Posted: September 8th, 2008 at 5:25 pm| By: Chris Parton
CMT Crossroads is generally a pairing of two artists with contrasting backgrounds and musical styles, like John Mellencamp and Kenny Chesney, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss or Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris. This time, though, 38 Special and Trace Adkins make it look like they’ve been sharing the stage for years (actually it was only two days). During taping, Adkins said with a smile that he has always been a big fan of 38 Special, and if we needed proof, we could ask any of his ex-wives. You won’t catch that line in this clip of “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys,” but it just might make it into the full episode premier of CMT Crossroads: 38 Special and Trace Adkins on Sept. 27.
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 am| By: Craig Shelburne
Sugarland dominated the mainstream country sales chart this summer, but there’s still plenty of room for the indies to get some attention. Of course, Randy Travis and Emmylou Harris still sound sterling on the new songs I have included here, and rock musicians like John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow and My Morning Jacket contributed excellent songs to my summer soundtrack. Bluegrass is well-represented too, with the Duhks, the Grascals, Blue Moon Rising, Tony Rice and Cadillac Sky. Now that Labor Day weekend is over, and autumn is upon us, at least I have these songs to remind me of a pretty fun summer.
For someone like me, who thinks the sun rises and sets with Garth Brooks, I long assumed he was the only artist to record “Dixie Chicken.” Until a friend heard it and told me that was an old Little Feat song. Who? I have to admit, I’d never heard of them at the time, but I came to realize that they were — and are — an influence on a lot of the country artists. In fact, Vince Gill, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Emmylou Harris and others have joined the current group for the new albumLittle Feat and Friends: Join the Band. On it, Gill sings that “Dixie Chicken” song I love so much, and I’m sure his take will sound just as good as the cuts that came before his.
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was longing for the good ol’ days of brick-and-mortar music stores. Then I got my iPhone. And now I’m reveling in a constant stream of sweet country radio.
The phone in this slim little thing is nice. It’s cool to be able to surf the real full-HTML Internet. And the touch screen is easy to navigate. But when I was scrolling through the applications in the App Store, I found one for radio. It was free, so I figured what the hell. I clicked “install” and, just like that, I can now listen to my local radio station. Or 36 other country radio stations.
Coming home after a West Coast tour, nothing could have made me happier than the new Emmylou Harris album that lay beside my electricity bill on my doormat. I’ll be honest, I’ve been in love with this woman ever since I was a teenager and heard her sing “Luxury Liner.” So, if you’re expecting a dry and unbiased review of her new album, then look elsewhere. The following is written by a 32-year-old man desperately in love with a silver-haired 61-year-old songstress. Read more…
Johnny Cash fans looking for a high-end memento might consider bidding on the Nashville-area home he purchased for his parents in 1969. The asking price is a little under $1.4 million — on eBay.
The nesting instinct is in full swing for Nicole Kidman, who told Vogue about her garden in Tennessee. And Style.com has all the pictures from the fantastic photo shoot, when her baby bump was much more slight.
Carrie, is that you? Oh, sorry, Jessica. I thought you were someone else. My bad.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the hotbed of country music journalism that it is, the roots of country reside within Emmylou Harris’ music.
I know, I know. Emmylou Harris is in a class by herself. But at one of her concerts this weekend, I swear I saw Taylor Swift, circa 2051.
Emmylou was a hippie cowgirl before hippie cowgirls were cool. Just like Swift with her bohemian dresses and cowboy boots, Emmylou brought a unique sense of style to the country stage. And consider the accessory they both wear so proudly: the acoustic guitar. Both artists learned to play as teens, and their playing is as much a part of their music as their voices. Even their rocker posture is the same — hunched over with hair falling forward, as if that was the only way to get a bigger sound out of the strings. Read more…
Posted: May 29th, 2008 at 10:39 am| By: Deb Barnes
They might have fame and fortune, but country stars are not uppity when it comes to pets. For many of country’s brightest stars, you can’t beat the love of a good mutt.
Miranda Lambert is famous for her support of shelter pets. She adopted her treasured mix-breed Delilah from the Humane Society, and she recently rescued two Lab-mix puppies that had been abandoned by the roadside. “There are so many great animals that need a home,” she says. “Don’t go buy a brand new dog when there’s a great dog out there that needs to be loved.”
I got a puppy about a month ago. So naturally, I became instantly obsessed with dogs as if I was the first person to actually own one. I have all the books, I watch Animal Planet non-stop and spend about $150 a week at PetSmart on toys this little guy has no interest in. I’ve done everything short of getting a my-dog-is-smarter-than-your-dog bumper sticker. But what I keep wondering is, why there are no good country songs about dogs?
As I pushed off for the Country Music Half Marathon last Saturday, I began to think what had attracted all these thousands of visiting runners to Nashville. I had 13.1 miles to find some answers. The CMT Music City Mile began just before we hit Music Row, home to the publishing companies, studios and labels that keep Nashville ticking over. Big banners in front yards congratulated songwriters on their latest hit — part of the village feel that Nashville offers over other industry towns like L.A. and New York.
For someone like me, who thinks the sun rises and sets with 
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was longing for the good ol’ days of brick-and-mortar music stores. Then I got my iPhone. And now I’m reveling in a constant stream of sweet country radio.
Coming home after a West Coast tour, nothing could have made me happier than the new 
I know, I know. 
They might have fame and fortune, but country stars are not uppity when it comes to pets. For many of country’s brightest stars, you can’t beat the love of a good mutt.
I got a puppy about a month ago. So naturally, I became instantly obsessed with dogs as if I was the first person to actually own one. I have all the books, I watch 
As I pushed off for the 
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