CMT Blog: Archive

Six new videos were lined up by the big screen for viewing in this week's session by the CMT new video evaluation team. They represent a wide array of artists: Rodney Atkins, Reba McEntire, Craig Morgan, Eli Young Band, Chuck Wicks and Emma Mae Jacob. So let's get to them.

Artist: Rodney Atkins
Video: "Invisibly Shaken"
Director: Eric Welch

Seemingly Atkins' most introspective song to date, the video opens with him sitting at and playing a rickety antique upright piano in a mist-shrouded forest. He's still wearing that ball cap. The song presents a moody and darkly effective personal message. Atkins is accompanied at times -- to great advantage -- by a string quartet that appears in the forest.

Comments: "I think it's great," one panelist began. "I love the strings. But he should not get up from the piano and walk around. And take the cap off." Another voter offered the opinion that "this is not the Rodney we've gotten to know, but the song begs you to listen again. I think it gets under your skin. It forces you to analyze it." A dissenter said that he feels Atkins "doesn't seem to fit the video here." But, someone else offered, "It's a very strong melody. Will it play well over and over? I think so."

Artist: Reba McEntire Feat. Kenny Chesney
Video: "Every Other Weekend"
Director: Roman White

The song was familiar to everyone here; the video was not. It features Reba singing and being shown occasionally on screen (although her singing partner on the song, Kenny Chesney, is not). The actors in this drama of alternate-week visitation by children of divorce come from Reba's family on her TV show. It's a simple story, movingly acted out.

Comments: First remark, after complete silence for a few seconds at video's end: "I'm really embarrassed to say that that really gets to me. I love it." "Me too," came a reply, "but Where's Kenny? Who's singing?" That seems to one question all viewers have: "I feel it's close to being a home run. But you need to see Kenny in there -- if only for a minute. Then it would be a home run. I feel it's a double right now." Others kept getting back to the song: "It is so strong a song...and this is a situation that many in our audience know very well. It really involves you emotionally."

Artist: Eli Young Band
Video: "When It Rains"
Director: The Brads

Another dark song, moodily depicted by Eli Young Band in the grim landscape of a ruined city. As one panelist noted, it looks as if it were inspired by the works of film director Tim Burton. Lead singer Mike Eli delivers a strong lead vocal, even singing in the rain.

Comments: Much love expressed for the freshness of the video. "It's really different," was one comment. "It's distinctive and stands out." Another person agreed, saying, "It's a strong song and such a different video that you'll feel compelled to watch it several times. I'm not sure about the video's shelf life but like what I'm hearing and I like what I'm seeing."

Artist: Craig Morgan:
Video: "Love Remembers"
Director: Roman White

There's rain everywhere in Morgan's new work. He's mostly standing in one location, singing in a sort of public square.

Comments: First commenter said, "For Craig to go from being ‘Mr. International Harvester' to this in seven months is jarring. Look at how strong a song ‘Harvester' was and how people reacted to it. He was fun." A dissenter offered this, "The song on its own is nice. The problem is that the video seems formulaic."

Artist: Chuck Wicks
Video: "All I Ever Wanted"
Director: Kristin Barlowe

The action here takes place with Wicks and a gang of equally photogenic friends playing on trucks and in fields and in the woods. Having fun everywhere they go.

Comments: A first remark was "I like the song, it's fun and it's summer." Another person agreed, but said that "It seems like we've seen this ‘dance-around-with-my-friends' routine a hundred times before." One obstacle Wicks faces, one panelist said, is that "he's been pegged as a ballad singer and this is obviously an attempt to bring an up-tempo number. But it's just an okay song."

Artist: Emma Mae Jacob
Video: "With You"
Director: Roman White

Seventeen-year-old Emma Mae Jacob sings and acts her way through an arty scenario in a coffee shop (that is obviously not Starbucks) that depicts how an artist (a painter, that is) can effectively pick up a girl in a coffee house. And then turn it into something more lasting.

Comments: One person said Jacob has a "strong voice, would like to see her live. She looks better in this video than the first one. I'm not sure the song is strong or unique enough to cut through. We need to see some momentum on the song to see if the audience is interested in her as a new artist." An obvious skeptic added, "I don't know how serious I can take a song about true everlasting love from a 17-year-old."

Consensus: Only three video slots are open this week. They'll be filled by Reba's video going into Heavy rotation and by Rodney Atkins and the Eli Young Band moving into Medium rotation.