I'm not an uber-traditional Catholic. I don't carry a rosary everywhere I go. I still eat meat on Fridays. And when my friend brings home a new Cadillac Escalade, I will definitely covet my neighbor's goods. But then I hear a song like Lee Ann Womack's "There Is a God," and I am so moved, I think maybe I'm more of a believer than I realized.
The CMA Awards are always entertaining, and this year's event was no different. I do want to say that Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood infusing their hosting duties Wednesday night (Nov. 11) with some music was a welcome addition. Taylor Swift's opening performance was rockin' -- even for Taylor. I admit I'm a little speechless. Congrats to Lady Antebellum for their wins for single and vocal group of the year and to Jamey Johnson for his song of the year win ("In Color"). The Zac Brown Band's performance of Charlie Daniels' "Devil Went Down to Georgia" was probably the most fun to watch -- especially since he did the version with the "old lyrics" -- and how about that fiddle solo?
Everyone has been so focused on who the CMA entertainer of the year award will go to tonight (Nov. 11), but what about who it's coming from? It's an important job to bestow that award on a fellow artist. And I can't think of a better couple than Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. McGraw himself knows a thing or two about being an EOTY. He won it back in 2001, along with countless other CMA Awards. And while Hill has never been named EOTY by the CMA, she has been honored enough times to deserve the right to stand up there with McGraw and hand it to the lucky winner. Now the only question is, who? Kenny Chesney? Brad Paisley? Keith Urban? Taylor Swift? Or George Strait? We won't know until just before 11 p.m. ET/PT. But feel free to leave you best guess here.
For years I've been curious about the CMA Songwriters Series in New York City and since it coincided with this trip, I caught the early show last night (Nov. 5) at Joe's Pub. The lineup was pretty remarkable: host Bob DiPiero, Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall and Mark D. Sanders. DiPiero opened with "Blue Clear Sky," co-written by Sanders and recorded by George Strait. On his next time through, he played "Southern Voice," the new single from Tim McGraw. Randall offered a new song he co-wrote with Brad Paisley and Bill Anderson, "If You Can't Make Money, Make Love," an incredibly catchy and fun tune. Sanders told the audience that songwriters always know they're onto something when the crowd sings along with a song they've never heard before, which is exactly what happened.
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.
Good news for people who think that today's country music isn't really all that country: George Jones agrees with you. He isn't loving where the genre has moved in recent years. So when he was asked about some of the pop-influenced country stars that are so hot right now, Jones said, "They (Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift) had to use something that was established already, and that's traditional country music. So what they need to do really, I think, is find their own title, because they're definitely not traditional country music." He does think that Alan Jackson and George Strait are still good for that traditional sound. "We still have it, and there's quite a few of us that are going to hope that it comes back one of these days," he said. In the meantime, though, any suggestions for what that new title should be?
You know that game "Would You Rather"? Imagine being able to play that with country stars. That's what this feature from CMT Mobile is kind of like. It's called CMT Minute. But it's not impossible-to-answer questions like, "Would you rather eat Rocky Mountain oysters or spend the day with Kayne West?" This is just 60 seconds of easy questions for your favorite country singers. Luke Bryan ends up choosing "Dixieland Delight" over "Mountain Music," fishing over hunting and sweet tea over regular tea, but he never really answers the toughie: cornbread or biscuits? Then Carrie Underwood chooses Garth Brooks over George Strait for a duet. And shoes over clothes and heels over flats and football over hockey. Miranda Lambert goes with hunting over shopping, Law & Order: SVU over Law & Order: Criminal Intent, gun over bow, cowboy boots over heels and four-wheelin' over a day at the spa. When it comes to the Brooks vs. Strait question, though, she says she can't answer.
When you have a career as long and well-documented as George Strait's, there's really no real news. It's always the same, right? Singles shoot straight to the top of the charts, concerts sell out, awards are bestowed ... blah, blah, blah.
Plus, Strait has never been too big on interviews. He's like the anti-overexposure kind of celeb. That's why this long, long, long story in Cowboys & Indians (the magazine, not the little-boy game) is so impressive.
It's not all about the music. There's plenty of talk about growing up in Pearsall, Texas, spending summers on the ranch and how you never ask a rancher how much land he owns or how many cattle he has. Strait then said, "I'll just say I've got enough to keep us busy."
She's Oprah. And she's wearing a cowboy hat. There's really not much I can add to that. God love her, in her ruffle-front blouse, a yellow cardigan, jeans and a black cowboy hat that I'm pretty sure she borrowed from George Strait. You can see from the pictures that not even Martina McBride got all gussied country-style like Winfrey did for her episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show just taped at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. McBride was the musical guest, and I'm sure she did a great job singing on that outdoor stage. No word yet on when that episode will air, but don't forget that Taylor Swift is on Oprah today (Oct. 14), so set those DVRs.
Photo credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
As much as I raved yesterday about the crowd at Chicago's Country Music Festival loving Miranda Lambert's new music, I have to add that the fans were just as enthusiastic about Jamey Johnson's old music. And by "old music," I don't mean That Lonesome Song from last year. I mean old-school old. Like Vern Gosdin's "Set 'Em Up Joe" and George Jones' "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" He also covered George Strait's "Give It Away," but I'm not lumping that it with the other classics because it's only three years old and because Johnson had a hand in writing that one.
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