A less cheery discussion tonight, just because I read something that annoyed me. Here’s an article about songwriter Jeffrey Steele: NASHVILLE (Billboard) – One could forgive Jeffrey Steele if he had an inferiority complex. The
It stands to reason that a single that combines the talents of the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and Musician of the Year would be entertaining to listen to and musically interesting. But country
Swedish pop duo Roxette used to throw out picks to the audience during their concerts. Upon the picks, these words were emblazoned: “Don’t Bore Us! Get to the Chorus!” I couldn’t help but think of
The CMA Awards should be the evening every year where country music is shown in the best possible light. However, it’s been many years now since the CMA fully took advantage of the opportunities that prime-time
For as long as it has been written, “Love Like This” has been a hit waiting to happen. It was composed by the same trio of writers behind “Safe in the Arms of Love”, and
The title track from Iris Dement’s album The Way I Should promotes a philosophy that I can get behind. Responding to nameless critics, she justifies the choices she’s been making with clear-eyed confidence: A ghost
Between the live blog and Blake’s excellent post-mortem, there isn’t much left to be said about Wednesday’s CMA Awards. But Whitney Pastorek from Entertainment Weekly made some points in her CMA Wrap-up that are worthy
Last night, the CMA stamped its approval on the leading contemporary country stars of today. Congratulations to Kevin for commandeering the most popular live blog in Country Universe history. Here is a series of highlights
In the most recent edition of Rolling Stone, an esteemed panel of journalists, executives and artists were assembled to name the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. The list is based on a singer’s vocal
