Recommendation XXXXIV: Wynonna Judd (double-shot)

Awesome awesome.  Life’s not too shabby for me.  My work hours have increased (much to one of ex-co-worker’s dismay – stealing is bad – remember that, but I do still feel sorry for him) and I am also planning my trip to California, which I will embark on in less than half a week, and in addition, I receive my tax refund in a few days.  With regards to my possible soon return to college life, for anybody who cares, I just need to find a co-signer to help me with a student loan from the bank to pay off my balance, and then I am set to go back in the fall (I, of course, will have to deal with paying off the loan and interest after graduation, so I am not excited about that).  Tonight, I’m supposed to clean up my messy room and organize my papers and letters to look decent and civilized (so I won’t have to jump obstacles and get through the mazes any longer).  Sad to admit some old habits don’t die hard.

My forty-fourth recommendation is/are: Wynonna Judd’s “I Can Only Imagine” from her 2005 Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime album AND “Are the Good Times Really Over?” from her 2009 Sing: Chapter 1 album.  Yes, TWO covers/remakes from the powerful and feisty red-head Wynonna Judd.  How exciting.  My love for Wynonna began, I think, with one of her first solo singles, “No One Else On Earth”.  I think I grew up more with solo Wynonna more than with The Judds… though I do know, bluegrass-tinged, “Why Not Me?”, is my favorite Judds song, and “No One…” is my favorite Wy song.  Over the years, it’s been cool to see Wynonna as a genre-chameleon who can sing just about anything, and these two songs I’m going to highlight show that.  It wasn’t that hard for me to choose which ones, because these, in my mind, were instant classics to me once I heard them. Wy made them her own.  (Btw, anybody see her on NBC’s Kath & Kim earlier this month?  That was funny how they basically made the episode about her, and how the mother and daughter were crazy fans of her’s. Molly Shannon is hilarious.)

Recommendation XXXXIII: Danielle Peck

Today was an interesting day: I slept in ’til 11am (didn’t work today), ate lunch, headed to the park to take a run (I don’t get to run too often because of the cold weather and my freakin’ asthma lol), and when I got back, had to deal with a stalled car – the engine’s battery had gone out. That was my fault because stupid me left the car’s fan running on battery power while I was sitting in there for too long and it cost me. I was stuck there for about an hour, going around asking people for help like a loser and ask if they had jumper cables (I’m sure some did, but they were either scared or just mean haha). Anyway, a trio of strangers assisted me, with no problem at all, and kindness in their hearts. I think God wanted to prove two things to me today: there are still good people in this world, and don’t be an idiot and leave the battery running when it’s not necessary (and to buy jumper cables!).

My forty-third recommendation is: Danielle Peck’s “A Woman Does Too” from her 2006 Danielle Peck album.  I would still consider Danielle to be one of my favorite newer female singers in Nashville.  Her stunningly smoking beauty aside, she’s really talented and rather equipped with a distinctive and lovely voice with fine songwriting skills.  I first heard Danielle Peck‘s debut single, “I Don’t”, and took to it quickly (how could you not like a song that says “The difference is: Jesus loves you… I don’t.” ?).  And sure, after I researched her myspace and saw her gorgeous pictures, I did like her more, however I was even more so impressed with her music and with one website that listed her two influences: Patty Loveless and Trisha Yearwood.  I ended up pre-ordering her debut CD through MusiCountry, which offered an autographed album cover that I couldn’t resist.  After that, with singles, “Findin’ a Good Man”, and the similar, “Bad for You”, I knew I really liked her (I’m not really into “Isn’t That Everything?”, but it is catchy, I will admit).  I also like how the first two singles I mentioned in the last sentence are pretty country, but definitely contemporary/mainstream (the choruses are traditional-country/honky-tonk-like sounding, but the beats and the rest of it are pretty pop and rock-sided, somewhat like Shania Twain‘s “Any Man of Mine” is).

Recommendation XXXVIII: Shania Twain

I’m thinking that I will go back to writing posts much more often (maybe more than once a week lol), because I gotta satisfy my faithful blog audience and myself, so let’s get it done.  Honestly, right now, I’ve got nothing exciting to report about my life at the moment.  Just the same ole same ole working and sleeping, so this paragraph will be kinda short. Hmm… well, I did make a new look for the front page of my Lee Ann Womack fansite: LAW: Lee Ann Womack Online last night, so you might wanna check that out ;-) .  As for the subject of today’s blog, I bet you’re in for a surprise: you’re either pleased or disgusted (or in between, depending on your mood).  We’ll get to that…now

My thirty-eighth recommendation is: Shania’s Twain’s “I Ain’t Goin’ Down” from her 2002 Up! album.  Yes, yes, we have gotten to her (for those who didn’t know me too well before, you’re probably surprised to see her here lol).  I’m a pretty big Shania fan, and have been pretty much since “Any Man of Mine” in the ’90s.  She was certainly one of biggest definers of that decade and her music was a big part of my childhood.  Even though she’s not really “country” country, it doesn’t really matter to me.  Shania Twain‘s music brought about excitement to the genre that didn’t really exist before (though, I’ve come to the conclusion, that while I love her music, I’m not particularly fond of her imitators’ music who would arise in later mainstream country music).  She did commit murder on music row, but I’m willing to forgive her for it :p (in fact, I’ll hand her the hatchet myself, say “swing away!”, look the other way, because I love her that much and will allow her to get away with it lol).  And It’s too bad that her marriage with Mutt Lange didn’t work out because I thought they made a good team together.  I hear rumors that Shania will be the “surprise performer” at this Wednesday’s CMA Awards, so I figured I’d highlight Ms. Twain for this entry (I’m so excited for new music!)  It was tough to select a track for her because most of her songs have been hit radio singles haha, so choosing one from the Up! album was the path to go.

Recommendation XXXVII: Little Big Town

It’s Election Day and I just had to make a new entry. A few hours ago, I turned in my absentee voting ballot and I’m excited (and nervous at the same time) to watch the results on TV tonight. I won’t tell you who I voted for, since this is not a political blog – it’s strictly mostly a music blog – but I will encourage strongly that anyone who can vote, to do so.  This is my first time voting, so this was my first time seeing how confusing the amendments can be (the devil is in the details…. you read the fine print on those closely!), so anyone who votes, don’t go by commercials, read up on both sides and make a well-thought-out decision based on your views.  Visiting California last week, on the trip I mentioned before, I could clearly see how the election has impacted my college and its students. It’s really made them, and I as well, more active and vocal about different issues, the likes of which I’ve never experienced in my life before, so I’m enjoying that.  Voting in most places is done at 7pm, and that’s coming up pretty soon for some areas, so get out there!  Vote!  Anyway, I know it’s been a while since my last recommendation post (over a month!), so here it is…

My thirty-seventh recommendation is: Little Big Town’s “Novocaine” from their 2007 A Place to Land album.  I thought this was a perfect song to choose for today, because it’s positive and uplifting, and a great tie in to this day (I had lots of sad songs on my list that just wouldn’t work out lol).  I’m also very glad to finally get a separate post in on Little Big Town.  I’ve been a fan of their’s since “Boondocks” came out, and like everybody else, I can’t get enough of their beautiful harmonies.  They really cannot make a bad song, or sound bad on anything they sing.  One of things I respect them a lot for is the way they change the lead vocal in their music, and don’t keep it all the same – every group member has their own individual personality and vocal, which separates them from other groups/bands.  I may not own any of their albums yet, but I’ve bought several of their material off of iTunes.  I kinda still wish that LBT was still with independent label, Equity Music Group, because their success with them was a step in the right direction for independent labels, and now they’re with Capitol Nashville (though, the new album cover looks loads better).

Recommendation XXXVI: Vince Gill (triple-track)

Now we’ve hit a milestone (for me, at least)…: number 36. This one is real special for me because it’s my lucky number (won’t tell ya why), so I needed a special artist to go with it. I had trouble choosing the artist and the songs that I’d select from them. I know it needed to be a triple track one (hmm, that sounds like a better title than “threesome”, doesn’t it?. Okay, I’m changing it to that now, because the former was almost borderline weird-ish, though it wasn’t intended to be), so I finally made a choice I was satisfied with. This post will be a kinda long one, so prepare yourself for it: take out a comfortable chair and a nice glass of something to sip on…

My thirty-sixth recommendation is/are: Vince Gill’s “Out of My Mind” and “What You Don’t Say” from his 2006 These Days album, AND “Kindly Keep It Country” from his 1998 The Key album.  Yes, yes, it is Vince!  I really couldn’t imagine not discussing him and his music, and it took me quite a while to get to him, but the time has finally come.  Vince Gill is truly one of my absolute favorites and he’s one of the one most talented people in the music industry, ever.  He can sing, write, produce, and play at the highest quality there can be, and that makes him an all-around five-star musician.  I was a fan of his back in the ’90s when I was a little boy, and I didn’t realize how great he was until I bought the Souvenirs album (a greatest hits collection) some years ago and remembered all those songs I loved back then.  As of this moment, I own 71 of his songs (not including the songs I own that include his harmonies/background vocals) and I do plan to add more (he’s probably worked with everybody that I’ve reviewed on this site already lol).  Choosing the three tracks for this recommendation was not an easy task , but I made up my mind.

Recommendation XXXII: Crystal Shawanda

Whoo, today was pretty nice (“today” referring to Tuesday, which is when I wrote this, but I am barely posting it now): I had the day off, so I slept about ten hours lol and got ready for the day. I missed out breakfast, and it was now lunchtime, and I really needed to eat, so I finally decided I’d take my mom to lunch at Applebee’s (haha, yeah, had to get in on that 3 course meal for $10 thing they have/had going). Lunch was good, but I ended up paying $35, including the tip, so I paid for than I thought I would (that’s where they get ya…and drinks and tax really do add up!). Anyway, I’ll get to some other things we did later in the post since they relate.

My thirty-second recommendation is: Crystal Shawanda’s “Try” from her 2008 Dawn of a New Day album.  This debut album came out this week and has strong material on it, so it was a must to do.  I’ve been anticipating this release for quite some time and it doesn’t disappoint (I’d like a more traditional country sound to it, but it’s fine without it).  I first heard Crystal’s debut radio single, “You Can Let Go”, I think, in January when listening to XM Radio online.  I was impressed and even more so when I found out she was Native American, just like me.  It’s not that often you see a Native have a breakthrough in country music, especially a female, so I was immediately drawn to her and had to find out more.  Her voice was very different that any female singer I’ve heard (she’s like the female Gary Allan) and while the theme and lyrics in the song have been done before, she put her own stamp on it and makes it even better.  With her vocals, she knows when to crack and break at the right times, and it’s full of a lot of emotion.  I knew lots of people could relate, so I hoped it would be a big hit in the U.S., but it wasn’t, unfortunately.  It did bring Crystal Shawanda to the spotlight with many people, though, and she seems to be big in Canada, her home country (Canadian Female Vocalist of the Year nomination…whoo).  It’s cool to read about her and see her performance videos on youtube.  I think Kevin on Country Universe did an excellent review on “You Can Let Go” some months back, and there’s lots of feedback there, so check that out.

Recommendation XXX: Tracy Lawrence (threesome)

Alright, alright.  So the “threesome” title for three songs may not be the best name (or even sound appropriate, which it’s not supposed to) for the feature, and we may have worried parents call in with protests, but whatever, here goes.  Since this was #30, I wanted to do something special and since I mentioned it in one of my older posts, I figured recommending three songs at one time would be a cool idea, and a great time to debut it.  I struggled on who I’d choose for numéro trente, and this Texan guy —> just seemed like a good idea, since I’ve wanted to feature him for quite some time.  This will probably be a long post, so hopefully I finish this on time.  Get ready…

My thirtieth recommendation is (are): Tracy Lawrence’s “For the Love” (duet with Brad Arnold) from his 2007 For the Love album, “Strong” from his 2004 Strong album, AND “If I Don’t Make It Back” from his 2005 Then & Now: The Hits Collection album.  It was way too hard to pick just one from him, so I had to do this way.  It was just a coincidence that the two listed above (“For the Love” and “Strong”) happened to be the title tracks, so I was not being lazy.  I love a lot of Tracy Lawrence‘s music, especially his more traditional stuff from the ’90s like “Time Marches On”, and I’ve always been a fan of his’.  This is a man, who even when he sometimes records poppish-country material, cannot not sound country. His nasal Texan drawl is so distinct, he can’t be confused with anybody else really.  I really think he’s one of the best. He’s also really exciting to see in concert.  I happened to catch him with Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie on tour in Greeley, Colorado, and it was a very good time (and I just found out here’s coming back here in late November!).  Now, on with the selected songs…

Recommendation XXVIII: Brooks & Dunn (double-shot)

Oh yes, time for another dose of double-shot. This one was tough, tough, TOUGH, to decide for, but eventually, I made my decision.  But, let me get to that in the third paragraph.  Since I like to take some time before my recommendations to give you a slight update on myself, here it goes: some serious news was broken to me some days back – I would not be able to return to college for my fall semester this year (or possibly, ever again).  With the economy these days and the job market, it’s a tough world to make it in, and it hit my family hard.  Thank God I still have a roof over my head.

I was kinda expecting it as a possibility (even last summer, I was a bit iffy on if I’d return last year), so I was not too taken back.  I’m a positive guy, and I believe God makes everything happen for a reason, whether or not you can see it at the moment, even if it looks bad.  In a way, I’m kinda relieved because it gives me more time to relax and take my mind off school stuff, but the thing that bothers me most is not being able to spend time with my very good friends back there, so it’ll take a while to adjust to not see them for some time.  I’m hoping I can return in the Spring semester in 2009, so I’m doing O.K.  That’s one reason I’m working so much right now.  Anyway, onto the double-shot feature…

My twenty-eighth recommendation is: Brooks & Dunn’s “Don’t Look Back Now” from their 1999 Tight Rope album AND “Caroline” from their 2003 Red Dirt Road album.  I chose to do a double-shot with them because of the obviousness that they’re a duo.  Also, because while they’re considered a duo, their songs usually switch off with either, Kix Brooks, or Ronnie Dunn, singing lead vocal, and rarely these days, do they sing together in a studio-recorded song (except in concert).  I really wish they’d switch off lead vocals in their songs, like Montgomery Gentry does, and pushed their radio singles that way (though Kix and Ronnie’s music, IMO, is miles better).  Brooks & Dunn rarely fail to impress me with their work.  I’ve been a fan of their’s since the ’90s when I was a young kid, and I can remember hearing their music along with many great memories.  Though, they have moved quite a bit from their more honky-tonk traditional country sound from then, they continue to prove how they’ve still got a lot to offer after all these years (but I have to comment, the fiddle has been lacking in their records after 2000- what’s up with that?).  I don’t own all their albums: I own the first Greatest Hits album and about everything else after that (I own seven of their CDs).  The cuts chosen for this recommendation confirmed to be one of my hardest choices, but I think these two songs are perfect for it.

Recommendation XXVII: Dan Colehour

Whew, today has been a long day: waking up, working, eating, walking, napping, driving, tennis-playing, eating, music listening, and web surfing. I’ve got a full schedule set for the rest of the whole year: three jobs and I’m already feeling exhausted (I’m currently training for one job, and will start my third job next week).  Right now, it’s a bit late, and while I do have to get to work tomorrow (or, should I say, later this morning since it’s like 1:30am here lol), I felt like writing a new entry right now. Today, I finally received a CD I’ve been wanting for quite a while…

My twenty-seventh recommendation is: Dan Colehour’s “Father’s Son” from his 2007 Straight to the Highway album.  You’re probably like “who’s that?!?“.  He’s probably the only artist I’ve reviewed so far that you haven’t heard of, yet.  Dan is an artist I only know of through one of the album’s special guest vocalists, Ms. Lee Ann Womack (I know, I mention her all the time, get over it.  And I also notice how I call these artists’ by their first names, but whatever lol).   Back when this album was released almost a year ago, I saw that Lee Ann contributed her background vocals to the project but I didn’t know for what songs, so I took a listen to the clips, and liked what I heard.  I could never really find out which song/s she was on, but it didn’t really matter then, because the music was really catchy and worthy of purchasing alone – this Dan Colehour‘s voice was amazingly good.  I figured eventually I’d buy the CD when I had more money, and that time finally came to be this month (though, I don’t really have much money at the moment.  I used a Best Buy gift card my aunt gave me from Christmas that I had forgotten about – it had some credit left on it).  I received the album today and finally got to hear the whole thing.  I’ve been trying to find out more about Dan, and the names, Bruce Springsteen and Chris Knight, kept popping up, when compared to Dan’s style.  I just looked up Chris Knight (I didn’t know who he was, I’m embarrassed to admit) and their voices/styles are similar, and that’s good.  “Father’s Son” is one of the songs on the album that hooked me immediately, as well as the song, “Leaving Meridian” (a heartbreak steel-guitar drenched slow shuffle about leaving a Texan town because of the memories it has).

Recommendation XXVI: Ashton Shepherd

Here I am, posting late again near midnight lol.  I’m really a night person and it doesn’t help that I don’t have to get to work until about 11am (just gives me more of a reason to stay up later!).  I’m very happy to see that a good amount of people visit the blog and come back regularly (probably has to do with the fact that I now blog more often than the past – gives you all something to look forward to with each visit).  I know how that is with blogs, checking back everyday to see new content and there’s not – annoying, because what else are you gonna read? haha.  I now try my best to stay dedicated to the blog.  It’s like my new child, and I must make it grow with fresh substances and improve over time, just like a fine wine (oddly worded, but you get the idea).  Anyway…

My twenty-sixth recommendation is: Ashton Shepherd’s “The Whiskey Won the Battle” from her 2008 Sounds So Good album.  I don’t know where to start with Ashton.  I’m pretty sure the first time I heard her music was during my winter break, with her debut single, “Takin’ Off This Pain”.  I thought that song sounded good, but I was not in the mood for tough, redneck-themed girl songs at the time, and her voice was too Gretchen Wilson-like (who I love too, but at the time, it seemed like an imitation).  Eventually my interest in her got the best in me, and I remember reading somewhere online that her album was very traditional, that she wrote or co-wrote most of her work, and that she had some songs posted on her myspace page to showcase it.  So, of course, I checked them out and first heard the title cut, “Sounds So Good” (this being her second and current single at the moment, and also let me make it clear, this was before the album came out in March 2008).  I liked it a lot: very catchy and full of steel and twang.  What really sold me on Ashton Shepherd, though, was her song, “I Ain’t Dead Yet”.  That one is stone-cold country (and you know that’s what I like the most ;) ), and I’ll all about quality country music that’s real, sung by a distinct female voice these days, and even more, if they write it themselves, so I was definitely hooked to Ashton then.  She’s almost 22 years old, married, and has a baby as well!