the gorgeous instrumentation, especially the fiddle, is the very best example of what the title claims.
But alas, our reigning Entertainer of the Year insists on tackling the title with lyrics, and it doesn’t end well. It doesn’t even begin well, with the ridiculous notion that country music is where you need to go to hear that Jesus is the answer, as it’s not afraid of rubbing folks the wrong way by saying so in a song. Michael W. Smith and countless Winans have made a career out of doing so without ever recording a country song.
Gratitude
Growing up, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday, and it’s still pretty high up there today. When I was younger, I loved it because it was the one day out of the year that the extended family was all in one place, gathered around what seemed like an endless table. Those days are long gone, so now I appreciate the concept as much as the actual day.
For one day a year, people actually take the time to reflect on what they’re thankful for and verbalize it. I wish we could make it a semi-annual event, maybe add another three or four day weekend. Who wouldn’t be grateful for that?
Single Review: Taylor Swift, “Back to December”
“It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you.” So sings Taylor Swift on her new release, “Back to December.” It’s always a good sign when there’s a line as memorable as that one, the kind that lingers around in your head more than the song itself.
There isn’t another turn of phrase in the same league, but the rest of the song is pleasing enough. As usual, Swift is singing to a guy, but unlike most of her musical conversations with old flames, she lays the blame squarely on herself. I appreciate the restrained vocal, though a more varied melody would’ve made the chorus quite a bit more distinctive.
CMA Live Blog 2010
WINNERS:
Entertainer: Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
Male Vocalist: Blake Shelton
Vocal Duo: Sugarland
Album: Miranda Lambert, Revolution
Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum
New Artist: Zac Brown Band
Song: “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin
Single: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
Music Video: Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
Musical Event: Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”
Musician: Mac McAnally
Correct Prediction Tally:
9: Dan,Tara
8: Leeann
7: Kevin
LIVE BLOG:
10:59 Brad deserved it last year, got it this year. Carrie deserved it this year, will hopefully get it next year. When the history list is written though, nobody’s gonna care which year they won in, just that they were acknowledged. So a good end to an okay night. – KC
10:58 Very, very pleased! And what a sweet, sincere moment. – TS
10:57 You know, I’m kind of relieved. Granted, Brad gave possibly the worst performance of the night and is generally not someone I like much, but I just didn’t feel like having to listen to a bunch of whining tomorrow about Miranda or Lady A or someone winning. – DM
About Taylor Swift
Dear Country Music,
Don’t get too excited about Taylor Swift’s sales numbers. They have nothing to do with you.
Starter Kit: Sara Evans
Sara Evans was one of the most successful female artists from the earlier part of the last decade, which was not a particularly good era for women as a whole. Her ease with both pop-flavored and purely traditional country allowed her to adapt to quickly changing trends in the genre.
This makes her catalog a fascinating one to sample. In compiling this Starter Kit, it would be easy to just list the hits. But I’ve left off some of her more overexposed tracks in favor of some gems that either didn’t quite dominate the charts or wasn’t sent to radio at all. I think her crossover numbers haven’t aged that well, anyway.
Be sure to let me know what I missed in the comment threads!
“Shame About That” from the 1997 album Three Chords and the Truth
The title track got all of the love, and the most airplay of the three low-charting singles from Evans’ debut album. But I think that this is the coolest little record, with Evans sounding like the female heir to Buck Owens as she can’t even feign sympathy for the ex who is now regretting his departure.