Pam Tillis – Page 13 – Country Universe

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #100-#76

August 15, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 13

Many a star was launched in the nineties, a few of them right out of the gate. This section includes the debut singles from Toby Keith, Jo Dee Messina, LeAnn Rimes, and Doug Stone, along with Grammy-winning hits by Alison Krauss and Dwight Yoakam.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #125-#101

August 12, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 24

Johnny Cash may have been too dark for country radio back in 1994, but his morbid single lives on alongside debut singles, seventies covers, and a whole lot of Mary Chapin Carpenter.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #200-#176

August 2, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 25

The hits come from all over the place here. Breakthrough hits from Trace Adkins and Carlene Carter join one-hit wonders Brother Phelps and George Ducas. And alongside crafty covers of songs by sixties rock band The Searchers and nineties country artist Joy Lynn White, you can also find tracks from three diamond-selling country albums.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #225-#201

July 28, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 17

As we reach the halfway point of the countdown, seventies stars like Tanya Tucker and Don Williams prove just as relevant to the decade as newbies like Terri Clark and and Clay Walker. But it’s eighties original George Strait that dominates this section with three additional entries.

Discussion: Worst Album Titles?

July 27, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 31

We don’t do as many discussions as we used to at CU, and it’s possible that we already did this one. But seeing the title of this week’s #1 country album, I couldn’t resist:

Jerrod Niemann, Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury

I’d call it juvenile, but I don’t think I would’ve laughed as a kid, either. But I’m sure some people found it funny.

Here are a few others that make me wince:

Pam Tillis, Above and Beyond the Doll of Cutey

I. Don’t. Get. It. “(You Just Want to Be) Weird”, indeed.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #250-#226

July 23, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 22

A lot of songs from both ends of the charts here, including a husband-and-wife duet that spent six weeks at #1.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #275-#251

July 20, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 23

This section begins with a song about a farmer and his wife and ends with one about Mama. Doesn’t get much more country than this!

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #300-#276

July 17, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 20

The list continues with appearances from artists who first surfaced in the eighties and continued to thrive into the nineties, along with new stars from the nineties who would find greater success in the next decade.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #350-326

July 11, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 24

A few should’ve been hits are mixed in with genuine smashes as the countdown continues.

The Susan Boyle Factor

June 14, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 21

Entertainment Weekly has an excellent post up today: 15 Ways to Fix American Idol.

While I agree with all of their suggestions, I think there are some even better ideas that didn’t make the list. Perhaps this is why some ideas were overlooked:

CAST A MORE DIVERSE GROUP OF SEMIFINALISTS
Considering the stunning success of season 4’s Carrie Underwood, it’s baffling that Idol has done a lackluster job of casting country-oriented females in five subsequent seasons (not counting season 8’s tragically overlooked Mishavonna Henson, that is!).

Carrie Underwood is not the reality contestant turned superstar that should be used as the model to revamp Idol. The producers captured lightning in a bottle that season. A beautiful young woman with flawless vocal control and a clear understanding of who she wants to be as an artist? If it was as easy as an open casting call to find more like Underwood, there wouldn’t be a conversation about fixing Idol in the first place.

But there is an artist that could teach both American Idol and Nashville record executives three big lessons: Susan Boyle.