CMT Blog: Carrie Underwood

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?

Photo credit: Lester Cohen / WireImage

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:

Mark Chesnutt made some remarks about Taylor Swift’s music.

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I could sit here and be a music snob and pretend I only read high-end music magazines that have long feature stories about a band’s rich, hypnotic sound, subversive melodies and haunting lyrics about the chaos of life.

But the reality is, I also have a soft spot for magazines like this week’s OK! magazine. With 17 pages devoted to the lifestyles of America’s favorite country artists, I already know all about their songs and/or, for the most part, the stories behind them. So it’s a nice, easy read to flip through page after page of photos and facts like:

1. Carrie Underwood has been playing softball for nine years.

2. Julianne Hough had never played softball until this year’s CMA Music Fest.

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When I first heard Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream,” I knew it was a gorgeous song. But, like with any other song on the radio, I was probably only half listening. Then the next time I heard it, I thought it was a love ballad about getting married. Then the next time, something sad about a funeral. You know how that goes. It takes a few times before you really get a song.

But with this one, it was Underwood’s video that moved me to tears. When she sings the song, you hear her flawless voice and a pretty big range of emotions. But when she plays the lead in the video, it is literally a whole different story.

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Having just spent the weekend inundated with super beachy country tunes from a tireless Kenny Chesney, I am feeling a little burnt out on that kind of music. No offense to him. It has just whetted my appetite for some other kinds of country. More bad-ass country, more bluegrass, more songbirds, more old stuff. You get the idea.

“The Bigger the Heart,” Ashton Shepherd
“Grandpa Was a Carpenter,” John Prine
“Flat on the Floor,” Carrie Underwood
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Wanna look like Carrie Underwood? Then this L.A.M.B. sweater is just the thing for your wardrobe. Right now, the current bid stands at $305 for this little black and yellow striped number from Gwen Stefani’s designer brand. Underwood wore it during Fashion Week in New York City last year. It comes with a certificate of authenticity, if you don’t believe me. And a picture of Underwood wearing it, if you need even more proof. Best of all, though, is that by buying this particular sweater you’re helping Musicians on Call, a group that brings music (and often real live performances by the artists) to the bedsides of patients in the hospital.

Some 90 minutes before the Nashville Convention Center was set to open this morning for autograph sessions during the CMA Music Festival, the line was already rounding the corner of Commerce Street down Fifth Avenue across the street from the Ryman Auditorium. At least that’s what I saw out of the corner of my eye while trying to drive past the horse-drawn carriage that hauls people around downtown Nashville at speeds up to two miles an hour. Simultaneously, I spotted a pickup truck turning around in heavy traffic after the driver realized a little too late that Fifth Avenue is a one-way street. Read more…

When I say “360 feet of silk taffeta,” it sounds like the world’s most hideous bridesmaid dress, right? But when I say “Carrie Underwood’s dress made of 360 feet of silk taffeta,” it all starts to sound pretty gorgeous, doesn’t it?

That’s probably why the folks at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum have devoted a display to that merlot-colored Rafael Cennamo dress Underwood wore during her performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas in April. Remember? It’s the dress nobody was allowed talk about until she revealed it that night, when she belted out her version of Randy Travis‘ “I Told You So.” And the one that had Underwood saying, “I truly felt like a princess.” That dress turned out to be a bit of a good luck charm, too, because that was the night the ACM named her its entertainer of the year and top female vocalist.

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Carrie Underwood is who she is because of, well, who she is. A gorgeous singer who can belt pretty much any song, country or otherwise, and bring a sold-out arena crowd to its collective feet. She is not who she is because of who she’s dating. So while I can totally see how she ended up in this CBS sportswriter’s Hottie Hall of Fame, I think she deserves way more credit than just someone who had what he calls a well-publicized relationship with another very famous person. She’s up against Jessica Simpson in this tiebreaker face off. So Underwood fans, let yourselves be heard — if you care. According to the writer, “Voting will never be closed, so vote as often as you can.” It takes just two mouse clicks, and your vote will be an important part of this worldwide forum for ranking all-time hotness.

I had a dream last night that I’d died, and when I got to heaven, there were only girl singers. Not one single guy. And they were all so welcoming, like I’d joined a special club and they were really glad to have me. I’m no dream analyst, but I think it may have had something to do with the music I was playing non-stop over the holiday weekend.

Check it out:

“I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore,” Carrie Underwood
“Crazier,” Taylor Swift
“Girls Lie, Too,” Terri Clark
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