CMT Blog: Keith Urban

I just read about this songwriting contest this morning and I already know who the winner's going to be -- someone who writes a country song. That's because even though they are inviting all kinds of tunesmiths from all kinds of genres, nobody writes songs of devastation and despair like country artists. Alan Jackson's been the king of that, like after 9/11 when he wrote "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," or when a family friend died and he wrote "Sissy's Song."

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One of the first things Keith Urban did at his Chicago show on Saturday night (June 19) was thank the Eagles for being so cool. And I think the crowd was probably feeling the exact same way: grateful to the Eagles. By inviting Urban out on the road for their big summer tour, the Eagles may have exposed hundreds of thousands of their fans to the superstar in Urban, who looked just as comfortable in his role as opener as he does when he's the one headlining the show.

I mean, sure, to a lot of Eagles fans he might have just been Nicole Kidman's husband. But after his hour-long and 11-song set, the roughly 35,000 fans there must have known that this man was one of country music's most well-rounded entertainers. There were the uptempo rockers that gave him a chance to show off his guitar chops, like show starters "Kiss a Girl" and "Days Go By." Then the quiet ballads like "'Til Summer Comes Around" gave the fans a taste of his pleading and haunting voice.

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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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The new issue of People Country hits newsstands on Friday (June 18) and this special edition is a must-read for any fan of country's real good men. They've named Tim McGraw as Country's Hottest Guy, but beyond that honor, they've also made a list of Men We Love and it includes Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, David Nail, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, George Strait and Chuck Wicks. But don't buy it just for the pictures of those guys. The stories are good, too. Like when McGraw, who is now down to 178 lbs., confesses that "I can't have anything on me when I sleep" and says his favorite sexy song is Santana's "Samba Pi Ti."

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Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood haven't ever played across the pond. But that hasn't stopped fans all over Europe from loving their country-pop sound. And the New York Times is reporting that this has made the band and its label "guardedly optimistic" about success over there. (Their Need You Now album opened at No. 8 on the sales chart.)

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Updated: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 -- 10 a.m. CT
An exclusive free, live video stream of Miley Cyrus' album release concert will available Monday (June 21) at CMT.com and MTV Networks' Music and Logo Group's other U.S. sites -- MTV.com, VH1.com and Logotv.com. The concert, which will feature music from her new album, Can't Be Tamed, will also be streamed on more than 30 international sites in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The concert from the House of Blues on Hollywood's Sunset Strip will begin at approximately at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. On Tuesday (June 22), Cyrus makes her Rock Band debut with a five-pack of songs in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and Wii.

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The YWCA does so much to help families who are struggling to get out of abusive situations. Their mission is to "educate, encourage and break down those barriers that perpetuate racism, violence and hopelessness." But you know what else they do? Auction off some really special belongings from some of the coolest country stars in the business. Martina McBride is once again hosting the 27th Annual YWCA Celebrity Auction this Sunday (June 13) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. So if you want to get your hands on things from McBride, a cowboy hat from Brad Paisley, lyrics to "When I Get Where I'm Going," meet-and-greet passes to a Keith Urban show or a framed autographed photo of Rascal Flatts, head over to the Hall of Fame Park behind the downtown Hilton. Admission is free, but you'll definitely want to bring cash, a check book or a credit card in case you're the highest bidder. Good luck!

Photo credit: Ed Rode

Lady Antebellum brought down the house at the end of the 2010 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night (June 9) with "Stars Tonight," but they're not through yet. After claiming a buckle for "Need You Now" in the group video category, the trio will be taking the stage at the CMA Music Festival's nightly concert tonight (June 10) at LP Field. It's an all-star night, too -- look for two-time CMT Music Award winner Carrie Underwood as well as Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean and American Idol finalist-turned-country newcomer, Danny Gokey.

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Before Keith Urban strolled into the CMT Music Awards last night (June 9), he greeted as many astonished country fans as possible, going up and down the rows of tourists at the Bridgestone Arena and even hopped a fence to say hi to even more people. Asked backstage why he was so determined to connect, he replied, "They've been waiting out there all day and it was pouring rain earlier. If you're standing in the front, you're hoping to get a chance to meet everybody. So I think you just make time to do it, or you're putting the cart before the horse." Urban won the fan-voted CMT Music Award in the male video category for "'Til Summer Comes Around." Yet for those lucky folks who got up close and personal before the show, this summer will be pretty hard to beat.

This year's CMT Music Awards featured performances from all over the entertainment map -- among them a giant Kid Rock/Waylon Jennings medley, an uber-country debut for Jamey Johnson's "Back to Macon" and even a Reba McEntire showdown. OK, maybe the "I'm Reba" skit doesn't count as a musical performance, but it was funny/odd enough to be worth mentioning. In case anybody got lost, it was a play off of Kenan Thompson's not-so-flattering impersonation of the queen of country on Saturday Night Live. It certainly proves that Reba has an admirable sense of humor. But among all the comedy -- and there was plenty of that -- we were treated to some excellent music.

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