New Music Video From Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally - “Friends" (Live at the CMHOF)

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Dear Insecurity" (feat. Brandi Carlile)

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Buried"

New Music Video From Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark, & Pillbox Patti - "Bonfire At Tina’s"

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Stripes" (CMT Campfire Sessions)

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Love Can Go To Hell"

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Remember Me Beautiful"

That Nashville Sound's Best Albums Of 2020 - A Year-End Best Of List

Despite our Covid shutdown for much of the year, the amount of great music that has been released into 2020 has been nothing short of remarkable. We live in an incredible time. The internet, YouTube and a variety of digital platforms give independent artists a more playing field to get their music heard than ever before- and as a result, we have more options at receiving that music than at any time in our history. From all parts of the world, artists are contributing to this incredible umbrella of music we call country music. True, a few stakeholders have a clear stranglehold on what's being heard on country radio, but clearly the tide has shifted and we are seeing time and time again, the ability of cream to rise to the top and artists become wildly successful without the support of the radio dial.

Albums still matter. Patrick McGuire wrote this in ReverbNation and I've read it several times and wanted to share: "Albums still matter because they tell the unique story of who a band is at a specific moment of time that one or two singles just don’t have the ability to do. Imagine if the songs from ... The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band were released one at a time over the course of a year. Yes, the songs would still be incredible, but the meaning of these hugely important albums would be far less impactful. Whether it’s a concept album or not, good albums feature some sort of story or larger narrative whether it’s in the lyrics or instrumentation. Singles can’t tell the stories albums can." The platform of the album continues to be a tapestry that unites songs into a thematic quilt.

A handful of those 2020 country music releases stand out above all others. That's where this list comes in.

Here's a list of our favorite albums over the last few years for comparison:

2005 - Gary Allan - Tough All Over (tie)

           Lee Ann Womack - There’s More Where That Came From

2006 - Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways

2007 - Alison Krauss & Robert Plant - Raising Sand

2008 - Lee Ann Womack - Call Me Crazy

2009 - Eric Church - Carolina

2010 - Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give

2011 - Pistol Annies - Hell on Heels

2012 - Marty Stuart - Nashville Volume 1- Tear The Woodpile Down

2013 - Brandy Clark - 12 Stories

2014 - Don Williams - Reflections

2015 - Chris Stapleton - Traveler

2016 - Ryan Beaver - RX

2017 - Jason Eady - Jason Eady

2018 - Ashley McBryde - Girl Goin' Nowhere

2019 - Erin Enderlin - Faulkner County

These are the albums that struck an emotional chord and moved this listener to fall in love with their projects over and over again.

1. Hailey Whitters – The Dream - If the Devil is in the details, then the tell is certainly in the story. In an album that doesn't waste a song, a note or a line, Whitters pines pragmatically about topics like getting ahead in the music business ("Ten Year Town") and waxes poetically on detailed studies of fascinating people. Nowhere is this more the case than in the phenomenal track "Janice at the Hotel Bar" where a lady who's been around the block once or twice (or thrice) passes along her advice to Hailey on a barstool. It's easy to believe that if Janice is a real person- Whitters has taken her advice. She provides an example of living a worthy life without being limited by social conventions or the expectations of others. Whitters has done just that on this incredible album. She's thrown out country radio conventions out along with the baby and the water and created something that's real, authentic, poetic and most of all, interesting. 

2. Ashley McBryde – Never Will - In her sophomore follow-up to our favorite album of 2018, Girl Goin' Nowhere, McBryde picks up right where she left off, producing heartfelt and engaging musical fare. Never Will has a more textured, more produced feel in a good way than her debut album and the tracks offer up a great diversity of radio-friendly songs and songs with depth. "Hang In There Girl" shows off her ability to drive home a passionate lyrical plea and "Velvet Red" might just be a nod to some of the very best of Loretta Lynn. She's like a modern-day Joni Mitchell with lyrical sensibilities of an Emmylou Harris. She's a storyteller in her own right and we're blessed to have her delivering them to us. 

3. Chris Stapleton – Starting Over - One of the hardest things to do in entertainment is to follow-up an amazing performance/project with another one- particularly when that first one is a your solo debut like Traveler was for Stapleton. That's where the story is wrong, however. Stapleton can't suffer from the sophomore (or in this case, a junior) slump because he's a seasoned pro with bands like the Steeldrivers and Brothers Jompson under his belt. This project doesn't transcend Traveler, but it certainly extends that story, delivering emotive fare with that distinctive delivery that is pure Chris Stapleton and no one else. His secret weapon is that powerhouse voice of his that combines country with a bluesy soul that hasn't yet been matched since he hit the scene there in Nashville. He has earned the right to expand his offerings past the traditional acoustic country production and we're all better for it. When he dials up the blues on songs like "Cold," the passion behind those vocals will give you goosebumps. 

4. Stephanie Lambring – Autonomy - If there was a New Artist of the Year Award for That Nashville Sound, Lambring would win it for this incredibly honest and sometimes heartbreaking album that brims with emotion. Tackling heavy and confronting topics head on, the project unrelentingly rips the skin off of the human experience and isn't afraid to showcase the dirty guts rarely put in song. Dealing with topics such as eating disorders, religious controversy, broken family relationships, suicide and the afflictions like Alzheimers, it's emotionally tactile and hurts your heart to listen to it at times. But that's the genius of the album. Instead of just glossing over the topics, Lambring makes you feel the angst through her protagonists and deals with these delicate topics with a brutal honesty with a graceful and poetic hand. 

5. Lori McKenna – The Balladeer - Our favorite songwriter's new album is another highly intelligent and introspective collection told from a powerful and personal place. She has woven a patchwork of life moments- mostly relationship-oriented ones- that are hypnotically autobiographical. McKenna has channeled her own experiences into song and brought with them all of her own hopes and dreams. The songs bathe themselves in insecurities, vulnerabilities and celebrations of life. It results in an emotional history that a listener can actually feel and hear in sound.

6. Brandy Clark – Life Is A Record - Clark writes realistic snapshots from the underbelly of real life in this fantastic collection of tales of cheating, smoking, break-ups- all with a wit that bites the listener and won't let go.  She's aware of the flaws of both herself and her community and celebrates them both in a way that gives both a depth rarely heard from an artist- and even rarely done so with such poetic lyrics. She’s added retro-pop strings and horns to nearly every one of the otherwise folky songs on this release, giving it a new feel and flavor. You don’t have to read up on how she was coming off the end of a 15-year relationship to guess that several of these songs were written in darker place. Bob Marley once said that "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." Clark's healing album ends up healing us all. 

7. Brothers Osborne – Skeletons - This album has a groove that grabs you by the lapel and doesn't let go. Ironically, it's going to play incredibly well in the arenas that Brothers Osborne has/will be graduating to, but didn't get the opportunity to because of Covid-19. Skeletons continues Brother Osborne’s long-term partnership with producer Jay Joyce and front to back, it's their best effort following two excellent previous albums. Skeletons is the rallying cry of a band that’s well-and-truly found where they fit in the genre. The energy is high, the melodies strong and John’s guitar playing truly jaw-dropping at every turn. It's proof that up-tempo doesn't have to be formulatic in the genre. 

8. Hill Country/Wilder Blue – Hill Country - Consisting of solo artist and songwriter Zane Williams, songwriter and performer Paul Eason who also plays guitar for Kevin Fowler, Houston drummer Lyndon Hughes, Austin bassist Sean Rodriguez, and multi-instrumentalist Andy Rogers, Hill Country pulled the ultimate switcheroo, renaming the band to The Wilder Blue in October. But prior to that change, they delivered a fantastic Texas record that combined smart lyrics with impeccable musicianship. The group offers impeccable storytelling, as well as often sharing traditional Bluegrass elements.

9. Brent Cobb – Keep ‘Em On They Toes - This album goes back to the more mellow rootsy vibe of Cobb's terrific 2016 album, Shine On Rainy Day. Brent Cobb has released a great record that speaks to a lot of the current conditions of the world without being tied to any particular side one way or the other. It preaches patience and loving your fellow man.  The production leaves space and a sparseness that leaves one little choice but to focus on his lyrics, which are smart, engaging and authentic. 

10. Brett Eldredge – Sunday Drive - Eldredge has always been a bit of a paradox. He's a fan of the classics whether they be the Cubs or Frank Sinatra. His voice lends itself to the slower ballads and while he's had significant success with upbeat radio hits, it always felt a bit like putting a square peg in a round hole. Until this album. Eldredge went all adult on us and delivered a sentimental and incredibly well-written album that we've been waiting for. What’s truly fantastic about this album is how it manages to capture such a broad range of emotions in a painstakingly honest and human way. They convey a deep emotional depth because they come from a place of true introspection and personal experience. It's a personal reveal of the best kind. 

11. Jessi Alexander – Decatur County Red - This new album from the respected Music Row songwriter features eight new songs that blend stories of hell-raising, blue-collar characters like the barn-burner “Country Music Made Me Do It” feat. Randy Houser, with more sultry, fragile numbers like “I Should Probably Go Now”, where Alexander fearlessly wears her heart on her sleeve to create a candid snapshot of two lovers coping with infidelity. The album takes a more personal turn as she dives into her time grinding on Music Row with “Damn Country Music” and “How I’m Going Out”, where she reflects on the loss of her friend and fellow songwriter Andrew Dorff and all other ghosts that live on Music Row. It's short and sweet, but brilliantly told. 

12. John Anderson – Years - Terrific age-appropriate lyrics that draw on a lifetime of living on the highway and the life a musician leads. It's our favorite sentimental album of the year, a great reminder of the brilliant uniqueness of Anderson's voice and music. 

13. Panhandlers – Panhandlers

14. Sarah Jarosz – Hometown

15. Band of Heathens - Stranger

16. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Reunions

17. David Nail – Bootheel EP

18. Tessy Lou Williams – Tessy Lou Williams

19. Josh Turner – Country State of Mind

20. Steeldrivers – Bad For You

21. Aubrie Sellers – Far From Home

22. Mike & The Moonpies – Touch of You

23. Gone West - Canyons

24. Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen – Hold My Beer, Vol. 2

25. Ingrid Andress – Lady Like

26. Cam – The Otherside

27. The Chicks – Gaslighter

28. Willie Nelson – First Rose of Spring

29. Katie Pruitt - Expectations

30. Little Big Town – Nightfall

31. Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

32. Carly Pearce – Carly Pearce

33. Pam Tillis – Looking for a Feeling

34. Corb Lund – Agriculture Tragic

Hear It Here - Brandy Clark & Brandi Carlile's New Single, "Same Devil"

Brandy Clark delivers again with this brilliant collaboration with her friend Brandi Carlile. 

Clark describes the new track, "'Same Devil' is about how we all have different paths, different problems, different addictions, different beliefs that all take us to the same exact places. I really was drawn to the dark and raw quality of the idea. What Brandi Carlile brought to the song production wise and then vocally made it take on an even darker and deeper tone. It feels explosive to me."

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Bigger Boat" (featuring Randy Newman)

Lindsay Ell To Release heart theory On August 14

Artist: Lindsay Ell
Album: heart theory
Music label: BBR/Stoney Creek Records
Release date: August 14, 2020

Lindsay Ell has announced she's dropping a new concept album of sorts- another step in the continued interesting career trajectory for the young singer/songwriter. The tracks take the listener along the path of the seven stages of grief: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing and acceptance. “If my last record was called The Project, this one could be called the process.”

“I’ve learned to care a little less about what everybody thinks,” says singer/songwriter/guitarist Lindsay Ell. “Following my gut instinct, truly saying what I want to say—that’s the magic, the elements that make you relatable and real. Before, I was worrying about writing for radio, for fans, but now this is what I know, this is my journey. And the more honest I get, the more effective it is.”

With her new album, heart theory, Ell does just that, weaving the story of her journey of the heart in her own voice using her arsenal of tools as a musician and artist. “Theory is the science of music, heart theory is the science of a heart,” says Ell.

“The past couple of years, I’ve been through a lot,” she says. “A public break-up took me through all of the stages of heartbreak, I turned 30, I had a health scare and countless other hurdles. And I came out the other side as a full human. There are moments when life just smacks you in the face and you need to do the work of figuring out what that means, how it changed you, and how to take full control of your life.”

Ell points to several of the new songs as examples of her evolution and sense of maturity. “There’s a song called ‘make you’ that’s about a trauma that happened to me as a little girl, something I have never publicly talked about,” she says. “Holding pieces of our story back means missing out on the opportunity to feel inspired, changed, drawn to make a difference. I got into this business to change people, to make them feel something. So, it was important to me to get really honest and say that all of us have skeletons in the closet, but those things make us who we are.”

See the full track listing for heart theory below:

 shock
1. “Hits me” (Lindsay Ell, Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder)

denial
2. “how good” (Lindsay Ell, Brandy Clark)
3. “i don’t lovE you” (Adam Hambrick, Melissa Fuller, Neil Medley)

anger
4. “wAnt me back” (Lindsay Ell, Kane Brown, Matt McGinn, Lindsay Rimes)
5. “get oveR you” (Lindsay Ell, Gordie Sampson, Kelly Archer)
6. “wrong girl” (Lindsay Ell, Steph Jones, Matt McGinn, Luke Niccoli)

bargaining
7. “body language of a breakup” (Lindsay Ell, Laura Veltz, Sam Ellis)

depression
8. “good on you” (Lindsay Ell, Sam Ellis, Micah Premnath)

testing
9. “The oTHEr side” (Lindsay Ell, Jessie Jo Dillon, Matt McGinn)
10. “gO to” (Lindsay Ell, Nicolle Gaylon, Jordan Reynolds)

acceptance
11. “make you” (Lindsay Ell, Brandy Clark)
12. “ReadY to love” (Lindsay Ell, Jessie Jo Dillon, Matt McGinn, Joey Hyde)

Where and Who To Watch On Livestream Concerts Online This Week

One of the few blessings of this crazy COVID-19 shelter-in-place initiative has been the explosion of private concert events that artists across the country-sphere are doing on the internet and across social media. Nearly every hour of the day, there's an artist providing a show to keep the music going.  Here's a partial list of what you can watch over the coming week (shout out to the Ryman Auditorium for putting most of this list together.)

March 25

Scotty McCreery
Time: 12:45 p.m. CT
What: Live concert with Bonneville KNCI/Sacramento’s KNCI Couch Concert Series.

Where: Facebook

Jason Eady and Courtney Patton

Time: 1 p.m. CT

What: Living Room Acoustic Set

Where: Facebook Live

Callista Clark
Time: 2 p.m. CT
What: Q&A and live performance.
Where: Instagram

Daniel Tashian
Time: 3 p.m. CT
What: Live performance with a Q&A.
Where: Instagram

Nolan Sotillo
Time: 4 p.m. CT
What: Live performance with original songs and a few covers.
Where: Instagram

Honey County
Time: 5 p.m. CT
What: Showcasing new music.
Where: Facebook

Brandy Clark
Time: 6 p.m. CT
What: “You Can’t Come Over (But You Can Come In)” live performance/conversation series with some of Brandy’s favorite.
Where: Instagram and Facebook

Dillon Carmichael
Time: 6 p.m. CT
What: Live performance taking requests on his show “Whatcha Want Wednesdays.”
Where: Instagram

Callista Clark
Time: 6 p.m. CT
What: Acoustic concert.

Where: Instagram

Lindsay Lawler, Chris Roberts, Kevin Post and Tori Allen

Time: 7 p.m. CT

What: Acoustic concert

Where: www.nashvillemusicloft.com 

Jesse Lebelle
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: Playing live acoustic originals and covers to help supplement the lost income from all of cancelled shows.
Where: Facebook

Drake White
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: Wednesday Night Therapy, donations welcome.
Where: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Steve Wariner
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: Live get together with fans from his home studio.
Where: Instagram

Everette
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: Live, acoustic show.
Where: Instagram

Paul Bogart
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: The Homebound Hoedown 2020 livestream show with cover charge.
Where: Key

Matt Stell
with guests Lindsay Ell, HARDY, Jameson Rodgers
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Original performances from Matt Stell and friends.
Where: Instagram

Dillon Carmichael
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Acoustic set with a Q&A.

Where: Facebook

March 26

Adam Doleac
Time: 2 p.m. CT
What: Presented by Boot Barn.
Where: Instagram

Kaitlyn Baker
Time: 4 p.m. CT
What: Live in Your Living Room’ event. All ticket proceeds go back to the artists themselves as our mission is to keep revenue streams open during these troubled times.
Where: StageIt

Jimmie Allen
Time: 4 p.m. CT
What: Live performance of new and favorite songs.
Where: Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Rachel Wammack
Time: 4 p.m. CT
What: Playing cover songs and taking fan questions.
Where: Instagram and Facebook

Teea Goans
Time: 6 p.m. CT
What: Garage sing-a-long.
Where: Facebook

Charlie Worsham
Time: 6 p.m. CT
What: Virtual guitar lesson.
Where: Instagram

Dillon Carmichael
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: Acoustic set with a Q&A.
Where: Facebook

Jessie G
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: GrassRoots Live from the Living Room: Quarantine Edition
Where: Facebook

Josh Gracin
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Ticketed virtual show.
Where: Instagram and EventBrite

Russell Dickerson
Time: 8:15 p.m. CT
What: Live concert with Bonneville KNCI/Sacramento’s KNCI Couch Concert Series.

Where: Facebook

March 27

Alex Hall
Time: 1 p.m. CT
What: New music release party, live.
Where: Instagram

Ingrid Andress
Time: 2 p.m. CT
What: Album release day, raising funds for the World Health Organization.
Where: Instagram

Brian Fallon
Time: 2 p.m. CT
What: Album release day with livestream as part of #togetherathome series, and raising funds for the World Health Organization.
Where: Instagram

Brantley Gilbert
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Live performance and hangout.
Where: Instagram

Clayton Anderson
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Providing folks stuck at home with great entertainment.

Where: Facebook

March 28

Diesel Bird Fest
Featuring: Terri Clark, Parmalee, Tenille Townes & more. Hosted by Dan Davidson
Time: 1 p.m. CT
What: Live music festival from a safe social distance.
Where: Instagram

Marshall Chapman
Time: 3 p.m. CT
What: Virtual live performance.
Where: Facebook

Lainey Wilson
Time: 3 p.m. CT
What: Couch Concert Series.
Where: Facebook

Noah Schnacky
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Where: Twitter

Dead & Company
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: One More Saturday Night: free weekly couch tour series.
Where: Facebook

Nefesh Mountain
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: Songs of love and healing.
Where: Facebook

Rachel Reinert
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Album release, paid live show.
Where: Key

Lori McKenna
Time: 9:30 p.m. CT
What: Festival-style livestream. Purchasing a ticket required, on a “pay what you can” basis. Lori’s portion of proceeds will go to Nashville tornado relief.

Where: StageIt

March 29

Lucas Hoge
Time: 9:30 a.m. CT
What: Sunday faith-based sessions.
Where: Instagram and Facebook

Diesel Bird Fest
Featuring: James Barker Band, Lindsay Ell, Corb Lund & more. Hosted by Dan Davidson
Time: 1 p.m. CT
What: Live music festival from a safe social distance.
Where: Instagram

Danielle Bradbery
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Where: Instagram

John Mayer
Time: 9 p.m. CT
What: Current Mood series.

Where: Instagram

March 30

Logan Mize
Time: 2 p.m. CT
What: #BYDCouchConcert: livestream series to help spread positivity during this time of crisis.
Where: Instagram

Brandy Clark
Time: 6 p.m.
What: Weekly book club.

Where: Instagram and Facebook

April 1

Brandy Clark
Time: 6 p.m. CT
What: “You Can’t Come Over (But You Can Come In)” live performance/conversation series with some of Brandy’s favorite.
Where: Instagram and Facebook

Matt Stell
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Original performances with friends.

Where: Instagram

April 2

James Dupre
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: GrassRoots Live from the Living Room: Quarantine Edition

Where: Facebook

April 3

Leah Nobel
Time: 2 p.m. CT
What: #BYDCouchConcert: livestream series to help spread positivity during this time of crisis.
Where: Instagram

George Shingleton
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
What: Live performance with guitar player Shane Sanders, cover songs by request.
Where: Facebook

Brantley Gilbert
Time: 8 p.m. CT
What: Live performance and hangout.

Where: Instagram

April 7

Seth Cook
Time: 7 p.m. CT
What: GrassRoots Live from the Living Room: Quarantine Edition

Where: Facebook

April 9

Pam Tillis
Time: 7:30 a.m. CT
What: GrassRoots Live from the Living Room: Quarantine Edition
Where: Facebook

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Love Is A Fire"

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Who You Thought I Was"

Brandy Clark Schedules March 6 Release For Your Life Is a Record

Artist: Brandy Clark
Album: Your Life Is a Record
Label: Warner Bros/WEA
Release date: March 6, 2020

The CMA Award-winning songwriter and That Nashville Sound-favorite Brandy Clark released her first song off of what will be her third full-length studio album, Your Life is a Record. Jay Joyce produced the effort, which features guest spots from Randy Newman and guitarist John Osborne. That album will be a Warner Brothers release on March 6, 2020.

The song derives from a phrase Clark heard legendary country music songsmith John Prine share during an Americana Awards speech in Nashville, she said in a news release.

“He walked out onstage at the Ryman and everyone stood up and clapped for what felt like five minutes," Clark said in the release. "When everyone sat down, he said with a little laugh, ‘Well, I’m John Prine, but I’d like to go back to being who you thought I was.’ Man … that hit me. ... I mean who of us hasn’t let somebody down or wanted to be the version of ourselves that someone who loved us thought we were?”

Tracklist:

1. I’ll Be the Sad Song
2. Long Walk
3. Love is a Fire
4. Pawn Shop
5. Who You Thought I Was
6. Apologies
7. Bigger Boat (feat. Randy Newman)
8. Bad Car
9. Who Broke Whose Heart
10. Can We Be Strangers

11. The Past is the Past

Write You A Song Podcast: Shane McAnally - Authentic and Real

We share another new podcast from host Tom Mailey from Bonneville radio station New Country 105.1 KNCI in Sacramento. Tom is a country radio veteran with over 30 years of experience in Seattle and Sacramento and a key partner in our Golf & Guitars Children's Charity Music Festival, a little event in our twelfth year that has raised well north of a million bucks for kids and individuals with disabilities. It highlights the songwriters in our industry and is entitled Write You a Song. It's his hope that this podcast will shine a little overdue spotlight on the talented men and women who, mostly behind the scenes, write the songs that become part of our lives. You know their words and music, but maybe not their names: Write You a Song will feature some of country music’s biggest songwriters--like Jeffrey Steele, Brett Warren, Ashley McBryde, Tim Nichols and more.

If country music's songwriting community has one common denominator, it could very likely be Shane McAnally. With over 40 #1 songs since breaking through in 2010 with Kenny Chesney's "Somewhere With You" (which he co-wrote with JT Harding), McAnally has emerged as gifted a writer and producer as Nashville has ever seen. Seemingly without effort, he navigates between pushing the style of contemporary country music (Sam Hunt), while still giving plenty of attention to country's traditional roots (Midland). He's also comfortable working with artists who aren't so easily labeled (Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark). And he is undeniably country music's most high-profile songwriter: as a coach on NBC's breakout songwriting TV show Songland, McAnally has demonstrated for the rest of America not only his talent for turning a phrase, but his innate ability to work with others to bring out their best.

And while he makes his success look easy, it isn't, nor has it been, and that makes his accomplishments all that more impressive.

Write You A Song Podcast - An Interview With Brandy Clark

We share another new podcast from host Tom Mailey from Bonneville radio station New Country 105.1 KNCI in Sacramento. Tom is a country radio veteran with over 30 years of experience in Seattle and Sacramento and a key partner in our Golf & Guitars Children's Charity Music Festival, a little event in our twelfth year that has raised well north of a million bucks for kids and individuals with disabilities. It highlights the songwriters in our industry and is entitled Write You a Song. It's his hope that this podcast will shine a little overdue spotlight on the talented men and women who, mostly behind the scenes, write the songs that become part of our lives. You know their words and music, but maybe not their names: Write You a Song will feature some of country music’s biggest songwriters--like Jeffrey Steele, Brett Warren, Ashley McBryde, Tim Nichols and more.

Singer/songwriter Brandy Clark has released 2 critically acclaimed albums and scored a handful of hits writing for other artists, including Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Musgraves. But she hasn't yet had the widespread commercial success other songwriters have had, and believe it or not, that's just fine with her. She has performed on popular TV shows including: The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Good Morning America, and The Late Show with David Letterman. She was also nominated for Best New Artist category at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Here, she talks about her start in music, her college formative years and how she approaches songwriting. 

New Music Video From The Oak Ridge Boys with "Brand New Star"- New Album To Hit In March

Country Music Hall of Fame members, Grand Ole Opry members, and five-time GRAMMY winning group, The Oak Ridge Boys announce the release of their Lightning Rod Records forthcoming project 17th Avenue Revival, produced by critically-acclaimed producer Dave Cobb on March 16. This is the group’s second project with Cobb, who produced the Oaks’ celebrated The Boys Are Back album released in 2009.
 
“Having been in The Oak Ridge Boys for almost 52 years,” says Duane Allen, “it can be difficult for me to imagine a place where we have not been. However, Dave Cobb had that vision, and the result is 17th Avenue Revival.”

“Old roads turned into new roads on this album,” adds Oaks’ member Joe Bonsall.

For the new project, Cobb’s vision for the group was to dig way back into their roots of gospel music. But a different kind of gospel. One that took a hard look at the early days of rock and roll, which was influenced by spiritual, or black gospel.

Under Cobb’s direction, they touched on uncharted territory—and for a long-tenured act like The Oak Ridge Boys, that’s saying something. Somewhat retro, yet new and fresh at the same time, there was no vocal stacking and very few overdubs. For two of the songs, the Boys gathered around one microphone and let the harmonies shine, just as Dave Cobb had planned initially.

“Legendary Studio A on 17th Avenue South became a special, almost spiritual place, and for a few weeks it served as a beacon of creativity,” says Allen. The result is a recording that will go down in history, for old and new fans alike.

“Dave brought music with spirit and a magical feel to the studio. It became a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual revival for The Oak Ridge Boys,” says the groups’ William Lee Golden.

“17th Avenue Revival is something we believe our fans will love,” adds bass singer Richard Sterban.
 
Track Listing:
1. Brand New Star (Aaron Raitiere & Mando Saenz)
2. There Will Be Light (Jamey Johnson, Larry Shell & Buddy Cannon)
3. God’s Got It (Charlie Jackson)
4. I’d Rather Have Jesus (Rhea Miller & George Beverly Shea)
5. Walk In Jerusalem (Traditional /Public Domain)
6. Where He Leads Me I Will Follow (Ernest W. Blandy / Public Domain)
7. Pray To Jesus (Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally)
8. If I Die (Ashley Monroe & Vince Gill)
9. Let It Shine On Me (Vince Gill & Ashley Monroe)

New Music Video From Brandy Clark - "Three Kids, No Husband"

Drew Kennedy To Release At Home In The Big Lonesome On November 3

Artist: Drew Kennedy
Album: At Home In The Big Lonesome
Label: Atlas Aurora
Release date: November 3, 2017

Lots has happened to big Texan singer/songwriter/author Drew Kennedy since the release of his seventh album Sad Songs Happily Played in 2014.  On the fist day of recording his eighth album in May of 2016 at Sony Tree in Nashville, his manager Scott Gunter interrupted the session: Kennedy had missed two calls and a text from his wife Holly. At just seven months pregnant, she’d gone into labor with their second son. “Scott helped me find a flight so I could go throw up in the bathroom,” Kennedy says. “I was so scared. It was a terrifying few hours until I could get home and look at her and just be there.”

This story has a good ending, however. While Oliver was born two months early and spent his first several weeks in the nearby neonatal children's hospital, Kennedy battled inner conflicts and real-life emotions that brewed internally. “It’s a really confusing tightrope I ended up walking,” Kennedy says. “I did not enjoy the guilt and anxiety that was created, when at the same time, I was watching my son flourish.”

Roughly 3 1/2 months later, Oliver was thriving, and Kennedy was ready to return to the studio. “I was really nervous I’d feel disjointed from all that work that’d been done without me there, even though there was still so much more to do,” Kennedy says. “It felt good to get back in and realize, No. These are your songs. Just because you had an emergency and those guys soldiered on without you doesn’t mean you’re not in this. It is you.” He pauses, then smiles. “In an odd way, it almost made the album even more personal because it was Dave’s and all the musicians’ way of being able to give all they had to support me, my family, and my art.”

The Dave that Kennedy refers to is producer Dave Brainard, the man behind such authentic country stars like Brandy Clark and Jamey Johnson. Kennedy says that, "even if he didn't make incredible records for incredible artists, I'd still want to hang out and talk philosophy and highways and music with the guy every chance I could."

The result is something remarkably Drew Kennedy. As he has proven time and time again on previous releases, his knack for storytelling and delivering incredibly smart songs that make you think and listen is among the best in Texas and beyond. There are no big radio anthems. The songs delivered are little vignettes on the human condition and consistently rate as this sites favorite releases. There's no surprise that Kennedy is also an author. His ability to capture emotive sharp imagery in his lyricism is profound.

Fueled by Kennedy’s character-driven songwriting and distinct vocals, the album is a confident foray into Kennedy’s most complex musical territory to date: lush piano pop, layers of strings, and dramatic percussion that nods more to the Wrecking Crew than any Texas playboys. “Dave said, ‘What do you want this to be?’” Kennedy says. “I said, ‘I want to make a sophisticated record for adults.’ We ended up making a record that’s so close to my personal listening taste––something I’ve never done before.”

“I try to make little movies,” Kennedy says. “I don’t try to create little episodes of the same TV shows with the same recurring characters. There’s a place for that, but I like to paint vignettes that stand on their own.”