CMT Blog: Gretchen Wilson

Why does every man in Nashville seem to be so obsessed with having a man cave? Is it their God-given right or something? You never hear women bragging about their girl cave, do you? But if you are into that kind of thing, tune in Friday (Feb. 5) to watch Eric Church show you his. He and his wife Katherine will be giving you a personal tour of their newly-renovated home in Nashville for an episode of CMT Cribs. It will have more than the aforementioned cave, though. There's a homegrown backyard garden, and the master bedroom has separate bathrooms, which the couple admits is the secret to a happy marriage. I do love this series. How else am I ever going to see the deck off Dierks Bentley's master bedroom, Craig Morgan's wine cellar, Gretchen Wilson's John Deere Gators and Jason Aldean's pool?

When record labels put out greatest hits albums for artists who are no longer on the company roster, who makes money? The labels, obviously. But what about the artists? I hope in this case Chris Cagle and Gretchen Wilson get a big piece of the well-deserved greatest hits pie. They are after all, their hits. Without Cagle, Capitol Records wouldn't have the ability to throw together an album with chart-toppers like "Laredo," "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out" and "What a Beautiful Day." And without Wilson, Columbia Nashville would not have the means to get songs like "Homewrecker," "When I Think About Cheatin'," "California Girls" and "Politically Uncorrect"(the one with Merle Haggard) collected in one place. Wilson's Greatest Hits is due out on Jan. 19. Best of Chris Cagle is due out Feb. 9. And I will be buying them both and crossing my fingers that it puts a little more cash in both of their pockets.

For every fan who thinks country music is all about hot shot newcomers, consider this. In a story that ran in the New York Times on New Year's Eve, the writer puts Nashville up on a pedestal for what he calls an "enduring pension plan for cherished acts," listing Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney, who have proven their resilience over the years. They have all been releasing albums for a long, long time and continue to stay at the top of their game. There's not a has-been in the bunch.

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Approaching the end of this year I compiled a whole bunch of lists, such as indie albums you might have missed, women in country music with Christmas albums and my favorite country albums of the decade. So I figured I'd stir that all together and come up with this hodge-podge ranking: 10 women who made cool albums in the 2000s. I'd have to start with Loretta Lynn, who won two Grammys for the lively Van Lear Rose, which she and Jack White recorded in my neighborhood. And because I'm always drawn to songs about the myriad frustrations in life and love, there's no telling how many times I listened to Lori McKenna's Bittertown or Allison Moorer's Miss Fortune. None of them received substantial radio airplay, but they were all in heavy rotation at my place.

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If you're looking for a last-minute gift for that special country fan, let me offer a few suggestions of "best of" compilations and boxed sets released this year. First of all, Brooks & Dunn's #1's ... And Then Some gathers nearly 20 years of big hits. They're throwing in the towel in 2010, so here's your chance to brush up on "Brand New Man," "My Maria," "Red Dirt Road" and "Believe" before the coast-to-coast farewell tour. Another concise collection is Kenny Chesney's Greatest Hits II, featuring a decade's worth of radio staples like "Young," "The Good Stuff" and "There Goes My Life." It also features his successful duets with Dave Matthews, Mac McAnally and Uncle Kracker. He's only playing a handful of summer dates next year so he may spend that time searching for equally enduring material.

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On Saturday night, I met a couple (Nick and Michelle) whose first blind date had been to a Tracy Lawrence concert. Fast forward some 10 years and they are happily married with kids, and still love country music. No surprise there. But their story reminded me of how much I love Lawrence, especially his "Paint Me a Birmingham." How he literally created an image in that song of a place he loved. I felt the same way about Chris Cagle's "Laredo." And all the songs about towns/roads/rivers I've never been to in real life but feel like I have because of the country songs that have taken me places.

"Paint Me a Birmingham," Tracy Lawrence
"Laredo," Chris Cagle
"Louisiana," Tim McGraw
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I never went to Lilith Fair back in the late '90s in its heyday. I liked the artists but not enough to endure a sweltering sun and high festival prices. But now it's back after a decade of resting and/or revamping, and the best news is, they've rounded up some country stars this time. Miranda Lambert, Emmylou Harris and Sugarland will all be there representing the genre as the tour winds its way through major cities in the U.S., such as Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and across the pond, too. Those artists are reason enough for country fans to go to what's being billed as a celebration of women in music.

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Remember Brandi Glanville? The one who was madly in love with Eddie Cibrian before he fell madly in love with LeAnn Rimes? Well, she is pissed. According to court documents, she slashed the tires of Cibrian's Harley Davidson motorcycle. And she told E! News, "And it felt awesome! He broke my heart, so I broke his Harleys." She added that she had Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" in her head at the time -- perhaps slightly changing the line about slashing a hole in all four tires -- and just went for it. Now that Glanville and Cibrian have officially called it quits, I'll bet she has a whole bunch of other country songs in her head. Gretchen Wilson's "Homewrecker" comes to mind. So does "Fist City" by Loretta Lynn.

I've always felt partial to the "Redneck Woman," Gretchen Wilson. I suppose it's because we're both from the same neck of the woods and I figure if I ever meet her we'll have plenty to talk about. But, it's not just that. I've always appreciated the fact that when she sings about being country, I'm pretty sure she means it. Just watch this rowdy performance of "I Got Your Country Right Here" from her live Studio 330 Sessions. When she sings about Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., Charlie Daniels, etc., you get the feeling she knows what she's talking about. Don't believe me? Grab a beer, pull up a chair and see for yourself.

In this special section on Maxim.com, they list who they consider to be the 18 hottest women of country music. And it's pretty much the usual suspects, like Julianne Hough, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Jennifer Nettles, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson and the girls from Little Big Town. But it's the little remarks and photo captions that are worth checking out. From the introduction line ("We know why the devil really went down to Georgia. He was looking for these country divas.") to the comments about sexy newcomer Jessie James ("the smokingest thing to happen to country music since Willie Nelson rolled his first joint") and about Danielle Peck ("grabbed our attention with her pantsless video for "Bad for Me." Which was, ironically, very, very good for us."). This story may not be for the girls who hate men's magazine, but guys who dig country will love this photo gallery.

Photo Credit: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images