Monday, August 6, 2012

Fab Four August- A Quartet of Things TNS Is Digging

This is another in our relatively new monthly feature that is going to highlight four new, new to me, or recently rediscovered items that have made my own personal country-music-can't-remove-from-my-head over the last month. It follows up on lists from earlier in the year. Some will be singles, some might be albums and some just might be a live performance or two. It’ll be a little look inside the head of this mad-about-country-music-man.

Without further ado...

1. Cary Ann Hearst – “Hells Bells”

I’m disappointed that I’m just uncovering this fascinating artist midway through 2012- even though this song came out two years ago. Pistol Annie Ashley Monroe recently tweeted a thank-you to her band mate for turning her on to this terrific tune. “Hells Bells is my new obsession thanks to @MirandaLambert.”  Hearst is a self-professed “two-person family band with a dog and a band.” A little homework says that this song was utilized in the HBO vampire drama True Blood and that before-mentioned dog is named after her favorite songwriter, Townes Van Zant.  The song is described best in her own words, “"The overall tone of the song is pretty tough and kind of gritty," she says. "I think that it's also a little subversive. It's been perceived as a drug addict fighting a drunk to see who comes out on top." She adds, "I think the drug addict comes out on top, 'cause he's meaner." It’s raw and fantastic dessert for the ears.



2. Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys – “The Power”

This is what political empowerment songs should be about.  Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, you can find “the power” in this call for involvement and personal empowerment to change the world around us. Bluegrass accompaniment propels these smart lyrics on a song that will surely show up on our year-end Top 100 later this year.



3. Lee Ann Womack- “Mama’s on a Roll”

With the announcement over the weekend that Universal/MCA somehow someway let Lee Ann Womack go out of their stable of artists, it seems only appropriate to include this track- her most recent release on KIN- Songs of Mary Karr and Rodney Crowell. While Womack could sing the telephone book and I’d probably have the need to buy it, this great track is far more creative and spell-binding than any old telephone book. Liquored up momma and daddy make for a great redneck tune.



4. Keith Urban – “For You”

I usually eschew these tunes and find Urban’s song topics too generic to really get attached to. This one caught my ear early on and after just seeing the film Act of Valor that the song was embedded in, suffice it to say that the song has back story galore. This one is one of Urban’s best.

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