It is time for the streaming services to provide more service.

Week after week, I get these tracks, devoid of songwriter, producer, publisher and sometimes even label credits. Back when the NSAI was formed, one of the organization’s early goals was to get record companies to include songwriter’s names on albums. It succeeded. Now perhaps it is time for a new campaign.

This week’s releases include two tunes from Hollywood actors that added some zip to the listening session. So did the debut single from Filmore, who wins the DisCovery Award.

There’s no denying that the Disc of the Day is the shattering, emotional “Redemption Day,” revived as a collaboration between the late Johnny Cash and its composer, Sheryl Crow.

LOCASH/One Big Country Song
Writers: Jesse Frasure/Ashley Gorley/Michael Hardy; Producers: Corey Crowder/Tyler Hubbard; Publishers: 2018 Songs of Roc Nation Music (BMI) admin by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Telemitry Rhythm House Music (BMI) admin by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Round Hill Songs II (ASCAP), Caleb’s College Fund (ASCAP) admin by Round Hill Songs II, Relative Music Group (BMI) admin by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing.; Wheelhouse/BBR
-Sounds like a weekend to me. Bop along.

TENILLE ARTS/Call You Names
Writers: Tenille Arts/ James T. Slater; Producers: Alex Kline; Publishers: none listed; Reviver
– Just in time for Mother’s Day, Tenille gives a lilting shout-out to her mom, citing her clashes as a kid and her appreciation as an adult. Imaginatively written and winsomely sung.

DAVID LEE MURPHY/No Zip Code
Writers: David Lee Murphy/Shane Minor/Jesse Murphy; Producers: Kenny Chesney/Buddy Cannon; Publishers:2015 Old Desperados, LLC / N2D Publishing Company, Inc. (Adm. By Carol Vincent and Associates, LLC) (ASCAP); Sony/ATV Tree Pub. / Code Six Charles Music (BMI); Murphy’s Pub, LLC (Adm. By Carol Vincent and Associates, LLC) (BMI); Reviver/Blue Chair
– A stomping, thumping dream of freedom with plenty of electric guitar. It’s a fantasy about living out in the middle of nowhere with no news from the outside world ever seeping in.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Southbound
Writers: Carrie Underwood/David Garcia/Josh Miller; Producers: David Garcia/Carrie Underwood; Publishers: Carrie-Okie/Universal/Brentwood Benson/D Soul/Capitol CMG/Jack 10/Songs of the Corn/Warner-Tamerlane, BMI/ASCAP; Capitol Nashville
– I don’t understand why you would “process” and auto-tune the vocals of a singer this good. The track sounds busy, and the song comes across as a generic party tune.

FILMORE/Slower
Writers: Filmore/Justin Ebach/Steven Dale Jones; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Curb
– Refreshingly different, with intimate, warm vocals and a crunchy production featuring banjo beats, echo effects, bouncy tempo, cool empty spaces and shuddering guitars. Forward-thinking country-pop.

CARTER WINTER/Before You
Writers: Carter Winter/John Gurney/Taylor Phillips; Producer: Noah Gordon; Publishers: Roc Nation/Lookout Music/Warner-Chappell; BMI; Average Joe’s
– He’s a really strong vocalist who shines in this acoustic setting. The romantic ballad should set female hearts a-flutter. Extremely promising.

THE CADILLAC THREE/Crackin’ Cold Ones With Boys
Writers: Jaren Johnston, Kelby Ray Caldwell, Neil Mason, Jefferson Brown, Benjamin Dunn, Chris Grainger, Brandon Wootten; Producer: Dann Huff; Publishers:2018 Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing / Songs For Buddy. All rights o/b/o Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing and Songs for Buddy administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219./ Lauren Leigh Music (ASCAP)./ Revelry Music / Mason Gannon Music / Kobalt Music Copyrights SARL (BMI). Administered by Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing./ Jefferson Brown (BMI)./ Benjamin Dunn./ Unique Dilemma Music (ASCAP)./ Brandon Wootten (ASCAP); Big Machine
– Solid, meat-and-potatoes rock music. With its rumbling backbeat, beer-soaked lyric and catchy hooks (dig that “aaahhh!” at the end), this could be country’s Song of the Summer.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND/This Is How It’s Done
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BMG
– I dig the neo Johnny Cash rockabilly groove. The “Young Guns”/”Designated Survivor”/”Lost Boys”/”24” actor has a cool, growly singing voice, and it sounds like this band really kicks ass, live. Good job, Mr. President.

DENNIS QUAID & THE SHARKS/Out Of The Box
Writers: none listed; Producers: Dennis Quaid & Jamie James; Publishers: none listed; Omnivore
– This is the title tune of the debut album by this “Day After Tomorrow”/”Footloose”/ “The Right Stuff”/”Far From Heaven”/”Breaking Away”/”Vantage Point”/”Frequency” actor. I still haven’t forgiven him for that horrendous job of portraying Jerry Lee Lewis in 1989’s Great Balls of Fire. But here he demonstrates that he is a more than passable roots rocker.

SHERYL CROW & JOHNNY CASH/Redemption Day
Writers: Sheryl Crow; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Warner/Chappell, BMI; Valory Music Co.
– Powerfully moving and spiritually haunting. A quietly devastating masterpiece. An anthem for our times, delivered by two titanic musical forces. It’s only a matter of time before this gifted woman joins Cash in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I know Johnny would be awfully proud and pleased with this collaboration. Also: Can we begin talking about a Video of the Year award for Shaun Silva?

MusicRow Magazine announces the expansion of its 31st Annual MusicRow Awards, set for an invitation-only gala at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium on June 26.

Tables with premium seating and individual seats can be purchased below.

Supporting Sponsor of the event is Vaden Group | Elliott Davis. Partner level sponsors include Ram Trucks and City National Bank. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Sherod Robertson at srobertson@musicrow.com or 615-499-5418.

The 2019 event also sees the expansion of new categories for MusicRow Subscribed Members to vote on. The Discovery Award, for the first time, recognizes top new developing artists. Male and Female Songwriter of the Year categories honor success during the eligibility period using data from MusicRow‘s Top Songwriter Chart to select nominees. Artist of the Year is an all-encompassing award to spotlight outstanding achievements by a Nashville artist. Additionally, MusicRow has added Label of the Year and Talent Agency of the Year.

Totaling 11 categories in all, other awards include Producer of the Year, Song of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer.

Nominees will be announced on May 13, 2019 and ballots will be emailed to MusicRow Subscribed Members on May 14, 2019.

Ballot Voting Period: May 14, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. CT – May 21, 2019 5:00 p.m. CT.

MusicRow will also honor the Top 10 Album All-Star Musicians Awards at the event, recognizing the studio players who played on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard’s Country Album Chart during the eligibility period. Honors will be presented for guitar, bass, drums, fiddle, keyboards, steel, vocals and engineer categories.

The historic War Memorial Auditorium, one of the early homes of the Grand Ole Opry and where U.S. Presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon have delivered speeches, was built in 1925 and remains one of Nashville’s most elegant and revered buildings.

MusicRow Subscribed Members will receive invites for complimentary balcony seating. Floor seating upgrades (both tables and individual seats) will be available exclusively using MusicRow‘s official checkout form below. Purchased tables include premium floor seating.

Full list of Award Categories:
CATEGORY 1—PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 2—LABEL OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 3—TALENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 4—BREAKTHROUGH SONGWRITER
CATEGORY 5—BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST-WRITER OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 6—MALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 7—FEMALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 8—SONG OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 9—DISCOVERY AWARD
CATEGORY 10—BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY 11—ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Purchase tables with premium seating or individual seats below:

MusicRow Awards Tickets

Table (10) $1,100.00 USDTicket (1) $75.00 USD

Sony Music Nashville artist Ryan Hurd stopped by the MusicRow offices on Wednesday (April 24) to play some new tunes and visit with old friends. In the midst of his first headlining tour, Hurd is seeing his breezy, romantic single, “To A T,” climb the charts.

After years of success as a songwriter, writing hit songs for Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley and more, Hurd is finally putting out music of his own. “I’m just going to play you songs that are on my own project, because I can actually do that now,” he quipped.

Hurd played his climbing “To A T” and “Michigan For The Winter,” as well as a yet-to-be recorded tune called “Wish For The World.” “This is the song that after we do all the songs, this is like my prayer to my audience before they go and do whatever else they’re going to do on a Friday night or Saturday night.” he said.

Hurd is set to record the song next month. “If I can make a wish for the world, everyone would say they’re sorry when they knew they were wrong, and if they don’t, we’d still forgive. If I can make a wish for the world, there would be more music,” the verses read.

Hurd is continuing working with long-time collaborative partner and friend, Aaron Eshuis, and has also began working with the hit-making Dann Huff.

“For me it’s about trust,” Hurd said. “I can call Aaron and say ‘This is wrong but I don’t know why,’ and he will say ‘I got you’ and go try to figure it out. Maybe with a different producer I wouldn’t be as brave, but I think if you’re making any kind of art, the trust part is very important.

“Dann is the most positive producer I’ve ever met,” he continued. “He gets the best out of every single person. I think we both learned so much about what it means between the difference in a good record and a great record. Without both of those dudes, I don’t feel like I would be making creative strides like I have been in the last year.”

Hurd also mentioned his gratitude to SiriusXM and The Highway, where he had three songs—”Diamonds Or Twine,” “To A T” and  “Michigan For The Winter”—hit No. 1 in 2018 on the Highway Hot 30 Countdown.

Hurd talked about his connection to MusicRow, knowing staff member Eric Parker since their college days at Belmont University. MusicRow‘s Sarah Skates wrote Hurd’s first bio.

“I got my first challenge coin right when y’all started doing that with The Swon Brother’s ‘Later On,'” Hurd said. “The only award we ever got from that tune was a Challenge Coin from MusicRow. I feel like I’m among friends which is really fun for me.”

In 2016, the duo High Valley released their debut album, Dear Life, which earned the duo a Gold-certified single with “Make You Mine,” as well as “She’s With Me,” which became the duo’s first Top 10 single.

Now, High Valley’s Brad and Curtis Rempel are back with new music–and a new album on the way.

“We are over halfway done with the new record and we are quite certain that by the end of the year it will be totally completed. But we are writing so many songs that we want to keep putting out new music,” Brad said during a recent visit to the MusicRow office. He estimates the duo has penned more than 100 songs while creating the upcoming album, set to release on Warner Music Nashville.

Following an acoustic rendition of “She’s With Me,” High Valley performed a new track, “Your Mama,” noting this was the second time they had ever performed the song.

“This song salutes our wives and it’s a great message to our kids at the same time,” said Curtis, whose family includes wife Myranda, son Ben (5) and daughter Millie June (2). Brad Rempel is husband to wife Rebekah and father to sons Drew (10) and Cash (7).

The duo’s new single, “Single Man,” penned by Brad Rempel alongside Derrick Southerland, and Jordan Schmidt, pulls from the same bluegrass sensibilities displayed on “Make You Mine,” while meshing them with a driving energy and earnest lyrics that praise family life. The song was penned following a redeye flight back to Nashville following a concert, as the duo balances songwriting, touring and making time for their families.

“We have a lot of red-eye flights,” Brad notes. “There were two Seattle gigs last year where we got offstage, went to the airport and flew to get back to Nashville for a 9 a.m. game the next morning. If you can get offstage and fly from Seattle to Nashville, that’s how the stars are really aligning…”

“But you can’t see them because your eyes are bloodshot,” Curtis interjected.

Last year, High Valley played 100 shows to over 500,000 fans, and already have several festival dates on the books through July.

 

The lineup for Breakaway Music Festival’s second year in Nashville on Oct. 11-12 has been announced. The Prime Social Group festival draws some of the most notable performers across hip-hop and EDM, and this year will feature performances from Future, Lil Baby, Kaskade, Zeds Dead, FISHER, Chris Lake, Bryce Vine, Ekali, Gashi, Shallou, Kid Quill, Emogee, Chris Jobe, and CVBZ. 

Platinum artist/Atlanta rapper Future will headline the hip-hop portion of the festival. The celebrated rapper has been dominating the charts for years, and his seventh album The Wizrd debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making it his sixth number one album in the US. EDM headliners include veteran DJ/renowned producer, Kaskade, best known for his new wave influences and uplifting, melodic productions that have helped shape the progressive house scene over the last decade including tracks like “Disarm You,” “I Remember,” “Never Sleep Alone,” and more. Toronto-based house/dubstep trailblazers Zeds Dead will also be headlining this year. The pair have had no shortage of heavy-hitting collaborations with the likes of Diplo, Pusha T, Illenium, Jauz, Jadakiss and more. Australia’s most popular export FISHER will also be joining them. The “Losing It” professional surfer turned DJ is sure to attract a wild crowd with his mischievous and energetic performance.