DISClaimer (3/20/09)

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Share and share alike. We’re giving out two Disc of the Day awards today. One is for traditional country excellence. And that, hands down, belongs to a masterful honky-tonk stylist, Mark Chesnutt. Long may he sing.
 The second goes to a modern, rocking-country disc maker. That would be Jack Ingram, who has the first summertime sound this year. Keith Urban is similarly sunny, but we have come to expect that from him.

I was all set to honor Daniel Smith with a DisCovery Award, until I found out that he has appeared in this column before. I liked him then and I like him now. And extra

Jack Ingram

Jack Ingram

kudos for cutting such a well-written song.

Today, by the way, is officially the first day of spring. Celebrate.

MARK CHESNUTT/She Never Got Me Over You
Writer: Keith Whitley/Dean Dillon/Hank Cochran; Producer: Jimmy Ritchey; Publisher: none listed; Lofton Creek/Big 7 (track) (www.loftoncreekrecords.com)
—This is said to be the last thing that Keith Whitley ever recorded. In my opinion there is only one country singer alive who can stand toe to toe with Keith, and it’s this man. The song is a stone-country masterpiece. The production is fiddle-and-steel flawless. Mark’s performance is three minutes of hillbilly heaven. The next time somebody asks you what country music is, play them this.

STEPHEN COCHRAN/Wal-Mart Flowers
Writer: Thom Shepherd/Vincent Hickerson/Mark Fortney; Producer: Jim Allison; Publisher: Next Big Twang/Keeping Music Alive, SESAC/BMI; Aria
—Sucking up to Wal-Mart gets you nowhere in this column, pal.

KEITH URBAN/Kiss A Girl
Writer: Monty Powell/Keith Urban; Producer: Dann Huff & Keith Urban; Publisher: Universal Tunes/Songs of Universal/Eden Valley/Mary Rose/Third Tier, SESAC/BMI; Capitol Nashville
—The sound of sunshine. I’ll bet there are plenty of lady listeners out there who’d be more than willing to take this guy up on his invitation.

KEN HATTON/Small Town Girl
Writer: Bill Spencer; Producer: Brien Fisher; Publisher: Coal Miner’s/PoNoMo, BMI; Spangle (CDX) (615-822-8690)
—It’s one of those redneck stompers about the joys of rural romance. Ho hum.

TRACY LAWRENCE/Up To Him
Writer: David Kent/Tim Johnson; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Finch Valley/State One Copyrights America/The Bigger They Are/Cherry Lane, BMI/SESAC; Rocky Comfort/9 North  (www.tracylawrence.com)
—The multiple rhymes are just about brilliant. Tracy, as usual, delivers the goods as a vocalist on this common-man’s anthem.

KACEY JONES/I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly
Writer: Kacey Jones/Becky Hobbs/Benita Hill; Producer: Kacey Jones; Publisher: Mamalama/Becca’s Mecca/Gooby/Universal, ASCAP/BMI; IGO (track) (www.kaceyjones.com)
—The melody is strictly from nursery school, but you can’t argue with the cute lyric that salutes our greatest female superstar.

JACK INGRAM/Barefoot And Crazy
Writer: Ben Hayslip/Rhett Akins/Dallas Davidson; Producer: Jeremy Stover; Publisher: WB/Melissa’s Money/Get a Load of This/EMI Blackwood/Rhettneck/String Stretcher, ASCAP/BMI; Big Machine (www.jackingram.net)
—It’s official: Summer is here. And this is its soundtrack. Righteous and rocking, with an insistent guitar groove to twist your mind.

RAZZY BAILEY/Hank Wrote That
Writer: Razzy Bailey/Ben Marble; Producer: Razzy Bailey; Publisher: Toucabaca, BMI; SOA (track) (www.razzybailey.com)
—Next time, hire a real producer.

DANIEL SMITH/Man Like Me
Writer: Charles Moore/Bobby Pinson/Kris Bergsnes; Producer: Larry Sheridan; Publisher: Tunes From the Farm/Music of Stage Three/Warner Chappell, no performance rights listed; Parlor (CDX) (615-385-4943)
—His vocal range is impressive and the complex, involving lyric is even more so. This is his second good review. Who is this guy?

SHOOTER JENNINGS/Living Proof
Writer: Hank Williams Jr.; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Universal South (track)
—Shooter’s Bad Magick: The Best of Shooter Jennings & The .357’s drops on Tuesday. It features 13 fan favorites and two new tracks. One of them is this Hank Jr. classic about trying to live up to a legendary father. Can Shooter relate? You bet your life.

Question: To Pre-Release Or Not

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Greg McCarn

Greg McCarn

Rascal Flatts and Lyric Street are celebrating the record-breaking success of the pre-release single “Here Comes Goodbye” at iTunes. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the track sold 125,884 downloads, delivering the highest first-week paid sales ever by a country artist for a debut single and the song is one of four tracks to be made available digitally prior to the April 7 release of the band’s new CD Unstoppable.

Digital and/or physical singles have traditionally been released in advance of the album, so what distinguishes a “debut” from a “pre-release?” According to Greg McCarn, Lyric Street’s VP Sales/Marketing/Media, a digital pre-release serves as “a kind of countdown to the launch of the album, because this business is still about selling albums.” While McCarn agrees that Rascal Flatts’ younger-skewing audience is likely to be more iTunes savvy than the average country fan, he insists the 4-song pre-release plan is more about raising awareness for the album than about nurturing an audience of digital downloading consumers.

Despite opinions to the contrary, McCarn feels that younger fans still want to purchase the physical CD. Another key reason for these pre-releases is to combat the widespread feeling that today’s CDs are composed of a couple of singles and a lot of filler. “The ultimate goal is to let them know there is depth and quality to this album,” McCarn says.

The Flatts song has already spent about 10 weeks climbing the Country Breakout™ chart during which time it was not available for purchase. Now with the CD release event only a few weeks away, giving fans the opportunity to  own some of the tracks places the focus on Unstoppable. iTunes Complete My Album adds versatility to the process since fans can purchase the album and receive credit for previously purchased tracks.

Rascal Flatts is not the first country act to go with digital pre-releases. Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis’ “I Told You So” duet was digitally pre-released to coincide with their appearance on this week’s Grand Ole Opry-themed American Idol broadcast. Keith Urban is pre-viewing all 11 tracks from his upcoming Defying Gravity album through social music discovery service iLike. Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney have also pre-released music to add marketing impact. According to one executive, “You name it, we’ve tried it. In front of the album, with the album, after the album. There doesn’t seem to be a consistency with the results. When it comes to maximizing sales through timing the release it’s hard to find a pattern.”

Tracy Lawrence

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“Up To Him”

Rocky Comfort/Nine North

The multiple rhymes are just about brilliant. Tracy, as usual, delivers the goods as a vocalist on this common-man’s anthem.
—Robert K. Oermann, MusicRow

Tracy Lawrence is set to deliver his second album from his own Rocky Comfort Records, an inspirational collection titled The Rock (produced by Lawrence and Julian King), in June. To introduce the spirit behind the project, he is releasing the first single, “Up To Him,” to radio on March 24, 2009. (CDX Vol. 470/Track 6)

Written by David Kent and Kim Johnson, the single brings forth an assuring, unified message that could not come at a more appropriate time. “In the current political climate and in consideration of the overall mood of our country, ‘Up To Him’ is hopeful, positive and looks toward a brighter future,” says Lawrence. “It’s the perfect introduction to the new CD; the emotional and musical tapestry will make it a ‘connection’ song that will appeal to all audiences.”

Consistent with Lawrence’s musical message, the release of “Up To Him” follows Lawrence’s No. 1 friends-helping-friends anthem “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.” The music video for “Up To Him” will be filmed in the coming weeks.

Lawrence’s career has spanned more than 15 years, during which time he has proved to be a formidable stylist with an instantly recognizable voice. He’s garnered 17 No. 1 hits, many gold and platinum albums, and numerous career achievement awards. His long list of hits, including “Alibis,” “If The World Had A Front Porch,” “Time Marches On,” “Sticks And Stones” and “Paint Me A Birmingham,” has made him a staple with country listeners.

http://www.myspace.com/tracylawrence
http://tracylawrence.com/

Williams Riley

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“I’m Still Me”

Golden/Nine North

Every once in a while, talent and personality do what they should: attract immediate and enthusiastic support from fans and fellow artists.

Case in point: Steve Williams, the lead singer for Williams Riley, one of country music’s most exciting newcomers. Some of music’s top names have rallied in support of the group (which features Williams, Charlie Hutto, Joe Rogers, Derek George, Dave Guidry and Nick Buda) and offered their talents and support in helping his music find a larger audience.

Among those top names, rock guitar hero Slash joins country star Bryan White and famed singer-songwriter Edwin McCain on the self-titled debut Williams Riley album—almost unheard of for a new, independent artist. The collection of songs was co-produced by Noel Golden (Edwin McCain, Sister Hazel, Lee Ann Womack) and features the debut single “I’m Still Me.”

“I can’t believe how passionate everyone has been about what we’re doing,” says Williams, the singer, songwriter and guiding light of Williams Riley. “Not long ago, I was just a guy writing songs in Louisiana. Now a bunch of my heroes are playing with me and my band on my songs because they love what I’m doing, that tells me that we must be doing something right.”

http://www.williamsriley.com
http://www.myspace.com/williamsrileyband

Rich Enlists Rourke, Kristofferson for “Detroit” Video

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Warner Bros. Records Artist John Rich will release his new solo album, Son Of A Preacher Man, on Tuesday, March 24. As the album’s debut single, “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” climbs toward the Top 10, Rich called on a couple of famous friends — actor Mickey Rourke and Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson — to help him shoot the song’s video. The two-day “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” video shoot took place this week in West Nashville. Rourke flew into Nashville from Moscow the day before the shoot and Kristofferson arrived from Los Angeles.

“I cannot think of two guys who have pulled themselves up by the boot straps time and time again, blue collar level superstars than Mickey Rourke and Kris Kristofferson,” said Rich. “These guys have faces that tell a story. It is a humbling experience working with these guys. I am way out of my league.”

Rich will get behind Son Of A Preacher Man with a barrage of promotional TV appearances including ABC’s Good Morning America and Fox News’ Hannity’s America on March 24, Fox News’ Glenn Beck on March 25, NBC’s Today Show and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on March 26 and Fox News’ America’s Newsroom with Megyn Kelly on March 27.

(L to R): Marc Oswald, John Rich’s manager; George Flanigen, Director; Mickey Rourke; John Rich; Robert Deaton, Director; and Kris Kristofferson are pictured at the “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” video shoot.

Garth Meets Obama on “Tonight” Tonight

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Country’s biggest star Garth Brooks will appear on tonight’s edition of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno tonight (3/19), where he will share the couch with his country’s biggest star —  President Barack Obama. Unlike Brooks, who has appeared on Leno’s show 21 times, tonight will mark Obama’s first talk show appearance as President. Brooks was among the musical performers during the opening of the presidential inauguration in January. The show airs at 10:30 CT on NBC.

McBride Set To Shine

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Martina McBride’s 10th studio album, Shine, is set for release next Tuesday, March 24 on RCA Records. Featuring the singer’s current hit single “Ride,” the album’s title stems from her personal philosophy.

“I love the word—I think it’s really positive and strong and powerful,” says McBride, “and that’s one of my favorite lyrics from the song ‘Ride’—’shine, while you have the chance to shine,’ because I feel like sometimes you go along, and you take things for granted. And all of a sudden, you’re reminded…you get one shot to do this. You get one shot to live this life, and you should shine while you have the chance to shine. You should go out there and be undeniable.  And so, it’s inspirational to me…very inspirational.”

To support its release, McBride will embark on a media tour that includes back-to-back appearances on NBC’s Today, with an interview and performance airing Tuesday, March 23 and a second interview and performance airing Wednesday, March 25. McBride will also visit Live with Regis and Kelly on Wednesday, as well as taping future episodes of the Rachael Ray show (which airs the week of April 6) and A&E’s series Private Sessions (which airs Sunday, April 5).

Also planned are upcoming episodes of E!’s Chelsea Lately (taping April 1) and an interview and performance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show (which airs Thursday, April 2).

McBride can also be seen on the cover of the April 20 issue of First magazine, which is on stands right now.

ACM Feeds Fans Via Twitter

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The Academy of Country Music is on high-tech roll. First it was online fan voting, and now the ACM has announced that updates on the 44th Annual ACM Awards will be sent to fans via Twitter, the microblogging application that allows users to send short messages called “tweets” to people’s cell phones and Twitter homepages. Fans can access news, performance details and updates by following the Twitter feed ACMAwards at Twitter.com. The service is free and allows for instant access to news, gossip, event details and show information.  Go to http://twitter.com/ACMAwards for updates and show information. The 44th Annual ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5 at 7:00 CT on CBS. As of this writing the ACM had about 50 followers, a number that is sure to grow.

MusicRow began using twitter in September 2008 and now has about 1,930 followers giving it a rank of 7,391 in the Twitter universe according twittercounter.com which ranks all Twitter users.

The News From Stringtown

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Stringtown Records artist John Michael Montgomery has signed to Creative Artists Agency for booking representation and with Splash! Public Relations for publicity. The singer, who recently filmed a 30-minute infomercial for Time/Life on their Country Music Explosion package, is currently promoting “Forever,” the latest single from Time Flies, his Stringtown debut.

In other Stringtown news, Amy Willis, Director/Press & Publicity the label and for Hallmark Direction, has moved over to Wortman Works Media & Marketing to assume the title of Account Executive. Willis will work with Wortman Works clients Lost Trailers and Nathan Lee Jackson, among others. She can be reached at 615-340-9675.

Flatts Set Country Digital Single Sales Tally

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Sales for the week ended 3/15/09 remained tepid as Taylor Swift continued to account for almost 23% of the entire Current Country list. Kelly Clarkson’s CD scored Top 200  No. 1 success with a solid debut totaling 254,671 units. Unfortunately, the Idol alum, now managed by Nashville-based Starstruck Management, was unable to match last week’s U2 release which scanned a whopping 484k. This week however, U2 slid back to No. 3 (133k) on the chart with a 73% sales drop. All-music album sales are improving slightly, now down YTD only 11.9%.

In addition to Ms. Swift, Rascal Flatts proved a bright spot for this week’s country division. The band pre-released its single “Here Comes Goodbye” to iTunes last week and according to Nielsen Soundscan it was downloaded 125,884 times. This tops all previous first week paid sales by a country artist for a debut single. The band will pre-release a total of four songs from the upcoming Unstoppable CD leading to its April 7 release. At that time fans can click “Complete My Album” and buy the album minus the cost of the tracks they have already purchased.

Carrie Underwood followed closely behind the Flatts with sales (112,170 units) of her American Idol going-home track, previously recorded by Motley Crüe, “Home Sweet Home.” Next two highest selling country single tracks were from Taylor Swift, “Love Story,” (62,901) and “You’re Not sorry” (50,448). Keith Urban’s latest single, “Kiss A Girl” also debuted this past week with 43,009 units downloaded.

Country Top 75 current album sales stayed below 300k for the second consecutive week continuing to adversely pressure the format’s YTD sales comparisons now off 15.7%.