CMT Blog: Recent Posts

He. Is. Everywhere. This new Josh Turner album, Haywire, is all anyone in country music can talk about today. Josh this, Josh that. He's got a CMT Insider interview and accompanying story out. He did a long Q&A with EW.com. Then there's the Wal-Mart Soundcheck performance, where he does an old Vern Gosdin song, "I Can Tell by the Way You Dance." I'd always figured Turner was a huge fan of traditional music because of his voice and his songwriting style. But Vern Gosdin? Turner claims he listened to him going to and from school in South Carolina. He notes, "When you say 'Vern Gosdin,' I think country soul and a lot of heart and a lot of emotion -- that's what he was."

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For the successful gang comprised of Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus, the last 10 years have proven a pretty sweet ride. While toasting all of the songwriters featured on their six studio albums, Rascal Flatts shared with me backstage what they looked forward to in the next 10 years. Their collective response turned out to be more music and more of the same. Well, save funnyman DeMarcus, who playfully noted, "We're reaching for some Geritol in the next decade."

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For years, I thought Kellie Pickler's big personality kind of overshadowed her big powerful voice. But on this performance of CMT's Studio 330 Sessions, she put that big personality on the back burner for a while so that her vocals can be the star. She sings her heart and soul out on "Makin' Me Fall in Love Again" (which she says is about the good side of love), then "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You" and "Best Days of Your Life" (the one she says she wrote with Taylor Swift while they were touring with Brad Paisley). Then she does "Don't Close Your Eyes" from her all-time favorite classic country singer Keith Whitley. She sounds phenomenal on each one. But she does let her quirky side come out a little in the interview at the end when she talks about her first cassette tape (George Strait) and her current cell phone ring tone (Hank Williams' "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"). Her best anecdote is about her first concert at 16. She and a friend drove to Charlotte, N.C., to see Kenny Chesney and decorated a Honda to say, "Honk if you love Kenny Chesney." I've seen hundred of cars like that in concert parking lots, so it's funny to think that just about seven years ago, that could have been Pickler's.

Last night it got really cold, really fast, in Nashville. I didn't have anywhere to be so I found a dozen reasons to turn on the oven and returned to one of my favorite albums, Lizz Wright's Dreaming Wide Awake. I first heard about it in a No Depression cover story in 2005, when the album was new, yet the music still works wonders when all I want to do is curl up with a blanket and a book. Her quiet interpretations of Neil Young's "Old Man" and the Youngbloods' "Get Together" may remind you that time is fleeting but her warm alto is so inviting that you feel like there's really no rush. She wrote a handful of songs here (including the title track) and collaborated with Jesse Harris, whose writing credits include Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why." If you're a fan of Jones' music, you'll probably be intrigued by this album, too. I think country fans who appreciate a subtle approach and a rich alto voice will be satisfied with it as well -- especially on a quiet winter night at home.

Talented musician siblings Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry -- known as the Band Perry -- have finally released their catchy debut single, "Hip to My Heart," after years of touring and perfecting their sound together. Growing up in Mobile, Ala., the Perry siblings were constantly influenced by rock and country music. "Daddy rocked us to sleep with the Rolling Stones; Mama woke us up with Loretta Lynn. So we get it honest," Kimberly says on their Web site. With a comic-book feel, their video channels a playful tone as they dance and play guitars atop their lyrics. Then they transform the starch-white walls with brightly colored graffiti using cans of electric spray paint, just like disobedient children coloring on the kitchen walls. The video matches the song's upbeat nature and carefree attitude. I think we're going to see good things from this brothers-and-sister group who are committed to making their mark on the country music stage.

Thank you, Sheryl Crow, for giving me a real legit reason to tune into the much-talked-about new show, Cougar Town. Until now, I've only heard bad things: Courteney Cox plays a divorced woman on the prowl for men and talks incessantly about sex with anyone who will listen, like her neighbor/friend Ellie and her assistant/friend Laurie. (Ellie is the young mom. Laurie is the slut.) Enter the always classy Crow, who will play a recurring romantic rival to Cox' character, Jules. The story is that Jules' mission to hook up with her neighbor Grayson will be thwarted by Crow's arrival. The series is one of those trashy indulgences you wish you didn't like, but you do. And having Crow on a few episodes will make it even more addictive. I can't wait to see if her character will be the girl so perfect you hate her or just another narcissistic cougar out to snag a boy toy.

I loved Blake Shelton's album, Pure BS, from 2007. I thought it was one of his best. One of country's best, even. But you know how it goes: you get obsessed with a CD and then you just kind of overdose on it -- "The More I Drink," "She Don't Love Me," "The Last Country Song" and "She Can't Get That." It was pretty much all I listened to for what seemed like the past couple years. While I liked his other albums, too, I just kept coming back to Pure BS. So now I'm psyched to see that he has new music that he is delivering in a whole new way. Instead of just one 10-song CD, he's releasing two six-song CDs. Hillbilly Bone, the first so-called Six Pak comes out March 2. Then in August, he'll put out another Six Pak of new stuff. "Fans will get more music than me putting out a new album every two years," he said. So enough with the Pure BS. I am so ready for a couple of Six Paks.

They might've come for the rodeo. But after the 1,800-pound bulls had gone back into the exit chute and the cowboys had all packed up their chaps, the audience stuck around. That's because Jake Owen gave the Chicago crowd a whole lot of reasons to stay put for his post-rodeo concert on Friday night (Feb. 5). For one, Owen can flat-out sing. There is nothing his rich baritone voice can't do. And, he writes good-timin' songs perfect for this kind of show. He also seems to have a knack for putting together a set list to keep the party going after two hours of bull riding, starting with "Yee Haw" and "Startin' With Me" (in double time) and then getting right into newer tunes like the sexy "Cherry on Top" and the hometown celebration that is "Every Reason I Go Back."

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If you fancy a little poker on Saturday nights, butter on your biscuit and a few scratch-off tickets, then you’re sure to enjoy country newcomer Josh Thompson’s debut single, “Beer on the Table.” Born in a small town near Milwaukee, Wis., Thompson grew up laying concrete for his father’s construction company and understands the demands of physical labor. “My work ethic is probably a big factor that shaped who I am as an artist,” he told me during an interview Monday (Feb. 8). “And that came from growing up in the concrete industry. My dad was big on making sure that I knew how to work.” Judging by his video, it’s plain to see how he spends his Friday nights and also his money -- with his buddies and some hard-earned brewsky. Sound familiar? Take a look.

In this Q&A with the Washington Post, Eric Church sounds very complicated. Maybe even a little conflicted. Because first he says, "Country music, the thing I love about it, more than any other music, it does represent real life and it represents Middle America better than any format." But then Church goes on to talk openly about his controversial song, "Lotta Boot Left to Fill." You know, the one where he criticizes his country music brethren? Like one-hit wonders and pretty boys acting tough, and how they sing about Johnny Cash but the man in black would've whipped their ass. And how if it looks good on TV it'll look good on a CD. Yeah, that one. After the head of his record label heard it for the first time, he told Church, "Well, I played 'Lotta Boot.' Eric, I'll be honest with you. A lot of people were pretty nervous when they heard it." But to Church, that was the very reason to get the song out there. "It makes you a little uncomfortable," he said.