CMT Blog: Albums

There's been much talk lately about the fact that Taylor Swift just broke the record set by Nickelback for having an album stay on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart the longest time during this decade. Good for her. Nickelback was hard to beat because their All the Right Reasons had the staying power to remain on the chart for 156 weeks. But Swift's self-titled debut album has now been on it for 157 weeks, so she wins. But I tend to look at things through only country music glasses, so I wanted to know what country album records she beat. So, according to Billboard, here goes: Shania Twain came the closest to Swift when her 1997 album, Come on Over, was on the chart for 151 weeks. And Carrie Underwood was on for 137 weeks with Some Hearts. And the Dixie Chicks, who I never thought anyone could ever beat, stayed on the charts for 134 weeks with Wide Open Spaces. Other noncountry albums have enjoyed similar success during this decade. And, of course, Pink Floyd's 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon, holds the all-time record with 741 consecutive weeks on the chart.

Peter Bradley Adams writes music that relaxes me. He's one of those guys that I like to listen to in the late evenings, especially when he comes through Nashville on tour. I caught him last week when he played a reunion show with eastmountainsouth and lately I've been enjoying his new album, Traces. One of my favorite tracks from that album, "For You," was recently played on ABC Family's Make It or Break It -- a series that I'm not familiar with, but that clearly deserves some cool points. And I look forward to hearing "So Are You to Me" next month in the Robert DeNiro movie, Everybody's Fine. With his whispery vocals and subdued arrangements, he's already cultivated a strong following, considering that Traces debuted at No. 1 in the singer-songwriter category on iTunes. If you'd like new music for twilight time, here's a playlist from throughout his promising career to get you started.

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Nobody has proclaimed it Carrie Underwood month in any official capacity. But when you look at her schedule, it's very clear that she owns November. There was her performance (in a gray dress and purple tights!) on Good Morning America this morning (Nov. 3) to celebrate the release of Play On, and on Thursday (Nov. 5) she'll be hanging on Live! With Regis & Kelly. She does Good Morning America again from Nashville on Nov. 11 -- the morning of the CMA Awards. Then oh yeah, she's hosting that ceremony on Nov. 11. The night after that, an A&E: Biography of her life will air. After that, it's The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on Nov. 16, The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Nov. 18, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Nov. 19 and a performance on the American Music Awards on Nov. 22. And then? God willing, she will get some much needed R&R after the whirlwind that comes with promoting what I'm sure will be another multi-platinum album.

Patty Loveless started off her show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium Monday night (Nov. 2) by saying that it was good to be home. The Georgia resident did formerly live here in Middle Tennessee but I suspect the remark also had something to do with setting the audience up for a night of rootsy, down-home music. With the stage decorated with throw rugs, vintage lamps and acoustic instruments, she repeatedly referred to it as her living room and treated the crowd with the warm and friendly manner of a hostess being asked to sing for her guests. And they kept asking for about two hours, with Loveless reminding fans that they were "in it for the long-haul." Two hours may not seem that long, but with the emotional roller-coaster she took us on, I don't think a crowd could handle much more.

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Before I received a copy of Dolly Parton's new four-disc, career-spanning collection, Dolly, I thought I knew a lot about her music. After listening to it from start to finish on a road trip back to Nashville -- 99 songs in all -- I realized I had a lot of catching up to do. She's one of my favorite singers, and definitely a songwriting force to be reckoned with, but there are plenty of tunes on Dolly that I'd never heard. One of them is "Sweet Summer Lovin'," a Top 10 hit from 1979 that sounds like just like a new Keith Urban tune -- simple lyric, easy to sing with and ready to warm you up inside.

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John Fogerty's The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again is one of my favorite albums this year -- I just wish I could remember what I did with it. ... No matter, his video for "When Will I Be Loved" just came out to hold me over until I find it. Set in an Old West saloon, it tells the tale of three downtrodden drinkers all asking their whiskey the same question: "When Will I Be Loved?" Fogerty doesn't look like he's aged more than a few years since the '70s and his voice hasn't suffered at all since his days in Creedence Clearwater Revival. Speaking of voices, classic rock fans will surely recognize the guest vocals, and for the rest of us there is a clue in the form of a "Wanted" poster for a guy the law calls "The Boss." Hmmm ...

Not every one is crazy about deluxe album reissues. Why pay for songs you already have just to get a couple new ones, right? Well, I have three words for you: forever and always. On Taylor Swift's new Fearless Platinum Edition, she has six new songs, one of which is the piano version of her "Forever & Always." One listen gave me goosebumps. I'm kind of a sucker for piano songs and for songs that have only one instrument. So it was only natural that I'd like it. But I didn't know how much until I put it on. Using such sparse music makes the lyrics so much more powerful. It's kind of like the way a dash of salt on an orange makes the orange taste so much sweeter. You strip away the layers of guitars and you're left with a beautiful, although heartbreaking, story. (Remember Sugarland's "Stay"? I felt just as strongly about the way that song was arranged.)

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When the Steep Canyon Rangers tell stories to their future grandchildren, they'll probably start spinning yarns with, "Back in October 2009 ..." The bluegrass band started out the month with the IBMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, followed by an after-hours gig at the Station Inn with Steve Martin. Within a week's time, they joined Martin at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco, then flew to New York City for Carnegie Hall and The Late Show With David Letterman. Along with backing Martin in a dozen major markets, they also played a handful of festival dates and released a sturdy new album, Deep in the Shade, which has climbed to No. 3 on Billboard's bluegrass chart and helped them secure the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited's November issue. And somewhere in the madness, I managed to catch up with them for a few minutes in Nashville during one of their many visits here lately.

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While going through a stack of new releases, I grew particularly fond of three bluegrass albums, so I figured I'd share them with you. The first is Still Moving Mountains: The Journey Home, a compilation from Aurora Lights that aims to bring attention to Appalachian mountaintop removal. Songs like Blue Highway's "Clear Cut" illustrate the environmental impact from this controversial mining practice, which razes the top of mountains to get at a layer of coal, but ultimately devastates the area's natural resources. Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers, Kathy Mattea, the Del McCoury Band and numerous local musicians contribute tracks as well. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. provides a stirring testimonial toward the end.

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One of the most pleasant surprises I've had this fall is hearing Caroline Herring's encouraging rendition of "True Colors." I've never thought of it as a folk song, since I've only heard Cyndi Lauper's version, but it works beautifully in this context. Herring has a rich, reassuring alto, making it easy for her to convey the dual messages of the song -- don't be afraid to be yourself and don't be afraid to let someone in. Her new album, Golden Apples of the Sun, is out today (Oct. 27) and blends original songs with a handful of other interesting covers like "Cactus Tree," "Long Black Veil" and "See See Rider." A Mississippi native, Herring first made a musical name for herself in Austin, Texas, winning local awards for her acoustic approach. She now lives in Decatur, Ga., which is fertile ground for Southern songwriters. If you're drawn to simple records where the focus is on unadorned vocals, a handful of instruments and smart, cinematic songs, I bet you'd like these Apples.