CMT Blog: Gretchen Wilson

Whenever I cover a country music festival, I'm always happy when Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban are on the bill because their music is easy to enjoy at the end of a long, hot day. They're both playing WE Fest this weekend near Detroit Lakes, Minn., along with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Randy Houser, Montgomery Gentry, Joe Nichols, Blake Shelton and Gretchen Wilson. That's a pretty strong lineup for country fans, but as they say on Sesame Street, one of these things is not like the other. So, where are the women? Rand Levy, vice president of WE Fest, told a North Dakota news website that it's just a coincidence that female artists are scarce on the lineup this year -- and that he did try to get Miranda Lambert, but she was unavailable. But he did grab Gloriana, which has two female members. Eric Church and Gloriana's Cheyenne Kimball weigh in with their opinions about women entertainers in country music, but I'm more curious about what the fans think. Do you care if there's an equal balance of men and women on stage at country music festivals?

Well, I may not have been all that crazy about the video for John Rich's "Country Done Come to Town," but I have always thought of him as one of county music's gems because of the songs he writes. Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" and Faith Hill's "Mississippi Girl" are two of my favorites. So I was thrilled to find this story about what to expect on his next album. Then bummed to find out it has more of what Gibson.com calls "ZZ Top swagger" and what Rich himself calls "the most aggressive rock and roll music I've made."

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Fontanel Mansion, the former home of Barbara Mandrell, could be the most inviting tourist attraction in Nashville. Designed in the late 1980s by Mandrell's husband, Ken Dudney, the enormous log cabin is an fascinating feat of architecture. Meanwhile, the interior is decorated with loads of unique photos and a generous amount of original furnishings. If you want to pull up a chair in the formal dining room as you listen to the tour guide, that's totally fine. Or maybe grab Buck Owens' signature red, white and blue guitar from the wall and play it? No problem. You get the feeling that they'd even let you eat crackers in her bed anytime.

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By the time you're reading this blog entry, I will be aboard the Barefoot Lady Pontoon Excursion, deep in the crystal clear waters of a Wisconsin lake. As you might imagine, I elected myself Music Director and put together a playlist of songs to thoroughly entertain my friends and me as we cruise up and down and around this lake. But I didn't want to make it all about the patriotic weekend, because we'll have enough of that on Sunday. Nor did I want to make it all fun-in-the-sun songs, since too many of those can feel like you are actually trying to turn your day into a country song. But now that I look at this mix I've come up with, I realize I'm a little heavy on the good-time songs, so please add a few I-Heart-America songs to the list to balance it out.

"Water," Brad Paisley
"Redneck Yacht Club," Craig Morgan
"Drive (For Daddy Gene)," Alan Jackson
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What do teenagers see in country music? There are so many country artists nominated for the Aug. 9 Teen Choice Awards show, I'm a little stumped. I mean, it's not like they can relate to all the songs the nominated artists sing. In case you haven't heard, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson are this year's nominees in the female country artist category. The male country nominees include Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban. And the country group nominees are Gloriana, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and the Zac Brown Band.

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Well, I'm here in Nashville. So that part's good. But oh what a journey it's been to get to Nashville. A delayed and very bumpy flight. The comedy act I've come to love from the flight attendants was nonexistent. Then, because bad things come in threes, they lost our luggage. But wait, there's more. They offered me a $50 gift card to a discount store. No offense but I hardly think that $50 would do much to get me red-carpet ready. I doubt I could even replace my iPhone charger, my makeup and hair products with that meager stipend. I know Gretchen Wilson says she always gets her bras there, which is fine, but I need a fancy dress and shoes. And here's why the shoes are the most important part of my little dilemma. I am the kind of girl who wears towering high heels ALL the time. And I'm perfectly comfortable in them.

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I love music downloads, but I especially love free music downloads. If you're a Rodney Atkins fan -- or a country fan, in general -- how can you resist a free download of "Get Together"? It's a brand new song that's never been on any of Atkins' albums. Aside from the new music, the Knoxville, Tenn., native has a busy tour schedule this summer, including a June 5 appearance at the BamaJam Music & Arts Festival in Enterprise, Ala. And on June 11, he'll be performing in Nashville on the CMA Music Festival's Riverfront Park stage during a day of music that also features Gretchen Wilson, the Eli Young Band, Jack Ingram, Craig Morgan, Patty Loveless, Sawyer Brown, Bucky Covington and The Band Perry. His tour is sponsored by VELVEETA Shells & Cheese, and at some of the stops, a "side shack" will provide a variety of family entertainment and the chance to win a VIP pass that allows winners the virtual reality experience of performing with Atkins on an interactive video screen and other prizes. In the meantime, download the song and let us know what you think of it.

Somehow, between 1998 when he lost his job as a frontman for Lonestar and this week, when he debuted this video for "Country Done Come to Town," John Rich apparently became Hugh Hefner. But instead of throwing a lavish party out by the grotto at the Playboy Mansion, he's having it around the rooftop pool of his own Mt. Richmore estate in Nashville. Gretchen Wilson is there bartending, George Jones is there mowing the grass and the cream-corn-and-bikinis wrestling match is underway. Of all the genius songs Rich has written for himself and others, I'm not sure this is one of my favorites. But that could be because the video seems to send the message that in order for country to come to town, you need Gucci shoes, Ted Nugent and about 80,000 cc's of fake boobs.

I gave Gretchen Wilson's new album, I Got Your Country Right Here, a spin this morning, and the track that immediately caught my attention is a bluesy little number called "Love on the Line." I always knew she had that growl in her voice, but on this slow-burning tune, it's the star of the show. Even though I'm generally a happy guy, I like to get down with the blues now and then. And if you like that greasy soul music, don't miss the title track of Delta Moon's new album, Hell Bound Train. They're one of my favorite bands to see live. (Get ready, Germany, they're coming your way in May.)

With an abundance of new albums this spring, here's a handpicked playlist that covers country and the blues, as well as bluegrass, folk and the singer-songwriter scene.

"Love on the Line," Gretchen Wilson
"Hell Bound Train," Delta Moon
"Every Road," Amy Grant
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In new videos screened by the CMT New Music Video Evaluation Team last week, Patty Loveless sings a classic, and debut videos come from two new country groups, a rock band and a singer-songwriter. Also, Uncle Kracker's "Smile" video emerges from the hold file.

Artist: Patty Loveless
Video: "Busted"
Director: Ryan Newman

Veteran country songstress Patty Loveless wraps her big voice around Harlan Howard's "Busted," which was made most famous by Ray Charles.

Panelists' comments: "Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Patty Loveless." "She can't go wrong with that song." "Amen. That is a truly great song." "It's a very odd video, though."

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