TNS Video History- Kellie Pickler Sings Dolly Parton's "9 to 5"

New Music Video From Darius Rucker- "This"

Album CD Reviews- John Berry- Made In America

The Review-
Let’s start by saying that John Berry is truly one of the most underrated vocalists of this country music generation. It is his beautiful and wide-ranging tenor behind great tracks like “Your Love Amazes Me” and “If I Had Any Pride Left At All” and he’s lost none of those rich vocals here.

Berry has always had a soulful take on his country music and Made in America is not much different. The production isn’t modern country, nor is it meant to be. Berry adopts a more folk(ish) approach here and puts a heavier emphasis on his vocals- to the strength of the album.

The Made in America title is appropriate on two different levels. The feature song of the album is “Give Me Back My America,” a conservative view and approach to the political changes going on now that Berry doesn’t believe in. Appropriately so, it is told from the perspective of a life veteran. There’s some analogies to be drawn in the politics and the music business and whether you agree with Berry’s political views or not, he does an admirable job of saying his personal beliefs with some level of substance behind it. The second piece to be drawn from the album title is the use of multiple song covers- four to be exact. They are the definite strength of the album and include Kenny Loggins “Celebrate Me Home,” Haggard and Nelson’s “Pancho & Lefty” along with iconic folk songs “City of New Orleans” and “Heart of Gold.” They are American anthems and Americana at their best. Berry delivers terrific interpretations of them, never straying far from the original but putting his own stamp on them nonetheless. “Celebrate” is outstanding if for only the fantastic inflection in Berry’s vocals.

My only wish on the album is for it to have a couple of additional self-penned ballads to it. Most of the Berry-written songs are mid-tempo and with his vocal talent, a couple of soaring ballads like he’s known for would have made the album even stronger. It would have certainly played to Berry’s strengths and outside of “Celebrate,” it feels missing on here compared to previous Berry albums.

Overall, it is great to hear Berry behind the mic again and this is a great reminder of his rich singing abilities. The album can be purchased through Berry’s website or select shows.

Sounds Like-Berry’s live show complete with some covers

Standout Tracks-
Celebrate Me Home
Give Me Back My America

The Verdict-Three and a half stars out of five

Up & Coming New Nashville- 10th & Carlisle

Country’s newest duo 10th & Carlisle, comprised of Broadway Vet’s Tad Wilson and Jessica Phillips, has strong roots on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line. A Nashville native, Jessica’s heart lives in Music City where growing up with The Grand Ole Opry inspired her love of country music. She began singing at age 2 and after her family relocated up north, continued performing in television, radio, and on stages all over the country. As an adult, she found her way back home, appearing in Nashville with Jonathan Pierce, and as a vocalist for the Atlanta-based band Swami Gone Bananas. Tad came to Nashville as a teenager where he attended Belmont University. He was immediately immersed in the rich culture of country music and after graduation he started working at Opryland, USA. He has had the opportunity to share the stage with some of the most recognizable names in country music from Johnny Cash to Roy Acuff. These experiences solidified his love for the country genre.

For most vocalists it is hard to ignore a pull to the Broadway Stage -- both Tad and Jessica successfully found their way to the Great White Way. Jessica got her break when she joined that cast of The Scarlet Pimpernel and went on to spend the following decade performing on and off Broadway.
Tad made his Broadway debut later in his life with Broadway’s smash hit musical, Rock of Ages. They currently share the same stage in the new Broadway musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, opening this March at the Palace Theatre in New York City.

Although show tunes occupy a majority of their time professionally, country music remains a shared passion. On a recent trip to Toronto, Ontario, Tad and Jessica discovered each other’s love of country music and it was on that bus in Canada that 10th & Carlisle was born. Currently at work on their debut album featuring original songs from Nashville’s most prolific songwriters,10th & Carlisle will make their debut this weekend in a special one-night only concert, South of Broadway, at New York City’s Triad Theatre.

That Nashville SoundBites- Steve Wariner- Guitar Laboratory

That Nashville Sound receives many different CD releases throughout the year from indie, bluegrass and artists just off the mainstream radar- or smaller projects like EPs- that we’re doing short mini CD reviews on. We call them That Nashville SoundBites- it’s a feature that will allow us to give some props to some albums and artists that deserve a spotlight on their work.

The Review:
Except for a couple hoop and hollers on “Sugarfoot Rag,” some spoken French by Je Ne T’oublierai Jamais, and a couple of encouraging interplays between he and Paul Yandell, there’s nary a word spoken on Steve Wariner’s latest album Guitar Laboratory. Guitar aficionados will treasure the very skilled Wariner passionately sharing his love of masterful guitar picking. The styles range greatly from jazz influences to even a little Aerosmith(ish) rocking out with his son Ryan Wariner. Non-guitar aficionados will probably struggle a little more with the album, not because it isn’t interesting, but because they’ll long for the interesting things Wariner has brought to the table previously on tracks such as “Holes in the Floor of Heaven.” Here, they might feel that they're just geting half the story.

Sounds Like:
Brad Paisley’s Play

Stand Out Tracks
Sugarfoot Rag (featuring Leon Rhodes)
Tele Kinesis
Sting Ray (featuring Ryan Wariner)

The Verdict:
Three stars out of five

New Music Video From Randy Houser- "In God's Time"

Co-written by Randy, Shane Minor and David Lee Murphy, the powerful tune is about the importance of putting your faith in the heavens.

"This song had been on my heart for about three weeks," Randy says. "We wrote another song, and everyone was packing up to leave and I sat down and played the first chord and sang 'In God's Time.' I said, 'Shane, I'm supposed to write this song. Do y'all want to stay?' Both of them said [yes]. It was exactly what I needed to say at the time. It was exactly what I'd been feeling, but it hadn't manifested itself yet. It was exactly what my heart needed to hear. A lot of times you have to verbally say things to soak 'em up."

TNS Video History- Dolly Parton- "Joshua" at the Grand Ole Opry