Shawn Colvin, Drew Womack, the World Famous Headliners
Welcome, Americana conventioneers.
This week’s edition of “DisClaimer” is full of your favorites as well as some folks who want to be. As you might expect, there’s an awful lot to like.
The Disc of the Day award is being divvied up. Our Female winner is Shawn Colvin. The Male prize goes to the comeback-bound Drew Womack. And ya gotta love the Group awardee, the completely charming World Famous Headliners.
Shel
Our newcomers include troubadours Sam Lewis, Jesse Terry and Eric Silver, plus the winners of this week’s DisCovery Award, Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza Holbrook, collectively known as Shel. Not since the heydays of the McGarrigles and Roches have I been so captivated.
CHRIS KNIGHT/Little Victories
Writer: none listed; Producer: Ray Kennedy; Publisher: none listed; Drifter’s Church/Thirty Tigers (track) (www.chrisknight.net)
—It has been four years since we’ve had an album from this gritty Kentucky song poet. The title tune to Knight’s newest remains true to his dedication to telling the stories of the “other” America. That’s a place of small-town desperation, working-class blues, hard times and resilience. The guy in this song has some firewood, a half a deer in the freezer and enough to survive on, so he thinks he’s doing pretty okay. John Prine joins in on the last chorus, by the way.
MINDY SMITH/Don’t Mind Me
Writer: Mindy Smith; Producer: Jason Lehning & Mindy Smith; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Big Yellow Dog/In the Tin Can, BMI; Giant Leap/TVX (track) ()
—This downbeat track from her self-titled current collection finds our heroine drinking, blue and lonely amid grinding electric guitars. Pairing her lilting, countryfied soprano with this thudding, echoey backing track is somewhat jarring at first listen, but I’ve always maintained that different is good. Elsewhere on the CD, she’s in her more familiar, folkish mode.
SAM LEWIS/I’m a River
Writer: Sam Lewis; Producer: Sam Lewis & Matt Urmy; Publisher: Sammy Sings, BMI; SL (track) (www.samlewistunes.com)
—Lewis has enlisted some stellar cast member for his CD, including guitarist Kenny Vaughan. On this r&b and gospel flavored ballad, he’s joined by Jonell Mosser on harmony vocals. Clearly, this is a blue-eyed soulman worth a listen. Or two or three.
WORLD FAMOUS HEADLINERS/Give Your Love to Me
Writer: Al Anderson/Shawn Camp/Pat McLaughlin; Producer: Justin Niebank & The World Famous Headliners; Publisher: International Dog/Bucked Up/Scamporee/Hammer Arm, BMI; Big Yellow Dog (track) (www.worldfamousheadliners.com)
—For lovers of Nashville music, the name of this group is no idle boast. The World Famous Headliners are Pat McLaughlin, Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, Michael Rhodes and Greg Morrow. The group’s CD kicks off with this rumbling rocker where everybody’s singing with hearty gusto. This train is moving with a steady roll. Get on board for the ride of your life.
SHEL/Freckles
Writer: Shel; Producer: Brent Maher & Shel; Publisher: Songs of Moraine, BMI; Moraine/Mad King(track) (www.shelmusic.com)
—Shel is comprised of the four Holbrook sisters on violin, mandolin, drums and piano, plus wafting vocals. Their cool, quirky sound is equal parts jaunty pop, sideways folk and sly humor, especially on this ear-tickling track. Delightful.
SHAWN COLVIN/All Fall Down
Writer: Shawn Colvin/John Leventhal; Producer: Buddy Miller; Publisher: Colvinsongs/Lev-A-Tunes, ASCAP; Nonesuch (track) (www.shawncolvin.com)
—Now 15 years on since her Grammy awarded “Sunny Came Home,” Colvin continues to make compelling records. She came to Nashville’s Buddy Miller to help her craft her latest. The title tune has a rambling, careening, jumbling and utterly fascinating audio texture and a gripping lyric of failure and redemption. Essential listening.
JESSE TERRY/Let the Blue Skies Go to Your Head
Writer: Jesse Terry; Producer: Neilson Hubbard; Publisher: Jackson Beach, SESAC; JT (track) (www.jesseterrymusic.com)
—He sings in a relaxed, easy-going tenor, and his songs are highly pleasing folk constructions. The cello-and-viola backing on this emphasis track are extra cool touches. The CD is titled Empty Seat on a Plane. It’s the kind of listening that makes a Sunday afternoon glide by.
TIM O’BRIEN & DARRELL SCOTT/Long Time Gone
Writer: Darrell Scott; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Famous/Chuck Wagon Gourmet, ASCAP; Full Light (track) (www.darrellscott.com)
—Separately, these two troubadours are both mighty forces to be reckoned with. Together on the live CD We’re Usually a Lot Better Than This, they are double dynamite. O’Brien’s mandolin provides the propulsion on this track while Scott’s expressive lead vocal makes you listen to this Dixie Chicks hit in a whole new way. Dazzling.
ERIC SILVER /When You’re Here
Writer: Eric Silver; Producer: Eric Silver; Publisher: none listed; Midas (track) (www.ericsilvermusic.com)
—Silver is a Nashville session musician who has written tunes for Diamond Rio, Reba, the Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, Donna Summer, Neal McCoy and others. This title ballad from his own CD shows he’s been saving some choice songs for himself. It unveils a lush, luxurious and lovely texture as he spins its soft yarn of spending time alone with his guitar, cabernet and moonlight. The disc is being released in Brazil, where Silver has a side solo career.
DREW WOMACK/Sunshine to Rain
Writer: Drew Womack; Producer: Clayton Corn; Publisher: Native Stone, ASCAP; Blue Lightning (track) (www.drewwomack.net)
—The former Sons of the Desert leader has shifted into the Americana field for his comeback solo CD. Forced by spinal surgery to take a nine-year career hiatus, he took a clutch of well-polished songwriting gems into an Austin studio and emerged with a collection that will really grab you by the ears. The title tune is the tale of an alcoholic who returns to the poison that has already ruined a life. Womack has always had one of my favorite singing voices, and something as potent as this really lets him soar.
NMPA Hosts Songwriters Showcase
/by Caitlin RantalaThe National Music Publishers’ Association gathered in Nashville Monday (9/10) to host its annual Songwriters Showcase at Bluebird Café. The annual event is a chance for the songwriting and publishing communities to showcase talent and discuss present issues of concern with royalty rates and licensing.
(L-R) Songwriters Mark Selby, Tia Sillers and Brett James; NMPA President and CEO David Israelite, Songwriters Luke Laird and Natalie Hemby; chairman of the NMPA board Irwin Robinson
Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman & CEO Zach Horowitz (L) and Executive Vice President Kent Earls (R) present chart-topping songwriter Luke Laird (center) with Gold and Platinum Note Awards during the National Music Publishers' Association Songwriters Showcase at Bluebird Café in Nashville.
ACM Announces 2012 Contribution to ACM Lifting Lives
/by Freeman(L-R) ACM Parliamentarian Paul Moore, ACM Treasurer Duane Clark, ACM Lifting Lives Chairman Mark Hartley, ACM Chairman Sarah Trahern, ACM President Butch Waugh and ACM Vice President Ken Robold
The Academy of Country Music is making a $750,000 contribution to ACM Lifting Lives on behalf of the artists who participated in the “ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – In Concert” special in April. Ticket proceeds from the event held in Las Vegas went to ACM Lifting Lives.
Singer/songwriter Richie, along with guests Jason Aldean, Marc Anthony, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Big & Rich, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts all took part in the event. The special drew over 8 million viewers when it aired on CBS in April.
“We thank these incredible artists for donating their time and talents to make it possible for ACM Lifting Lives to continue the good work of improving lives through the power of music,” said Mark Hartley, Chairman of ACM Lifting Lives.
More info on ACM Lifting Lives here.
Yamaha Launches Entertainment Division With Tennessee Ties
/by Freeman“For nearly five decades, Yamaha has been the world leader in artist endorsements. It was a natural progression to take the next step and provide what our artists needed at a critical time in music history,” said Chris Gero, Founder of Yamaha Entertainment Group of America. “Our goal is to significantly enhance the services we provide, while maintaining the level of quality our artists have come to know us by.”
Currently recording in the new facility is London-based rock band, Leogun, which is affiliated with Elton John’s Rocket Entertainment Group. The band’s debut single “Let’s Be Friends” was released yesterday (9/11) and they will perform at the Yamaha Entertainment Group launch party tomorrow (9/13) at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles.
The new division will oversee Yamaha’s artist relations departments in New York, Nashville, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. More info here.
Weekly Register: Country Fans Further Embrace The Digital Shift
/by bossrossThe 2011 full year TEA Index was 25% country and 27.7% all-genre.
(TEA) Taylor Equivalent Albums
With all the Taylor Swift tracks that fans are downloading we might consider renaming the Index to the above headline. Swift’s “…Never Ever…” single has scanned 1.46 million in 4 weeks and “Ronan” debuted this week with over 211k sales. Sales numbers are strongly influenced by release schedules, and Taylor’s track offerings are affecting the TEA balance. In fact, compared to last year the country index is up 5.56% while all-genre is only up 4.05%.
The numbers show that the shift to tracks is more pronounced this year among country consumers than overall fans, who likely shifted earlier as evidenced by country track sales being up 11.5% compared to all genre increase of only 6%. Further supporting this idea, digital country album sales are growing, but still only 27% of total albums, while all genre album sales are almost 39% digital. And finally, tracks and TEA are playing a larger role in Music City sales because country album sales have fallen from a high of 8.4% (5/13/12) to this week’s rather flat tally of .2% giving track sales more weight.
Weekly Register
As we slide into mid-September, we are experiencing the calm before the storm. This week Top 75 Current Country plummeted to slightly below 234k, one of the lowest weeks of 2012. Carrie Underwood (No. 1; 29k) and Luke Bryan (No. 2; 15k) led the charge with slight increases, but most every other album fell off. A rash of album product will be hitting physical and digital shelves soon from Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith and others plus holiday sets from Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton. How strong will the cash register winds blow? Well, Little Big Town released a Tornado this week…
Stay tuned…
Jim Lauderdale To Release Bluegrass Album
/by Eric T. ParkerRecorded at Nashville’s Slack Key Studios with producer and dobro player Randy Kohrs, the album features Tim Crouch (fiddle), Jay Weaver (bass), Josh Williams (guitar), Aaron Ramsey (mandolin), and Scott Vestal (banjo) on every track.
“Iodine,” the album’s first track, has been released as a single to bluegrass radio.
“I got to write the whole record with one of my all-time heroes, Robert Hunter,” Lauderdale said. “Randy Kohrs really outdid himself as a producer and it was incredible to work with these fine players.”
Lauderdale will return to host the Americana Awards & Honors at the Ryman Auditorium this evening (9/12). Additionally, the singer has joined Buddy Miller, for The Buddy & Jim Show, airing in bi-weekly Saturday and Sunday segments on Sirius XM Outlaw Country. Lauderdale also hosts a radio program on Nashville’s WSM-AM as well as Music City Roots, Live From The Loveless Café.
He has earned a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2002 and 2007 for Lost In The Lonesome Pines, a Ralph Stanley collaboration and The Bluegrass Diaries, respectively.
For more information, click here.
DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/12/12)
/by Robert K OermannShawn Colvin, Drew Womack, the World Famous Headliners
Welcome, Americana conventioneers.
This week’s edition of “DisClaimer” is full of your favorites as well as some folks who want to be. As you might expect, there’s an awful lot to like.
The Disc of the Day award is being divvied up. Our Female winner is Shawn Colvin. The Male prize goes to the comeback-bound Drew Womack. And ya gotta love the Group awardee, the completely charming World Famous Headliners.
Shel
Our newcomers include troubadours Sam Lewis, Jesse Terry and Eric Silver, plus the winners of this week’s DisCovery Award, Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza Holbrook, collectively known as Shel. Not since the heydays of the McGarrigles and Roches have I been so captivated.
CHRIS KNIGHT/Little Victories
Writer: none listed; Producer: Ray Kennedy; Publisher: none listed; Drifter’s Church/Thirty Tigers (track) (www.chrisknight.net)
—It has been four years since we’ve had an album from this gritty Kentucky song poet. The title tune to Knight’s newest remains true to his dedication to telling the stories of the “other” America. That’s a place of small-town desperation, working-class blues, hard times and resilience. The guy in this song has some firewood, a half a deer in the freezer and enough to survive on, so he thinks he’s doing pretty okay. John Prine joins in on the last chorus, by the way.
MINDY SMITH/Don’t Mind Me
Writer: Mindy Smith; Producer: Jason Lehning & Mindy Smith; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Big Yellow Dog/In the Tin Can, BMI; Giant Leap/TVX (track) ()
—This downbeat track from her self-titled current collection finds our heroine drinking, blue and lonely amid grinding electric guitars. Pairing her lilting, countryfied soprano with this thudding, echoey backing track is somewhat jarring at first listen, but I’ve always maintained that different is good. Elsewhere on the CD, she’s in her more familiar, folkish mode.
SAM LEWIS/I’m a River
Writer: Sam Lewis; Producer: Sam Lewis & Matt Urmy; Publisher: Sammy Sings, BMI; SL (track) (www.samlewistunes.com)
—Lewis has enlisted some stellar cast member for his CD, including guitarist Kenny Vaughan. On this r&b and gospel flavored ballad, he’s joined by Jonell Mosser on harmony vocals. Clearly, this is a blue-eyed soulman worth a listen. Or two or three.
WORLD FAMOUS HEADLINERS/Give Your Love to Me
Writer: Al Anderson/Shawn Camp/Pat McLaughlin; Producer: Justin Niebank & The World Famous Headliners; Publisher: International Dog/Bucked Up/Scamporee/Hammer Arm, BMI; Big Yellow Dog (track) (www.worldfamousheadliners.com)
—For lovers of Nashville music, the name of this group is no idle boast. The World Famous Headliners are Pat McLaughlin, Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, Michael Rhodes and Greg Morrow. The group’s CD kicks off with this rumbling rocker where everybody’s singing with hearty gusto. This train is moving with a steady roll. Get on board for the ride of your life.
SHEL/Freckles
Writer: Shel; Producer: Brent Maher & Shel; Publisher: Songs of Moraine, BMI; Moraine/Mad King(track) (www.shelmusic.com)
—Shel is comprised of the four Holbrook sisters on violin, mandolin, drums and piano, plus wafting vocals. Their cool, quirky sound is equal parts jaunty pop, sideways folk and sly humor, especially on this ear-tickling track. Delightful.
SHAWN COLVIN/All Fall Down
Writer: Shawn Colvin/John Leventhal; Producer: Buddy Miller; Publisher: Colvinsongs/Lev-A-Tunes, ASCAP; Nonesuch (track) (www.shawncolvin.com)
—Now 15 years on since her Grammy awarded “Sunny Came Home,” Colvin continues to make compelling records. She came to Nashville’s Buddy Miller to help her craft her latest. The title tune has a rambling, careening, jumbling and utterly fascinating audio texture and a gripping lyric of failure and redemption. Essential listening.
JESSE TERRY/Let the Blue Skies Go to Your Head
Writer: Jesse Terry; Producer: Neilson Hubbard; Publisher: Jackson Beach, SESAC; JT (track) (www.jesseterrymusic.com)
—He sings in a relaxed, easy-going tenor, and his songs are highly pleasing folk constructions. The cello-and-viola backing on this emphasis track are extra cool touches. The CD is titled Empty Seat on a Plane. It’s the kind of listening that makes a Sunday afternoon glide by.
TIM O’BRIEN & DARRELL SCOTT/Long Time Gone
Writer: Darrell Scott; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Famous/Chuck Wagon Gourmet, ASCAP; Full Light (track) (www.darrellscott.com)
—Separately, these two troubadours are both mighty forces to be reckoned with. Together on the live CD We’re Usually a Lot Better Than This, they are double dynamite. O’Brien’s mandolin provides the propulsion on this track while Scott’s expressive lead vocal makes you listen to this Dixie Chicks hit in a whole new way. Dazzling.
ERIC SILVER /When You’re Here
Writer: Eric Silver; Producer: Eric Silver; Publisher: none listed; Midas (track) (www.ericsilvermusic.com)
—Silver is a Nashville session musician who has written tunes for Diamond Rio, Reba, the Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, Donna Summer, Neal McCoy and others. This title ballad from his own CD shows he’s been saving some choice songs for himself. It unveils a lush, luxurious and lovely texture as he spins its soft yarn of spending time alone with his guitar, cabernet and moonlight. The disc is being released in Brazil, where Silver has a side solo career.
DREW WOMACK/Sunshine to Rain
Writer: Drew Womack; Producer: Clayton Corn; Publisher: Native Stone, ASCAP; Blue Lightning (track) (www.drewwomack.net)
—The former Sons of the Desert leader has shifted into the Americana field for his comeback solo CD. Forced by spinal surgery to take a nine-year career hiatus, he took a clutch of well-polished songwriting gems into an Austin studio and emerged with a collection that will really grab you by the ears. The title tune is the tale of an alcoholic who returns to the poison that has already ruined a life. Womack has always had one of my favorite singing voices, and something as potent as this really lets him soar.
Regina Stuve Launches PR Firm
/by Sarah SkatesStuve says, “After working in the music business for 21 years, which is half of my lifetime, I am very grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me by Sony, Universal, Capitol, Evelyn Shriver Public Relations and MCA Records. I am excited about my new endeavor and I truly appreciate the support I have already received from so many people. I have always been inspired by our Nashville music community and all of the amazingly talented and creative people who live here. I love this town.”
Reach her at reginastuve@comcast.net.
Snapshots: Little Big Town, Byron Hill, Blake Mevis
/by Sarah SkatesLittle Big Town stormed into Manhattan Monday (9/10) to promote Tuesday’s release of new album Tornado. The band performed its two week No. 1 smash “Pontoon” on Good Morning America.
Little Big Town also taped an episode of CMT Unplugged which is available online at www.unplugged.CMT.com. Four of the five performances from the show will premiere on-air Wed., Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. ET/PT on CMT. The platinum-certified group will also take over the network as CMT VJ For A Day this week.
Little Big Town with Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos, Amy Robach, Lara Spencer, Josh Elliot, Ginger Zee. Photo Credit: ABC/Lou Rocco
• • • •
George Strait recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of his first No. 1 single, “Fool Hearted Memory,” which hit the top of the charts on Aug. 28, 1982. Songwriters Byron Hill and Blake Mevis reunited to mark the occasion before Hill headed north of the border for more honors. In related news, Strait has scheduled a press conference for Wed., Sept. 26 in Nashville…stay tuned.
Pictured at George Strait's first No. 1 party are (L-R): co-writer Byron Hill, Strait, and producer and co-writer Blake Mevis
Celebrating the 30th anniversary are (L-R): ASCAP's Marc Driskill, Blake Mevis, Byron Hill, and Sony/ATV's Troy Tomlinson. Photo by Alan Mayor
Chris Young Inks With BMI, Sets Ryman Date
/by Sarah SkatesPictured are BMI’s Clay Bradley, Chris Young, and BMI’s Jody Williams and Bradley Collins. Photo by Drew Maynard
BMI recently welcomed Chris Young to its songwriting family. Young is in the midst of a hot streak, scoring five consecutive No. 1 hits from his two most recent albums The Man I Want to Be and Neon, and selling over 1 million downloads of his smash “Tomorrow.”
Young is also set for his first headlining concert at Nashville’s revered Ryman Auditorium. The Nov. 15 date includes special guests Thomas Rhett and Joanna Smith, and is the first stop on Young’s Liquid Neon Tour.
While Young has played the Ryman as part of the Grand Ole Opry, this headlining debut is especially meaningful for the Murfreesboro, Tenn. native. “The first time I set foot on the Ryman stage was an unbelievable experience,” says Young. “I am so grateful for the support of my hometown crowd all of these years and saying I can’t wait for this show is an obvious understatement.”
Tickets for the Ryman concert go on sale on Fri., Sept. 14 at 10 AM CT and are available via the Ryman box office and Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 800-745-3000.
Apple Plots Personalized Radio, iPhone 5
/by Sarah SkatesApple aficionados know that the tech giant earns most of its profits from hardware sales of iPods, iPhones and iPads, instead of music downloads. This will likely give Apple an advantage over radio rivals because it isn’t vying for hard-to-grasp profits from streaming radio.
In related news, Apple is expected to debut the iPhone 5 tomorrow (9/23). According to AdAge, iPhone sales account for about 70% of the company’s profits. The trade publication reports, “The phone, to be introduced tomorrow by CEO Tim Cook, will probably have a new hardware design, including a bigger screen and thinner body, as well as new mapping software and compatibility with speedier next-generation data networks.”
Apple could sell as many as 10 million iPhones by the end of September alone, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos.