Haven't I Seen Whitney Duncan Somewhere Before?
Last night I saw Whitney Duncan play a private showcase at Rocketown in downtown Nashville. The day earlier, she came to CMT to sing a few songs. And before that? Well, it's been a long time, but she had a video in 2004 with Kenny Rogers, but the single never took off. (If you have Rogers' 42 Ultimate Hits, it's the second-to-last track.) Now, she's greasing the promotional wheels for an upcoming album on Warner Bros., smiling and shaking hands at every turn. Here's the first video, "When I Said I Would."
Duncan is a Tennessee native that's been performing since she was a little girl. She's a solid singer on stage, and seems to be an easy person to like. Of course, she's got her work cut out for her in the contemporary country world, since I can think of seven other young, perky blondes vying for attention right now - Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Jessica Simpson, Kellie Pickler, Miranda Lambert, Julianne Hough and Emily West. Musically speaking, they're all covering the same territory these days. (On a side note, how many more of these sassy songs can the guys who listen to country music tolerate?)
It's not Duncan's fault that she's pretty, and certainly there's a lot more that goes into a career than how you look. But if you line up these eight ladies, you're going to have to set them apart somehow. I guess it's up to the fans to decide if she's got the goods.
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Steven says:
well Lambert, Swift and Duncan are guitar-slingers, while West, Hough, Pickler and Underwood aren’t.
Paul says:
Whitney Duncan is a better singer,songwriter and entertainer than the rest of them!
Angela says:
The only thing about her that is similar to Carrie, Taylor, Julianne, Jessica, Kellie, and Miranda is that she has blonde hair. Her voice and the sound of the song is very different from anything I’ve ever heard on country radio. Too bad she’s going to be linked into the “blonde” category because she seems like a REAL artist…maybe she should just dye her hair…I’m sure she’d still be beautiful!
Rick says:
Craig, Whitney was also a contestant on the previous season of Nashville Star when it was still on the USA Network, so a lot of people have seen her before. Whitney was by far the most radio ready contender but she had definite pitch issues, although nothing ProTools couldn’t fix. And what with Taylor Swift’s popularity these days maybe being slightly off pitch isn’t a hindrance to commercial success any longer!
As for the list of blondes you gave, Emily West definitely does NOT belong with those other gals as she is far less commercial than the others, which is why I like her the most. Sadly all the things I like aboyt Emily mean she will likely never do well on Top 40 Airhead Country Radio…..
David Nisbet, Scotland says:
Steven - Carrie plays the guitar and the piano. Kellie Pickler’s also learning guitar.
Eric says:
That video is HOT HOT HOT!
Alisha Ricks says:
I saw Whitney Duncan in Huntsville, and she was amazing! Great singer and entertainer…her band rocks too. I really like this video !!!
kay says:
i have watching whitney grow up for years as a singer.i know a lot of her family and im proud of her accomplishments. you go girl!!
flutterfly says:
Of the ladies on Craig’s list, I’d say Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Emily West are the standouts in terms of talent, for different reasons. And let’s not forget Leann Rimes, who has been around for a long time, but is actually in these ladies’ age group! The rest I don’t think bring enough that’s interesting to the table. As far as Whitney Duncan, she sounds a little different with a little Chryssie Hynde in her voice, which is nice. But her issues with live singing during Nashville Star are a turnoff.
CSJ says:
Whitney sounds good however I don’t like this song. It’s too generic. What sets it apart, and the “what was I thinkin’” line sounds very familiar.
Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, and Miranda Lambert have been nominated for and won multiple country music awards, which shows who the best of the bunch are. Carrie, Kellie, and Miranda are great vocalists and what also sets Kellie, Taylor, and Miranda apart from the rest is their songwriting and performing.
Robby says:
Giving my opinion on only the artists that I’ve see live—-
Carrie-great singer/rather watch paint dry than see her perform/pretty
Kellie-not good singer/okay performer/great personality/kind of pretty
Jessica-okay singer/good looks/crappy music
Taylor-not good singer but unique voice/good songwriter/great performer/attractive
Miranda-good singer/great performer/not great songs/plays guitar
Whitney-good singer, unique voice/plays guitar/great performer/great music/great looking
Julianne-pretty/nails scratching across a chalkboard sounds better than her voice/bad music/great dancer
kate e. says:
good song/ good video but heidi newfield’s (another young, perky, blonde vying for attention right now) new single johnny and june is much better