DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/26/11)

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Toby, Trace, Blake, Dolly, Merle and more—it’s all stars and no waiting in this week’s column.

Our Female Vocalist Disc of the Day goes to the indomitable Dolly Parton. Long may she sing. Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, Merle Haggard and our surprise winner, Billy Currington, vied for the Male Disc of the Day. Billy was the one who was smart enough to dip into the catalog of the late, great Harley Allen for his new single.

Owing to the glut of big-name record makers, there was, alas, no room for any worthy DisCovery Award.

TOBY KEITH/Red Solo Cup
Writer: Jim Beavers/Brett Beavers/Brad Warren/Brett Warren; Producer: Toby Keith; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Beavertime/BMG/Chestnut Barn/Chrysalis One/EMI Blackwood/StyleSonic, BMI; Show Dog (track)
—It’s sing-along drinking song with a spare banjo-guitar accompaniment. The recording sounds strikingly “live” and un-produced, and is therefore quite refreshing.

RODNEY ATKINS/He’s Mine
Writer: Casey Beathard/Phil O’Donnell/Tim James; Producer: Ted Hewitt & Rodney Atkins; Publisher: Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose/Sixteen Stars/Immokalee/Hodges House of Songwriters/Warner-Tamerlane/T-Bird’s, BMI; Curb (track)
—This, on the other hand, is totally compressed, auto-tuned and electro-produced within an inch of its life. The lyric has the Dad showing pride in his boy no matter what happens, good or bad.

KEITH URBAN/You Gonna Fly
Writer: Jaren Johnston/Chris Lucas/Preston Brust; Producer: Dann Huff & Keith Urban; Publisher: Sony-ATV Harmony/Texa Rae/Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Sony-ATV Tree, ASCAP/BMI; Capitol Nashville (track)
—The fourth single from Keith’s Get Closer collection is an upbeat, uplifting ode to escape and hope. His singing is super convincing, and the guitar solo blisters.

DOLLY PARTON/The Sacrifice
Writer: Dolly Parton; Producer: Kent Wells; Publisher: Velvet Apple, BMI; Dolly/Warner (track) (www.dollypartonmusic.net)
—The woman’s ongoing creativity is one of the wonders of our time. Five decades into her career, she is still writing and singing as powerfully as ever. This pulse-quickening little rocker is an autobiographical tale of how she willed herself to be a winner. And, boy, did she.

BILLY CURRINGTON/Like My Dog
Writer: Scotty Emerick/Harley Allen; Producer: Carson Chamberlain & Billy Currington; Publisher: Florida Room/BPJ/Coburn/Harley Allen, BMI; Mercury Nashville (track)
—For locating great songs, Currington has some of the best ears in Music City. This wickedly clever ditty praises the affections of a pooch, as compared to the judgmental attitudes of his gal. I grinned. So will you.

MERLE HAGGARD/Working In Tennessee
Writer: Merle Haggard; Producer: Merle Haggard & Lou Bradley; Publisher: Merle Haggard, BMI; Hag/Vanguard (track) (www.merlehaggard.com)
—The title tune to the Hag’s new CD is a quick-step western swinger. Guitarist Reggie Young, pianist Doug Colosio and fiddler Scott Joss all get in some hot licks while the vocalist offers some light-hearted, bluesy digs at Tune Town.

TRACE ADKINS/Million Dollar View
Writer: David Lee Murphy/George Teren; Producer: Kenny Beard & Mark Wright; Publisher: Old Desperados/Carol Vincent & Associates/EMI Blackwood/Terenator/Done and Dusted, ASCAP/BMI; Show Dog Universal
—As you might expect, the finest view isn’t from a beach, a mountaintop, a high rise or a vacation spot. It’s gazing at his baby in their humble, little living room. The band cooks with gas on this mid-tempo bopper, and Trace totally owns it, vocally.

HAYES CARLL/Stomp And Holler
Writer: Hayes Carll; Producer: Brad Jones; Publisher: Highway 87/Bug, SESAC; Lost Highway
—Perennial Americana fave Carll wails the bad-boy lyric like a wounded honky-tonk survivor. Guitars crash and scream all around this catchy rocker.

BLAKE SHELTON/Footloose
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Warner Bros. (track)
—I have said it before, many times: There is absolutely no point to remaking an oldie unless you’re going to put your own stamp on it and reinvent it. This merely apes the 1984 Kenny Loggins arrangement, right down to the grinding guitar licks.

CLAY DUSTIN/I’ll Take That Job
Writer: David Chamberlain/Mark Sherrill; Producer: David Chamberlain; Publisher: Handle It/Key/Mark, SESAC; PureHeart (track)
—The full title is “I’ll Take That Job That Johnny Paycheck Shoved.” His singing isn’t particularly distinctive, but Dustin is country right down to his boots.

Urban Plans Hall Benefit [updated]

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[New on-sale date] Keith Urban and an all-star lineup of his friends will descend upon Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, January 18 for his third “We’re All For The Hall” concert benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Tickets go on sale Nov. 4, Dec. 2 and are priced from $25-35.

In addition to performances from CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee Urban, the show will feature guest performances by Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Little Big Town, and the Oak Ridge Boys. More artists are expected to be announced later.

“The support that this event has received over the past couple of years, I think, really speaks to the commitment to and the importance of preserving the past and protecting the future of country music,” says Urban. “We’ll have some great bands performing—part of our ‘All Together Now’ theme for the night—an especially fitting concept that we hope will capture the spirit of the evening.”

The “All For The Hall” initiative addresses the museum’s long-term financial needs, providing a safety net for its work.

“The first two ‘We’re All for the Hall’ concerts have been landmarks for this institution,” says Museum Director Kyle Young. “They have been the most successful fundraisers in the museum’s history, together raising roughly $1 million. And they have not only set a new standard for fundraising and event coordination, but also brought together an entire community and helped us to see what can be done by individuals when there is a collective passion for a cause.

“It is beyond gratifying” continues Young, “when the artists we love and chronicle, artists like Vince and Keith, offer us their leadership and financial support. Keith Urban grew up in a home where country music was cherished. He knows the music’s history and its heroes. He is one of country music’s greatest champions and he is one of this museum’s heroes.”

Sugarland Wraps Tour With Spectacular Hometown Show

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A montage of color and energy lights the stage.

Story and photos by Ellen Barnes

Sugarland rocked the house at the jam-packed Philips Arena in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 22, reinforcing their reputation as energetic, dynamic and passionate performers. Being the last stop on the band’s Incredible Machine Tour, and the hometown of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, the city has a soft spot in the band’s heart. “Let’s get it going, Hotlanta,” yelled Nettles after opening with “All We Are” from the newest album, The Incredible Machine.

Nettles and Bush dominated a very large stage set with special effects focusing on multi-colored lights throughout the performance. The stage backdrop was a hybrid of artwork from the group’s two most recent albums, combining the well-known winged heart from Love on the Inside, with the engine and machine-inspired Steampunk vibe of their latest project.

Nettles shined in a simple yet true-to-character all-black outfit, accented by a sheer sparkly vest and bold necklace.

The duo made a fine display of their newest album, playing hits such as “Tonight,” “Stuck Like Glue,” and “Incredible Machine,” during which Bush rocked a near-minute-long solo on his sizzling red electric guitar.

The band made sure to intertwine older hits along with new material, not forgetting favorites such as “Baby Girl” and “Something More,” from first album, Twice the Speed of Life. Before playing “Something More,” Nettles proclaimed to the audience, “People tell us we’re so lucky to be able to go on the road and play our own music for a living. I look at all your smilin’ homecoming faces and I say you’re damn right.”

An emotional Nettles performs "Stay."

Other hits included “Settlin’,” a harmonized rendition of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and a heartfelt “Stay,” during which Nettles’s face was tear-streaked, reminiscent of the song’s music video. Her emotion was contagious, causing the audience to sway while sentimentally singing along. It is clear why Nettles is beloved by fans for her sense of realness and humanity, especially while performing.

The group spiced up the performance by sprinkling in snippets of cover songs, including a rock version of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” into “Find the Beat.” There was a unique take on “Everyday America,” with Nettles splicing in Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You,” Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” and Detiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious.” Adding to the entertainment was four men dressed as each of these artists and dancing onstage with the band.

Opening act Sara Bareilles returned to the stage dressed like Bush, amusing the crowd with her imitation. Other pranks included popcorn raining down on the keyboardist as Nettles introduced him—Nettles laughed, declaring, “This show will go down in infamy.”

Sugarland’s energy radiated throughout the entire show, with Bush constantly running and skipping back and forth to opposite ends of the stage, and even sitting down on speakers inches away from the audience. Nettles and Bush make a dynamic performing duo, sharing a charming live chemistry whether dancing, playfully fighting or laughing at one another.

Among the evening’s highlights was the band’s emphasis on audience interaction. After playing “Baby Girl,” Nettles asked, “Do you like surprises? ‘Cause it’s a good one.” Bush added, “Somebody needs a new guitar,” causing uproar in the stands. Bush hopped off stage and walked through the audience while holding one of his acoustic guitars high above his head. The lucky recipient was a young boy near the back who was wide-eyed with shock and gratitude.

Another special moment was during the song “Little Miss.” Prior to the concert each audience member was given a sign reading the lyrics “I’ll be alright again, I’m ok” to hold up during the song as part of the “Little Miss Project.” Later, while Nettles was singing, the lights shown on the crowd and thousands of the signs were displayed in the air. Nettles was truly touched, calling it a “wonderful surprise.”

For the encore, fans watched as Nettles spray-painted “LOVE” onto a flag and then passed it around the audience while she and Bush sang “Stand Up.” Many people were waving their own smaller “LOVE” flags as well. The group ended with their rendition of Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen,” with Bareilles returning to the stage. It was a fitting close, representing Sugarland’s embrace of musical diversity, talent and fan love.

Fans hold up signs during the Little Miss project.

 

 

[Updated] Loretta Lynn Released From Hospital

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According to her website, Loretta Lynn has been released from the hospital today (Oct. 24) and is resting at home. She was hospitalized over the weekend in Bowling Green, KY with early stages of pneumonia.

She was scheduled to perform Saturday night (10/22) at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY and Sunday in Durham, N.C., but was unable to attend. The shows are expected to be rescheduled.

A weekend post Lynn’s website says, “Loretta regretfully must cancel her shows for Ashland, KY and Durham, NC for this weekend, due to illness. Doctors have diagnosed her at the beginning stages (of) pneumonia, and will continue to need rest. Loretta is doing well and is disappointed, but feels confident she will be ready for upcoming November dates.”

The iconic entertainer had knee reconstruction surgery in August and was forced to cancel shows from in July after severe dehydration caused her to be hospitalized.

Charlie Cook On Air

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Arbitron just released its new “Radio Today” 2011 edition. There are a number of things in the report that will be interesting to MusicRow readers beyond radio personnel.

There is a lot of good news, like the fact that Country Radio is the number one format. Arbitron lists Country + New Country as scoring 12.7 percent (with persons 25-54) of all listening to radio. Country Radio is way ahead of the number two format, Adult Contemporary, with 9.5 percent.

Country is the number two format in terms of number of outlets, when you add in HD and streaming. News and Talk is number one by a huge number but Country has almost three times more outlets on the FM dial versus News and Talk. And FM is still the number one source of listener usage.

In fact, Country Radio reaches more than 65 millions listeners each week and a fourth of all radio listeners in non-metro countries. The places where people still visit Wal-Mart and Target to buy their music.

Radio has given away usage in the house. I work with stations every day trying to recapture listening in the home, particularly in the morning. As more and more radio stations have gone away from providing news and information in the morning, TV has come and taken away that position. Now TV is the source for school closings, weather and even traffic information during early morning hours.

In fact, two thirds of Country Radio listening is done away from home. This has been the trend for six years now.

What I like about this information is that Arbitron reaches out and talks to people engaged with radio. You can quote a number of researchers and you might find some different results but Arbitron talks to people that are most important to me—people who have agreed to carry a meter or fill out a diary to track their media usage.

We should all care about these people because they are the kind of people that are willing to participate. They wouldn’t have agreed to participate in the ratings process if they weren’t active.

Nearly 50 percent of Country listeners live in households earning at least $50,000 a year. According to the report, this might be because our listeners are becoming increasingly more educated. Funny how one follows the other.

Similar information has come out of CMA studies that also show the growing income and educational levels.

Loyalty to the format has been so important for artists and radio stations through the years. Arbitron publishes numbers based on Time Spent Listening (TSL) to specific radio stations. As a station programmer you have two goals: attract as many people as possible to the station and then keep them there as long as possible.

The first is called cume, which is the total number of different persons who tune in during the course of a daypart for at least five minutes. Remember when I wrote a few weeks ago that making songs like “Need You Now” and “Remind Me” would be good for radio? That’s why.

TSL is an estimate of the amount of time the average listener spent with a station during a particular daypart. The explanation was made to point out that Country Radio is ranked first among English-language music formats. This is a format that appeals to its fans way beyond any other format.

I suspect that many in the music community do some sort of perceptual research on their artists and their music. But I wonder how many do research on the listeners. What do the listeners do with their discretionary time?

Again, using the new Arbitron information, we can learn a lot about those same people who spend so much time with Country Radio. The most popular recreational experiences and hobbies are camping, fishing and sewing/crafts. Swimming, bowling and photography are also high on the list.

Coupons are really big with the Country core, and I suspect every American today. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents use grocery coupons and 54 percent use coupons for other goods and services. Does it make sense to partner with radio stations and provide coupons for CDs/downloads and or concerts?

Despite what you see at concerts, remote broadcasts, and NASCAR, light beer is preferred over regular beer. And like at my house, salty snacks, candy and ice cream are very popular.

Where are you going to find these folks? At a country concert, rodeo, monster truck rally, or NHRA drag racing event. The Country radio listener is more likely to be a Republican than a Democrat and less likely to embrace environmental causes.

None of the above is earth-shattering information, but hopefully some of it is enlightening when thinking about how to interact with your listeners and your fans. We don’t tell our radio stations to adjust their thinking or to put on a front if they don’t understand or participate in the same things.

But you are more likely to run into your fans in a bowling alley than you are at an Occupy Yazoo City rally.

ACM Establishes New Award

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The Academy of Country Music is establishing a Songwriter of the Year Award, to be presented in conjunction with next year’s 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The trophy will be handed out at the ACM Honors in Nashville in fall 2012.

Among the Awards committee members who helped create the new category are Pat Higdon, Dale Bobo and Ben Vaughn. “At the ACM, we want to show as much respect for the great craft of songwriting as we possibly can,” explains Vaughn. “I’m a songwriter guy, and I don’t think they get enough recognition—ever. The entire business is built around what a songwriter crafts, so anytime we can recognize them we should. For the ACM to take the lead in this is really gratifying.”

According to Michelle Goble, ACM Sr. Vice President, Membership & Events, “The Academy has always paid tribute to songwriters, whether it was through Song of the Year, hosting songwriter No. 1 parties or honoring legends with the Poet’s Award, as we do every year. We are thrilled to dedicate this annual award to the composers that make the country music genre so special in its rich history of storytelling.”

The ACM Songwriter of the Year award was previously presented only once, to Roger Miller in 1965.

The winner will be announced with the Special Awards recipients, Industry and MBI winners next spring, prior to the televised 47th Annual ACM Awards.

Award Criteria and Nominee Selection: This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter. The Songwriter of the Year final nominees will be selected by a Blue Ribbon panel of judges comprised of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The Panel will submit 5 (five) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board.

The final nominees will appear on the third ballot and be voted on by the ACM professional members in Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist, Composer, Music Publisher/PRO, Record Company, and the Producer/Engineer/Studio Manager subcategory (contained within the Affiliated category).

The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single crediting the songwriter that charted on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs (BDS) or Country Aircheck (Mediabase) country charts during the prior calendar year of Dec. 1 – Nov. 30. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period, but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible, unless it appeared on a final ACM ballot.

Membership to vote in the 2012 cycle: New membership applications for the ACM must be completed by 5:00 PM PT on Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 for members to be eligible to vote during the 2012 Awards cycle. Existing membership renewals must be completed by 5:00 PM PT on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011.

Nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be revealed in February 2012 at a date to be announced. For more information on ACM Awards criteria, please click to download.

Country Idols Earn Winning Sales

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Lauren Alaina visits WYCD (L-R): MD Jack Shell, Lauren’s Mom Kristy, PM Drive Linda Lee, Lauren, PM Drive Chuck Edwards

The country American Idols are repeating history. After finishing No. 1 and 2 on the popular TV show, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina are back in that same configuration after this week’s sales.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, McCreery’s Clear As Day moved 88,000 units in its second week to head the country albums chart, following first week sales of 197,000. Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina’s debut Wildflower generated an impressive 69,000 in its first week out, 29% of which was digital product.

About 15,000 people attended McCreery’s album release party and birthday celebration in hometown Raleigh, N.C. He was presented with a gold record by Mercury Nashville and Interscope staffers during the event for the digital gold certification of “I Love You This Big.”

Martina McBride’s new release Eleven made a fine first week showing following her cross-country Amtrak tour, ringing in 40,000 units and landing her at No. 4 on the country albums chart.

Also performing well this week was Atlantic artist Hunter Hayes, whose self-titled debut landed at No. 7 on the country albums chart with 18,000 units sold. 65 percent of Hayes’ album sales were digital.

Following the successful theatrical premiere of the Footloose remake last week, the new soundtrack (classified as country) moved to No. 6 on the country albums chart and No. 16 in the Top 200 by selling 18,000 units.

Hank Williams Jr. seems to have parlayed his disagreement with ESPN into something positive, as his track “Keep The Change” rang in 19,000 purchases to land at No. 14 among country digital tracks. Adele’s “Someone Like You” still leads the overall digital tracks chart.

Country album sales are still on the up, showing a YTD increase of 9.8%. Contrast that with overall album sales, which are rising more slowly at 3.5%.

Hard rockers Evanescence had the No. 1 album in all genres, selling 127,000 units, as well as the No. 1 digital album.

Lambert Announces New Tour

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With her new album Four The Record slated to release Nov. 1, Miranda Lambert is preparing for her upcoming headlining tour On Fire. The outing kicks off Jan. 12 in Rockford, IL with labelmate guests Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann.

Lambert, the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year is nominated for two CMA Awards this year including Female Vocalist.

Young brings a string of four No. 1 singles to the tour including “Tomorrow,” the first single from his album Neon. Young was recently nominated by the CMA as New Artist of the Year and has three American Country Award nominations including Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Niemann launched his major label debut Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury, which includes his single, “Lover, Lover.” Niemann has five nominations for the upcoming American Country Awards.

Tour stops will include:

Rockford, IL
Lacrosse, WI
Fargo, ND
Charlotte, NC
Lexington, KY
Greensboro, NC
Baltimore, MD
Charlottesville, VA
East Rutherford, NJ
Huntsville, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Orlando, FL
Amherst, MA
Hershey, PA
Youngstown, OH
Macon, GA
North Charleston, SC
Fayetteville, NC
Sale Lake City, UT
Broomfield, CO
Kearney, NE
Toledo, OH
Saginaw, MI
Louisville, KY
Charleston, WV
Tulsa, OK
Little Rock, AR
Wichita, KS
Columbia, MO
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Green Bay, WI
Fresno, CA
Mountain View, CA

Kevin Griffin Blurs Musical Boundaries From New Base In Nashville

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Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson

A few years ago songwriter Kevin Griffin was at his base in the Hollywood Hills setting up writing appointments with fellow pop/rock hitmakers when he kept running into a problem—they were all out of town, writing in Nashville.

Griffin, who got his start in music as frontman for Better Than Ezra, parlayed the success as principal songwriter and producer for his own band into a strong career doing the same for others. He co-wrote Howie Day’s monster hit “Collide,” and racked up cuts and/or production credits with Train, James Blunt, David Cook, Augustana and more.

Living in Los Angeles while many of his co-writers were based elsewhere made the collaborative process difficult. From L.A., Griffin and Shy Carter worked via Skype with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush on one writing session. That afternoon resulted in the Sugarland hit “Stuck Like Glue,” nonetheless, songwriting via video chat didn’t cut it.

Originally from New Orleans, Griffin had moved to California post-Hurricane Katrina. But after realizing he could write with the same people in L.A. or Nashville, Griffin and his wife, both native Southerners, decided to move with their three sons to Franklin, Tenn. at the beginning of 2011.

He recalls his thought process: “So I can live in Nashville, be near SEC football, have a better standard of living, save money, and work with the same artists. It was a no-brainer. I continue to do the work I did in L.A.

Click to visit KevinGriffinMusic.com

“The past couple of years I’ve really seen a shift where pop and rock songwriters and managers have moved to Nashville,” he continues. “Not necessarily to carpetbag on the country world, but because it is a great place to live and do what they do. There’s a great support system with the labels, studios, press and media. Plus, everywhere you go there’s a stage for music. It’s really refreshing.”

Upon arrival, Kevin Spellman, a friend working at Vector Management, helped Griffin find a studio to base his operations. He took over the Franklin recording space from TobyMac, and eventually plans to build a home studio on his property in historic downtown.

Blair Daly, Craig Wiseman, Andrew Dorff, and Jeffrey Steele are just a few of the local tunesmiths Griffin has been writing with. “It’s surprising how many of the traditionally country writers want to do pop,” he notes. “And not only want to do it, but are really great at it. Some of them are almost closet hip-hop artists like Luke Laird. They also like to stretch the traditional boundaries and do something that is a little more lyrically poetic.”

Griffin appreciates Nashville’s reverence for songwriters and has taken some of Music Row’s traditions out west. “I love that the height of the songwriting craft is in Nashville. My friend Monty Powell says, ‘songwriters are at the top of the food chain’ here.

“There is a real discipline and craft to writing that bulletproof Nashville lyric—you know exactly what it’s about and all the loose ends are tied up. In rock it’s the opposite, you get away with a lot more non sequiturs and open ended themes—lines that don’t mean anything but sound good. Now when I go back to L.A., I’m the song police, saying ‘I’m not quite sure about that line, or let’s go back to the first verse.’ Everyone else has moved on, but I’m worried about the lyric that isn’t clear.

“I always said that where I live wouldn’t affect my songwriting, nonetheless, it always has,” he muses. Increasingly he says those Music City influences include world-class musicians like pedal steel and mandolin master Russ Pahl, recurring song themes, and collaborating with other writers for the first time on the upcoming Better Than Ezra album.

In the midst of shifting influences, Griffin remains focused on the song. “Ultimately I think that if the melody and the feel of the song don’t pull you in, then the lyric is irrelevant. My success has been with the simple songs, and the hardest thing to do as a writer is to remember that when you keep it simple, it’s a song everybody loves—whether it is ‘Collide,’ which is four chords, or [BTE breakout hit] ‘Good’ which is the same four chords.”

Griffin and Collective Soul’s Ed Roland are showcasing their songwriting chops and love of the South this fall on the aptly named Southern Gentleman tour, though Griffin laughs, “the irony of the name wasn’t lost on either one of us.” The run launches Sunday (10/23) in New York, and hits the Franklin Theatre Nov. 5.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/19/11)

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Look beyond our famous stars like Kings of Leon, Paramore, Sheryl Crow, Ke$ha, Ben Folds, Kim Carnes, Michael McDonald, Steve Cropper, Leon Russell, Donna Summer, Keb’ Mo’ and The Black Keys, and you’ll find that they are just the tip of a very, very large pop/rock iceberg in Music City.

The community is incredibly diverse, so that made choosing award winners especially tough this week. There are two DisCovery Award artists. One, Shane Dwight, comes from the R&B column. The other, Nashville newcomer Parachute, is a straight-ahead rock band.

Similarly, the two Disc of the Day winners come from different genres. Legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt is a rocker at heart. The McCrary Sisters have a disc that showcases their gospel roots.

TONY BENNETT & FAITH HILL/The Way You Look Tonight
Writer: Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields; Producer: Phil Ramone & Dae Bennett; Publisher: Universal PolyGram/Shapiro Bernstein/Aldi, ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—I am told that Faith is finally finishing a new album (her last was a Christmas album three years ago). Meanwhile, fans needing a Faith fix will have to make do with her Sunday football tunes and this track from Tony’s Duets II collection. Performed with a light jazz combo and sighing strings, this has a lushly romantic vibe. Tony sounds terrific at 85, and Faith proves to be a solid saloon stylist and harmony vocalist. Other Nashville-oriented folks on this justly celebrated set include Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson.

J.D. SOUTHER/I’ll Be Here At Closing Time
Writer: John David Souther; Producer: Fred Mollin; Publisher: none listed; Entertainment One (track)
—The last outing by this former country-rocker was a surprisingly jazzy affair. On his new Natural History CD, he revisits his distinguished catalog, reworking “Faithless Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “You’re Only Lonely,” “Prisoner of Love,” “Best of My Love” and the like. And, let’s face it, song writing doesn’t come much better than those classics. This finale ballad is a sweet, wistful pledge of devotion sung in an intimate whisper with a gentle, simple piano/guitar accompanying track. It’s as lovely a ballad as he’s ever done, and he reportedly killed with it at a recent showcase at The Basement.

THE FEATURES /Rambo
Writer: Matthew Pelham/The Features; Producer: Brian Carter & The Features; Publisher: Bug/Bughouse/Silent But Violent/This Is Daiglenetics/Ghost Riding, BMI/ASCAP; Bug Music (track) (www.thefeatures.com)
—This durable Nashville rock institution is back with a collection titled Wilderness. Its calling-card single is a rattling, jangling stomper with a passionate, sky-high, lead vocal that rides above super guitar work and a ferocious rhythm track. These four guys can still deliver a mighty big sound.

JACK WHITE/You Know That I Know
Writer: Hank Williams/Jack White; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose/Third String, BMI; Columbia (track)
—The Lost Notebooks CD has today’s stars writing melodies and/or finishing lyrics left behind nearly 60 years ago by the late Hank Williams. The restlessly creative Jack White seems to always have a Raconteurs, Third Man or other project in the works. Here, he channels Hank both vocally and instrumentally. I’m serious: He sounds surprisingly like the country icon, and Donnie Heron’s steel guitar tingles just like a Drifting Cowboy should. Other participants on this extraordinary record include Sheryl Crow, Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams,  Vince Gill & Rodney Crowell, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless and granddaughter Holly Williams, not to mention Bob Dylan.

PARACHUTE /Something To Believe In
Writer: Will Anderson; Producer: John Fields; Publisher: How It Should Be/Warner Chappell, BMI; Mercury (track)
—This five-piece band has recently moved to Music City from Charlottsville, VA. You say you’re sick of dance-pop, hip-hop, emo and “alternative” anything? Step right up, because these guys are old-school pop-rock with real melodies, throbbing electric guitars and pumping rhythm. This track from its The Way It Was CD has a big, U2-ish sound, multi-voiced choral singing on the choruses and a honking sax to top it off. Catchy and uplifting, to say the least.

DAVID MEAD /Twenty Girls Ago
Writer: Bill DeMain/David Mead; Producer: Brad Jones; Publisher: Tin Panda/Bug/Da Wei Phonetic, ASCAP/BMI; Cheap Lullaby (track)
—Mike Grimes at Grimey’s says this is his very favorite pop song today. That’s a good enough endorsement for me, so I spun it. As a long-time David Mead fan, I expected to be delighted and was. It’s a sweetly melodic ballad sung in his trademark tenor with rippling acoustic guitar, fluttering mandolin, sighing clarinet and tinkling piano backing. Romantic regret is set to a deliciously quirky and complex tune. The description that comes to mind is “chamber pop.” It is on last year’s Almost and Always CD, but it’s never too late to buy any Mead music. I remain a completely smitten fan.

THE McCRARY SISTERS/Give Him My All
Writer: Bob Dylan/Regina McCrary; Producer: Tommy Sims; Publisher: none listed; McC (track)
—Regina McCrary has sung on three Dylan CDs and toured with him as well, hence the unusual songwriting credit. The four sisters front a funk track with stately horn blasts and a bass line that pulses righteously. Alfreda, Ann, Deborah and Regina are arguably Nashville’s greatest soul sisters. Just ask Stevie Wonder, Bobby Jones, Wynonna, Ray Stevens (that’s them on “Everything Is Beautiful”), Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Mike Farris or the late Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, all of whom have recorded with them. The new McCrary CD is titled Our Journey. Buy it the moment it drops next Tuesday.

JOHN HIATT/Damn This Town
Writer: John Hiatt; Producer: Kevin Shirley; Publisher: Warner-Tamerlane/Oral Track Tunes, BMI; New West (track) (www.johnhiatt.com)
—This enduring Music City treasure kicks off his Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns CD with this doom-soaked, bluesy rocker. The track rumbles and cries in deep mystery while he wails to the heavens of trials and tribulations. Absolutely addictive and undeniably great.

TOM HAMBRIDGE/I Keep Things
Writer: Tom Hambridge; Producer: Tom Hambridge; Publisher: Tom Hambridge, ASCAP; Superstar (track) (www.tomhambridge.com)
—Tom produced Buddy Guy’s 2010 Grammy winning blues CD and co-wrote Gretchen Wilson’s “I Got Your Country Right Here” his version of which is included on his new Boom! album. The disc begins with this rollicking rocker, sung with a gutsy, drawling rasp and featuring stinging guitar. Tom is a drummer, so you know the “bottom” of the sound is solid.

SHANE DWIGHT/A Hundred White Lies
Writer: Shane Dwight; Producer: Kevin McKendree & Shane Dwight; Publisher: Robert Vincent Zolezzi, ASCAP; R-Tist (track) (www.shanedwight.com)
—This R&B guitar slinger and songwriter has been a Nashvillian since 2008. The title track of his new CD is a bluesy meditation with a serious stomp attack. The McCrarys moan mournfully in the background while Dwight’s guitar underscores every line of broken-home misery. Cool in the extreme.