Posts Tagged ‘country music’

The music scene this summer has sizzled!  Check out a few of my favorites on my Summer Hot List 2011: Part One!

Country Hotness

Admittedly, pop-infused country music appeals to me so much more than classic country. I’ll proudly blast Sugarland or Lady A but would only be caught singing a Tammy Wynette tune at some dive bar’s karaoke night. Though Dolly Parton’s music style is less like Jennifer Nettles’ and more like old school Nashville, I must say, Ms. Dolly is on my summer hot list.

Reference “longevity” in your on-line dictionary, and the Queen of Country’s pic is there. After 40 years, Dolly is still making new music and videos!

Dolly is even hotter because of her active involvement in her philanthropic endeavors. It is positively outstanding that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library donates one free book per month to pre-school aged children until they turn 5. And the frosting on this hot little piece of country cake is that, despite her fortune, Dolly is incredibly humble. She gushed to Oprah that she prefers sleeping in her Winnebago over staying in 5 star hotels when she’s on tour.

Dolly, you’ve got my vote.

Sizzling Hot Rapping Duo

Confession: I feel pressured to love Jay-Z and Kanye West’s new Watch the Throne album because how could one not obsess over a collabo by these two?

I was reluctant at first to categorize Watch the Throne as “hot.” Jay and ‘Ye depend heavily on lyrics of wealth, power, and all things superficial as the theme of this release. But what else can you expect from music’s most infamous narcissist and from a rapper-turned-insanely powerful mogul who just happens to be married to one of the world’s most beautiful women?

When it comes to throne watching, admiring one on which these two sit is pretty freaking entertaining.

My faves on the album: “Paris,” “Gotta Have It,” and “Otis.”

Hate them or hate on them, Kanye and Jay-Z look like they’re having the time of their lives while effortlessly making chart topping music.

HOT.

Pre-Teen Prodigy

It is unbelievable to me that Jackie Evanhco’s voice is actually coming out of her 11-year-old body. I’m thiiiis closing to being convinced her parents implanted a voice box in her in a grand scheme to make Jackie the world’s most celebrated vocalist.

Or I could just accept the fact that her stardom began when she was named runner-up on America’s Got Talent. Either way, Jackie Evancho certainly has one of this summer’s hottest voices.

Her 2nd album, Dream With Me, debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, and her debut album, O Holy Night, is certified platinum.

What were you doing at 11?

Which artists are on your Summer Hot List?

Few things are more awe-inspiring than a self-assured woman who owns her confidence with pride and with humility.

And when a lady has that kind of intangible appeal combined with musical genius, she satisfies the prerequisites to be recognized as a woman who rocks.

Featuring more than 70 artists and filling 2 floors, the Rock Hall of Fame’s new exhibit – Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power – celebrates music’s storied past by highlighting how females influenced its history.

After realizing no amount of belting vocals into my hairspray bottle would earn me a place in the exhibit, I decided to speak with an expert about how the Rock Hall narrowed down the deserving female rockers to 70 musicians.

Enter museum curator, Jim Henke.

Now, Mr. Henke is more than just the awesome Vice President of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs at the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, but he is a positively passionate music journalist. He served as music editor for Rolling Stone magazine, was VP of production at Elektra Records, and has curated exhibits including everything from Elvis to rap. Mr. Henke, my friends, knows his music, and I was delighted to learn how his vision led to the curation and creation of Women Who Rock.

Me: How overwhelming was it to get started on Women Who Rock when women have impacted music so much?

Henke: It was a pretty big subject to tackle. There were a lot of conversations and several meetings held in determining when it was the right to time to pursue the exhibit.  But once we decided that the time was right, we enlisted the help of outside people – particularly educators, the Biography Channel, and authors who had written books on the subject matter we wanted to cover. With their help, our staff started the collecting process – collecting artifacts, collecting information – to tell the best story possible.

Me: Tell me about the selection process of choosing artists for the exhibit. What stood out about the chosen women?

Henke: One thing we wanted to do was feature music’s pioneers. Ma Rainey, for example, is featured, and she was one of the first women to record blues records. Bessie Smith is another great blues singer from the 1920s and 1930s. And Maybelle Carter was one of the first well-known country singers. We chose musicians whose legacies reflect how important women were to the development of recorded music, especially during a time when women weren’t always rewarded with chart positions like they are now.

Me: Speaking of women rocking the charts- which current chart toppers are included in Women Who Rock?

Henke: We’ve got Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. Janelle Monae and Lady Gaga. As a matter of fact, we have in our exhibit Lady Gaga’s childhood piano.

Me: Gaga’s piano! That’s a fun artifact to have!

Rihanna’s American Music Awards Performance Outfit, also featured at the Exhibit. Photo courtesy of Rockhall.com

Henke: Oh, we’ve got lots of instruments – Wanda Jackson’s guitar, a bass guitar from The Breeders, and even a bass drum from the White Stripes. We also have lots of lyric manuscripts. And we’re thankful to the families of the inductees as they expressed an overall excitement in helping us collect these items.

Wanda Jackson’s Acoustic Guitar. Photo courtesy of Rockhall.com

Me: If I am planning a trip to check out the Women Who Rock exhibit, what parts of the exhibit must I absolutely see?

Henke: It’s a very comprehensive display, but one of the best parts is that visitors can enjoy the interactive experience of recording themselves in the video booths. They can record their thoughts about the exhibit, and we’ll email them the video for them to have as mementoes. This is one of the first times the Rock Hall has incorporated this kind of interactive element.

Me: As curator of this project, what impact do you foresee Women Who Rock having on visitors?

Henke: I really hope that kids get an understanding of music’s roots – 50s to the 60s to the whole punk period. It’s all very informative. To support the exhibit through its 9 month run, we are bringing in female music industry executives as well as some of the featured artists. The educational incentive will offer classes and programs on women who rock. After all, women have always played an important role in music, and with Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power, we’re paying homage to those outstanding musicians.

Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power opens on May 13, 2011 at The Rock Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Please visit www.rockhall.com for detailed information on visiting, donating, and on becoming a member.

Whenever I feel like vegging out, I choose music videos as my vice.

Thankfully,  a handful of these recent vids has held my attention and therefore, get my stamp of approval.

Check out the list of my current favorite music videos!

So there’s nothing particularly outstanding about the video, but the song, its beat, and Mr. Chelsea Handler’s 50 Cent’s couple of verses are hot, hot, HOT!  Unfortunately, Jeremih’s “Down On Me” hasn’t been a huge radio hit, and its highest Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart position is 28.

And if you’re saying to yourself, “Geez, this song sure sounds familiar,” you probably have seen the Keenan’s Room version below.

A cabriole here, a  développé there. A handful of deliberately spastic jazzerinas awkwardly chasse’ between the band members of Two Door Cinema Club sporting dated, multicolored outfits that, somehow, still come across as trendy. For its off-beat creativity alone, TDCC’s video for “What You Know” is a recent fave of mine.

I’ve been quite forthcoming about my obsession with Taylor Swift’s song writing ability, and “Back to December” from her platinum selling Speak Now is one of the best tracks off the album. Because I love the song so much, by default, I love the video, too.

The Harters prove that you don’t have to be from Nashville to rock the country music scene.

The sibling trio hails from Arizona and is making their mark as country’s hip new act. Their latest single, “If I Run,” is a sweet song, and considering the 2 brothers and 1 sister are a group of cuties, enjoying the video is an added bonus.

From Purple Ribbon All-Stars’ “Kryptonite” to Outkast’s “The Whole World,” Killer Mike has been a part of some solid collabos. And he can add his latest, “Ready Set Go,” with T.I. to that list. Now that Killer Mike has signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, hopefully, he will start getting the recognition as a rapper that he deserves.

What videos are at the top of your current favorites list?  Comment below, and be sure to check out more of the latest music news from Erica Davis right here at Positively Celebrity!

The Zac Brown Band came up big at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards (CMAs) in Nashville Tennessee; the Georgia-based band won the award for Best New Artist, beating out Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Easton Corbin and Luke Bryan.

“We want to thank all our fans for their incredible support. We couldn’t do any of this without you,” said front man Zac Brown about their win. “We understand that times are tough, so we’re especially appreciative that so many of you continue to support our music.”

Though the CMAs were definitely a major moment for the band, last week was not just about the awards show. “Letters for Lyrics,” a program started by the band earlier this year took center stage as well.

“Letters for Lyrics” started in May of this year, when the Zac Brown Band decided to team up with the automaker Dodge to help show appreciation to all of those in uniform. The band, who has a current #1 hit with “As She’s Walking Away,” offered a special compilation CD in exchange for a letter written to a U.S. soldier and dropped off at a concert, a local Dodge Ram dealership or submitted online. The letters are being distributed to soldiers through the Soldier’s Angels, a volunteer organization dedicated to providing support to those who fight daily to protect our freedom.

“We are extremely proud of the men and women who serve and protect our country. Year ’round, we remember those service members our country has lost and those who continue to serve, and we try to honor their heroism with every chance we get,” lead singer and songwriter Zac Brown says of the campaign.

The band has a history of supporting the troops, and is hoping to reach it’s goal of getting one million letters together and distributed by the end of the year.

“For us, the ‘Letters for Lyrics’ campaign has been hugely rewarding. We urge our fans, and everyone out there, to take time this Veterans’ Day to send a message, or many, to our troops currently overseas,” Brown said.

All of us here at Positive Celebrity are incredibly inspired by the actions of the Zac Brown Band, and congratulate them on all of their incredible success, both now and in the future!

To learn more about the “Letters for Lyrics” program, and to write a letter for a soldier, please visit http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/letters_for_lyrics/

Be sure to check back for more great inspirational stories from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

The 2010 Country Music Association Awards were a little bit country and a LOT rock and roll, and if you missed the 3 hour long extravaganza last week, here’s a quick recap.

Looking as radiant as ever, a very married Carrie Underwood (as evidenced by her BLINGED out left hand) set the night’s tone with a dynamic, opening performance of “Songs Like This.” Strutting around the stage in red stilettos and in tight black pants, Underwood, despite her twang, sounded more like a pop star than a country queen.

After dazzling the crowd with her performance, Underwood and co-host, Brad Paisley, began handing out honors on this star studded occasion. Taking home one of the night’s first awards was Lady Antebellum. The Grammy Award winning trio edged out Miranda Lambert, Easton Corbin, and Blake Shelton to win Best Single for “I Need You Now.”

Miranda Lambert wasn’t a runner-up for long, though; this year’s CMA Awards Prom Queen was nominated for nine awards – the most nominations ever for a female artist in one year.  Performing “That’s The Way The World Goes ‘Round” from her album, Revolution, Lambert owned the stage, embodying “sexy country,” during her high energy set.

Revolution won Album of the Year, Lambert was named Female Vocalist of the Year, and “The House That Built Me” received Music Video of the Year honors.

Still basking in the glory of Speak Now and its first week sales of 1 million, Taylor Swift played piano and sang, “Back to December.”  Later in the show, Reba McEntire put her southern flare on a refreshing rendition of Beyonce’s, “If I Were A Boy.”

Certainly, the women were the sass of the city in Nashville on Wednesday, but the men were equally debonair at the 44th annual awards ceremony.

An authentic country boy decked out in jeans and strumming a guitar, Blake Shelton would have won the award for Most Handsome Male Singer if such a category existed.

He was positively charming during his live performance of hit, “All About Tonight.” However, Shelton is engaged to Miranda Lambert and is off the market. So enjoy the video below because that’s about as close to him as you can get.

Kenny Chesney was just as dapper as he performed “The Boys of Fall.” An endearing song paying homage to the pageantry and tradition of football, Chesney sang with such emotion that I felt compelled to strap on a helmet and take snaps under center.

Technically, it was an awards show, so it is worth mentioning some of the night’s big winners:

Zac Brown Band won Best New Artist…

Sugarland won for Vocal Duo of the Year…

And Brad Paisley took home the coveted, Entertainer of the Year trophy.

Aside from lasting 3 hours and Gwyneth Paltrow’s anti-climatic, country music singing debut, Nashville was right on the money with this year’s CMA Awards. It will be difficult for the Association to match the excellence of this year’s show again.

A job well done in celebrating country’s roots and in embracing the evolution of the genre.

With the glitz, glam and drama that exists in the music world, sometimes we forget to embrace truly talented artists if their names aren’t breaking news in TMZ headlines.

And while I enjoy bobbing my head to my favorite manufactured sounding songs (and shamelessly following TMZ’s breaking news), I also like to remember that there are artists who stick to the core of what music is as an art form. From country to R&B, here are a few artists whose talents should be celebrated.

Luke Bryan

Admittedly, I am one of those people who will say, “Oh, I loooove country music. I have every Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain CD!” However, I am fully aware that real country music fans know what it’s like to sit on the back of a pick-up reciting lyrics to Travis Tritt songs while drinking beer out of mason jars and swatting mosquitoes.

So while my obsession with picturesque country couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw hardly qualifies as fan ship, it doesn’t stop me from knowing a good thing when I see one. And when it comes to country music, Georgia born and raised crooner, Luke Bryan, is that good thing.

He has written hit songs for other artists and has himself topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts. Charming tunes like “First Love Song” and “Do I” are some of his best songs.

But the recent buzz about Bryan stems from his four-city, Farm Tour which wrapped at the beginning of October. Performing songs from his debut and sophomore albums, I’ll Stay Me and Doin My Thing, Bryan and crew took the Farm Tour to towns and cities in Georgia in an effort to reconnect with his growing fan base.

According to lukebryan.com, 16,000 fans flocked to the farms to see his shows. Not bad for a guy with two first names!

Chrisette Michele

Lending her vocals to hooks on singles like Nas’s “Can’t Forget About You” and Jay-Z’s “Lost Ones” has given Chrisette Michele rap game credential, but if you don’t follow authentic R&B closely, then this soulful songstress might have flown under your radar.

Her voice makes you nostalgic for the Billie Holiday era, and even without knowing her personally, you can tell she is perfectly comfortable in her own conservative skin — even though many female artists her age are “sexing” up their images. Chrisette Michele’s song and video for ”If I Have My Way” perfectly embodies her essence – classic and jazzy.

Chrisette Michele’s second album, Epiphany, was released in 2009, and currently, she is working on a third studio release.

SOJA

Try counting the number of reggae albums in my music collection, and you’ll be forever stuck at ZERO. While it might be a bit shameful that I have never owned an entire reggae album, I figured that getting my healthy dose of Bob Marley on April 20 every year was enough to get me through the next 364 days.

That was until one of my good girlfriends introduced me to SOJA, a group of dread heads from Virginia making some pretty awesome reggae. From “Rest of My Life” to “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” these guys work hard to create great sounding music and put even more thought into writing meaningful lyrics.

Since becoming a group in 1997, SOJA, which is an acronym for Soldiers of Jah Army, has a discography six records long. And before they begin the Brazilian leg of their tour, SOJA will play shows in North Carolina, Virginia, and in Maryland.

Charice

I became completely enamored by and impressed with the maturity, range, and ability of Charice’s voice when she performed on Oprah a few years ago. Not only is her rags-to-riches story a heartwarming one, but sincerity oozes out of  every word she speaks and passion from every note she sings.

I mean, with legendary music producer, David Foster, backing your success and with Oprah and Celine Dion co-signing, the possibilities are endless!

Charice recently became a series regular on hit show, Glee, and her self-titled album topped charts internationally, so this singing chick will soon be a household name. But for now, let’s bask in the glory of her angelic voice and marvel at her innocence — and cross our fingers she doesn’t get all Miley Cyrus on us!

Who are some of your favorite artists whose music is under appreciated?

Comment below, and be sure to check back for more of the latest music news from Erica Renee Davis right here at Positively Celebrity.

Adam Levine’s distinctive vocals, backed by talented musicians on bass, guitar, and keyboard, have proven to be a successful formula for Maroon 5 since 2002. Poised to thrill the music world and with two hand-fulls of chart topper ready songs, if you haven’t already, you must get your Hands All Over Maroon 5’s latest release.

These soulful rockers fill Hands All Over – the band’s 3rd studio album – with genius tunes consistent with the quality their fans have grown to love and respect. It’s spunky, and it’s upbeat. It’s lyrically gratifying.

It’s Maroon 5.

“Give A Little More,” the get your hair brush, and sing into it while pretending you’re the lead singer jam, tops the list as one of the best cuts from the album.

And the title track, with its pronounced, 1980’s-esque guitar riffs, will certainly become the soundtrack for college bar, hair swinging battles across America.

The acoustic version of “Misery” better showcases Adam Levine’s uniquely talented voice than does the original release of the lead single. But the salacious video for the original version, where Adam Levine’s real life, super sexy, model girlfriend plays his physically aggressive love interest, makes it difficult to decide which “Misery” is more pleasurable.

Though these fellas are usually categorized as rock, Mr. Levine has joined forces with numerous artists such as pop singer, Natasha Bedingfield, on her sophomore album and rapper Kanye West on “Heard ‘Em Say.”

Just as they influence other genres, the Maroon 5 trademark mixes tastes from across the music spectrum. So it was no surprise the band collaborated with award winning trio, Lady Antebellum, for “Out of Goodbyes,”  a beautiful song combining country music star power with Maroon 5’s signature sound.

“Misery” is already topping Billboard’s Pop and Adult Songs charts, and just as Songs About Jane and It Won’t Be Soon Before Long topped albums’ charts, Hands All Over will certainly do the same.

You can purchase the new album (including all their past songs and albums), at Amazon below. (Note from Editor-in-Chief Kristen Aldridge:  The remix album is insane!! I was recently on a major road trip, and this CD rocked.  Every single song will make you want to sing at the top of your lungs and dance like no one’s watching.  Check it out below!)

Be sure to check back soon to get more of the latest music news from Erica Renee Davis right here at Positively Celebrity!

After months of speculation, LeeAnn Rimes and husband Dean Sheremet have finally acknowledged their separation. A “friend” announced that they were separated ‘for quite some time but were working through their relationship.’

Really? Is that what it’s called these days? Hard to work through a relationship when a third wheel is involved. In this case that third wheel is Eddie Cibrian, Rimes’ co-star in the Lifetime original movie Northern Lights where the two met in 2008.

Just recently Cibrian’s wife of announced that they were no longer a couple. Meanwhile, the Rimes/Sheremet Nashville home is on the market to be sold. How’s that for working through a relationship?