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Trace Adkins Performs ‘GOP Theme Song’ ‘Tough People Do’ at Republican National Convention
Trace Adkins performed what at least one news outlet called the GOP theme song after Ann Romney’s speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday night. ‘Tough People Do’ is a new song that reminds listeners that while times might be tough, so are we.
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Country Music Fashion Police – Readers Poll
Next Wednesday (Sept. 5), the nominees for the 2012 CMA Awards will be announced. That leaves stars less than two months to plan for the Nov. 3 broadcast. That’s two months to find the perfect dress, the perfect shoes or the perfect jacket. We’ve found the most adventurous outfits from previous CMA Awards and paired them side by side, just begging for your opinion. You get to play country music fashion police with your vote!
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Alan Jackson vs. High Valley – The Showdown
Fans responded passionately to Alan Jackson‘s new single, ‘You Go Your Way,’ yesterday and last night in the Taste of Country Nights Showdown. The song easily ousted ‘Ex-Old Man’ by Kristen Kelly, meaning the country legend will move on to face a new challenger. Today, that’s another act new to American country music fans.
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Shania Twain: Pictures Through the Years
Happy birthday to Shania Twain today, August 28! The singer has offered cutting-edge country music and fashion in the 18 years since releasing ‘The Woman With Me’ in 1995. While this wasn’t her debut album, its success (over 12 million copies sold in the U.S. alone) changed the landscape of country music forever.
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Gloriana, ‘Can’t Shake You’ – Song Review
Gloriana’s new single ‘Can’t Shake You’ takes time to build, but by the second verse, the trio is able to put real hurt into a mid-tempo song about failed love and regret. The second-to-last chorus finds a Gossin brother (Tom, Mike… who can tell them apart without looking at them?) digging deep for what may be the most vulnerable moment on their new ‘A Thousand Miles Left Behind’ album.
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Favorite Jake Owen Song? – Readers Poll
Jake Owen celebrates his birthday today (Aug. 30), and as the singer looks back on many years of life and steps toward 31, he will find reason to argue it was his best ever. Two No. 1 hits, a marriage, a baby on the way and a spot on the biggest summer tour of the year with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw? It doesn’t get better. The ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ singer has set a high bar, releasing some of his best music ever over the past 12 months, but were any of those songs his best ever?
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Alan Jackson vs. Kristen Kelly – The Showdown
Thomas Rhett joined a select group of artists with songs in the Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Fame on Monday when ‘Beer With Jesus’ became a five-time winner. The song will now be retired, meaning today’s Showdown will feature two new artists. Remember, you can also vote tonight on Taste of Country Nights radio, our syndicated radio show available on air and online.
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Darius Rucker, ‘True Believers’ – Song Review
Darius Rucker takes a simple story of two lovers who defy odds and skeptics and places it gently on a cloud in the stratosphere — a place few others can reach. ‘True Believers’ begins as a mild and unremarkable pop-country song before clever production and Rucker’s unforgettable voice find one soaring in the euphoria.
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Lawyer Claims Randy Travis Kicked, Pushed His Client During Church Argument
Last week, Randy Travis was cited with a Class C assault after a physical confrontation with his girlfriend’s estranged husband in the parking lot of a Texas church. The husband, Dr. Ritchie Beougher, claims the country superstar did much worse than inflict an “unwanted touch” upon him.
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Thomas Rhett vs. Randy Houser – The Showdown
Thomas Rhett moved his song ‘Beer With Jesus’ within one win of becoming a rare Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Famer. The singer’s fans outvoted fans of Jaida Dreyer’s ‘Confessions’ by a two-to-one-margin on Friday and Friday night on Taste of Country Nights radio. Today, Rhett will have to battle a singer with a little more star power in Randy Houser.
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Joanna Smith, ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ – Song Review
If Joanna Smith‘s new single ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ was released 30 years ago, we might call it a classic in 2012. Since the singer is relatively new, however (the sexy single ‘Georgia Mud’ barely cracked the chart in 2011 ), we’ll restrain ourselves from over-selling this portrait of caged yearning. Smith is the perfect voice to tell the story.
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Martina McBride’s ‘Evolution’ Turns 15
By 1997, Martina McBride was beginning to assert herself as the premiere female vocalist in country music, but she wouldn’t begin to take home awards until after she released ‘Evolution’ on August 26 of that year. Songs from her fourth studio album won her the Female Vocalist of the Year CMA in 1999. Many of her biggest hits, like ‘Happy Girl,’ ‘A Broken Wing’ and ‘Whatever You Say,’ come from this project.