Lyle Lovett doesn’t know what is next for him, but he finds that exciting.
After spending the bulk of his career with Curb/Universal Music Group, he’s now parted ways with the label. No hard feelings, said Lovett, just time to move on.
“My deal has been with the two companies for my career,” said Lovett. “It does feel like the end of an era in my life. A lot of things have changed in the record business since 1986, and I’m eager to be in the new world. I don’t know how it will work yet, but I know I will be able to make records. I’m just glad to have some options.” (more…)
It seems that no sooner did David Nail finish his tours with Keith Urban and Gavin DeGraw than he launched his own tour this fall. But the 2011 GRAMMY Award nominee is reveling in playing some smaller venues for the rest of the year.
Perhaps that’s because the music on his latest project, the three-song EP 1979, is so emotional, that it almost begs to be played in more intimate settings. As fans know, the songs on the recording are acoustic versions of his songs “The Sound Of A Million Dreams,” “Half Mile Hill,” and a cover of Adele‘s “Someone Like You,” which set off a Twitter storm when it was first released.
Nail took a bit of time out to talk about his latest recording and just why it speaks to his heart. (more…)
Anais Mitchell wants listeners to fully immerse themselves in her music.
Such passion for her songs and her efforts to have them reach listeners on a visceral level is one reason that Mitchell is loved by so many, including such high-profile artists as her own musical idol Ani DiFranco and the members of the GRAMMMY Award winning Bon Iver. Although Mitchell has barely cracked her 30s, she projects the insights and virtuosity of some folk artists who performed well before she was born. Any doubters need only sample her most recent album Young Man in America. (more…)
Easton Corbin’s recently released sophomore album All Over The Road proves that the “A Little More Country Than That” artist is poised to release even more hits.
Consider his new singles “Lovin’ You Is Fun,” written by Nashville songwriters Bob DiPiro and Jim Beavers, that is quickly climbing the charts. It’s just more evidence that Corbin still has plenty of fun-filled music to bring to his fans.
˜All Over the Road’ is a fun title, said Easton of choosing the title of the new album. but it’s also actually what we’re doing out there. We’re all over the road trying to get music out to everybody, so I just thought it made sense.
But don’t think that Easton’s music is country pop. Indeed, the music from the Gilchrist County, Fla. native, who’s self-titled 2010 debut album spawned back-to-back No. 1 hits, has been compared to that of such country legends as George Jones, Keith Whitley, and Merle Haggard. In fact, Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That,” and “Roll With It,” made him the first male country artist in 17 years to have two consecutive singles hit the top spot.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that Corbin also snagged all of the Breakthrough Artist awards at the inaugural American Country Awards in 2010”Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist, Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist, and Music Video: Breakthrough Artist for A Little More Country Than That. Little wonder his new album is already gaining critical and popular acclaim.
Corbin took time out just after finishing Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour to talk to OurStage about his music, his music, fans, and just where he’s going from here. (more…)
Brantley Gilbert is the opposite of a divo (that’s a male diva, in case you didn’t know).
That’s why it’s gratifying to see him grab so much success this early in his career. Last year, the now 27 year-old singer/songwriter was a bit bummed that many music journalists didn’t seem to want to talk with him. This year, he hardly has time to talk to anyone.
With a nomination for the 2012 Country Music Association (CMA) New Artist of the Year Award, Gilbert is launching the “Hell on Wheels Tour.” It’s the first headlining tour for Gilbert, whose sophomore album Halfway to Heavy debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country charts and who has written a host of #1 singles including “Country Must Be Country Wide,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” along with Jason Aldean‘s songs “My Kinda Party” and “Dirt Road Anthem.” He’s also won plenty of fans during his recent tours, including supporting spots on Eric Church‘s “Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour” and Toby Keith‘s “Live in Overdrive Tour.”
Although he’s got some heavy competition for the CMA Award ” Love and Theft, Lee Brice, Hunter Hayes, and Thompson Square are the other nominees ” Gilbert seems to be taking all the excitement in stride. Although he was battling bronchitis on one of his recent days home, he took time out to chat a bit about his reaction to the nomination, his songwriting, and just what he’s learned on all the tours he has played.
Lindi Ortega’s sound has taken a long dip into the blues, but she’s still got the soul of a country girl.
Talking by phone from her mother’s Toronto home, she talked about how her 2011 release Little Red Boots inspired her to more fully explore the roots of country music.
Noting that the first book she read was Lovesick Blues: The Life of Hank Williams by Phil Hemphill, Ortega discovered Williams was heavily influenced by the blues. “That’s when I started to see a real connection between blues and country. I tried to listen solely to blues for months at a time, right around the time I was writing the songs for this record.”
She enlisted Colin Linden, a renowned producer and blues guitarist who has an extensive knowledge of blues. Linden helped Ortega weave the blues into the outlaw-traditional-country-with-hints-of-rock sound she developed. In a significant way, Cigarettes & Truckstops is an maturation of Ortega’s music from her debut album Little Red Boots. Although her sound is now more sophisticated and blues based, it has the heartfelt sincerety that drew listeners to her earlier work. (more…)