Country California

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Faith Hill Gives Holidays Deeper Meaning ●
- – Deeper than the birth of Jesus, you mean?

To each of these border threats, the city has stood up — remained seated, really — and held its ground, either stymieing or assimilating. The genre’s top female stars retreated from blatant pop crossover, the Muzik Mafia was a team of classicists in outlaw clothing, and Ms. Underwood was a country star in the old mold, after all. ●
- – From Jon Caramanica’s excellent New York Times article on the past decade in country music, titled “Nashville Inches, Ever So Grudgingly, Into the Future.”

The concept, the lyrics and the overall atmosphere of the album are very much, deeply American. Like some wine that perhaps is excellent vintage but may not “travel well” and is better appreciated at home, Rascal Flatts kind of country music may not appeal to those not well exposed to its specific culture, at least not as much as it would mean to those who live it or know it well enough, understand it and therefore can relate to it.
For the genuine music lover, however, “Unstoppable” is a must have CD. ●
- – A curious review of a Rascal Flatts album.

My first album I think I had one song on it that I wrote. But you know, in Nashville there are a lot of great song writers. And I’m proud of the songs I write and everything but if I hear a song that’s just better than mine, I’m not going to cut that song, I’m going to cut mine. ●
- – Bucky Covington accidentally says something interesting.

Haggard: Oh yes — he’s playing all the shows we do these days. He’s working on his playing every day.
Cox: No singing?
Haggard: Not till he’s 18. That’s the agreement we made when he started on the guitar — no vocals until his voice is ready. We need to see what he’s gonna sound like, then we’ll know what we have to work with. ●
- – Merle Haggard on his son, Benion. Kids in our family aren’t even allowed to talk until they turn 21.

TIMMINS, Ont. – Olympic officials say they won’t be boosting security when Canadian country music superstar Shania Twain carries the torch Friday in her hometown of Timmins, Ont. ●
- – SO IF ANYONE WANTS TO ASSAULT SHANIA TWAIN, THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME. Seriously, though, why would they want to advertise this fact?

[“Where I'm From”] was the biggest one I’ve done so far. Songs are funny things; the ones you think are going to be on the radio aren’t, and the ones you do think will do well don’t. ●
- – Read closely and you’ll find that singer-songwriter Patrick Davis said half as much as he meant to say.

When the brothers decided to start a band they chose country because it’s the most popular music these days, he added.
“But we’re really a well-rounded band,” Gossin said. “We love Beatles music, bluegrass, jazz, blues, rock. You name it.”
Gossin was even in a Beatles tribute band when he was younger. “I like to try new things, and I was even a wedding singer once,” he said. ●
- – Revealing passage on the origins of Gloriana.

I don’t care for the majority of the people he’s picked. I don’t see a lot of intelligence around him. I’m worried about him. His numbers have gone down. He hasn’t produced anything he promised yet. ●
- – Hag on Obama. I smell a sequel to “Hopes Are High” in the works.

I was starting at the [Los Angeles] Times doing country music, and the paper turned me down. They said, “No, we don’t want any coverage of that dope addict.” I had to go back and sell them on the idea. ●
- – Music journalist Robert Hilburn on accompanying Johnny Cash to Folsom Prison for a 1968 concert that ended up being sort of important.

Beaumont native and Billboard top 10 country music favorite Mark Chesnutt will be the featured entertainer for the 18th annual Fiesta de los Ninos on Feb. 5 at American Bank Center Exhibit Hall. ●
- – Top 10 country music favorite Mark Chesnutt? Not since about 1999.

It was nice to get the (Americana Music Association) award, but it’s weird. You write a bunch of songs and really put your heart into them and have a really emotional connection to the stuff. Then a tongue-in-cheek satire you write in an hour and a half is the one you get the most recognition and notoriety for. ●
- – Hayes Carll on the success of “She Left Me for Jesus.”

What lesson have you had to learn the hard way?
As far as the marriage goes, I’ve had to learn the hard way that birthdays are really important. It’s really important that you are punctual with the birthday. Plan ahead. The birthday better be on time. ●
- – Wisdom from Joe Nichols: The birthday better be on time.

A lot of the songs on this album were things I had when I was on a major label. But between producers and the people at the label, you have to get something past four or five people’s ears before you can even cut something. These people the songs have to get past make upwards of $500,000 a year. They’re great people, but they’re not in the trenches with the people who listen to country music. ●
- – Terri Clark on her Long Way Home.

shut up shes country now hush that could hurt her feelings ●
- – Commenter on GAC Blog responds to charges that Taylor Swift is pop.

Molly and Dolly. Those are the names of two teacup Maltipoo sisters that Kenny Chesney and his girlfriend, Amy Colley, brought home from a breeder in Bardstown, Ky., earlier this month. ●
- – If he still had one, Chesney just lost his man card. Also, see the lengthy debate over the ethics of buying dogs from breeders in the comment section. The CMT Blog is always good for some controversy.

What? Like Madonna, but with banjo? ●
- – Keith Urban, when asked if he’d ever cover ’80s pop.

The six records we’ve done have been unmistakably Rascal Flatts, but there’s an itch inside of each one of us that wants to do a hardcore country record that hearkens back to the stuff we grew up on, and that our parents loved, and that we’ve been singing our whole lives. ●
- – Jay DeMarcus. Oh dear…

All of this time I’ve just been trying to play shows that were as engaging as Bob Dylan shows, which isn’t really that hard to do because even though I love everything about a good Bob Dylan show, it’s rare that you actually see one. But going to a bad Bob Dylan show is pretty much just as good as a good Bob Dylan show. … I mean, I remember I saw Bob Dylan in Roanoke and at the end of the show he said, ‘Goodnight, Jackson.’ ●
- – Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor on his band’s live energy.

Many stars have shined before you, Taylor, but few have ever been so thoughtful and generous. You obviously deserve each and every accolade bestowed upon you in your illustrious career. And, thank God, you are country, so there’s no chance of you ever going hog-wild like some of the acts we read about in Hollywood. ●
- – Hazel Smith is high on Swift.

Or, it could be about a very young girl from Pennsylvania who, early in her life, convinces her parents to move to Nashville so that she can pursue her dreams of becoming a big music star. She learns to write real-life songs about herself and about all the other girls like her. And — she becomes a big star! Then, before she’s 20 years old, she has a fantastic year. She sells more records than anyone else in the world, wins every major award that there is, appears on all the right TV shows, is loved around the world and is even menaced on TV by the perfect villain, which unites many different audiences who want to defend her.
Then, she retires. To become a nun. Or a missionary. And everyone lives happily ever after. ●
- – Meanwhile, Chet Flippo has the inside track on her next career move.

This is one of those which-came-first things, the theme song or the movie idea? I’m going to go with theme song. Because when I saw this trailer last night for a new movie, Letters to Juliet, my first thought was that they literally made a movie out of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” ●
- – Never one to be outdone, Alison Bonaguro credits Swift with the creation of Romeo and Juliet.

I don’t listen to music very much. Mailmen do not take walks on their day off. ●
- – Larry Gatlin.