DISClaimer Single Reviews (1/5/11)

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Happy New Year.
What a great way to start 2011: There’s not a stinker in this stack of platters.
You’ll find two DisCovery Award contenders here, The Don Ray Band and our winners, Brother Slade. Both of them are Nashvillians, by the way.
Similarly, we have two pop veterans in attendance, Johnny Mathis and Johnny Rivers.
But the Disc of the Day has no companions. The Zac Brown Band stands alone in its greatness.
BROTHER SLADE/Tom Petty Song
Writer: Marc Christian; Producer: Marc Christian; Publisher: Brother Slade, SESAC; Sully Boy (traqck) (www.brotherslade.com)
—This winsome four-piece band is based south of Music City in Franklin. On its debut single, the group sports a jangling, jaunty sound that’s mighty fine. The rootsy, drawling, conversational vocals are just right for the down-home lyric. The album is called No Relation, and it’s recommended.
THE BAND PERRY/You Lie
Writer: Brian Henningsen/Chris Henningsen/Aaron Henningsen; Producer: Paul Worley; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/How Bout That Skyline/Cactus Moser, BMI; Republic Nashville
—This trio of siblings broke through with a tender ballad in 2010. The follow-up is a slab of sass. Don’t be misled by the acoustic mandolin intro—this little doggie bites with sharp teeth. Attitude with a capital A.
MIKE DEKLE/Ode To Bob Dylan
Writer: Mike Dekle; Producer: Byron Hill; Publisher: Square D, ASCAP; Parlay (track) (www.mikedekle.com)
—Dekle is a Georgia songwriter noted for “Scarlet Fever” (Kenny Rogers), “Don’t Love Make a Diamond Shine” (Tracy Byrd), “Size Matters” (Joe Nichols) and “A Day in the Life of a Fool” (George Jones, Keith Whitley, Mark Chesnutt). His new Nashville-produced album is called Tributes. He sings with great country “heart.” Despite his hillbilly grit, he says in this song that he was inspired to become a songwriter by Dylan, rather than Haggard. It’s totally cool that he “wanted to be Mr. Tambourine Man.”
ZAC BROWN BAND/Colder Weather
Writer: Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette/Levi Lowrey/Coy Bowles; Producer: Keith Stegall & Zac Brown; Publisher: Weimerhound/Lil’ Dub/Angelika/Southern Ground/Poppsolotamus, BMI; Atlantic (track)
—Zac sounds like a hillbilly James Taylor on this highly-melodic, folkie ballad. And, man, can his bandmates harmonize. Hang on to your hat when they get to the soaring midsection. I can’t get over how fantastic this group is. We are not worthy.
DON RAY BAND/On Top Of The Heap
Writer: Don Ray/Curt Ryle; Producer: Don Ray; Publisher: Margdon/Big Matador, BMI; Margdon (track) (www.donrayband.com)
—This Nashvillian has a growling, bluesy, bruiser delivery. On the title tune to his current CD, he is a working-class moaner with more than a little Southern-rock punch. For some grins, spin “Perfect Ten,” wherein he digs a fat chick to a rocking backbeat. “So Wicked” is voodoo swamper. “Boom Chika Wah Wah” and “Good Bad Boy” are irresistibly sexy. Heck, this whole album rawks. I bet these guys are great live.
JOHNNY RIVERS/New Home
Writer: Eric C. Bibb; Producer: Johnny Rivers & Oren Waters; Publisher: Bug, no performance rights listed; Soul City (www.johnnyrivers.com)
—This pop legend’s second country-leaning single is written by nouveau blues practitioner Eric Bibb (the son of folk star Leon Bibb), and that gives the lyric tremendous believability. Johnny has always enacted the poor boy effectively, and he continues that tradition here.
DANIELLE CAR/Walk Of Shame
Writer: Danielle Car; Producer: Chuck Alkazian & Danielle Car; Publisher: none listed; DC (track) (www.daniellecarmusic.com)
—I first encountered this Detroit country gal in last year’s Christmas column. It turns out that she also has a five-song EP that kicks off with this blistering, breakneck country rocker. Promising in the extreme.
JOHNNY MATHIS & ALISON KRAUSS/Let It Be Me
Writer: Gilbert Becaud/Mann Curtis; Producer: Fred Mollin; Publisher: France/Universal, ASCAP/SDRM; Columbia (track)
—This legendary crooner came to Nashville last year to make his latest CD. But despite the Music Row players and Music City repertoire (”Make the World Go Away,” “Crazy,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Please Help Me, I’m Falling,” “You Don’t Know Me” etc.), this is not an attempt at a “country” record. However, it is—as this string-embellished Everly Brothers remake perfectly illustrates—very, very pretty.
D.J. MILLER/A Little Naughty Is Nice
Writer: Charlie Black/Don Goodman/Robert Resnick; Producer: Morris, Goodman & Resnick; Publisher: none listed; Evegreen (615-327-3213)
—With its merry tempo and insistent guitar groove, it has the feel of a fun-ride Tilt-a-Whirl. Miller sings with verve and gusto while the track spins along.
PETE ANDERSON/Even Things Up
Writer: Pete Anderson; Producer: Pete Anderson, Michael Murphy & Tony Rambo; Publisher: Jessee Lee, BMI; Little Dog (track) (www.peteanderson.com)
—Guitar wonder and Dwight Yoakam hit producer Pete Anderson sings with a cool, sandpapery whisper on his current Even Things Up CD. The bluesy title tune has rumbling percussion and plenty of Pete-played harmonica and electric guitar. Music City’s Becca Bramlett is the esteemed guest lead vocalist on “Still in Love,” but otherwise this is Mr. Anderson’s showcase from top to bottom.

WSIX's New Morning Team

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Billy Greenwood and Karla Lawson


Billy Greenwood and Karla Lawson have taken over the morning shift at WSIX following the end of Gerry House’s long-running “House Foundation” show.
Their first day with the new gig was Jan. 3, 2011.
Lawson previously handled traffic duties for the “House Foundation.” She has 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, and has spent 15 years in broadcast radio.
Greenwood has been in radio for 20 years, and was nominated for R&R’s Personality of the Year in 2007. He was also a judge on USA Network’s Nashville Star in 2004.
Zak is on board as the show’s producer. Check out the show’s blog.
In other Gerry House news, expect details this week about an invitation-only roast of the DJ Hall of Fame inductee, set for Feb. 3.

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame New Board

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John Van Mol


The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF) has elected John Van Mol Chairman of the Foundation, and elected NaSHOF inductee Pat Alger, and veteran songwriter Steve Bogard to its 2011-12 Board of Directors.
Van Mol succeeds Roger Murrah who is stepping down after five years as Chairman.
NaSHOF Board officers:
Chair: John Van Mol, CEO, Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence
Vice Chair: Wayland Holyfield, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member
Treasurer: Pete Fisher, VP/GM, Grand Ole Opry, Gaylord Entertainment
Secretary: Layng Martine, Jr., songwriter
Also serving on the Board of Directors are: Mike Dye, Managing Partner, GroupXcel; Kye Fleming, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member; Becky Judd, Exec. Asst. to Mike Curb, Curb Records; Dr. Bethel Thomas, VP of University Advancement, Belmont University; Troy Tomlinson, Pres. and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Nashville; and Mike Vaden, Director, Decosimo/Vaden.
Ex-officio members serving on the board are entertainment attorney David L. Maddox as Counsel; and author/critic/MusicRow contributor Robert K. Oermann as Historian. Jeff Skillen is the board’s Director of Development, while NSAI’s Mark Ford serves as Manager of Affairs.

The Grascals Raise Awareness For Childhood Cancer

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The Grascals


Nashville’s music community is gathering in support of “I Am Strong,” a song raising awareness about childhood cancer. The song was written by The Grascals band member Jamie Johnson and his wife Susanne Mumpower-Johnson along with Jenee Fleenor after the group visited the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. One version of the song was recorded by The Grascals, with special guest Dolly Parton. Another version includes The Grascals, Parton, Randy Owen, Joe Nichols, Darryl Worley, Terri Clark, Charlie Daniels, Tom T. Hall, The Oak Ridge Boys and Steven Seagal.
A music video was directed by cancer survivor David Corlew of d. corlew films and is available below and at several online outlets. Clear Channel Digital and Citadel Digital are hosting the video on the homepage of all their country radio station websites.
Cracker Barrel is donating a percentage of the proceeds from The Grascals & Friends—Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Jenny & Ashley

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“Indescribable”
Tall Tree/Lofton Creek
Sister duo Jenny & Ashley is releasing its debut single, the effervescent “Indescribable.” The song, co-written by Ashley, was originally part of a demo collection that caught the eye of Lofton Creek Records chief Mike Borchetta. The new version was recorded by Tim McGraw co-producer Darran Smith.
The teenage sisters spent part of their childhood in Pleasanton, California, and got an early start on their entertainment careers by modeling for catalogs and acting in local commercials. The two followed their dreams to Los Angeles, where Ashley had commercial spots with Nintendo Wii and Jenny secured work with Disney, Nickelodeon, and Fox.
www.jennyandashley.com
[wpaudio url=”https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10195217/ja_idscrb.mp3″ text=”Jenny & Ashley – Indescribable” dl=”0″ autoplay=”1″]

Top Country Tours of 2010

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George Strait and Reba headlined one of the year's biggest country tours.


The biggest grossing tours in 2010 belonged to George Strait/Reba/Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
The Strait tour was the highest grossing North American country tour in 2010, according to Pollstar’s year-end chart. Grossing $41.6 million in box office receipts, the outing placed 14th on the all-genre Top 50 North American tours list (see full list containing agencies, ticket sales, number of dates).
Brad Paisley came in right behind the Strait package with $40.7 million, followed closely by Tim McGraw with $39 million, and Carrie Underwood with $38.8 million.
Other country stars on the top 50 include Taylor Swift ($34.2mm), Rascal Flatts ($28.4mm), Brooks & Dunn ($25.7mm), Toby Keith ($25.5mm) and Sugarland ($19mm).
Bon Jovi secured the No. 1 spot with $108 million.
Here are some of the Worldwide tour rankings: McGraw ($42.9mm), Paisley ($42.4mm), Strait/Reba ($41.6mm), and Swift ($40.4mm).
The magazine says box office grosses and ticket sales were down from 2009. The combined gross for the Top 50 North American tours in 2010 was $1.69 billion, down about 15% from last year. Total tickets sold was 26.2 million, a 12% decrease from 2009.

Recording Academy To Honor T Bone Burnett

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Producer T Bone Burnett will receive a salute from the Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy during Grammy Week. Titled “Shaken Rattled & Rolled,” the special event is part of the 10th Anniversary celebration of the P&E Wing. Grammy winners Elton John and Leon Russell (whose duet album The Union was produced by Burnett) will serve as honorary co-chairs of the gala, which will be held Wednesday, February 9 at The Village Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
“When the Producers & Engineers Wing was established, an essential voice was created for music makers: the voice of those ‘behind the glass’ that work so diligently to ensure that the quality and integrity of recorded music is captured and preserved,” says Recording Academy CEO/President Neil Portnow. “As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, it is only fitting that we pay tribute to one of our industry’s finest, T Bone Burnett, whose visionary talent and masterful skills have greatly impacted the landscape of audio production.”
Grammy Week ends with the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 13, airing live on CBS at 8/7 pm ET.

Toyota Adds Pandora

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Toyota's Entune telematics service integrates apps with the car's infotainment system. (Credit: CNET)


The Pandora “pandemic” may soon be rolling into a car near you!
Ford previously announced it would offer Pandora in connection with its SYNC platform.
Today, at CES in Las Vegas, Toyota revealed it will also roll with Pandora using its Entune multimedia system. The Toyota system will also reportedly engage users with other apps such as Bing, OpenTable, iheartradio and movietickets.com. Users only need to download an Entune app to their iPhone, Android or Blackberry and pair the phone via bluetooth with the car’s system. The individual apps are actually run by the Entune server.
Toyota plans to unveil the new functionality later this year.

ACM Showcase Teams With Opry, GAC

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Luke Bryan


The ACM Showcase, an evening dedicated to the newcomer nominees for the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, is set for Tues., Jan. 18 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The event is open to fans and will take place as a special Grand Ole Opry performance, which is set to air on GAC.
Reigning ACM Top New Artist Luke Bryan will host the event featuring Top New Solo Vocalist nominees Eric Church, Randy Houser and Easton Corbin; and Top New Vocal Duo or Group nominees The Band Perry, the JaneDear girls and Steel Magnolia.
This special will air at 10:00PM EST on Thursday, January 27 on GAC and will kick off fan voting for these categories at VoteACM.com. Voting will close on Thursday, February 24 at 12noon EST. The winner in each category will be announced in March and those artists will move on to compete for Top New Artist, which will be announced during the 46th Annual ACM Awards broadcast on April 3, 2011 on CBS.
The complete list of nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in February.
ACM Showcase tickets are available to the public beginning today (12/4) at opry.com or by calling 1-800-SEE-OPRY.

Pickler Weds…More Artist News

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Kellie Pickler and Kyle Jacobs


Kellie Pickler and songwriter Kyle Jacobs were married in an intimate ceremony on Saturday, January 1, 2011 on a private island in the Caribbean.
Nicole Kidman will appear at The Belcourt Theatre for a screening of her new film Rabbit Hole, and participate in a post-screening discussion moderated by WSMV anchor and filmmaker Demetria Kalodimos on Sat., Jan. 8 at 3:00 pm.

LeAnn Rimes has announced her engagement to actor Eddie Cibrian.
UMPG Nashville songwriter Lori McKenna is planning the Jan. 25 release of her new album Lorraine. The hit songwriter has recent cuts by Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Faith Hill, LeAnne Rimes, Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood.
Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” has become his ninth Certified Gold Single.
Bill Anderson has signed with Nick Meinema of The Agency Group for exclusive worldwide booking representation. Meinema has been Anderson’s exclusive agent throughout Canada since 2007. He may be contacted at [email protected] or (416) 368-5599.
Columbia/Legacy is planning the Feb. 22 release of Johnny Cash’s From Memphis To Hollywood, a double album featuring previously unreleased demos, live radio recordings, non-album singles and B-sides. The tracks are from Cash’s early career in the 1950s and ‘60s, including time at Sun Records and Columbia Records.
Joe Diffie has written a cookbook called Homecoming, The Diffie Family Cookbook. It is available on Amazon and www.joediffie.com.
Paramore members Josh Farro and Zac Farro have left the band. Remaining on board are lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York.