Hear It Here - New Music From Sarah Buxton - "Only The Truth"

"It's time to let go. I have no plan. I have no help. I'm just releasing a song and clearing space for whatever wants to happens next." ~ Sarah Buxton on the new release of her new song "Only the Truth."

For Sarah Buxton, the last fifteen years have been a roller-coaster ride. The singer/songwriter has realized huge successes and at the same time has questioned at times where music would take her. Today, that journey aims to all points north with the release of a brand new independent song, "Only The Truth."

Buxton moved to Nashville following high school graduation both to attend Belmont University and follow her musical dreams and ambitions. The early 2000’s found her the lead singer of a southern rock band called Stoik Oak. But after that group called it quits- it was John Rich and others that encouraged her to find her country music voice and after singing back-up vocals from everyone from Kenny Rogers to Cowboy Troy, she landed her own record deal with Lyric Street Records back in 2006. Keith Urban recorded the Buxton co-write "Stupid Boy" on his album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing- which he took to #3 on the country charts in 2007. Buxton got her own self-titled album released in 2010 and chart four singles.

But with the exception of a side project titled Skyline Motel and a slew of hits written for other artists such as Gary Allan, The Band Perry, Chris Lane, Trisha Yearwood, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line and more, we hadn't heard any new music from Sarah herself.

Until today...

New Music Video From Tracy Lawrence - "Good Ole Days" (featuring Big & Rich and Brad Arnold)

New Music Video From Big & Rich- "Run Away With You"

Big & Rich To Unveil Hillbilly Jedi On 9/18

Big & Rich have announced they will release their new full length album, entitled Hillbilly Jedi, on September 18. The duo's fourth long player is their first since 2007's Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace.

The album's title was chosen after a session with some well-known rockers.

"It came out in a writing session we were doing with Richie Sambora and [Jon] Bon Jovi we were doing the other week," Big Kenny Alphin told the Tennessean. "They are going to record the song on our new album and a line in the song was hillbilly jedis with attitude. All of a sudden, Bon Jovi stops and says, Hillbilly Jedis? That's it. I'd buy that shirt.' We were like, 'Hey, that's about as descriptive as you can get of what we are.'"

Hillbilly Jedi tracklist:

1. "Born Again"
2. "Cowboyz"
3. "That's Why I Pray"
4. "Lay It All On Me"
5. "Last Words"
6. "Rock the Boat"
7. "Can't Be Satisfied"
8. "Get Your Game On"
9. "Cuz I Play Guitar"
10. "Cheat On You"
11. "Never Far Away"
12. "Hillbilly Jedi Medley"

New Music Video From Big & Rich- "That's Why I Pray"

The Country Music Artists At Warner Nashville Share Their Favorite Christmas Memories

Some of the artists over at Warner Nashville sent over some of their favorite Christmas memories and we thought we'd pass them along to our readers to share this holiday season.

The JaneDear Girls

Danelle Leverett (the JaneDear girls)

Any Christmas tradition/food that you love:
I love helping my mom make Christmas sugar cookies:) They are cut out into different shapes like Xmas trees, stars, hearts etc. and decorated with green and red frosting and sprinkles!

Is there a Christmas present you remember being given as a kid:
My parents gave me a ukulele when I was four years old and I loved to carry it with me EVERYWHERE I went!

Susie Brown (the JaneDear girls)
Is there a Christmas present you remember being given as a kid:
"I'll never forget the Christmas when I received my first guitar -- I was 12 yrs. old.  I disappeared into a quiet room with the guitar and emerged about three hours later and played my first song for my family, “Jingle Bells.”  Little did I know, but that present would end up shaping the rest of my life!"

Michael Gossin (Gloriana)
Favorite Christmas Food
Mom’s homemade brownies. My brothers and I called them “reindeer-terds.”

Favorite Christmas Present
My favorite Christmas present as a kid was He-Man action figures

Rachel Reinert (Gloriana)
Christmas tradition/food that you love:
We usually recreate Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce. The whole shebang!

Is there a favorite Christmas present you remember being given as a kid:
So typical, but I got an Easy Bake Oven as a little girl and I loved it! I wonder if I still have it?

Jana Kramer
Christmas food that you love?
My grandpa’s stuffing! It’s the best!

Is there a favorite Christmas present you remember being given as a kid?
My favorite gift was a fringe jacket. I thought I was Pocahontas when I was a little girl!

Favorite Christmas memory:
My favorite Christmas memory is probably always having euchre tournaments with my family and just hanging out laughing!

Frankie Ballard
Any Christmas tradition/food that you love:
My dad and I always watch “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase. It wouldn't feel like Christmas if we didn't do that every year.

Is there a favorite Christmas present you remember being given as a kid:
Back when I played hockey there was a hockey jacket you would get, a red corduroy jacket, all the kids would get it and put patches on it when they got a hat trick or won a championship. I remember finally getting one and freaking out.

THE FARM

Nick (THE FARM)Some of my favorite holiday memories are playing music around the piano at my grandparents’ house on Christmas Day after everyone has opened presents and gotten fat off of my Grandma's cooking.  When I was younger, I would need a little prodding to get my fiddle out, but once it was out, I wouldn't put it away!  My Grandma would sit at the piano, my Grandpa would play stand-up bass, and we would play old Scandinavian tunes and Christmas songs for hours. When I was younger, I didn't realize how special those moments were, but I definitely cherish those memories now.

Damien (THE FARM)Some of my best memories as a child around the Christmas Holiday was singing in church! We would put together Christmas plays and friends and families would be there as we recreated the birth story of Jesus! I remember playing various parts like a star, a goad and even a wise man. I would have to say my favorite was playing the goat! We would drink eggnog after church and my family would all be together. Great times.

Krista (THE FARM)As the holiday quickly approaches, each year at this time, I find my heart a little melancholy. It reminds me of my father, how much I miss him and how wonderful he and my mother always made Christmas. I miss the sound of his accordion and the smell of our family-owned meat market smoking Christmas hams. I was eight-years old, give or take, and Dad decided we'd go out back on our land and I could pick out our tree. He patiently cruised for well over an hour until I had found the perfect one. To this day, I still pick out my own tree and smile, knowing dad is with me.

Brett EldredgeA few years ago my mom asked my brother and I for a new robe for Christmas. Being the jokesters that we are, we got the idea to get a really old gross robe and smeared brown shoe polish on it to make it look gross because we wanted to see how she would react. She opened it and tried to act like she liked it but I couldn't keep from laughing my butt off!  I was laughing so hard I was crying!  Eventually she figured out it was a prank and we went to the other room and brought her a brand new soft, clean robe! I kept the robe for Halloween and dressed up like 'Cousin Eddy' from Christmas Vacation!

Big & Rich- Big Kenny Is there a Christmas present you remember being given as a kid:
The greatest gift I've ever received is a letter from my Dad a few years back.  He spoke of all of his memories of my life through my ups and downs. He told me he was proud and loved me through it all and his greatest words come in the last paragraph, '...be at Peace with yourself, be at Peace with everyone around you and most important be at Peace with God.' "

Is there a holiday treat that reminds you of Christmas:
My grandmother would always make homemade Fruit Cakes.  They were as dense as an energy bar and chewy as beef jerky. I miss my Grandmas and Christmas always brings their tremendous strong spirits back so close to my heart.

Any Christmas traditions you plan to share with your kids:
I will never forget being about the age of my boys now (6 and 2) and sitting on my Daddy's lap and watching Berl Ives version of 'Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'.  And I'm gonna love on my kids as much as I can and watch it with them again this year.

TNS Video History- John Rich- "Battle of New Orleans"

Critic’s Corner- CD Album Review- John Rich- Rich Rocks

“Combine a healthy amount of testosterone, frat party, ego and redneck attitude and blend well. That’s the recipe for John Rich’s album Rich Rocks. It’s a brand new niche of music called hillbilly rave music.

With special urban guest stars Kid Rock, Lil’ John and longtime Big & Rich collaborator Cowboy Troy, it’s a mix-up of ripping electric guitar with some representative fiddle. By his own admission on “Texas”, Rich defines his style as “raunchy, rude, rowdy and reckless.” It thumps along with all six tracks that blend into one-another as rocking background noise.

The challenge I have with the album is that Rich can do better. We’ve seen it. We’ve seen a deep and thoughtful side with outstanding Rich penned-tracks such as Big and Rich’s “8^th of November” and “Holy Water”, his solo “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” and Faith Hill’s introspective “Mississippi Girl.” If there’s one thing we learned from The Apprentice, it is that there’s more to the country bravado. And it’s missing here to the determent of the album.”

 -         Ken Morton, Jr.- That Nashville Sound

“John Rich has always brought a hip-hop style to country music, if not with the early sounds of Big and Rich, then with the way he carries himself. He drives expensive cars, irritates his neighbors and isn’t afraid to flash the bling. He also walks with enviable confidence, as exemplified by the title of his new album, ‘Rich Rocks,’ available at digital retailers today.

These aren’t criticisms. They’re the qualities that separate the ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ finalist from other solo male singers in the genre. At his best, his songs aren’t just the life of the party, they are the party. No one does loud like John Rich, and ‘Rich Rocks’ begins with the very loud ‘Country Done Come to Town,’ by far the best track on the six-pack.”

-         Billy Dukes- Taste of Country

“You have to question John Rich's motives when he opens a CD titled "Rich Rocks" with a track titled Country Done Come To Town. What is he: A rocker or a country boy? Well, it turns out, like most popular country stars these days, he's a little of both. (Oh, and he also thinks he's a little rap, too). 

Texas features Cowboy Troy, a longtime friend of Big & Rich. The song is not really rap, however, as it mostly speaks about how you take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the boy. Kid Rock also helps on Mack Truck, but he hasn't really been a rap performer for a long time now. Lil John is the rap-ist of them all, but You Had Me from Hell No, with its gutsy electric guitar and fiddle, is much more in Rich's camp than Lil Jon's. 

"Rich Rocks" is consistent; there isn't a ballad in the half-dozen. However, it doesn't truly rock in, say, the AC/DC sense. These are loud country tunes, which won't sound all that out of place on country radio. They all rock about as hard as Carrie Underwood's Undo It, which is not very hard at all. Kid Rock, Jr., Rich certainly ain't.”

 -         Dave MacIntosh- Country Standard Time

 

“One listen to the EP's debut single is enough to tell you how fitting the title is.  Indeed, "Country Done Come to Town," and it done brought some rock and roll with it.  This is one of those hell-raising country-rock anthems that was a trademark of Big and Rich.  But on the bright side, the country is at least almost as audible as the rock.  The prominent fiddle is a nice touch, and it barely avoids being drowned out by the heavy beat and the guitar riffs.  Thus, to John's credit, the song does not sound "fingernails-on-chalkboard" awful. (I hate to think about what this song would sound like if given the Jason Aldean treatment)

But the cold hard truth is that there's nothing on this track that we haven't heard a million times before, both on country radio in general, and on past Big and Rich albums.  The "I'm so country" claim lost credibility a long time ago.  This is poor timing for the release of another such song.  John should be branching out into different themes with his solo releases, rather than constantly returning to this tired formula.  Overall, "Country Done Come to Town" ends up sounding like a cheap rehash of "Comin' to Your City.  And that song wasn't even worth rehashing in the first place.”

 -         Ben Foster- 1-To-10 Country Music Review

Eric Church, Robert Earl Keen, Tom T Hall & John Rich Announce New Projects

Four very different country music artists have announced separate and new projects this week including Eric Church, Robert Earl Keen, Tom T Hall and John Rich.

Following up on the critically-acclaimed Carolina, Eric Church is planning the release what he calls a "experiential, head-turning country album" on July 26, 2011 with the release of his third studio album, Chief.

“I have a theory that all of us [artists] only get a small window of time to make records when people will really listen and care,” said Church. “It’s up to us to move the needle. People like Waylon and Cash or Garth and Strait,-- they all took the format and said, ‘We’re going over here,’ and they each changed the direction of the music a little bit-- helping to make it what it is today.”

Robert Earl Keen, a long-time purveyor of the Texas music scene, is out with his 16th CD in late August. "Ready for Confetti" drops Aug. 30 on Lost Highway. The CD was produced by Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks, Flatlanders), who also produced Keen's 2009 album "The Rose Hotel."

On May 17, John Rich will release two separate Six Pak EP's. The first will be the high energy Rich Rocks. Also available on May 17 will be Rich’s EP release For the Kids, paying tribute to the friends and families of his favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Rich is currently one of six contestants left on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” where he is competing for St. Jude. A portion of the proceeds from For the Kids will go directly to support the foundation.

Rich Rocks includes Rich’s hit single “Country Done Come to Town,” along with five additional tracks full of country music’s favorite topics with singles like “Mack Truck” and “When You Get On Whiskey.”

And last but certainly not least, several acclaimed musicians have teamed to record a tribute version of Tom T. Hall’s 1974 release Songs of Fox Hollow. For the project, producers Peter Cooper and Eric Brace assembled artists Patty Griffin, Bobby Bare, Jim Lauderdale, Mike Bub, Buddy Miller, Duane Eddy, Tommy Cash, Elizabeth Cook & Tim Carroll, Gary Bennett, Jon Byrd, Mark & Mike, and Fayssoux Starling McLean. Cooper and Brace also recorded songs for the children’s album remake, as did original crooner Tom T. Hall who sings a new tune he wrote with wife Dixie Hall for the occasion. Recorded at Hall’s Fox Hollow farm outside Nashville, I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow will be released by indie label Red Beet Records and the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMF Records. Set for release May 23, it will arrive in time for Hall’s 75th birthday.

New Music Video From John Rich- "Country Done Come To Town"