NashvilleGab - Country music news and Nashville celebrity gossip

Pistol Annies Are Back With Explosive New ‘Hush Hush’

I’m a big fan of the Pistol Annies, and absolutely adore their 2011 release ‘Hell On Heels’. So expectations for me (and countless others) were high when going to listen to their first single from new album ‘Annie Up’ (which drops May 7^th). ‘Hush Hush’ is like nothing I would have expected, but I love a band that keeps me guessing. At the heart of things it is 12-bar blues, with punchy overdriven guitar driving the song, and giving the girls a huge heaping of energy. The drums are also hard-hitting, rough and unpolished, and remind me of much of Miranda’s solo recordings, as well as a wealth of blues rock from the 1970s. That doesn’t hinder the twang, however, as you couldn’t find a more country melody on the airwaves right now, and the solo is akin to some of Brad Paisley’s.

Lyrically, it is a masterpiece. Telling the honest truth of so many families across the US and globally, the chorus runs “hush hush don’t you dare say a word, hush hush don’t you know the truth hurts, hush hush when push comes to shove, it’s best to keep it hush hush”. That tendency we all know too well to try and keep quiet all the little embarrassing secrets and the elephant in the room, to save face in front of company. It reminds me somewhat of Miranda’s latest single ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ in this respect, particularly the bridge, “hide your tattoo, put on your Sunday best, pretend you’re not a mess, be the happy family in the front pew”. I’m sure we can all relate to this in some way, and when considering this I realized there’s really very few songs about right now on the truths of life in this way. In the same way observational comedy finds a common occurrence and pokes fun at it for our own realization and enjoyment. I think that is one of country music’s best traits and one that it is sorely neglecting of this moment in time.

Certain lyrics such as “well cheers to the vodka mama’s been sneaking, let’s all gather around and pray” are definitely amusing, and very visual, and pulls back the curtain on the secret mess of the ‘perfect’ suburban family. The main narrative focuses around a family Christmas gathering with significantly a brother returning from rehab, and the numerous other demons that accompany the various members of the family. I like it’s attention to one storyline yet towards the end incorporating a number of other examples, and ultimately delivering the message that we should ‘let it all hang out’ so to speak.

Sound advice, and a strong track, that is bound to see the girls some success. It is not their best work, but it’s witty, intelligent, and hugely singalong, with a catchy chorus that could easily become an earworm. I can’t wait to hear more.

‘Annie Up’, the Pistol Annies’ sophomore record, will be released May 7^th.

You can listen to ‘Hush Hush’ here:

 

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

Lady Antebellum’s ‘Downtown’ – Funny or Just Random Ridiculousness? – Video Review

The music video for ‘Downtown’, begins with a somewhat amusing 2 minute conversation (which is actually acted really well in my opinion, the naturalness of it is impressive for people who aren’t actors), in which Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood accuse frontwoman Hillary Scott of not being able to have fun. There’s some implications that it’s because she’s a woman, who enjoys watching romantic comedies and sitting in, while they’re going out on the town for yet another night in a row. Hillary wants to come, the boys leave without her. She then calls Beth Behrs (star of 2 Broke Girls), who is pitched as some crazy wildchild, and asks her for some help having fun. Apparently she wants to get arrested (I never saw that as a great end to a night out, but maybe that’s just me), and Beth is really excited by the prospect.

This whole scenario is played out well and really builds the video up to be something, fun, hilarious and crazy, a reflection of our fantasy night out that we bring up as an anecdote for years to come. Unfortunately, the whole thing quickly falls flat for me. Out of the blue Charles and Dave are suddenly playing two brand new characters, incompetent donut-loving policemen (well there’s a stereotype for you), that are never really introduced into the context of the video. Then there’s the fiasco of Hillary dressing up like a punk rocker – really? It’s not been done to look ‘cool’, it goes past that and begins to be oddly comical, especially compared to Beth’s very normal looking appearance for their night out. Girls co-ordinate; first, very basic, rule.

The first thing the girls do is go to a clothing store and Beth is very open about her shoplifting. When they get caught (who was expecting that?), they run from the store, dropping the stuff that was stolen. It seems a bizarre thing to throw in, but hey. My main issue with their scenes is the very obvious, cartoonish way of moving and acting, the excessively wide eyes and maybe it’s supposed to be funny, but it just doesn’t sit well with me. The policemen are dreaming about being in a cop show, the girls shoplift more, then go to a bar and do shots. Hillary looks terrified of this shot and pours it away, pretending she drank it. I know she’s supposed to be a good girl, but even good girls do shots (I speak from experience here). But okay, fair enough, they’re trying to push the nature of the character, wanting to break out of her shell but just not being able to.

The girls try to annoy the policemen, who just wave them away until finally Hillary gets annoyed that they’re taking no notice and smashes the police car window with a bar stool that just happens to be hanging around. Then they get arrested, Hillary is freaked out and a drunk Beth is loving it and just generally being drunk. I realize the video is meant to be funny, but to me it just isn’t. The characters of Dave and Charles just being themselves disappear from the narrative despite the implication that Hillary will go to impress them and show them she can have fun. The outfit is ridiculous. The policemen characters are over-the-top and too clichéd. The plot itself disappoints, as apart from attempting petty theft, committing final actual crime, and drinking one shot, nothing actually happens on this ‘crazy’ night out.

And last time I checked, it doesn’t have any correlation to the song or any concept of ‘Downtown’. Sorry, I wanted to like this, but I just really, really don’t.

You can watch the video for 'Downtown' here:

 

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

Ashley Monroe’s ‘Like A Rose’ Makes For A Visually Appealing Video – Review

The video for Ashley Monroe’s ‘Like A Rose’ has been a long time coming. The single originally turned up on YouTube on November 1^st, 2012, but it wasn’t until 4 months later that the video was released, and I was starting to think with the imminent release of Ashley’s album of the same name, that they’d forgotten about providing visual accompaniment for the video.

I was wrong, and I’m glad. It’s not my preferred style of video, I usually like the more plot-driven narratives, but they’ve clearly put a lot of time and effort into visual aesthetics; it just looks pretty. The video is made up of 101 shots of Ashley in various outfits, places, and doing different things, ranging from staring out the window of a traveling bus, sitting on the front porch, playing guitar, swinging back and forth on a swing (indoors, strangely), and throwing rose petals everywhere. You can tell that expensive equipment has been used in order to put across the ‘arty’ ethos, that is evident in some of the blurry shots, strange angles (deliberately ‘amateur’ real-life style), and playing around with zoom and foreground/background focus. Outfit-wise there’s plenty of reds, pinks and general pastels (the rose theme), and chiffon (who doesn’t like to look at chiffon? Maybe just me). It’s gentle, slow-moving and feminine, sort of building upon the idea of Ashley traveling on the bus to a certain anonymous destination with her guitar.

This is the best stab at a plot that we have, vaguely aiming to satisfy the journey of the song whilst remaining pretty ambiguous. It’s certainly different to the rest of mainstream country videos at the moment, and encourages a serene frame of mind, but other than that there’s not a lot I can say. I’m interested to see what other kind of videos Ashley comes up with for new singles in the future, as this one didn’t quite satisfy my appetite, but equally the song is one which is probably difficult to direct a music video for.

Hopefully now she’s finally released the album, we can expect the announcement of a new single from Ashley in the coming weeks.

You can watch the video for ‘Like A Rose’ here:

 

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

Miranda Lambert Gets Self-Destructive In ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ – Video Review

This video is built upon the very simple premise of ‘pretty rich woman goes mental whilst trying to retain her dignity’. It’s one bound for success; how many network dramas show us rich people’s lives falling apart? We love to see behind the oh-so-perfect mask. That’s exactly what this video does, and is some of Miranda’s best work. From the 60s beehive hairdo and eyeliner flick, to the well-to-do Southern housewife outfits, you could mistake this video for being about high society, if you didn’t already know the content of the song.

However, interspersed with the nature of glamour and fabulous are the snappy shots of a heartbreak as a make-up smudged, messed-up hair, snarling Miranda enacts the lyrics as they appear in the song. We watch the transformation of her into a sexy lace basque and trying to keep it together while she necks whiskey in her pristine bedroom. In addition, from the second verse onwards we have shots of Miranda lying in a bath (more gorgeous clothes) and smoking, as well as a dinnertable scene, stabbing her food to death with a hysterical crazy expression on her face. The gusto she puts into the emotion and crazy-woman anger of the whole video is fantastic, and her best acting on screen to date. The editing is also flawless, with plenty of quick shots that match the rhythm of the song, showing you the schizophrenic nature of this character, and the differences between what she is attempting to project to the world, and what she is feeling inside. It’s an interesting character study apart from anything else, and gives us a juicy reminder that those perfect rich people we so envy, are, somewhat satisfyingly, going insane inside their little world (maybe that’s just me loving that?).

‘You Ain’t Dolly (And You Ain’t Porter)’ Ashley Monroe and Blake Shelton With A Little Country Relief – Review

I’m not sure whether this song is intended to be Ashley’s follow-up to ‘Like A Rose’, but I can certainly see it being a single at some point if not the next one to be released. The song, as the title suggests, is a tribute to the greatness of Dolly Parton and the late Porter Wagoner, who played a huge part in launching Dolly’s legendary career through his equally legendary nationally syndicated television show. Their seven years of duets won several CMA Awards and they had many chart-topping hits, before Dolly decided to leave and explore her opportunities outside Porter’s TV show.

So who better to sing about when it comes to a tongue-in-cheek duet song, that brings the song’s characters back down to reality, with great lines such as “she’s a little bit fuller, and you’re a whole lot shorter” and “I’m the reigning queen of... karaoke night”. It’s an amusing storyline that any couple can sing to each other (perhaps drunkenly), and have a good laugh, acknowledging their wishes to be the great Dolly and Porter, but also seeing where they fall very short. I think, despite his recent comments about ‘old farts and jackasses’, Blake was actually a great choice to sing with on this one. He delivers it well, with a cheeky smirk that really puts his parts across well, his sense of humor being his most famous (infamous?) personality trait.

The song is simple, both lyrically and musically, and retains the same musical grounding most of the way through, harking straight back to the sound and era that Dolly and Porter were singing in, late Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan. In fact, apart from obviously sounding a lot cleaner than the older recordings, it could well have come from that era, and I was impressed with the ambition to keep the song firmly within that era without an attempt to ‘modernize’. Characterized by a twangy electric guitar sound (of course!), and a smooth but dynamic fiddle line joining the guitar solo, with plonky piano filling in the verses. It does seem strange that Blake would choose to sing this kind of song after the comments he made, and perhaps I would go as far as to say hypocritical, considering his claim “nobody wants to listen to their grandpa’s music”. Well, this IS people’s grandpa’s music now, just about. So why would you make a recording you don’t think anybody wants to listen to?

Ashley’s performance is, of course, flawless, and at times her floaty tremolo reminds me of Dolly, with Blake although perhaps falling short of the great Porter, at least having the same tone of voice. Perhaps that’s why it works so well, in my opinion.

I really hope this gets released as a single, as I think country radio could do with a healthy dose of traditionalism, and the ‘kidz on the street’ these days could get a taste of what great country music sounds like. After all, I started off listening to Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood when I was young, and now I love this, so perhaps exposure is key to knocking some country sense into people and showing them what’s out there. As a huge Dolly fan myself, I love this song. It’s great fun and a wonderful tribute that I’m sure if Dolly has heard she approves of.

You can pre-order Ashley Monroe’s new album ‘Like A Rose’ here (released tomorrow, March 5) and you can listen to ‘You Ain’t Dolly (And You Ain’t Porter) with Blake Shelton here:

 

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com

The Band Perry Are Not ‘Done’ With Sassy – Review

Surrounding their debut album, my view of The Band Perry was that of sweet, but boring. There’s nothing really else I could have said, until they released ‘Better Dig Two’, and suddenly my ears pricked up. ‘Done’ continues where ‘Better Dig Two’ left off, a feisty, sassy, angry rant at a terrible boyfriend, now ex. It sounds like the kind of thing Taylor Swift should have gone on to do where instead she went to record Fearless.

Here rhythm is the predominating force, the punchy guitars jumping in and out of Kimberly Perry’s expertly-articulated vocals, that positively bounce. The lyrical phrasing is a key contributor to this, and the chorus in particular showcases the dynamic interplay of rhythms. “Mama always told me that I should play nice, she didn’t know you when she gave me that advice, I’m through with you” is the section I’m talking about here. Clearly a lot of work has gone into making it perfect, and it pays off.

I had to listen carefully, but there does seem to be both a banjo and a fiddle. However, they’re very low in the mix, and perhaps they could have been brought out more to reassure us TBP are not going to slyly migrate over to pop radio (although I could see this being moderately successful in the format). The song still works as it is despite this, and as I look out my window and see the sun glowing on the tarmac, I realize how appropriate this song is as we move into Spring/Summer. We need something that will kick us in the shins and pour tequila down our throats and by that token ‘Done’ doesn’t disappoint. Perhaps the fiddle solo is more ‘metal’ than was required, but the desired effect is achieved and this will certainly stand out amongst its competitors for the biggest summer tune.

The break-up lyrics, instead of looking back on a relationship that has already ended and feeling bitter, orchestrates the exact moment the narrator is dumping the boyfriend. This makes for the angry, frustrated pent-up of emotions characteristic of this situation, and is very visual, especially with Kimberly’s fantastic grunts and final ‘UGH’, during which the music completely stops to allow maximum impact, before kicking in again. It’s very easy to imagine the video for such a song, and this final play-out provides a mental montage of Kimberly strutting away from her horrible ex in true scorned five-inch-heels style. I’ll be honest and say I don’t think it would work without everything she brings to the song, the sheer attitude really putting across its meaning and forcing you to feel the same way.

I for one am loving this heavier, darker, and sassier side to The Band Perry, and Kimberly certainly seems to have come out of her shell for it. And do you know what, she looks damn good on it.

Album ‘Pioneer’ drops April 2. Pre-order it on Amazon here, iTunes pre-order to come soon. You can listen to ‘Done’ here:

 

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

Brad Paisley releases second (and better) installment of new album with ‘Beat This Summer’ – Single Review

If there’s one thing you need to know about this song, it’s beautiful chaos. I’d like to just leave it there, but perhaps I should explain my position. As soon as the song began, I immediately started dancing (resistance is futile), and the initial melody, imitated in Brad’s vocal, is SO catchy, it puts all those catchy country/pop tunes to shame (I’m struggling to stop dancing along to write this review, in fact). Not that this is country/pop however, there are still remnants of Brad’s signature style with the bluesy distorted guitar solo which is so characteristic of his recordings. It appears a little more erratic than normal, however, and that is a pretty apt description for the rest of this track.

There is too much going on in the mix for me to give a kind of laundry list like I usually do with a single, but the interplay between the electric guitar riff and the plucky banjo loop, that fills the intro and underlies the rest of the song is flawless, and that’s what makes the song so addictive, fundamentally. I’m no aural genius, but to my ear the four chords that are used sound pretty basic (which is more than can be said for some of Brad’s tracks... C# minor anyone?), which is makes it all the more amazing that he can make the song sound so interesting, and, on one level, a bit radical. There is so much contrapuntal going on (lots of different melody lines and sonic tidbits playing at the same time), that I’m shocked they’ve been able to make it work. It’s true, there are times where it feels like certain parts are clashing harmonically, but it’s enough to be creative without moving into the realms of bad music.

Eric Church ‘Like Jesus Does’ Single & Video Review

The fifth (and I’m guessing final) single from Eric Church’s award-winning (and chart staying – still #10 this week) 2011 release ‘Chief’ is ‘Like Jesus Does’. I was surprised to hear this as it’s not the most commercial song in the world, being a quiet ballad that doesn’t try to intrude upon your life if you don’t want it too. It’s easily ignored.

But that’s almost the beauty of it. Previously, the other singles from ‘Chief’ have been fairly upbeat and rock-infused, for example ‘Drink In My Hand’, ‘Creepin’’ and ‘Homeboy’. ‘Springsteen’ is perhaps an exception at times but the chorus sells it on a mass scale. ‘Like Jesus Does’ however, waits for you to come to it – it doesn’t shout you down and demand attention. In this way it intrigues me more, because its understated nature is perfect for the deep and thoughtful lyrics. It is a song of thanks, essentially; of how the narrator’s wife/partner loves him so unconditionally it is almost akin to the love Jesus has for him. That’s a powerful metaphor for love if ever I saw it. It doesn’t get bigger than that.

As I watched the new video for it on YouTube, I read the usually juvenile comments that actually raised an interesting point. People were pointing out their religious beliefs in reference to the song, for example atheists saying that they still loved the song despite not believing in Jesus. And I think that’s a valid point. From the title one would assume that it is a spiritual song, but it rather is a commentary on true love, and even if someone does not believe in Jesus, they can appreciate the sentiment with just a casual knowledge of the basics of Christianity. It is universal songs like this that are often the most successful.

‘Pirate Flag’ by Kenny Chesney Provides Intrigue For The Album – Single & Video Review

There has been much hype around this song, claiming it will begin Kenny’s move to a different terrain musically, and that the album will follow that. However, when I first listened to the track, I find it a bit odd and confusing.

The track begins with a quiet, unobtrusive organ melody, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s made the mistake of trying to turn it up to full volume due to this. Handclaps and a nicely strummed mandolin jump in, and it sounds quite nice, quite sweet. At this point I was totally thrown off base by a subtle key change in the music that happens mere milliseconds before Kenny comes in with the vocals, that are in line with this sudden key change, in a kind of pitched melodic rapping. To add to the confusion, the sweetness of the instruments already in the mix are added to by a heavier drum beat and some snappy muted distorted guitar, just hitting the bassier strings. The two ends of the sonic spectrum clashing plus this rapping in a key that to me doesn’t automatically fit with the key of the music, makes it rather a melting pot. The heavier guitar part becomes more prominent as the song progresses, and then we have its saving grace: the chorus.

The chorus launches in full pelt with the kind of country rock from Kenny that we’re more used to hearing and the melody and key parts that originally confused me begin to make a lot more sense. The chorus links the whole song together and without it I’m not sure it would work, as after that the second verse etc feels a lot easier on my ears. I can see Kenny’s trying to go for something different and off-base as country music does tend to stick to the familiar, traditional keys and melodies. Perhaps that’s why it feels a little uncomfortable to me – I’m so used to hearing what I’m expecting and what is ‘familiar’, that anything different sets me on edge. I think this one is a grower, and definitely the more I hear it the more I get used to it.

Sarah Darling ‘Home To Me EP’ Review

Sarah Darling has been on the map for a few years but according to Wikipedia (not the most reliable source I know) the single ‘Home To Me’ has been her first entry on the chart. It seemed fitting, then, that I take this opportunity to introduce myself to her music through her brand new EP of the same name.

‘Home To Me’, the lead off single and title track of the EP, is a country/pop love song using that well-known tactic of country ‘buzzwords’ to get on country radio and find a way in to the romantic metaphorical lyrics 14-year-old girls post on Tumblr. This time these ‘buzzwords’ are the names of states, comparing certain aspects of the narrator’s lover to these states, I guess creating various symbolisms and connecting to fans living in those states. Yet, to Sarah, her lover feels like ‘home’ to her, and maybe she’s saying each of these states are home to her because they’re all part of the South. Either way, it doesn’t convince me that this is a country song. Musically we have a banjo underlying throughout the whole song and a vague steel guitar, as if this is another injection of country to what is frankly, a rather pop-sounding song, totally reminiscent of both the pop and country charts in the early noughties. The non-gender-specific harmonies are taken straight from this period too, in addition to your typical soft electric guitar and drum unit, maracas guiding the verses. That’s not to say I don’t like the song, it reminds me of the music I loved when I was 14, and it will be hugely popular with that demographic. Vocally she reminds me a little of Kellie Pickler and generally it’s a sweet, nice song that is gentle on the ears and accompanies a sunny day quite satisfyingly, the chorused blues-ish guitar solo adding a slightly-out-of-place element to the song. However, it doesn’t kick me out of bed or make me sit up and listen.

I’m hopeful that the second track on the EP, ‘How Dare You’, will round out the image a bit and show me more to a singer who appears to finally be coming over the horizon this year. To be perfectly honest it feels a bit like more of the same. A classic singer/songwriter style pop song with banjos added, lyrics about being helpless in love, as you can probably imagine from the title. It’s well-sung, but a bit cliché, and the weird pop-style echoes on the title lyric don’t sit all too well for me. Having said that, I feel a bit harsh being negative about it, because it’s one of the least offensive songs I have ever listened to. It’s simply pleasant and teenage girls will lap it up.