That Nashville Sound Wednesday Newsbytes- Music Videos, New John Conlee & Johnny Cash

Lots and lots of music videos out the last couple of days- would be interested to know if you have any favorites. And item number one on today's list will certainly be on my Christmas list.

- Johnny Cash’s much-acclaimed box set of primarily unreleased material, Unearthed, is to be reissued as a nine-album vinyl box set on November 3, 2017. To celebrate the Man in Black’s enduring and influential legacy, American Recordings and UMe have reconfigured this monolithic collection for its first-ever vinyl release, spreading Unearthed’s 79 songs over nine high-quality 180-gram vinyl LPs while expanding the original box's distinctive packaging for the long-playing format. The Unearthed vinyl box features a pair of cloth-bound books housed in an LP-sized black cloth slipcase. One book holds the nine LPs, while the other is a gorgeous 60-page coffee table book that incorporates Sylvie Simmons' extensive liner notes, drawn from five days of interviews at Cash's home in Tennessee, as well as Cash and Rubin's comments on every song on the set, plus a copious selection of photographs from the recording sessions, including some of the last photos ever taken of Cash.  Unearthed was originally released as a CD box set by producer Rick Rubin’s American Recordings in November 2003, two months after the country superstar’s passing.

- After 2000's Classics and 2015's Classics 2, John Conlee is prepping to release Classics 3 on November 17 on his own Rose Colored Glasses label.

- The Bottom Live Archive (a Northeast nightclub that recorded thousands of performances from the early 80's to the mid 90's) is releasing Harry Chapin: The Bottom Line Archive Series from a performance Chapin did in 1981.

- Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers went by NPR and did a Tiny Desk Concert together. Martin's in rare form like normal.

- Shania Twain released a new music video for "Swingin' With My Eyes Closed."

- Kenny Chesney released a new music video for "Young." 

- Danielle Bradbery released a new music video for "Hello Summer."

- Becca Mancari released a new music video for "Golden."

- Jenna Paulette released a new music video for "Coolest Girl in the World."

- Jarrod Dickenson released a new music video for "Take It From Me."

- The Kenny Shepherd Band released a new music video for "Nothing But The Night."

- Willie Watson premiered a new music video for "Gallows Pole." 

- Paul Cauthen released a new music video for "Saddle." 

That Nashville Sound Friday Newsbytes - New Projects From Margo Price, Eric Palsay, Thomas Rhett, Marc Cohn & Pistol Annies

Today is National Get Gnarly day. I'm sure those in charge naming it had intentions of just encouraging Ray Wylie Hubbard to get out his slide and do some picking.  On a separate note, there's lots more news this morning with some exciting album announcements.

- Marc Cohn has announced a new album to come out in early 2018 and has gone to PledgeMusic to offer fans some unique opportunities at autographed and custom memorabilia connected to the project.

- Save your Christmas money, for in early 2018, the Pistol Annies will be having their third album released.

- The final studio album from the late rocker Gregg Allman, titled Southern Blood, will release via Rounder Records on Sept. 8. The torchbearer for Southern rock died earlier this year on May 27, at the age of 69, at his home near Savannah, Georgia.

- Margo Price had a surprise EP released yesterday. Price offers up four new tracks on her EP Weakness, released via Third Man Records.

- Michael Johnson, the voice behind the smash hit "Bluer Than Blue," passed away at age 72 while in hospice care in Minneapolis on Tuesday, July 25.

- The Voice veteran Jake Worthington released a new lyric music video for "Big Time Lonesome."

- Eric Paslay released a surprise EP as well this last week entitled The Work Tapes. Listen to him talk about the new project a bit here.

- Shania Twain released her new music video for "Life's About To Get Good."

- On September 8, Thomas Rhett will release his next album Life Changes via Valory Records. "I am and will always be a country artist,” Thomas Rhett said. "It's who I am, it's in my blood. I will always try to push boundaries because that rebellious side has been in me since I was a kid. My voice and my journey that inspired these songs is the glue that makes this album cohesive. This is where I'm at musically, and these are my stories."

 

Shania Now To Get Released In Late September- Hear New Single Here

Artist: Shania Twain
Album: Shania Now
Label: Mercury Nashville
Release date: September 29, 2017

Shania Twain went to Facebook yesterday and announced that she will release her first album in 15 years, titled Shania Now, on Sept. 29 via Mercury Nashville.

The album’s first single, “Life’s About To Get Good,” was debuted earlier this year during Twain’s performance at Stagecoach.  The new single can be heard below. The new track boasts a chorus that’s classic Shania, while the verses candidly address her feelings about her split from longtime producer and husband Mutt Lange .

When writing "Life's About to Get Good," Shania explains, "I was at home looking out at the ocean and I said to myself, 'Here I am stuck in this past of negativity, but it's so beautiful out. I'm not in the mood to write a 'feeling-sorry-for-myself' song." The songwriter recognized that with all of the negative in life also comes the positive. "You can¹t have the good without the bad. And that's what the song ended up being about."
 

Shania Twain To Release New Live Album on 3/3

Shania Twain fans have been asking for a new album for years and in 2015 she is fulfilling all those wishes, though it may not be the one you’re looking for just yet. The country singer just announced that she will be releasing a new live album called Shania: Still the One Live From Vegas which includes a deluxe edition 18-track CD and DVD.

Shania: Still the One Live From Vegas will be available on March 3. In addition to the CD and DVD, limited edition bundles will include an 11-inch by 17-inch commemorative poster with her fan’s name printed on it as well as a t-shirt.

“This show has been a labor of love for over three years,” Twain said in a press release. “It has meant so much to me and was such a privilege to live out my visions on that stage, and it is so exciting to now get to share the whole experience with the fans all over the world!”

New Music Video From Lionel Richie and Shania Twain- "Endless Love"

New Music Video From Shania Twain- "Today Is Your Day"

Hear It Here- Shania Twain's New Single- "Today Is Your Day"

Listen to the brand new single just premiered by Shania Twain- "Today Is Your Day."

Country Music News Updates On Tim Robbins, Shania Twain, JD Souther, Suzy Bogguss and Alabama

This Friday morning, there is more country music news around the web than I am able to do complete stories on, so I'm going to give some teasers and then send you to some other sites for some more details. Usually, we'll do full stories on such items, but we didn't want these pieces of information to go unannounced.

* Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins has signed with 429 Records and will release his album, Tim Robbins And The Rogues Gallery Band, on July 19. You can read a little more about the project HERE or view his website at http://www.timrobbins.net/.

* After getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this week, Shania Twain's next trick will be releasing her first single in over six years during the finale of her Oprah Winfrey Network show Why Not With Shania Twain. It's titled "Today Is Your Day."

* JD Souther may not be a mainstream country radio name today, but ask any songwriter and he's placed there up with the greats. He was the pen behind many of the great hits by the Eagles and has other cuts by acts like the Dixie Chicks and Trisha Yearwood just to name two. More recently, he co-wrote with the boys from One Flew South on their album Last of the Good Guys. Souther has a brand new album called Natural History and it features his own interpretations of many of his greatest hits.

* It's been WAY too long since we heard new music from Suzy Bogguss- good news is that wait is over. Bogguss has a new CD and companion Songbook that will be released on July 18, 2011 at all Cracker Barrel Country Stores. This looks like a serious keeper.

Folk songs are the scrapbook of the American experience, but as music education fades from our public schools, she worried; these beautiful melodies are in danger of being overlooked. She resolved to record these timeless songs in an updated but reverent way.

The hardcover, 96-page book is filled with illustrations, fascinating historical stories about the songs, easy to read sheet music arrangements for piano, voice and guitar as well as personal insights and anecdotes from Bogguss

* In an interview with Bradenton.com, Alabama member Jeff Cook reveals tentative plans for an Alabama reunion tour and possibly even an album into 2012.

We’re talking about doing maybe 20 shows next year,” said Alabama cofounder, singer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cook during a recent phone interview. “I feel sure that if we do dates we’ll have a recording to go with it,”

Last Six American Idol Finalists Sing Shania Twain

TNS Video History- Anne Murray & Shania Twain Duet- "You Needed Me"

Shania Twain Part Of Olympic Flame Lighting

Shania Twain said Saturday it was a pleasure to carry the official Olympic torch into her Canadian hometown of Timmins, Ontario.

The Canwest News Service reported Twain was the final individual to carry the torch on Day 64 of the Olympic symbol's 106-day journey across Canada that began Oct. 30 in Victoria, British Columbia.

"I think this is so fantastic," Twain said of those who braved numbing cold to watch the torch come to Timmins. "What it shows is the spirit of the people from the north to be standing out there on the road for all these hours in the freezing cold; all of you, it really does show your spirit."

Twain said wind chills down to minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday only made her feel more at home.

"It just feels really beautiful to be back up north in the cold," she said. "It wouldn't be Timmins ... you know, 40 below with the wind chill!"

Canwest said the Olympic torch is expected to arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Feb. 12 for the 2010 Olympic Games.

CD Reviews- Carrie Underwood- Play On

Background:
This is the highly anticipated 2009 release from the four-time Grammy Award winner and former American Idol winner. Carrie has come a long way since her AI days including selling more than 10 million albums, garnering ACM and CMA awards and becoming the first country artist in history to achieve 10 #1 singles from her first two albums. To top that all off, she was also recently inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

The Review:
So let’s get that white elephant out of the room right off the bat. Carrie Underwood, like Taylor Swift, walks that fine line between country music and pop music. That’s not to say that that place in contemporary country is wrong- it’s probably one of the most profitable places to be in music today. But to discount that genre that they’ve created in music- from either side- probably isn't being fair. Like it or not, the contemporary country music genre is as much as part of the fabric of the overall country music scene as any subgenre there is. Today, even more so than any classic movement or outlaw music, contemporary country music is the face of the genre. And it’s with that mindset that we went out and reviewed this album. The first song and first single, "Cowboy Casanova" is the biggest crossover song on the album, with a stomping dance beat under Underwood's warnings about a playboy. Reminiscent of some of Shania Twain’s hook driven hits, it’s a catchy, albeit loud, song that has been racing up the charts. Where Carrie Underwood shines here with is with two of the ballads that were co-written with her pen in “Mama’s Song” and “Temporary Home.” "Mama's Song" is a touching and soft song about generations of mothers trying to let daughters grow up and move on. "I wanted to leave it really general," Underwood says. "So it could be, you know, even if your mom is kind of letting you go, not to a man specifically, but letting you go and God will take care of my daughter." Most importantly, the production is mellow enough that it allows Underwood to use her vocals to “feel” the lyrics instead of let them go full-blast like on some of the more up-tempos on the album. The three verses of “Temporary Home” utilize lyrics that help share Underwood’s faith and are a terrific storytelling journey in the process. The first depicts a 6-year-old boy in a foster home; the second, a single mother in a halfway house. In the final verse, a dying man is surrounded by family members in a hospital. And on "What Can I Say," Underwood brings in Sons of Sylvia (formerly the Clark Brothers) for a duet. While they’re justifiably no match for Underwood’s vocals, the Clarks make a great partner and this radio-friendly song also marks one of the highlights on the album. Several songs from "Play On" will likely be successful radio hits. But overall, the album feels a bit uneven, somewhat odd and choppy without a clear style. Perhaps that is by design by the producers to reach the widest possible audience, but it kept this reviewer from being able to dig in to the album in any depth. Bottom line, Carrie Underwood is a truly gifted vocalist with an amazing range. The album could use some better material for her to work with, however.

Sounds Like:
Martina McBride & Shania Twain

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
Mama’s Song
Temporary Home
What Can I Say?

The Verdict:
Three Stars Out Of Five

TNS Video History- Shania Twain & Alison Krauss

Shania Twain performs with Alison Krauss and Union Station singing her song, “Forever And For Always.”