When it came time for singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lindsay Ell to begin work on The Project, her full-length album for BBR Music Group that releases today (Aug. 11), she connected with her own musical roots and chiseled out her own brand of music by taking a deep dive into the work of another singer/songwriter/guitarist: John Mayer.
Ell’s producer on the album, Kristian Bush, known for his work with Sugarland as well as his own solo projects, challenged Ell to completely recreate one of her all-time favorite albums, Mayer’s blues and soul-infused 2006 project Continuum. Bush’s challenge came with a few stipulations.
“He said I had to play all the instruments on the album and recreate the whole thing myself. I had two weeks,” Ell told MusicRow during a visit to the MusicRow offices.
Ell cleared her schedule for two weeks, secluding herself in the studio from 8 a.m. until 3 a.m. each day and painstakingly dissecting and reassembling every guitar lick, every vocal, and every drumbeat.
“I thought I knew the album, but when you are recording all these different parts and recreating them in your own voice you learn something on a different level. Fast forward two weeks and I handed him this disc. I learned so much about John’s guitar playing and my own and about how I loved to hear a band recorded in the studio. Kristian was like, ‘Now it’s time to say that with your own music.’ It was such a crazy way for a producer helping me find my own voice.”
Lindsay Ell
Ell paid homage to her studio experimentation, including one of her Continuum remakes, “Stop This Train,” on her Worth The Wait EP, which released in March. Ell hopes to release her full rendition of Mayer’s Continuum project later this year.
During a visit to the MusicRow offices, Ell offered a preview of The Project, including performances of “Waiting On You,” “Criminal,” and “Champagne.”
Ell contributed writing credits on nine of the album’s 12 tracks, collaborating with writers including Bush, Justin Ebach, Andrew DeRoberts, Walker Hayes, Josh Kerr, Travis Meadows, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne.
On the three tracks she didn’t have a hand in writing, Ell highlights work from some of her fellow top Nashville female artists and songwriters, including Caitlyn Smith, Heather Morgan, Kelsea Ballerini, and Carly Pearce.
“As a songwriter it’s hard to find other things that are what you want to say,” Ell said. “Kristian said cutting outside songs would help me complete the story and say things I didn’t know how to say. I’m so happy that I’m able to showcase some of the female artists I look up to while making this album because there are so many in this town.”
Lindsay Ell with MusicRow staff.
Ell’s unorthodox approach to making the album gave her the courage to step out of her comfort zone, and to record songs she said she wouldn’t have recorded a year ago. Songs like the relaxed, sultry rocker “Waiting On You” or the soaring, confident vocals and guitar fuzz-fueled “Wildfire.” She name checks actress Jessica Biel as she lavishes praise on her lover on pop-flavored “Champagne.”
“I probably would have looked at half these songs and thought, ‘We can’t put it on the record.’”
Now, she offers a voice and perspective that is as self-assured as her guitar playing.
“I feel like the music we recorded for the project is the closest to the music that I was playing before I moved to Nashville,” says the Canada native. “I was listening to a couple of demos that I recorded when I was 19 years old and it’s pretty similar. It’s those vulnerabilities and imperfections as artists that make you who you are. It’s like putting them under a magnifying glass to make them stand out.
“I feel like I finally made the record I’ve always wanted to make. It’s crazy how sometimes you need to wait for things or wait a little longer than you thought you would, or work a little harder.”
Lindsay Ell on the set of her video for “Waiting On You.”
THE PROJECT TRACK LIST:
1) “Waiting On You” (Lindsay Ell, Adam Hambrick, Andrew DeRoberts)
2) “Champagne” (Lindsay Ell, Walker Hayes, Fred Wilhelm)
3) “Castle” (Lindsay Ell, Abbey Cone, Josh Kerr)
4) “Good” (Lindsay Ell, Adam Hambrick, Andrew DeRoberts)
5) “Wildfire” (Lindsay Ell, Kristian Bush)
6) “Mint” (Lindsay Ell, Justin Ebach)
7) “White Noise” (Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Kear, Ross Copperman)
8) “Criminal” (Lindsay Ell, Chris Stevens, Fred Wilhelm)
9) “Just Another Girl” (Lindsay Ell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
10) “Space” (Caitlyn Smith, Heather Morgan, Maggie Chapman)
11) “Always Kiss The Girl” (Bobby Hamrick, Jarrad Kritzstein, Carly Pearce)
12) “Worth The Wait” (Lindsay Ell, Travis Meadows)
‘American Country Countdown With Kix Brooks’ Switches Ranking Source to Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart
/by Jessica NicholsonWestwood One has announced American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks will begin utilizing Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart as it counts down each week’s top 40 country songs in the United States, beginning the weekend of Sept. 9-10. Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart is based on actual radio play as monitored by Nielsen Music.
American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks had previously used weekly data from Mediabase since 2009, though Nielsen’s data originally served as the chart source for the program, beginning with American Country Countdown‘s inception in 1973 and running through 2009.
“We could not be more excited to have Billboard’s country radio chart back on the air, exclusively with American Country Countdown,” says Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard’s vice president of Charts and Data Development. “Our partnership with Kix Brooks, a chart-topping legend himself, and the Westwood One team, will give country fans everywhere unparalleled insight into the week’s biggest country songs.”
Brooks said, “Having ACC and Billboard back together is long overdue. American Country Countdown was established on the Billboard chart information in 1973, so I’m thrilled that we were able to reestablish that history and relationship.”
Bryan Switzer, Westwood One’s VP/GM Music & Entertainment/Country, added “We’re thrilled to have reunited two iconic brands with American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks and Billboard. Through the years, both have earned the trust and respect of the listening public and the industry. It will be great to hear them together again each and every weekend.”
More Two-Day Passes Released For Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
/by Jessica NicholsonTier Three Two-Day Passes will be available for $275, beginning Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. CT at pilgrimagefestival.com.
Entertainers slated for the festival include Justin Timberlake, Eddie Vedder, Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers, Mavis Staples and more.
“We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to allow more fans to experience both the city of Franklin and Pilgrimage while at the same time still keeping it a boutique festival for the entire family,” co-founder Brandt Wood said.
The family friendly festival also announced the Vanderbilt Health Lil’ Pilgrim’s Family Stage will feature performances by Ralph’s World, Red Yarn, Steve Elci & Friends, Tom Mason & The Blue Buccaneers, Michael Dardant, Taft Brown (Saturday only), Little Miss Ann (Sunday only), The Texas Gentlemen (Saturday only) and more.
The Pilgrimage Foundation, the festival’s non-profit arm, will donate a portion of each ticket sale to benefit the City of Franklin and Friends of Franklin Parks. Dark Horse Institute is also a charitable beneficiary as the Pilgrimage Foundation is providing scholarships to engineering students to support careers in the music industry as the foundation’s commitment to education in Williamson County. In addition to these local contributions, a portion of ticket sales will also benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization that was established by The Recording Academy® to provide a wide range of emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to members of the music community.
Rick Ferrell Releases ‘Home For The Weekend’
/by Lorie HollabaughSinger/songwriter Rick Ferrell has released a new album, Home for the Weekend.
“The album has something for everyone who loves country music,” said Ferrell about the new project. “I did a lot of reflecting on my upbringing in Portsmouth Ohio, and I believe you can hear that in my songs.”
Ferrell has had success penning hits for artists like Tim McGraw (“Something Like That”), Martina McBride (“Where Would You Be”), and others including Montgomery Gentry, the Swon Brothers, and Earl Thomas Conley. He was awarded the prestigious five million-air play honor from BMI at the Key West Songwriter’s Festival last year.
Home For The Weekend Track Listing:
1. Home for the Weekend
2. Tom and Huck
3. Good Time Buzz
4. When Those Angels Come For Me
5. Over You Again
6. Houston
7. Broke Down With You
8. Happy People
9. Down on a Beach
10. I Don’t Think She’s Coming Back
11. One More
12. That’s My Dog
CMA Awards Second Round Ballot Voting Opens Today
/by Lorie HollabaughThe second round of voting has begun today (Aug. 14) for the upcoming 51st Annual CMA Awards. Member voting is open now through Aug. 24.
The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced later this summer. Winners of the 51st Annual CMA Awards will be determined in a final round of voting. The third and final ballot will be emailed to Country Music Association members Monday, Oct. 2. Voting for the CMA Awards’ final ballot ends Tuesday, Oct. 24 (6 p.m. CT).
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will return for the 10th consecutive year to host the 51st Annual CMA Awards when it airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Nov. 8.
ASCAP Appoints Tristan Boutros To Chief Technology Officer Post
/by Lorie HollabaughIn his new position, Boutros will lead ASCAP’s evolving technology strategy and execution to scale the global IT systems and infrastructure in support of ASCAP’s business transformation initiatives, encompassing ASCAP’s cloud strategy, including elastic computing and API roadmap.
Boutros joins ASCAP from The New York Times, where he served as Chief of Operations. Prior to the Times, Tristan spent three years as Senior Vice President, Technology and Business Process at Warner Music Group. He has also held senior technology roles at BlackBerry and IAC. In addition to his full time position, he also currently teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, and is the co-author of several books, including The Basics of Process Improvement with Jennifer Cardella.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tristan to the ASCAP team,” said ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “He brings a unique combination of the understanding of third party technology solutions available in the market as a complement to his technical expertise in building internal solutions. His experience helping top organizations achieve their technology goals make him the perfect person for this role.”
“I am excited to have the chance to create an incredibly robust platform at ASCAP, developing the tools and experiences that further empower our members and licensees; and change the way they work, communicate, and receive payment,” said Boutros. “I look forward to working with the whole team at ASCAP to bring this future to our members, and to unlock new capabilities for all of us.”
Glen Campbell Laid To Rest In Arkansas
/by Jessica NicholsonGlen Campbell. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame
Music superstar Glen Campbell was laid to rest on Wednesday (Aug. 9) during a private ceremony in Delight, Arkansas, according to a statement on his official Facebook page. A private memorial is set to follow.
“The Campbell family would like to thank everyone for their enormous outpouring of love and support,” the statement continued.
News broke earlier this week that the Country Music Hall of Fame member had died at age 81, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He entered a Nashville memory-care facility in 2014.
Campbell’s final television appearance came when he was honored with the 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His final recorded song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” earned a Grammy honor in 2014 for Best Country Song. Campbell’s final album, Adios, was released June 9, and produced by his longtime sideman Carl Jackson.
For Robert K. Oermann’s official MusicRow obit, click here.
Michael W. Smith Teams With The Fuel Music, Releases First New Song In Three Years
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael W. Smith releases his first new song in three years, “A Million Lights,” from Rocketown Records and The Fuel Music.
“A Million Lights” is also the first new song to be revealed from his upcoming, full-length studio album that is in production now. Slated to release early next year, the new album (title to be announced) will release from Smith’s Rocketown Records, as well as through his newly formed marketing and distribution alliance with The Fuel Music.
“I don’t recall being this excited about a single in a long time,” says Smith. “I’m very happy with how ‘A Million Lights’ has turned out and am anxious to get it from my studio out into the world! I believe the message of this song will be inspiring to everyone who hears it.”
In addition to providing marketing and distribution services, The Fuel Music manages clients including Thousand Foot Krutch, Spoken, Daniel Bashta, and more.
Exclusive: Lindsay Ell Finds Her Voice, Showcases Female Writers On ‘The Project’
/by Jessica NicholsonWhen it came time for singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lindsay Ell to begin work on The Project, her full-length album for BBR Music Group that releases today (Aug. 11), she connected with her own musical roots and chiseled out her own brand of music by taking a deep dive into the work of another singer/songwriter/guitarist: John Mayer.
Ell’s producer on the album, Kristian Bush, known for his work with Sugarland as well as his own solo projects, challenged Ell to completely recreate one of her all-time favorite albums, Mayer’s blues and soul-infused 2006 project Continuum. Bush’s challenge came with a few stipulations.
“He said I had to play all the instruments on the album and recreate the whole thing myself. I had two weeks,” Ell told MusicRow during a visit to the MusicRow offices.
Ell cleared her schedule for two weeks, secluding herself in the studio from 8 a.m. until 3 a.m. each day and painstakingly dissecting and reassembling every guitar lick, every vocal, and every drumbeat.
“I thought I knew the album, but when you are recording all these different parts and recreating them in your own voice you learn something on a different level. Fast forward two weeks and I handed him this disc. I learned so much about John’s guitar playing and my own and about how I loved to hear a band recorded in the studio. Kristian was like, ‘Now it’s time to say that with your own music.’ It was such a crazy way for a producer helping me find my own voice.”
Lindsay Ell
Ell paid homage to her studio experimentation, including one of her Continuum remakes, “Stop This Train,” on her Worth The Wait EP, which released in March. Ell hopes to release her full rendition of Mayer’s Continuum project later this year.
During a visit to the MusicRow offices, Ell offered a preview of The Project, including performances of “Waiting On You,” “Criminal,” and “Champagne.”
Ell contributed writing credits on nine of the album’s 12 tracks, collaborating with writers including Bush, Justin Ebach, Andrew DeRoberts, Walker Hayes, Josh Kerr, Travis Meadows, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne.
On the three tracks she didn’t have a hand in writing, Ell highlights work from some of her fellow top Nashville female artists and songwriters, including Caitlyn Smith, Heather Morgan, Kelsea Ballerini, and Carly Pearce.
“As a songwriter it’s hard to find other things that are what you want to say,” Ell said. “Kristian said cutting outside songs would help me complete the story and say things I didn’t know how to say. I’m so happy that I’m able to showcase some of the female artists I look up to while making this album because there are so many in this town.”
Lindsay Ell with MusicRow staff.
Ell’s unorthodox approach to making the album gave her the courage to step out of her comfort zone, and to record songs she said she wouldn’t have recorded a year ago. Songs like the relaxed, sultry rocker “Waiting On You” or the soaring, confident vocals and guitar fuzz-fueled “Wildfire.” She name checks actress Jessica Biel as she lavishes praise on her lover on pop-flavored “Champagne.”
“I probably would have looked at half these songs and thought, ‘We can’t put it on the record.’”
Now, she offers a voice and perspective that is as self-assured as her guitar playing.
“I feel like the music we recorded for the project is the closest to the music that I was playing before I moved to Nashville,” says the Canada native. “I was listening to a couple of demos that I recorded when I was 19 years old and it’s pretty similar. It’s those vulnerabilities and imperfections as artists that make you who you are. It’s like putting them under a magnifying glass to make them stand out.
“I feel like I finally made the record I’ve always wanted to make. It’s crazy how sometimes you need to wait for things or wait a little longer than you thought you would, or work a little harder.”
Lindsay Ell on the set of her video for “Waiting On You.”
THE PROJECT TRACK LIST:
1) “Waiting On You” (Lindsay Ell, Adam Hambrick, Andrew DeRoberts)
2) “Champagne” (Lindsay Ell, Walker Hayes, Fred Wilhelm)
3) “Castle” (Lindsay Ell, Abbey Cone, Josh Kerr)
4) “Good” (Lindsay Ell, Adam Hambrick, Andrew DeRoberts)
5) “Wildfire” (Lindsay Ell, Kristian Bush)
6) “Mint” (Lindsay Ell, Justin Ebach)
7) “White Noise” (Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Kear, Ross Copperman)
8) “Criminal” (Lindsay Ell, Chris Stevens, Fred Wilhelm)
9) “Just Another Girl” (Lindsay Ell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
10) “Space” (Caitlyn Smith, Heather Morgan, Maggie Chapman)
11) “Always Kiss The Girl” (Bobby Hamrick, Jarrad Kritzstein, Carly Pearce)
12) “Worth The Wait” (Lindsay Ell, Travis Meadows)
The McCrary Sisters Release Live Album Recorded In Nashville
/by Jessica NicholsonThe McCrary Sisters – Alfreda, Beverly Ann, Deborah, and Regina- have released McCrary Sisters: Live, recorded at Nashville’s own 3rd & Lindsley.
The 11-track album was produced by Tommy Sims (Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Amy Grant) and features an array of McCrary family members, including the ladies’ daughters (Tammy Crawford, Latoya McCrary, Efia Rucker, Jessica Rucker), brother (Allen McCrary), and son-in-law (Steve Crawford).
Guest musicians — Colin Linden (Bob Dylan, Keb’ Mo’), Devin McKendree (Delbert McClinton, Little Richard), Bob Britt (Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd), Danny Flowers (Vince Gill, Willie Nelson) and Sims — lend their talents backing the quartet on their fourth album as a group.
The McCrary Sisters have upcoming Nashville appearances on Sept. 8 at Ascend Amphitheater, performances during AmericanaFest, and a show at the Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 5. They will also perform during A Very McCrary Christmas at Nashville’s Lipscomb University on Dec. 8.
‘McCrary Sisters: Live’ Tracklist:
1. David (Regina McCrary / DeMarco Johnson)
2. He Cares (Alfreda McCrary Lee)
3. Help Me (Beverly Ann McCrary / Tommy Sims)
4. Hum and Moan (Regina McCrary / Colin Linden)
5. Other Side Of The Blues (Regina McCrary / Kevin McKendree)
6. If You Believe (Alfreda McCrary Lee)
7. Stones (Regina McCrary / Tommy Sims)
8. Let It Go (Deborah Person/Kevin McKendree)
9. Train (Beverly Ann McCrary / Tommy Sims / Calvin Smith)
10. Bible Study (Regina McCrary / Kevin McKendree)
11. I’ll You There (Alvertis Isbell)
Halfway To Hazard Signs With Absolute Publicity
/by Haley CrowPictured (L-R): F3 Entertainment’s Ken Madson, Halfway to Hazard’s David Tolliver and Chad Warrix, and Absolute Publicity’s Don Murry Grubbs.
Country music duo Halfway to Hazard has signed on with Absolute Publicity for exclusive public relations representation.
“Halfway to Hazard has some great new music and we’re excited to add a company with Absolute Publicity’s expertise and work ethic to the team that’s being built,” says F3 Entertainment’s Ken Madson.
Absolute Publicity’s Don Murry Grubbs adds, “We’re going to have a lot of fun working with these incredibly talented boys from Kentucky. We’ll have more news on their latest project very soon. Welcome aboard, fellas!
Halfway to Hazard is composed of singer-songwriters David Tolliver and Chad Warrix. The band is co-managed by Josh Bleidt (Three Sheets to the Win) and Ken Madson (F3 Entertainment). Buddy Lee Attractions represents the duo for live bookings.