Backstage after the concert. (L-R) Sandi Borchetta- VP Creative Services BMR; David M. Ross- Publisher MusicRow; Reba; John Zarling- Sr. Dir. New Media; and George Briner-Dir. Ntl. Promotion.
flawless performance delighted an April 9 Louisville, KY audience at the city’s new KFC Yum Center.
Staged in the round, the Chockie, Okie redhead’s musical portion was nestled between opener
Lee Ann Womack and closer
George Strait. This night was extra special because it was the tour’s final date. As the anticipation for a “first glimpse of Reba” built, video screens showed snippets from a variety of the star’s many accomplishments. Included were scenes from her first major supporting movie role,
Tremors (with Kevin Bacon); a variety of hit music video edits; footage from the Broadway musical,
Annie Get Your Gun; and of course a few frames from her sitcom success simply titled,
Reba.
Seated in the VIP soundboard seating area was producer
Tony Brown, whose sharp ears nurtured many of the hits which would be performed during the evening’s show. The lights came up. Reba seemed to float down the runway onto the stage and burst into her first Mercury Records No. 1 (1984) “Can’t Even Get The Blues.”
Big Machine President/CEO Scott Borchetta couldn't resist climbing behind the wheel of the "Fancy" cab.
Then the hits kept rolling with songs like “Fear Of Being Alone,” “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” and the infectious blues romp, “Tell Me Why.”
Lee Ann Womack re-appeared on stage and delivered a soaring vocal read with Reba on the 1993 smash “Does He Love You,” originally recorded with
Linda Davis. Another standout was the
Kelly Clarkson song “Because Of You.”
Just as it seemed time to move from ballads back to uptempo numbers, an oversized blond woman wearing a George Strait t-shirt with redneck jewels glued all over it and holding a Budweiser in her hand screamed and yelled as she ran to join Reba onstage. It didn’t take long to recognize
Melissa Peterman the comedienne who played Barbara Jean on the
Reba TV sitcom. Peterman, who incidentally will soon release a comedy album on one of the Big Machine imprints was outrageous. At one point
George Strait talked over the speakers and Peterman made his mouth move on her t-shirt pretending she was a ventriloquist… Next Peterman and McEntire volleyed gags like two champion tennis players at Wimbledon. Peterman wanted to sing with Reba, then she agreed to sit quietly on a stool. Then she sang a line anyway. The sitcom chemistry worked nicely and Peterman exited to strong applause.
Reba regained control of her show singing “I’m A Survivor,” and one of her latest Valory Music No. 1 hits “On The Radio.” She worked the in-the-round setting smoothly, visiting with all four sides of the audience. Yes, the production was nice and yes, the lighting and sound were extremely well done. But omg–it was all about the vocals!
Perhaps there’s a reason why this country icon, Hall Of Famer, has 15 American Music Awards, 9 People’s Choice trophies, 7 CMA honors, 2 Grammys, sold over 55 million albums worldwide, appeared on Broadway plus had a No. 1 sitcom on two networks for six consecutive years. McEntire’s vocal instrument is a joy to experience. She exercises total control over her notes and phrases, and like an expert chief mixes just the right amount of vocal spice to flavorfully expose a song’s emotional heart.
In an unusual production touch, the encore embraced the most production elements of the set. Of course the song was “Fancy.” It began with a clip of the music video with the singer in the backseat of a cab. When the lights came on a real life yellow cab drove out onto the arena floor and up to the stage. A woman in a red dress got out (Reba) who climbed up on the stage and ripped into this chilling parable of loss and redemption.
The satisfied crowd screamed and applauded, cause Fancy did not let them down.
Music Council Partners With Entrepreneur Center
/by admin(L-R) Janet Miller, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; Butch Spyridon, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau; Nashville Mayor Karl Dean; Tawn Albright, Rockhouse Partners; Joe Galante, former chairman, Sony BMG Nashville; Mary Ann McCready, Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy; and Michael Burcham, Entrepreneur Center. Photo: Judith Hill
The Nashville Music Council and Nashville Entrepreneur Center have launched a partnership to provide direct support to local start-ups in music, digital media and entertainment. The partnership includes a formalized agreement to work together to nurture and support business ideas with the potential to impact the digital media and music entertainment sector.
“Cities seeking to grow and prosper in the 21st century have to support innovation and entrepreneurship in key industries,” said Mayor Karl Dean at an April 12 event. “The music industry, in particular, is ripe for new ideas and new business models that will help shape its transition into the digital age. This partnership between the Music Council and the Entrepreneur Center will help ensure that the future leader and leading ideas of the music industry are being cultivated right here in Nashville.”
Led by Vanderbilt faculty member and accomplished business leader Michael Burcham, Nashville’s Entrepreneur Center is an incubator for ideas and business start-ups targeting four distinct areas for local growth: health care, technology, social enterprise and digital media & entertainment. Since its official launch in the summer of 2010 with private and public support, the EC now encompasses more than 8,000 square feet of physical space and a staff of successful industry leaders. The EC is the “front door” for new entrepreneurs, helping them navigate the available options and resources.
The new joint initiative is multi-faceted. It includes events held by the EC for the Music Council where entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to obtain valuable executive-level interaction and feedback on business plan presentations. The EC will also sponsor a formal mentoring program for the Music Council that will pair an industry leader with a start-up(s) venture. Four experienced and successful mentors have been elected to kick off the official mentor program:
>>Co-founder and Managing Partner of Rockhouse Partners Tawn Albright
>>ASCAP President Tim DuBois
>>Former Chairman of Sony Music Nashville Joe Galante
>>Entrepreneur in Residence of Claritas Capital Mark Montgomery
Have a start-up idea?
Requests for meeting and applications can be obtained via the EC website, www.entrepreneurcenter.com, or through email at connect@entrepreneurcenter.com.
“The music and entertainment industry is an entrepreneurial business,” said Mary Ann McCready, partner at Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy Inc. and co-chair of the Nashville Music Council. “It makes complete sense for the Music Council to support its local entrepreneurs, and the EC is a great vehicle for doing this.”
Ashton Shepherd Sets Sophomore Release
/by Sarah SkatesHer second album, Where Country Grows, will be released July 12. She wrote or co-wrote 8 of the 10 songs on the project, teaming with top-notch tunesmiths like Dean Dillon, Dale Dodson, Bobby Pinson and Troy Jones. She also wrote two of the album’s most powerful songs “I’m Just a Woman” and “Rory’s Radio” by herself.
Shepherd reunited with producer Buddy Cannon for the latest album. The two worked together on her 2008 debut, Sounds So Good.
The Alabama native will perform the national anthem at the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Talladega, AL on Sunday, April 17, set to be nationally televised on FOX.
The album isn’t the only new thing Shepherd has in the works—she’s expecting her second child this fall.
Aldean To Perform On "Idol"
/by FreemanJason Aldean will team up with Kelly Clarkson to perform their No. 1 hit “Don’t You Wanna Stay” on Fox’s American Idol tomorrow (4/14) 7 pm CT. Later in the evening, Aldean will perform his new single “Dirt Road Anthem” on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS.
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” has now been certified platinum for digital sales over one million. Aldean’s massive My Kinda Party tour has been extended through August, and heads to the Northeast for a handful of dates at the end of April. See his website for full tour itinerary.
Aldean headlined Country Thunder in Florence, AZ last Friday (4/8). Pictured (L to R): Broken Bow's Jim Malito, KMLE’s Drew Bland, Jason Aldean, KMLE’s Jeff Garrison.
Artist News Wednesday
/by MichelleJohn Michael Montgomery
>>Danville, KY native John Michael Montgomery became one of the newest members of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame recently, inducted by brother Eddie Montgomery, of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, at a ceremony in Lexington, KY.
>>Kris Kristofferson will receive the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) 2011 Career Achievement Award when the Festival presented by Nissan takes place April 14-21 at the Regal Green Hills Stadium 16. Kristofferson will be presented with the award before the Friday, April 15, 8:00 p.m. spotlight screening of Bloodworth, in which the actor portrays a disgruntled and estranged father and musician returning to his family after 40 years of absence. Chely Wright will be in attendance for the Friday, April 15, 5:30 p.m. sneak preview screening of the documentary Wish Me Away. The documentary, by directors Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf, follows Wright leading up to and after her coming out as openly gay. For more details about the Film Festival, please visit http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.
Pictured during Friday night’s pre-hunt festivities are Beddingfield (l) and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (r).
>>Rebel Dawg Records artist Eric Lee Beddingfield took part in the 10th Annual Tennessee Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt benefiting the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Foundation in Pulaski, Tennessee recently. Participants were paired with a guide and given one opportunity to bag a bird. ELB came away empty handed, but he did get to perform his “The Gospel According to Jones” hit for the 1,000 or so attendees of the banquet that evening.
>>Chris Young is preparing to make his second visit to entertain U.S. troops stationed overseas, as part of the Stars For Stripes tour. Young will embark on the PIECE OF HOME tour, performing for service members stationed in Iraq and Kuwait, from April 13-21. Not only will Young and his full band perform 5 concerts at 5 camps, he will also offer special acoustic sets at various remote FOBs (Forward Operating Base) for troops who seldom receive celebrity entertainment.
Jacob Lyda (r) and Chumlee (l)
>>Davis Music Group artist Jacob Lyda was in Las Vegas recently to promote his debut single, “I’m Doing Alright” and spent time with Austin “Chumlee” Russell, one of the stars of the History Channel’s hit Pawn Stars. Lyda’s debut album is scheduled for a fall release.
Awards Sales Bumps Fading Fast
/by adminOnce upon a time, Nashville sales execs enjoyed a great amusement ride called the “Post Awards Bump.” Marketers would line up to ride this thrilling machine a few times each year immediately following a high profile televised award show featuring country music. But alas, like the long-defunct Opryland amusement park, the “Sales Bump” ride also seems to have closed up. Yes, things have changed.
For example, last week’s ACM Awards show (4/3) got great reviews for its pacing and strong performance lineup. But nevertheless, according to Nielsen SoundScan, country album sales nudged up an anemic 1% from the previous week. (The Top 75 Current Country rose 2.9%.) Perhaps this is the result of change arriving at retail country music outlets in the form of shrinking shelf space? And although it’s yet to be officially announced, Best Buy, (like Wal-Mart) has agreed to use Anderson Media to rack its stores with music product instead of dealing with the labels directly, a transition which will likely exert added pressure on label margins. [You heard it here first.]
Fortunately, country track sales did light up the consumer scoreboard, posting a gain this week—and really the only overall ACM bump to be found—of 6%. (Top 100 country tracks jumped 17.7% or only 220,261 units.)
But even in today’s world of diminished expectations, there are some individual highlights. Blake Shelton immediately comes to mind. His personality sparkled as new ACM co-host and “Honey Bee” performance stung its way into most viewer’s hearts. Shelton’s Loaded: The Best of… received a modest 15% hike to almost 7,000 units, but his single flew to the top of the country tracks chart boasting more than twice as many units as the No. 2 track—almost 139,000. The track was released on Sunday so that fans could achieve instant gratification and buy it immediately after hearing it on the ACM show. Warner Sr. VP Brand Management & Sales Peter Strickland was on a plane this morning and unavailable for comment, but his Sunday release strategy (tracks usually get released on Tues.) paid off handsomely. And who’s counting, but Shelton also placed six additional tracks on the top 100 country tracks list.
Numerous artists enjoyed album bumps of about 20%, but in real numbers these meant only a few thousand additional units at best. A strange example is Sugarland. They hosted the Mandalay Bay venue during the show and Ms. Nettles got two performance slots. The unexpected result was a 5% drop in album sales, and even the duo’s top selling track “Stuck Like Glue” faltered, sliding 19% to just below 25k units. (Did the Rihanna pairing upset Jennifer’s fan base?)
Zooming out to the larger view, as we close the week of 4/10/2011 all genre album sales are only off 4.1%. Country album sales are in a deeper trough, down 11.7%. However, the year is young and country’s real sales test will develop later in the year when release schedules heat up and efforts to entice consumers begin in earnest.
Industry Ink Wednesday (4/13)
/by Sarah SkatesProducer Charlie Peacock, Erika Attwater, Jonathan Richards, and Twenty Ten Creative Director, Sam Ashworth. Photo: Allister Ann
Grammy winning producer Charlie Peacock (The Civil Wars, Switchfoot), Sr. VP of A&R for Twenty Ten Music has signed new country band Attwater to an exclusive production and publishing deal.
The band, made up of Erika Attwater and Jonathan Richards, started recording with Peacock in January and the result is described as classic rock a la Fleetwood Mac with bluegrass flavoring. Among the Nashville tunesmiths who have contributed to the project are Luke Laird, Sam Ashworth, Trent Dabbs, and Matthew Perryman Jones. Peacock also recruited A-list session players, and engineers Justin Niebank and Richie Biggs. Attwater first met Peacock by following him on Twitter.
•••••••
Lindsay Bertelli
Tour production exec Lindsay Bertelli has launched Reach, LLC, an entertainment marketing agency. She has a long history of working with the star-studded CMT On Tour and will keep working with the tour as one of her first clients. Other clients include Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc, World Vision, and Calgary Stampede.
Bertelli began her career at Moore Entertainment Group, which later affiliated with both TBA Entertainment and AEG Live. As Senior Project Manager, she managed nine years of production and sponsorship for CMT On Tour. Other professional highlights include project management of Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson’s 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour, Brooks and Dunn’s Neon Circus & Wild West Show and Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Club Tour. Corporate clients with product and touring projects have included Nescafe, Crown Royal, Yuban Coffee, and Toyota.
Serving as President of Reach, Bertelli brings with her Director of Talent Buying Amy Bryan, Producers Lauren Keckley and Katie Sanders, and Executive Assistant Whitney Williams.
Reach LLC can be contacted at 114 30th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212, 615-340-5390, email addresses are firstinitiallastname@reachnash.com (ex. lbertelli@reachnash.com).
•••••••
WRVW-FM Nashville, TN was recently awarded the National Association of Broadcasters’ Crystal Radio Award for their outstanding commitment to community service.
•••••••
The radio tower of legendary Nashville station 650AM WSM has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. In more WSM AM news, the station set a ratings record last month according to Arbitron PPM ratings for the February 2 – March 2 time period. The station’s increase in share of the Nashville listening audience is the largest gain any country station in any market has ever generated between January and February.
McGraw Tour Opens In Texas
/by Sarah SkatesTim McGraw performs at the Houston Rodeo in March 2011.
Tim McGraw kicked off his Emotional Traffic Tour with special guests Luke Bryan and The Band Perry on Friday, April 8 in Corpus Christi, TX. The run of arenas and amphitheaters will cover at least 60 dates through August. He’s offering three different VIP packages for fan club members.
In the midst of touring, McGraw is set for an April 28 visit to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Fans can enter the “Band Bench” contest to surround the stage during his performance here (contest band code: TIM).
McGraw and his tourmates will also play an exclusive concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on April 27. The show will air live on three SiriusXM channels, including his own “Tim McGraw Radio,” which will be available on the satcaster April 20 through April 27.
DISClaimer Single Reviews (4/13/11)
/by Robert K OermannThis week, it’s the puppy platters that are in the winner’s circle. None of the major-label offerings made my ears wild with excitement. But two pieces of indie product did.
Singer-songwriter David G. Smith is a major find. He hails from Iowa, but spends most of his time in Music City. If a man is judged by the company he keeps, this guy is an A-lister for casting the likes of Mary Gauthier, Kenny Malone, Verlon Thompson and Dan Dugmore on his Non-Fiction CD. He also wins this week’s DisCovery Award.
The new trio Stealing Angels had the wisdom to enlist Paul Worley as its producer, and the classy sonic result is all over its disc debut. The harmonizing threesome is Jennifer Wayne (the granddaughter of John Wayne), Caroline Cutbirth (a descendent of Daniel Boone) and Tayla Lynn (the granddaughter of Loretta Lynn). In addition to penning many of their own, they chose (again wisely) to include songwriters Gary Burr, Dave Berg, Paul Kennerley, Al Anderson, Marcus Hummon, Georgia Middleman and Leslie Satcher on their project. Give those wise, wise women a Disc of the Day prize.
DAVID G. SMITH/You’re The Reason God Made Tequila
Writer: Lori Shropshire/Deanna Walker/David G. Smith; Producer: Miles Wilkinson & Buddy Mondlock; Publisher: Shire/ZMG/Alrose, ASCAP/BMI; Hey Dave (track) (www.HeyDaveMusic.com)
—Gig alert: Mr. Smith is staging his CD release show tomorrow (Thursday, April 14) at The Bluebird Cafe at 6:00 p.m. It will feature several of his stellar supporting players from the disc, including Jonell Mosser, Jelly Roll Johnson and Buddy Mondlock. Jelly Roll is particularly prominent on this delightfully bluesy, funky, loose-limbed track. The album is called Non-Fiction, and there’s audio pleasure in every track. The vulnerable, hushed ballad “In This Cage” will stop your heart. “Her Body Won’t Lie” has steady, thumping rhythm to spare. “Fear (That Son of a Bitch)” is packed with wry vocal personality. Very highly recommended.
STEALING ANGELS/Paper Heart
Writer: Gordie Sampson/Hillary Lindsey/Steve McEwen; Producer: Paul Worley; Publisher: No Such/Bug/Music of Windswept/Songs of Southside Independent/Raylene/EMI Blackwood/Birds with Ears, SOCAN/ASCAP/BMI; Skyville (track) (www.stealingangels.com)
—This female trio includes Tayla Lynn, who is Loretta’s granddaughter. The harmonies are perfectly lovely on this soaring, melodic, heartache-with-tempo outing. Hang on for the overdubbed, layered, deliciously interwoven vocals in the finale, plus the superb sounding instrumental fade. I’m definitely into this.
RANDY HOUSER/In God’s Time
Writer: Randy Houser/David Lee Murphy/Shane Minor; Producer: Cliff Audretch III, Randy Houser & Mark Wright; Publisher: Little Britches/Do Write/Old Desperados/Carol Vincent/Sony-ATV Tree/Code Six Charles, BMI/ASCAP; Show Dog Universal
—This artist has such a magnificent voice, but has yet to find the song that propels him to radio stardom. I don’t think this ultra slow ballad is the one, but I still love to hear him sing.
TERRY BAUCOM/Do You Wrong Kind Of Girl
Writer: James Cody Shuler; Producer: Terry & Cindy Baucom; Publisher: Pine Mountain Railroad, BMI; John Boy & Billy (track)
—Bluegrass banjoist Baucom is issuing this lively ditty as the debut single from his CD In a Groove. In addition to his scampering banjo, it features trio vocal harmony on the choruses thanks to Jamie Dailey and Lou Reid.
BLAKE SHELTON/Honey Bee
Writer: Ben Hayslip/Rhett Akins; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Publisher: WB/Melissa’s Money/Get a Load of This/EMI Blackwood/Rhettneck, ASCAP/BMI; Warner Bros.
—Sunny, smiley and a sure-fire hit. Ya gotta love this guy.
ROBYN LUDWICK/Hollywood
Writer: Robyn Ludwick; Producer: Gurf Morlix; Publisher: Robyn Ludwick, BMI; Late Show (track) (www.robynludwick.com)
—Her album is called Out of These Blues, and she solo wrote every song on it. This lead-off track drawls its way into ever deepening misery. This babe is seriously bummed out, and it sounds just fine. Americana programmers, in particular, take note.
RODNEY ATKINS/Take A Back Road
Writer: Rhett Akins/Luke Laird; Producer: Ted JHewitt & Rodney Atkins; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/Rhettneck/Universal-Careers/High Powered Machine, BMI; Curb
—It’s the one about loving rural life. Again.
BRANTLEY GILBERT/Country Must Be Country Wide
Writer: Dekle/Ford/Gilbert; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: none listed; Valory Music
—It’s kind of the audio offspring of Hank Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” only with a loud rock backing track.
MICHELLE TURLEY/My X Husband
Writer: Turley/Putman/Braddock; Producer: C.F. Turley; Publisher: Popdark/Sony-ATV, BMI; Victorio
—Fiddles saw merrily away during the opening notes. The mood stays light once she starts to sing in her thin-yet-feisty little voice. Amusing, especially with the yammering “answering” voices.
KATE RUSSELL/Damned If I Do
Writer: Kate Russell/Rich Mouser; Producer: Kate Russell & Rich Mouser; Publisher: none listed; Urunga (615-302-0072)
—This gal has been making regular appearances in this column for several years. As before, her womanly, husky, blues-tinged vocal works best with an “attitude” lyric like this one. Her rocking performance is backed up with some snazzy electric guitar work by co-writer and co-producer Mouser.
Review: McEntire Tour Ends On High Note
/by adminBackstage after the concert. (L-R) Sandi Borchetta- VP Creative Services BMR; David M. Ross- Publisher MusicRow; Reba; John Zarling- Sr. Dir. New Media; and George Briner-Dir. Ntl. Promotion.
Reba McEntire’s flawless performance delighted an April 9 Louisville, KY audience at the city’s new KFC Yum Center.
Staged in the round, the Chockie, Okie redhead’s musical portion was nestled between opener Lee Ann Womack and closer George Strait. This night was extra special because it was the tour’s final date. As the anticipation for a “first glimpse of Reba” built, video screens showed snippets from a variety of the star’s many accomplishments. Included were scenes from her first major supporting movie role, Tremors (with Kevin Bacon); a variety of hit music video edits; footage from the Broadway musical, Annie Get Your Gun; and of course a few frames from her sitcom success simply titled, Reba.
Seated in the VIP soundboard seating area was producer Tony Brown, whose sharp ears nurtured many of the hits which would be performed during the evening’s show. The lights came up. Reba seemed to float down the runway onto the stage and burst into her first Mercury Records No. 1 (1984) “Can’t Even Get The Blues.”
Big Machine President/CEO Scott Borchetta couldn't resist climbing behind the wheel of the "Fancy" cab.
Then the hits kept rolling with songs like “Fear Of Being Alone,” “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” and the infectious blues romp, “Tell Me Why.” Lee Ann Womack re-appeared on stage and delivered a soaring vocal read with Reba on the 1993 smash “Does He Love You,” originally recorded with Linda Davis. Another standout was the Kelly Clarkson song “Because Of You.”
Just as it seemed time to move from ballads back to uptempo numbers, an oversized blond woman wearing a George Strait t-shirt with redneck jewels glued all over it and holding a Budweiser in her hand screamed and yelled as she ran to join Reba onstage. It didn’t take long to recognize Melissa Peterman the comedienne who played Barbara Jean on the Reba TV sitcom. Peterman, who incidentally will soon release a comedy album on one of the Big Machine imprints was outrageous. At one point George Strait talked over the speakers and Peterman made his mouth move on her t-shirt pretending she was a ventriloquist… Next Peterman and McEntire volleyed gags like two champion tennis players at Wimbledon. Peterman wanted to sing with Reba, then she agreed to sit quietly on a stool. Then she sang a line anyway. The sitcom chemistry worked nicely and Peterman exited to strong applause.
Reba regained control of her show singing “I’m A Survivor,” and one of her latest Valory Music No. 1 hits “On The Radio.” She worked the in-the-round setting smoothly, visiting with all four sides of the audience. Yes, the production was nice and yes, the lighting and sound were extremely well done. But omg–it was all about the vocals!
Perhaps there’s a reason why this country icon, Hall Of Famer, has 15 American Music Awards, 9 People’s Choice trophies, 7 CMA honors, 2 Grammys, sold over 55 million albums worldwide, appeared on Broadway plus had a No. 1 sitcom on two networks for six consecutive years. McEntire’s vocal instrument is a joy to experience. She exercises total control over her notes and phrases, and like an expert chief mixes just the right amount of vocal spice to flavorfully expose a song’s emotional heart.
In an unusual production touch, the encore embraced the most production elements of the set. Of course the song was “Fancy.” It began with a clip of the music video with the singer in the backseat of a cab. When the lights came on a real life yellow cab drove out onto the arena floor and up to the stage. A woman in a red dress got out (Reba) who climbed up on the stage and ripped into this chilling parable of loss and redemption.
The satisfied crowd screamed and applauded, cause Fancy did not let them down.
Frankie Ballard Debut Coming In May
/by Sarah SkatesFor the album he teamed with producer Michael Knox, known for work with Jason Aldean. The lead single “Tell Me You Get Lonely” resulted in a hit video, and strong lead-in to his current single “A Buncha Girls.” Ballard co-wrote several of the tracks for his release. As a songwriter, he also contributed a song to Billy Currington’s latest album.
Ballard’s self-titled effort has eight tracks, shorter than most full-length albums. Warner Bros. has been experimenting with offering shorter albums during the last year, particularly with the release of Blake Shelton’s Six-Paks. This allows new music to come out more frequently.
Ballard has toured with Uncle Kracker, and will open select dates for Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Famer Bob Seger and superstar Taylor Swift this summer.
Even before inking his record deal, Ballard was opening big-name shows. In 2008, the Michigan native won Kenny Chesney’s “Next Big Star” regional competition and opened for the star in Detroit.
Track listing:
1. A Buncha Girls
2. Single Again
3. Place To Lay Your Head
4. Tell Me You Get Lonely
5. Get On Down The Road
6. Sober Me Up
7. Rescue Me
8. Grandpa’s Farm