This is not official in any way. At all. But it is, as of this blogging, one of the most active topics in the forum on Carrie Underwood’s Web site. So I thought I’d bring the question over here, too: How would a duet with Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson sound? A few people posted that they think it would be terrific, with two powerful vocalists and American Idol darlings putting their talent together. Another poster thought maybe Underwood would “have to bring her vocals down to not drown out Kelly.” All I know is that when Clarkson shared vocals with Reba McEntire on her already-huge hit, “Because of You,” it went all the way to No. 2 at country radio. So if Underwood and Clarkson did consider a duet, which song would be their best bet?
One of my favorite songs right now is Eli Young Band’s “Always the Love Songs.” The video’s not bad either. But I had no idea just how popular it was until I found out that it has been consistently beating out videos from Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney and Brooks & Dunn. That’s been happening on CMT Power Picks, where viewers watch and then vote for their favorite of the two videos being pitted against each other. So while this simple, on-the-road video may not have had the production budget of the others, it still rises to the top when the fans get their say. The band’s new song, “Radio Waves,” was just released, and I wonder if that one will have a repeat performance on CMT if and when they make a video.
Mat Kearney lives in Nashville and collaborates with local songwriters, but his new album, City of Black & White, is not a country album. Instead, he’s a young singer-songwriter with songs placed in shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Bones and Friday Night Lights. For this album, he’s toned down the urban influences and concentrated more on creating intriguing melodies with some of Nashville’s finest (yet fledgling) fringe artists like Trent Dabbs, Matthew Perryman Jones and Kate York. It’s literate but not obscure. Meanwhile, the production is interesting but never obnoxious. His music reminds me a little bit of the Fray and John Legend. Whenever I get pop albums in the mail, I usually give them a courtesy listen, then move on to something more rootsy, but I’ve been keeping City of Black & White in heavy rotation while driving around Nashville. Makes me proud to live here. If you’re curious to hear more, here’s a video for “Closer to Love.”
It is very probable that I like country music more than the average country fan. But even I don’t want to watch it for three straight hours on TV. Who’s got that kind of time to devote to the ABC television special, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock? Who can just drop everything for a country music special? I suppose I can, and I will likely watch every minute of it on Aug. 31. But three hours is just a really long time for anything, even something good. Then again, they did have to edit all this high-def footage down from hours of concerts from Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Kid Rock, Taylor Swift and more. And I guess since I didn’t spend the four days in Nashville for the fest, the least I can do is watch this show for three hours. That’s my rationale, and I’m sticking to it.
Yesterday, I wrote my 1,000th blog. You can see that big fat number right next to my name on CMT.com’s blog page. So I spent a completely inordinate amount of time sifting through those 1,000 blogs trying to find some kind of rhyme or reason or pattern in the way people respond. I gave up around midnight when all I had determined was that sometimes you just strike a nerve. And sometimes you don’t.
I could pour out my heart about a new album. Rave about lyrics. Rant about haters. Or I could try to put into words my devotion to Garth Brooks‘ music. I could talk nonstop about concerts and awards shows and the battles of the blondes. But in a way, this blog is a bit like the music business it’s intended to cover, because it’s really all about timing. If I wrote something particularly controversial, it could very well fall on deaf ears if, say, Taylor Swift had a new single out that day or Kenny Chesney broke his foot.
Still, you can’t help but notice when the comments for a particular blog start to rack up higher numbers than others. So I give you the top blogs, if comments matter as much as I think they do:
For anyone who’s ever spent anytime in front of PBS, watching anything from Sesame Street to Nova, you know that they air some of the coolest programs on TV. And now, it gets even better. Because they are about to unveil a Sugarland episode of Soundstage. That’s the hour-long concert series that makes you feel like you are right in the same room with the band. This Sugarland episode was filmed before a live studio audience in Chicago and will showcase their long line of hits — plus songs that haven’t hit radio yet. Like the tragic what-if ballad, “Joey,” and their twangy take on a couple of R.E.M. tunes. It airs on July 2, so if you’re going to be watching fireworks somewhere, be sure to set your DVR.
I always say I never ever want to hear the ZZ Top song, “La Grange,” again, but that’s only because it’s been performed by way too many third-rate bar bands. But everything changes when I go to a ZZ Top concert. On the surface, their music seems very simple, but it’s the subtle nuances that count, and I’m convinced that the only people who ever get it totally right are Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. For the past decade or more, bands such as ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd have had an incredible influence on country music. ZZ Top’s collaboration with Brooks & Dunn provided one of the very first CMT Crossroads pairings. And then there was Sharp Dressed Men: A Tribute to ZZ Top, released in 2002, featuring the trio’s songs covered by Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney, Montgomery Gentry and Brad Paisley, among others. If you’ve ever attended a ZZ Top concert, you know it’s pretty much non-stop music performed by three guys who don’t say much onstage. However, you get a rare opportunity to hear them talk about their music in the new episode of VH1 Storytellers premiering Saturday (June 27) at 10 p.m. ET on, of course VH1. I hope they got around to playing “La Grange.” But in the meantime, check out this clip of “Sharp Dressed Man.”
I was never a huge fan of Hootie & the Blowfish. So to me, Darius Rucker is just Darius Rucker, the country singer. So when he was on The View this morning, I had to wait through co-host Sherri Shepherd’s introduction where she explained who Rucker used to be and how now he’s on his own with a country sound. But it was worth the wait. The six minutes they gave him to sing “Alright” with his five-piece band, do a little of his hip-shaking, foot-shuffling groove thing and chat a while was the highlight of the show. And what’s the highlight of this country gig for him? “It feels good to be on the radio again. Simple as that,” he said.
I am surprised by how much I enjoyed the touring production of Legally Blonde: The Musical last night in Nashville. See, musical theater really isn’t my thing, but — Omigod! Omigod, you guys! — I was totally cracking up the whole night. The storyline is the same as the film: A cute blonde follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School to win him back, and then has to prove to her new classmates (and a celebrity client) that she’s a competent lawyer. During this engagement in Nashville, the pink-loving lead character of Elle Woods is reprised by Laura Bell Bundy, who earned a Tony nomination for originating the role. Bundy lives in Nashville now, at work on a country album for Universal Music Group. Except for the effervescent opening number, which I can’t get out of my head, the show tunes in Legally Blonde: The Musical went in one ear and out the other, so it’s hard to predict what Bundy’s fortunes will be in Nashville based on this musical alone. However, the Lexington, Ky., native seems like a really fun gal with a winning personality and I’m certainly curious to hear what she can do with country music.
Posted: June 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am| By: Chris Parton
If you’ve ever watched a NASCAR race, you’ve probably heard Darrell Waltrip, former champion and current TV personality, yell his signature catch phrase “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity! Let’s go racin’ boys!” at the drop of the green flag. Richie McDonald did, and two years ago he and his co-writers came up with a song called “Race Day” that has a hook centered on Waltrip’s phrase. When it came time to record the song, McDonald thought, “Who better to be a part of this song than Mr. Boogity Man himself?” The unlikely collaborators talked with CMT.com at Loud Studios in Nashville this week.
This is not official in any way. At all. But it is, as of this blogging, one of the most active topics in the forum on Carrie Underwood’s Web site. So I thought I’d bring the question over here, too: How would a duet with Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson sound? A few people posted that they think it would be terrific, with two powerful vocalists and American Idol darlings putting their talent together. Another poster thought maybe Underwood would “have to bring her vocals down to not drown out Kelly.” All I know is that when Clarkson shared vocals with Reba McEntire on her already-huge hit, “Because of You,” it went all the way to No. 2 at country radio. So if Underwood and Clarkson did consider a duet, which song would be their best bet?
One of my favorite songs right now is 
It is very probable that I like country music more than the average country fan. But even I don’t want to watch it for three straight hours on TV. Who’s got that kind of time to devote to the ABC television special, 
For anyone who’s ever spent anytime in front of PBS, watching anything from Sesame Street to Nova, you know that they air some of the coolest programs on TV. And now, it gets even better. Because they are about to unveil a 
I was never a huge fan of 
I am surprised by how much I enjoyed the touring production of 
If you’ve ever watched a 
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of