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12-29-2003, 08:50 PM
Political agendas and tearful goodbyes
December 28, 2003
By Bobby Reed
ho's wrong? The right-wingers say it's the left-wingers, and vice versa. This year, the volatile mix of country music and political opinions gave talk-show hosts plenty of fodder for fiery debates.
Back in 1966, Johnny Cash scored a hit with "The One on the Right Is on the Left," a cautionary tale about a band that implodes due to political squabbles. Cash sang, "Now this should be a lesson/If you plan to start a folk group/ Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land/Just work on harmony and diction/ Play your banjo well/And if you have political convictions/ Keep 'em to yourself."
In 2003, several country musicians made headlines for expressing their political views. At a London concert in March, Dixie Chicks' lead vocalist Natalie Maines declared that the Texas-based band was "ashamed" that President Bush is from Texas. Maines' inflammatory remark caused some radio stations to ban the group's music, and it fueled a very public feud with Toby Keith.
Darryl Worley's chart-topping, pro-war anthem "Have You Forgotten?" seemed like an opportunistic move, even if many country fans agreed with the sentiment. Clint Black released a similarly themed single called "I Raq and Roll," but it received little airplay. Merle Haggard criticized hawkish politicians and the media's coverage of the war with "That's the News," a single that didn't get played much but still generated controversy.
This year's Country Music Association Awards show was generally free of political posturing, as the industry joined together to honor Cash, who died Sept. 12 (and who posthumously won three trophies). Superstar Alan Jackson also won three awards, and Martina McBride was named top female vocalist for the second consecutive year.
On the concert trail, the Dixie Chicks and Tim McGraw both had wildly successful tours, as did Shania Twain, who in July filmed an NBC concert special in Grant Park. Elsewhere on TV, the show "Nashville Star" succeeded in making Buddy Jewell a hitmaker and instant celebrity.
Country fans mourned the passing of these artists: Felice Bryant (co-writer of "Rocky Top"); "Jumpin'" Bill Carlisle ("Too Old to Cut the Mustard"); Cash's wife, June Carter Cash (who co-wrote "Ring of Fire"); Don Gibson ("Oh, Lonesome Me"); Johnny Paycheck("Take This Job and Shove It"); producer Sam Phillips, who founded Sun Studios; Gary Stewart ("She's Actin' Single [I'm Drinkin' Doubles"]); Floyd Tillman ("They Took the Stars Out of Heaven"); Wesley Tuttle ("With Tears in My Eyes"); Teddy Wilburn (of the duo the Wilburn Brothers), and Sheb Wooley ("That's My Pa").
Artist of the year
Brad Paisley lives up to the hype. A West Virginia native who got his first guitar at age 8, Paisley has had a storybook career thus far, and 2003 was his best year yet.
When his debut album appeared in 1999, Paisley seemed like the heir apparent to Steve Wariner: a handsome, fleet-fingered, guitar-slinging songwriter with a charming voice and a healthy respect for the Grand Ole Opry.
Paisley, 31, has not disappointed those who expected great things from him. Today, Paisley is a member of the Opry and one of country's most respected stars.
In July, Paisley's third album, "Mud on the Tires,'' debuted atop the Billboard country album chart, and it landed in the top 10 on the pop albums chart. The best country disc of the year, it includes touches of comedy and gospel, as well as an unforgettable duet with Alison Krauss titled "Whiskey Lullaby.''
The album's strong sales were primarily driven by the single "Celebrity,'' a smash hit that was promoted with a hilarious music video spoofing reality TV shows. By year's end, Paisley had scored another hit single with "Little Moments,'' a cinematic ballad with finely etched details in the lyrics. Along with Paisley's, here are the 10 best country albums of 2003:
1. Brad Paisley, "Mud on the Tires" (Arista): The third release from the marvelously talented triple threat (singer/writer/guitarist) demonstrates an appreciation for the album as an art form. Many of his peers typically slap together three singles and some filler, but Paisley carefully crafted an hourlong album that's solid until the end.
2. Del McCoury Band, "It's Just the Night" (McCoury Music/Sugar Hill): Here's yet more evidence explaining why the International Bluegrass Music Association has named McCoury & Co. its entertainer of the year eight times.
3. Patty Loveless, "On Your Way Home" (Epic): Shunning keyboards and drum machines, Loveless delivers a commercially potent album that's full of tears and twang.
4. Sherrie Austin, "Streets of Heaven" (Broken Bow Records): Austin has yet to reach the audience she deserves, but she raised her profile with this album's title track, one of the year's best hit singles.
5. Willie Nelson, "Crazy: The Demo Sessions" (Sugar Hill): These demonstration recordings from the 1960s -- not intended for commercial release -- reveal exactly why Nelson is so revered as a songwriter.
6. Lyle Lovett, "My Baby Don't Tolerate" (Curb/Lost Highway): His engaging, long-awaited studio album of original material stands up to repeated spins.
7. Original soundtrack, "The Slaughter Rule" (Bloodshot): Jay Farrar's captivating instrumental film score is interspersed with great cuts from alt-country acts like the Blood Oranges, Neko Case, the Flatlanders, Freakwater and the Pernice Brothers.
8. Rodney Crowell, "Fate's Right Hand" (DMZ/Epic). Ruminations on middle-age concerns from a veteran tunesmith at the top of his game.
9. Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, "Country Music" (Columbia): Few artists balance the past and the present with such style and expertise.
10. The Sundowners, "Chicago Country Legends" (Bloodshot Revival): A great slice of local history, this archival album celebrates the work of a trio that played Chicago honky-tonks for 30 years.
Free-lance writer and critic Bobby Reed covers country and roots music for the Sun-Times.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/music/sho-sunday-country28.html
December 28, 2003
By Bobby Reed
ho's wrong? The right-wingers say it's the left-wingers, and vice versa. This year, the volatile mix of country music and political opinions gave talk-show hosts plenty of fodder for fiery debates.
Back in 1966, Johnny Cash scored a hit with "The One on the Right Is on the Left," a cautionary tale about a band that implodes due to political squabbles. Cash sang, "Now this should be a lesson/If you plan to start a folk group/ Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land/Just work on harmony and diction/ Play your banjo well/And if you have political convictions/ Keep 'em to yourself."
In 2003, several country musicians made headlines for expressing their political views. At a London concert in March, Dixie Chicks' lead vocalist Natalie Maines declared that the Texas-based band was "ashamed" that President Bush is from Texas. Maines' inflammatory remark caused some radio stations to ban the group's music, and it fueled a very public feud with Toby Keith.
Darryl Worley's chart-topping, pro-war anthem "Have You Forgotten?" seemed like an opportunistic move, even if many country fans agreed with the sentiment. Clint Black released a similarly themed single called "I Raq and Roll," but it received little airplay. Merle Haggard criticized hawkish politicians and the media's coverage of the war with "That's the News," a single that didn't get played much but still generated controversy.
This year's Country Music Association Awards show was generally free of political posturing, as the industry joined together to honor Cash, who died Sept. 12 (and who posthumously won three trophies). Superstar Alan Jackson also won three awards, and Martina McBride was named top female vocalist for the second consecutive year.
On the concert trail, the Dixie Chicks and Tim McGraw both had wildly successful tours, as did Shania Twain, who in July filmed an NBC concert special in Grant Park. Elsewhere on TV, the show "Nashville Star" succeeded in making Buddy Jewell a hitmaker and instant celebrity.
Country fans mourned the passing of these artists: Felice Bryant (co-writer of "Rocky Top"); "Jumpin'" Bill Carlisle ("Too Old to Cut the Mustard"); Cash's wife, June Carter Cash (who co-wrote "Ring of Fire"); Don Gibson ("Oh, Lonesome Me"); Johnny Paycheck("Take This Job and Shove It"); producer Sam Phillips, who founded Sun Studios; Gary Stewart ("She's Actin' Single [I'm Drinkin' Doubles"]); Floyd Tillman ("They Took the Stars Out of Heaven"); Wesley Tuttle ("With Tears in My Eyes"); Teddy Wilburn (of the duo the Wilburn Brothers), and Sheb Wooley ("That's My Pa").
Artist of the year
Brad Paisley lives up to the hype. A West Virginia native who got his first guitar at age 8, Paisley has had a storybook career thus far, and 2003 was his best year yet.
When his debut album appeared in 1999, Paisley seemed like the heir apparent to Steve Wariner: a handsome, fleet-fingered, guitar-slinging songwriter with a charming voice and a healthy respect for the Grand Ole Opry.
Paisley, 31, has not disappointed those who expected great things from him. Today, Paisley is a member of the Opry and one of country's most respected stars.
In July, Paisley's third album, "Mud on the Tires,'' debuted atop the Billboard country album chart, and it landed in the top 10 on the pop albums chart. The best country disc of the year, it includes touches of comedy and gospel, as well as an unforgettable duet with Alison Krauss titled "Whiskey Lullaby.''
The album's strong sales were primarily driven by the single "Celebrity,'' a smash hit that was promoted with a hilarious music video spoofing reality TV shows. By year's end, Paisley had scored another hit single with "Little Moments,'' a cinematic ballad with finely etched details in the lyrics. Along with Paisley's, here are the 10 best country albums of 2003:
1. Brad Paisley, "Mud on the Tires" (Arista): The third release from the marvelously talented triple threat (singer/writer/guitarist) demonstrates an appreciation for the album as an art form. Many of his peers typically slap together three singles and some filler, but Paisley carefully crafted an hourlong album that's solid until the end.
2. Del McCoury Band, "It's Just the Night" (McCoury Music/Sugar Hill): Here's yet more evidence explaining why the International Bluegrass Music Association has named McCoury & Co. its entertainer of the year eight times.
3. Patty Loveless, "On Your Way Home" (Epic): Shunning keyboards and drum machines, Loveless delivers a commercially potent album that's full of tears and twang.
4. Sherrie Austin, "Streets of Heaven" (Broken Bow Records): Austin has yet to reach the audience she deserves, but she raised her profile with this album's title track, one of the year's best hit singles.
5. Willie Nelson, "Crazy: The Demo Sessions" (Sugar Hill): These demonstration recordings from the 1960s -- not intended for commercial release -- reveal exactly why Nelson is so revered as a songwriter.
6. Lyle Lovett, "My Baby Don't Tolerate" (Curb/Lost Highway): His engaging, long-awaited studio album of original material stands up to repeated spins.
7. Original soundtrack, "The Slaughter Rule" (Bloodshot): Jay Farrar's captivating instrumental film score is interspersed with great cuts from alt-country acts like the Blood Oranges, Neko Case, the Flatlanders, Freakwater and the Pernice Brothers.
8. Rodney Crowell, "Fate's Right Hand" (DMZ/Epic). Ruminations on middle-age concerns from a veteran tunesmith at the top of his game.
9. Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, "Country Music" (Columbia): Few artists balance the past and the present with such style and expertise.
10. The Sundowners, "Chicago Country Legends" (Bloodshot Revival): A great slice of local history, this archival album celebrates the work of a trio that played Chicago honky-tonks for 30 years.
Free-lance writer and critic Bobby Reed covers country and roots music for the Sun-Times.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/music/sho-sunday-country28.html