DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/24/12)

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Paul Sikes, Tim McDonald, A.J. Downing, Jana Kramer

Last week, I couldn’t find any newcomers to like, and this week the opposite is true.

No DisCovery Award was handed out when the pickins were slim. Now, I have three of them to bestow. They go to Sony-ATV writer Paul Sikes, rootsy Texan A.J. Downing and suburban Nashvillian Tim McDonald. Congratulations, fellows.

By contrast, all of the Disc of the Day contenders are women — Kathy Mattea, Sarah Darling, Holly Williams and our winner, Jana Kramer.

JANA KRAMER/Whiskey
Writer: Catt Gravitt/Sam Mizell; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Publisher: Ink Pen Mama/Songs of Max/Tunes of R&T Direct/Razor & Tie/Be My Lamb/On Like a Neckbone/Simpleville, SESAC/BMI; Elektra/Warner Bros.
—At times, I had to strain to hear the lyric clearly, but there’s no denying the ultimate listening pleasure. She regrets the bad boy she fell for while harmony singers, fiddles, guitars, steel and mandolins chime and echo all around her.

A.J. DOWNING/My Wagon Just Won’t Roll
Writer: A.J. Downing; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Charkansas (track) (www.ajdowning.com)
—Downing’s CD is titled Good Day, and it kicks off with this ragged-but-right thumper. His country drawl is instantly engaging, and when you tune into his talent as a lyricist, you’ll be as hooked as I was. Sure, the instrumentation lacks Music Row polish, but sometimes a sound that is a little rough around the edges is just what the doctor ordered.

PAUL SIKES/My Epitaph
Writer: Paul Sikes; Producer: Paul Sikes; Publisher: Sony-ATV Cross Keys, ASCAP; 7-Layer (track) (www.paulsikes.com)
—The Sikes CD — titled Craft — isn’t due until January, but he has already created a stir with this tune from it. When Today show co-host Hoda Kotb was in town, she caught his set at The Bluebird and invited him to perform this on national TV. It is a moving, delicate elegy, a tender message to a loved one that says, basically, that after he’s gone the only thing that needs to be remembered about him is the love he gave.

HOLLY WILLIAMS/Drinkin’
Writer: Holly Williams; Producer: Charlie Peacock & Holly Williams; Publisher: none listed; HW (track) (www.hollywilliams.com)
—The forthcoming Holly Williams CD will be called Highway. On it, she is moving in an Americana direction with her talented co-producer Charlie Peacock. She is also even more startling as a singer-songwriter than she was before. This lead track spotlights her aching vocal delivery as well as her knife-sharp talent as a wordsmith. This is what modern country music ought to be doing.

STEVE LUSCOMBE/I’m a Natural
Writer: Alex Smith/Rock Carroll; Producer: Dan Drilling; Publisher: none listed; Taytown (track) (www.steveluscombe.com)
—The song is well constructed, and he sings it well. But the tempo is taken way, way too slowly. It sounds like he is trying to swim in molasses.

KATHY MATTEA/Hello, My Name Is Coal
Writer: Larry Cordle/Jenee Fleenor; Producer: Gary Paczosa & Kathy Mattea; Publisher: Wanderchord/NayerPuddingPie, BMI/SESAC; Sugar Hill (track) (www.mattea.com)
—Mattea’s latest CD, Calling Me Home, is a song cycle about her Appalachian homeland. This latest emphasis track couldn’t be more timely as it both reveres and reviles “black gold.” “Some say I’m a savior; some say death is what I bring,” rings out over a minor-key acoustic melody. Haunting.

SARAH DARLING/Home To Me
Writer: Caitlyn Smith/Bobby Hamrick; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: Music of Stage Three/Songs of Carrman/BMG/EMI Foray/Turning Twenties/Dollarsandpense, BMI/SESAC; Black River
—This endearing, lilting love song compares her beau to the some of the best of America’s states. As always, her delivery is as sweet as sugar. Radio ready in the extreme.

AARON LEWIS/Forever
Writer: none listed; Producer: James Stroud & Aaron Lewis; Publisher: none listed; Blaster (track)
—The former Staind rock singer continues his bid for country acceptance with this midtempo, moody meditation on a fading romance that just might rekindle. Abundant steel guitar is a big plus here.

TIM McDONALD/Livin’ Breathin’ Havin’ Fun
Writer: Tim McDonald; Producer: Tim McDoanld & Bill Warner; Publisher: none listed; TM (track) (www.timmcdonaldband.com)
—The title tune to McDonald’s CD is a lovely, nostalgic trip down memory lane. To the accompaniment of rippling guitars and gentle keyboard work, he sings of his days of youth and innocence while visiting the Arlington grave of a buddy. His songwriting skill is outstanding, and his gently persuasive vocal is perfectly delivered. Elsewhere on the disc are such enticing titles as “Beer’s Good Food,” “I’d Be Screwed,” “Every Song Sounds the Same” and “Shit List.” Take my word for it, the guy can definitely write and sing.

Weekly Register: Aldean Roars; Style Police—Go Home

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Most of you will insist Christmas arrives later in Dec., but for me, Santa’s sleigh and his lovable reindeer came bounding in this week with huge gifts from Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift. The importance of these two launches has been elevated to a force of nature like the summer solstice or a sighting of Haley’s Comet because they are the most significant country releases of the holiday season.

Aldean, after a standard length sales week, stormed cash registers with 409,303 units, (49% digital) and earned No. 1 positions on both country and all genre album charts this week. Night Train is the highest debut in country since 2010, the second highest for all genres this year and more than doubled first week sales of Aldean’s previous album My Kinda Party.

Full numbers for Swift’s Red won’t tally until next week’s Nielsen SoundScan report, but her product went on sale Mon. (10/22), a day earlier than is traditional. Reports have come in that she sold over 500k units in the first day and week-long expectations are above the million mark. Sadly, Swift’s release will shorten Aldean’s No. 1 time to a mere week. (For details on some of the Swift team marketing exploits click here.)

There were also notable debuts this week from Christmas With Scotty McCreery (No. 2; 41k; 8.5% digital) and Jamey Johnson’s Living For A Song (No. 3; 32k; 44% digital).

Style Police—Go Home 
On a less festive note I’m troubled by Billboard’s recent chart arrogance and lack of explanation or response. Let me explain. Last week we noted Taylor Swift’s single “I Knew You Were Trouble” was kept off the Digital Genre Country tracks chart. This week it has happened with a second Swift track, “State Of Grace.” In two weeks that amounts to nearly 800k units that will not be credited country. As the holiday season progresses it could well be millions of units. Which artist will be next? This arbitrary format classification by song is old-style thinking. Further, it’s important to our industry because Billboard controls the workings of the Nielsen SoundScan system which tabulates the official sales of record for our industry.

We all understand that today’s artists and songs are filling a growing stylistic space, but sales charts should not be tied to radio airplay. Swift has always been a country artist, her albums appear on the country album chart. This week she has three tracks in the country tracks Top 10. The Billboard chart elders might read the excellent article by Tom Roland in the Oct. 22 Billboard Country Update where he writes,

“But the passage of time often puts the music in a different context. Buck Owens was once taken to task for rocking too much. Waylon Jennings’ outlaw sound was considered daring and progressive. Ronnie Milsap’s music was sometimes branded as outside of the box. All of those artists are generally regarded as traditional acts in 2012. So it’s a sure bet that some of the music that’s currently testing country’s boundaries will one day be considered old school, and safely traditional.”

The Scans End Game
Ten more sales weeks remain in 2012. YTD 2011 country album sales totaled 42.923 million units, down 1.8% from 2010’s 43.718 million total. Country albums currently have scanned 30.442 million units. To equal 2011 we have to average 1.248 million units for each of the next ten weeks. (Week ended 10-21-12 totaled 1.054 country album scans.) If we’d like to return to the higher 2010 benchmark, we need to average 1.328 million units each week.

Swift’s larger than normal numbers entering the chart next week will lower those weekly averages for the last nine weeks… stay tuned… Looks like a pretty safe bet at this point to say 2012 will be an up year!

SiriusXM Radio CEO to Exit Post

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Mel Karmazin

SiriusXM Radio’s CEO, Mel Karmazin, has announced he will be leaving the satellite radio service and its Board effective February 1, 2013, according to reports.

In a statement, Karmazin said:

“SiriusXM is an extraordinary company with an incredible team. It is an honor to come to work here every day where we truly deliver the best radio on radio. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished. Given where we started, it is amazing that SiriusXM has grown to become the largest radio company in the world. We continue to grow our subscriber base to record levels and our financial position has never been stronger. SiriusXM has a strong foundation to build on for the future and there is a great team in place to keep the company moving forward. I am confident that SiriusXM’s best years are ahead.”

Last month, Karmazin told conferees at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment: “My instincts today are that Liberty does not need me. I have historically been expensive, and, you know, it’s very clear to me that if I were Liberty, I would sit there and say, ‘I’m not sure we need Mel.’ And that’s OK with Mel,” referring to himself in the third person.

Karmazin’s move comes as Liberty Media seeks a majority stake in the satellite radio service operator. Currently, Liberty holds 49.5% stake in Sirius XM.

Board member Greg Maffei will chair a search committee, formed by the SiriusXM Board of Directors seeking the company’s next CEO. Considerations will be made both internally and externally.

The Swift Way to One Million

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Taylor Swift’s Red, which hit stores Monday (Oct. 22), is headed for a very big first week sales debut in excess of one million units. In doing so, Swift will become the first female in the SoundScan era to have two albums sell in excess of one million units in a week.

According to Billboard, the Big Machine star’s fourth studio album surpassed sales of 500,000 in its first day. That total includes a 160,000 unit boost from Target, which got exclusive dibs on the album’s deluxe version and set a store record in the process.

Sales for Red have been pumped up through a variety of innovative brand partnerships, including Papa John’s and Walgreens, both of whom are offering the album for sale. The iTunes store got the first week exclusive digital sales of Red, which has not yet been released to Amazon MP3 or Google Play. In contrast to Mumford & Sons’ Babel, which recently broke a one week streaming record on Spotify while selling 600k first week units, Red is not currently available on any streaming services.

Swift’s third album Speak Now debuted in Nov. 2010 with first week sales of 1.047 million. Since then, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way is the only album to hit the first week million sales mark (with 1.108 million units sold), thanks in part to a 99 cent Amazon mp3 promotion. Swift will join the Backstreet Boys, ‘NSync, and Eminem as the only artists to have had two albums eclipse one million sold in a week.

Joe Redmond Joins Bullseye

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Joe Redmond

Veteran radio promotion executive Joe Redmond has joined Bullseye Marketing Research. “We are excited to have Joe on board,” says Pres./CEO John Hart. “This business is all about relationships, and Joe’s relationships, experience, knowledge and enthusiasm will be an asset as we continue to grow our little company.”

Redmond adds, “I’ve found a home. John’s reputation is stellar in this community, and I am proud to be associated with him.”

Redmond’s other career stops include Edgehill Music and Media, Robbins Nashville, Lofton Creek, and Warner Bros. Nashville.

Reach him at 615-440-5132 or joe@bullsi.com.

NATD To Honor Six Industry Leaders

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The Nashville Association of Talent Directors (NATD) will salute six industry leaders at the 2nd annual NATD Honors gala on Wed., Nov. 14 at the Hermitage Hotel. Honorees include Nashville Predator and NHL Foundation Award recipient Mike Fisher, Morris Management Group President Clint Higham, CAA Nashville Agent John Huie, country music icon George Jones and Nashville Symphony President & CEO Alan Valentine.

Robert S. Williams, President of WBA Entertainment, will receive the Hubert Long Award. Named for the influential industry executive, The Hubert Long Award is presented to individuals who have made a significant and positive contribution to the music industry through artist development.

The 2012 Honorees were chosen by the NATD Board of Directors, led by President Steve Tolman of LogiCom. “Our goal is to recognize the work that these individuals have done to better the community around them. Not only are they leaders in their chosen professions but they believe in continuing and supporting education which is one of our main goals at NATD.”

The NATD Honors begins with a reception at 6:00 PM followed by a dinner and ceremony at 7:15 PM. Ticket information can be found at www.ticketfly.com.

Past honorees include Alabama, Tony Conway, Mayor Karl Dean, James H. Gosnell, Jr., and Barry Trotz.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw Join CMA Awards Lineup

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Fans of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will be in for a treat at the 46th Annual CMA Awards on Thursday, Nov. 1 (8-11 pm/ET). The superstar country couple has joined the show’s musical lineup and will each get to perform twice during the ABC telecast.

Hill will be singing her newest single “American Heart,” which is climbing the MusicRow chart at No. 47 this week. McGraw will be debuting new music from his forthcoming Big Machine Records album. Later in the show, the couple will return to the stage, along with Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton, for a special musical tribute to the legendary Willie Nelson.

The 46th Annual CMA Awards will be hosted for the fifth year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, both of whom will also perform on the show. Other previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Eli Young Band, Brantley Gilbert, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Shelton, Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, and Zac Brown Band

Performers Set For Nashville New Year’s Eve

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A diverse line up is set for Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration. The Fray will headline the fourth annual Music City New Year’s Eve “Bash on Broadway” along with performances by Love and Theft, Sixpence None the Richer, and Striking Matches. The show will be emceed by Storme Warren, host of GAC’s Headline Country and SiriusXM radio personality.

Revelers will count down to the New Year as a 15-foot-tall red “Music Note Drop®,” descends from a 115 ft. structure followed by a fireworks display and confetti cannons. The show, which is free to the public, will take place on Lower Broadway between 1st and 5th Aves. beginning at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Family hour, from 7 to 8 p.m., includes the raising of the music note, fireworks and discounted non-alcoholic beverages.

The festivities kick off Sun., Dec. 30 with MusicFest and Battle of the Bands on Broadway featuring the college bands of the teams playing in the Music City Bowl. The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl game will follow on Mon., Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. at LP Field. The Nashville New Year’s Resolution Run 5K Run/Walk will be Tues., Jan. 1. For details visit www.visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve.

For NYE 2011, the hotel occupancy rate was 90.3%, up from 75.7% in 2010. According to city officials, the crowd attendance was 55,000 in 2011, 25,000 in 2010 and 15,000 in 2009.

Josh Doyle Launches Debut Album

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Nashville-based Josh Doyle celebrates the release of his self-titled debut album out today (10/23) with a full schedule of media stops this week. Tune in to catch Doyle on Marie (10/23), the Daily Buzz (October 23),  Daytime (10/25), the Better Show  (10/30) and Good Day New York (10/26).  Check local listings for broadcast times.

“I’m excited to share this album with the world,” commented Doyle. “In the space of about three  months, I have gone from being a server in an Italian restaurant in Nashville, to performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It’s been a whirlwind!”

Featured on October’s Cover of Guitar Center magazine, Doyle recently won Guitar Center’s first Singer-Songwriter competition out of 17,000 entries. The prize included studio time with Grammy-winning producer John Shanks, who has worked with such heavyweights as Bon Jovi and Van Halen. The Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter competition just launched its second season. The competition will offer career-altering opportunities to another round of musicians.

Doyle’s album is available digitally on iTunes, Amazon.com, Spotify and other online outlets. Physical copies are available at www.JoshDoyle.com.

Track list:
1. Everyone’s Alone
2. When Your Heart Can’t Make Up Its Mind
3. Bird of Prey
4. Solarstorms
5. Swallow the World
6. I Figured the World Out
7. Meaning of Life
8. I Want to Break Your Mended Heart
9. This Transcendent Ache
10. My Jerusalem

Fun Fundraisers: This Week’s Events

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Crownover Blevins and Merrill Lynch are hosting the 7th annual End of the Row Party on Thurs., Oct. 25, 5 p.m. at The Ruby (2411 Blakemore Ave., Nashville). Set to perform are Don Schlitz, Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall, Tracy Lawrence and more. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. 100% of ticket sales benefit the TJ Martell Foundation. Tickets here.

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Tonight’s (10/23) Rock the Cradle fundraiser features country legend Ronnie Milsap. The event at the Loveless Café Barn includes a cocktail reception and dinner at 6:30 p.m. and performances at 8 p.m. All proceeds will support babies born at Baptist Hospital and the Beaman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Individual tickets are $250. Visit www.RockTheCradleNashville.com or call (615) 284-2569 to reserve a table sponsorship or purchase a ticket.

Last year’s Rock the Cradle featured Big & Rich and raised $100,000. The event has generated more than $325,000 in proceeds since 2010. Co-chairs Connie Bradley and Troy Tomlinson created Rock the Cradle and have led the effort for the past three years. This year’s Honorary Co-chairs Stefanie Dean Brown and Holly Singletary met while their babies were in the Baptist Hospital NICU together.

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Also tonight (Oct. 23), the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville will host “Jason Sturgeon & Friends Against Breast Cancer” to raise money and awareness as part of Hard Rock’s “Pinktober” campaign. Joining Sturgeon will be Bigger Picture’s Craig Campbell and hitmaker Tim Rushlow. Music begins at 7 pm, and a $10 donation is suggested.

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Papas & Mamas Sing For Healthy Birth will feature Delbert McClinton and friends including Gary Nicholson, Kevin & Yates McKendree, McCrary Sisters and special guests. The concert will be Sat., Oct. 27 at 3rd & Lindsley. General seating is $35. Proceeds benefit Attachment Parenting International, with the goal of improving the well-being of children, and as a result, the well-being of the community. Tickets here.