Sugarland Takes Over....

According to my friends at The Country Music Tattletale and other sources, Sugarland now has its own radio station! Check out all the details in this article.

I have to say I really need to try and check this out- it sounds great! Who's with me? Have you checked it out yet? If so I would love to hear your thoughts on it.... feel free to post em below!

Covers and Medleys....

So, admittedly, I don't follow the pop scene very much anymore. Haven't in several years now. There are a lot of factors involved in that, but mostly it comes down to the fact country stations like GAC are the only places to really see music as I couldn't even load youtube videos at the time. Plus, radio doesn't exactly play much variety. Lately, however, I have had the chance to see a few videos in the morning when VH1 has their jumpstart programming and got to see Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". Awesome song and powerful video, but that's not what I have to share with you today. See, I found her target exclusive version of 21 and discovered she did a cover of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now". The cover is from a CMT special and was performed with Darius Rucker. It's definitely different, but I think they did a pretty good job of it. Lady Antebellum seemed to enjoy themselves, anyway...



As an added bonus, I came across another video from the 2009 Grammy awards where Sugarland performed "Stay". After, Adele comes out and she performs her song "Chasing Pavements" with Jennifer. It's really interesting to me how bands from different genres seem to be coming together more. It just goes to show you how universal a good song is. Anyone can relate.

Looking Ahead....

I thought I would share a little more info on a few new releases I'm looking forward to. The first one is Sugarland's The Incredible Machine. It will be out on October 19th with the first single being on sale now. Here's a video of it. It's called "Stuck Like Glue".

Sugarland Live On The Inside...

So, I just got done watching Sugarland's TV special and I have to say, it was a pretty good show! I just wish it had been a little longer. Ah, well. That's what the DVD is for! I loved that Kristian was able to sing quite a bit in the show as well. He took lead for a while in their cover of "Fire" and he had several parts in over songs. If y'all want a taste of Sugarland live, check out this video... It's one of my favorites of theirs.

The Best and the Worst: 2008

Good Afternoon, everyone!! I’m here to start the new year off right with a look at my personal highlight and lowlights of ‘08. Feel free to share yours, too!

As I mentioned before, I loved Miranda Lambert’s increased success this year. It’s been a long time coming.

LeAnn Rimes releasing ‟What I Cannot Change‟ as a single.

Brad Paisley and Keith Urban teaming up for ‟Start a Band‟.

LeAnn Womack’s single ‟Last Call‟.

Jessica Andrews getting signed to a new label and putting out a single to country radio again.

Brad Paisley getting a taste of his own medicine when Jewel played a trick on him.

Tim McGraw letting Curb and his fans know he is not happy with the latest Greatest Hits release.

Carrie Underwood being invited to the grand Ole Opry.

Getting the chance to chat with Can You Duet? contestants and new Big Machine recording artists Kate and Kacey Coppola via MySpace.

Dolly’s ‟Jesus and Gravity‟.

Discovering the talent that is Minnie Murphy.

Sugarland’s ‟Love on the Inside‟ CD

Lowlights:

Nashville Star and the fact it had very little to do with Country this year.

A former member suing Sugarland, claiming she’s owed money from the continued success.

The passing of Eddie Arnold.

Gone Country. Hmm... John Rich isn’t doing too well this year, is he?

Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus performing on the CMT awards.

The continued delays of CDs by Jo Dee Messina, Danielle Peck and others this year. (At least Danielle finally got a digital release...)

The end of the Wreckers.

Mindy McCreedy’s continued troubles.

Jessica Simpson crossing over to Country.

Nashville Star and "Love on the Inside"

Hey, country Music fans... how are y'all doing today? I'm doing well... especially after hearing Sugarland's new CD. A lot of the CD is just fun and makes you smile when you hear it. One of those feel good songs is "Steve Earl". It's a very country/almost bluegrassy song where Jennifer asks the man to write a song for her. The best part comes near the end where she launches into a crazy-fan type rant about their wedding and the kids needing to go to college. Trust me... you'll get a kick out of this one!

One of the stand out songs (besides the "Life in a Northern Town" cover) is "Very Last Country Song." It has Jennifer taking on the role of an older woman using her birthday as an excuse to go through old photos and reflect on her life. She muses about how there would be no more country songs if life was perfect and nothing ever went wrong.

Other stand out songs are "Joey", "Genevieve", "Fall into Me", "Wishing" and "Come On Get Higher". I had heard some talk before I got the disc that it was going to have simpler production along the lines of "Stay". They were right. I think the less is more approach really help the lyrics and Jennifer's voice to stand out and that's alright with me.

In other not-so-good news, it's time for my weekly thoughts on Nashville Star. First, let me say I am completely shocked Ashley was voted off. She seemed to be a favorite and usually got lots of praise thrown her way. I'm not even going to get started on Coffey and his song, titled "Inserting Sterotypes to Prove Myself". One I did like was Shawn... I thought her original song was good and internet posters are right: she made a great move when she dropped John Rich. Jeffery Steele has helped her quite a bit. While we're speaking of him... what a voice! I loved watching him perform those songs. He (and most of the contestants) wiped the floor with Jewel. I pretty much ignored John's part of the show. Everything else? Well.. I don't have much at all to say. Suffice it to say, I'm not sure this show should get renewed in it's current form.

Well, that's about all for now. If you heard the new Sugarland CD or you are a Nashville Star viewer, share your thoughts with me... I'd love to hear em! Same goes for anyone else. Take care and see ya next time!

"Love on the Inside"

Hey, Country Music fans! How's it going? I wanted to share this great article I found on Sugarland's new CD, Love on the Inside. It talks a bit about some of the songs, what inspired them and how the disc was recorded. Definitely a treat for any fan. Stay tuned, because as soon as I have it myself, I'll post my thoughts.

They have also been named GAC's artist of the month, so check out the website for even more info on the band and the new CD. There should also be a link still to preview most or all of the songs. Til next time... take care and "play something country!"