NashvilleGab - Country music news and Nashville celebrity gossip

Curb Records loses another country artist

Curb Records has to have set some sort of a record for losing artists in recent years. 

The newest artist to have high-tailed it from the label is Jo Dee Messina who recently told Chicago Now that she and her long-time label have parted ways and that she couldn't be happier about it. 

"I’m recently… free!  You’re like the first person I’ve actually told that to.  Just say I… how do I put it… I’ve completed my contract with the label." Jo Dee says.

She goes on to say the reason for her happiness is that she's spent basically 18 years fighting to release the music that she wants. 

"For me, my fans just want to hear the music.  Do you know what I mean?  They just want to be able to get it.  And it’s been such a struggle for the last... eighteen years.  I signed when I got out of high school.  So for eighteen years I’ve been just kind of struggling with the label and having them release stuff or not release stuff.  Now, we’re pretty much just free to do whatever we want with this new project so I’m very excited." 

Now that Jo Dee's free, she says she will be releasing a new album in 2013 on a new record label that she didn't mention the name of. 

Her first single from the new album will come in January and according to her interview will be A Woman's Rant, a song she's been singing in concert for a while now. 

I don't know about you, but I'm definitely ready to hear new music from Jo Dee. 

(Saving Country Music)

Jo Dee Messina releases the best Christmas song of the season

Photo courtesy Fumbling Mom

Everyone's currently releasing holiday songs to help fans get in the Christmas mood, but Jo Dee Messina has just released the best song I've heard so far ... 12 Christmas Dreads. 

Jo Dee posted the new song (video below) to her blog on Babble.com and it definitely made me smile. 

After cleaning up my sons toys, my husband and I reminded each other that, it’s only going to get worst. Christmas is coming which means there will be things added to the already unmanageable mess. New toys, clothes, household items, etc.  That was the inspiration to this song.

My mother is in her 80′s and livess on our property.  She stays up all night watching TV and every now and then, we get packages from the latest infomercial or special being run on QVC.  At Christmas, these deliveries become more frequent and whatever it is, winds up under our tree.

Now that we have kids my husband and I hold our breath when gifts are being open.  Though well intended, some gifts are a nightmare. Ex: The keyboard / mix station my Dad got our 3 year old. This thing is so loud and makes so many noises – Oh, and it never turns off. 

All this to say, I wrote a song for this upcoming Holiday season. All the Moms out there, I know, can relate.  Please enjoy the 12 “Dreads” of Christmas. 

I don't know about you but I'd probably be pretty stoked to find a few of those things Jo Dee's mom bought off the T.V. under the tree, but maybe that's just me.  

Jo Dee Messina is kind of not a fan of Chris Young

Well tell us how you really feel, Jo Dee. 

Hahahaha. 

I love some good drama and this pretty well fits the bill. 

Jo Dee Messina posted a sweet little note regarding Chris Young to her Twitter today that said:

OMG! Just saw @ChrisYoungMusic. He was ugly, arrogant and rude. Really country radio? This guys an ass

There's no word on where Jo Dee caught up with Chris (although both were in L.A. yesterday) and Chris never responded to Jo Dee's tweet, so I guess we'll probably never know. 

Jo Dee Messina tweets some happy baby news

Photo via People/Krista Lee Photography

Yay, baby news!  

Jo Dee Messina announced her second pregnancy today in the most 2011 way possible.... she tweeted it. 

Our family is very excited. In a few months, Chris, Noah and I will be welcoming BABY #2 :-) !!!

The newest edition will join BIG brother Noah Roger who was born January 19, 2009, Jo Dee, and husband of 4 years Chris.  

Congrats to the happy and growing family.  

Note: Yes, I got the big brother part right this time in case you remember the whole John Rich baby uprising a while back.  :o)

Jo Dee Messina signs up to sell the WD-40 line of cleaners no one knew existed

Jo Dee Messina photo via Facebook

When I think of WD-40 I think of the mystery stuff in the yellow and blue can that I don't really have a clue what it's original purpose was, but I do know that it's got a whole bunch of uses that it was probably never intended for (check out some uses here).

That and it was always in my Grandpa's tool box and under the kitchen sink in my own home growing up. 

Well apparently WD-40 isn't just the blue and yellow canned mystery liquid you know and maybe love, the company actually has an entire arsenal of cleaning products that we all probably use.  I'm thinking it's probably this lack of product recognition that WD-40 is trying to fix by hiring celebrity spokesperson Jo Dee Messina. 

All Access Music is reporting that Jo Dee has partnered with WD-40 for a marketing campaign called Unmistakably Clean.  The accompanying Facebook page and website (I'm assuming it will be here) will have videos featuring Jo Dee as well as contests, including one which will have the winner flying to Nashville to meet Jo Dee and then appearing in an advertising campaign with her.   

Jo Dee says, “I love entertaining, so I need products that allow me to clean my home quickly, easily and thoroughly – especially when trying to keep up with my son.  Spot Shot, 2000 Flushes, x-14, and Carpet Fresh help me keep all areas of my home clean, including the kitchen, carpets, bathrooms, bedrooms and patio furniture, and because the products are so effective they significantly reduce the time I spend cleaning.”

2000 Flushes and Carpet Fresh are WD-40 family members, huh?  I guess Jo Dee's job here is done.  

Jo Dee Messina talks with CNN about Nashville floods

Jo Dee Messina's in love

 Yep, Jo Dee's in love with her son, Noah.  Awww.

Jo Dee Messina is this month's celebrity mom over on Nashville Parent.com and so gives a short interview to the magazine. 

My favorite question of the bunch? 

Q. Do you want more children?
A. Ask me after I lose this baby weight!

Funny.  Check out the rest of the interview here.

God mocks Jo Dee Messina, and she's okay with that

Jo Dee Messina recently chatted with Ok! magazine and talked about how she had to deal with her 2004 broken engagement to Don Muzquiz before she could get to the happy place she is today.

Jo Dee tells the mag, “At the time it was devastating,” she says. “When I met my husband, I could hear God snickering up there going ‘see what I had planned for you?’ [laughs] But at the time, yeah. That was nine years of my life. That’s a big chunk of somebody’s lifetime that I was with that person, and you kind of have to relive again. That’s why I say ‘just keep breathing,’ because everything’s going to be new. Figure your way through it.”

Jo Dee also gives us a proud-parent update of how son, Noah, is doing, “He is almost walking,” she says. “He will put his hand on stuff, and take a few steps. If he wants to get there fast, he drops to his knees and crawls because he can crawl at light speed. He’s got his two bottom teeth and his two top teeth, so he can take a bite off of the graham crackers. And he laughs all the time. I get him out of his crib first thing in the morning, and there he is – huge smile. He’s a very happy soul, which is a blessing.”

Awww.  Jo Dee's new album, Unmistakable, will be in stores April 13.

Jo Dee Messina talks about her newest single

Jo Dee discusses her newest single That's God.  Here's the press release telling all the info about the song....

Multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated country singer/songwriter JO DEE MESSINA will release her new single “That’s God” January 19 with her first new CD in five years--UNMISTAKABLE--due this spring via Curb.  Having debuted the song on her fall 2009 tour to wildly enthusiastic response, JO DEE has now made the whole song available for streaming at her website where she has also posted a candid and emotional interview about the writing of the song: http://www.jodeemessina.com/index.splash.php?file=JDMTG-Radio.

And fans are reacting strongly to the melodically rich song, posting their sentiments on her site:

  “If only people could and would try to see the world through the eyes of a child.”

 “It touches everybody!  Some of us go through tougher times than others, and songs like this help!”

 “I know what you mean about seeing God in the smallest of things.  I see Him every day in the faces of my grandchildren…your song brought me to tears as I sat at my computer with my eyes closed and just contemplated on how beautiful it was.”

JO DEE wrote “That’s God”--a song that she delivers in her signature soaring voice--with keyboardist Brent Rader after having an epiphany while taking her son on a walk at a majestic tour stop in Canada.

“That song really is my soul on a page,” says JO DEE.  “My son Noah was five months old at the time, and we were walking down this path and could see this snow-capped mountain that was enormous, but you felt like you could just reach out and touch it.  I looked at my son and that mountain and said, ‘That’s God.’”  That night on stage, she told the story to the audience and afterwards, Rader suggested they put that moment and feeling to song, which contains such lyrics as: “Have you ever heard a song that reached inside your soul/It says what you can't say, let’s you know you're not alone/You find the inspiration to keep on holding on/That's God.”

Stay tuned for information about JO DEE’s upcoming tour to support UNMISTAKABLE, which marks her fifth studio album and one that she co-produced for the first time. Since breaking onto the music scene in 1996, JO DEE has scored nine #1 country singles, sold over five million records, received two Grammy nominations and received various CMA and ACM awards.  Her many hits include “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” “Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright,” “Stand Beside Me,” “That’s The Way” and “Bring On The Rain” (a duet with Tim McGraw). 

 

For more information, check out JO DEE online:

www.jodeemessina.com/

www.myspace.com/jodeemessina

www.facebook.com/jodeemessina

www.twitter.com/jodeemessina

Jo Dee Messina raises some cash and sings with the kids and one Gab correspondent was there

Jo Dee Messina performed this last Saturday in Nashville to benefit the Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation and helped to raise over $30,000 for the nonprofit organization. 

Jo Dee performed two concerts alongside youth and children's choirs at the Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville with 3000 fans in the audience along with 1200 who watched the concert live on the computer.  I was lucky enough to be given tickets to pass on to one of my correspondents, Dianna, who sent along a short review and a couple pictures. 

Sounds like it was a fun time all around....

Here is my review of the Jo Dee Messina Christmas Concert 2009 benefiting Harvest Hands at the Brentwood United Methodist Church. 

In the largest Sanctuary I have ever been in we got to hear young members of the church as opening acts.  Molly Wells, Dylan Taylor, Alexandria Maddox, Jeff Woods and Christen Cole.  They were awesome most did original songs, to hear such great voices from young people.  Molly was just 12 years old.  I bet we hear that name again.

Rev. Brian Hicks came out and told us about Harvest Hands, they moved into a neighborhood in South Nashville, TN and started making a difference.  They explained how the church bought a crack house to get it out of the neighborhood.  http://harvesthandscdc.com/

Jo Dee came out wearing a black sweater dress and leggings.  She sang all the songs off her Christmas Album “A Joyful Noise”.
 
Let it Snow
Silverbells
The Christmas Song
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Winter Wonderland
Sleigh Ride
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
What Child is This
Oh Holy Night
 A Joyful Noise
Keep the Faith
 
She sang at various times with different choirs from the church.  It was wonderful that young people were given that experience.  I really loved Keep the Faith she said she had wrote it.