CMT Blog: Recommendations

Taylor Swift is going to be both the host and the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this Saturday (Nov. 7). Is that even possible, for someone to perform country music AND be truly funny in the skits?

Yes. And I know this because of Garth Brooks. He did the same double duty when he was at the top of his game, and I think really surprised everyone with a sense of humor that seemed to come very naturally. Like when he's being teased backstage by the irresistibly sexy Mango (Chris Kattan). Or when Tracy Morgan is totally bad-mouthing Chris Gaines right to Garth Brooks' face. "He's a weedy beedy bing bong freak. And he's soft. He's fat. If you were that big, they'd be calling you Girth Brooks." But the very best was when Garth played Milo Jenkins, who sells his soul to the devil (Will Ferrell) to write him a hit song. Like "Fred's Slacks." It might be hard for Swift to beat that. But she has taken Garth Brooks' advice before, so I'm guessing she'll follow in his footsteps again this weekend. She told MTV she wanted to look nothing like herself. "I told all the writers, 'Don't count anything out. I want to go completely, 100 percent in.'" Then she said cast member Kristen Wiig was one of her comedic inspirations. Which really makes me hope they do a skit with Wiig as the one-upper, trying to one-up Swift. Like, "You got a songwriting deal when you were 14? I got one when I was still in my mother's womb." Or, "Both your albums went platinum four times? My albums have gone platinum, like, platinum times. Elvis was totally jealous." And they'd have to do something about Kanye. "Kanye West barged in on your VMA speech? He barges in on me more. He barges into my house, my dressing room, my car. He's obsessed with me. He thinks I'm the greatest comic of all time."

It feels like the whole world is counting down the days until the CMA Awards. I know I am. There are seven days left, as of right this minute. And starting today (Nov. 4), Jake Owen is going to be helping country fans get ready for the Nov. 11 fete-of-all-country fetes on ABC.com.

They'll do this daily five-minute Webisode thing called The Countdown to Country Music's Biggest Night. He'll do some behind-the-scenes stuff, bring us exclusive updates and get the scoop from some of the biggest stars up for the most coveted awards. How does he feel about this cool diversion from his normal work schedule? "It's cool to be able to hang out with my artist buddies and show off Nashville," he told me. "This year is a big year for me, too, because I'm nominated for best new artist. So hosting the show just builds up the anticipation for the CMAs."

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Could this contest possibly have any more prizes? This week kicks off the CMT on Tour With Jamey Johnson sweepstakes, and I just did some research on it. Even though I'm not eligible to enter, I can still pine for the grand prize, right? The winner gets a trip for two to see Johnson in 2010 in the city closest to him/her. (That includes airfare because the city closest to you may not actually be all that close.) Plus, you get two nights at a hotel, the two concert tickets AND an autographed guitar. I think the only way this sweepstakes could get any better is if they were giving away Johnson's actual guitar, which is autographed by Willie Nelson, George Strait and about 10 other artists he admires. The contest ends Dec. 6, so enter soon.

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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I was always a big fan of Julie Roberts, right from the get-go. She was cute, sweet and likeable. But she also had a badass edge to her voice that gave her music a little less perk and a lot more depth. Like on "Break Down Here." What a song that was: "Everything I own's in the back in a Hefty bag/I'm out of cigarettes and I'm down to my last drag." Sounds pretty desperate coming from her. But it sounds just as haunting coming from the tall drink of water that is Trace Adkins.

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Getting back to the basics of love (for the country music I remember as a kid), I put together this Waylon Jennings playlist, gathering the highlights from a few of my CD collections. Personally I'm drawn to his output in the 1970s -- even though he certainly had some signature songs before and after that period. Rather than assembling a "greatest hits," I compiled my favorite tracks from that decade, starting with "The Taker" (written by Kris Kristofferson and Shel Silverstein) through "I Ain't Living Long Like This" (by Rodney Crowell). And since I'm writing about Waylon in the 1970s, I couldn't pass up those classic duets with Willie Nelson -- in fact, "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" may be the first country song I learned to sing from start to finish.

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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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Today is All Souls' Day. So at the early Mass this morning, my priest asked us all to help the faithful departed get through the pearly gates by praying for them. And pray we did. But as I was thinking about all the people in my life who are now resting in peace, I couldn't help but think of all the songs that seem to celebrate the mournful moments as well as the celebratory moments. So many seem to capture tragic loss, and so many are good at extolling the virtues of eternal life. Feel free to add to the list.

"Go Rest High on That Mountain," Vince Gill
"Who You'd Be Today," Kenny Chesney
"When I Get Where I'm Going," Brad Paisley
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Gene Watson and Rhonda Vincent's duet, "Staying Together," lets you eavesdrop on a tender moment between these two loveless lovers. Their reasons for staying together are not for their own hearts but rather for the family. Consequently they're left to wrestle heavy hearts weighed down by the baggage, sorrow and pain of a love that's long expired. You can see the sadness in Watson's eyes and hear it in his seamless vocals. Vincent, too, thrills with her powerful voice as she proves mighty convincing with each evocative note. Even the steel guitar weeps for these two unfortunate souls. I suppose when it comes to a true heartbreaker of a country song, in their own words, "There ain't nothin' sadder, there ain't nothin' colder."

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 ...