Country Singles Jubilee 9.7.09: The When I Ruled The World Edition
Posted by Jasper Jones on 09.07.2009
The Jubilee is full of fresh faces this week! Inside you'll find the latest from some of country music's best new artists including The Road Hammers, Jypsi, and Josh Thompson. Pa Kent and Coldplay also make appearances! You can't miss this!
Welcome back, Jubileers!
Country Music Tidbits
Hey, There's a Possum In My Cracker Barrel!
George Jones is the latest country music star to team up with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and a few other country acts have already found success in teaming with the restaurant chain, and "The Possum" is hoping that it works out for him as well. His Collection of My Best Recollection will be available only at Cracker Barrel. It includes ten of his greatest hits and two previously unreleased songs, "I Don't Want To Know" and "I'm A Long Gone Daddy". You can pick up the album right now, and be sure to catch George on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on Sept. 11th.
Carrie Underwood Plays On!
The first single from Carrie Underwood's upcoming album Play On was officially released to radio last Wednesday. "Cowboy Casanova" was originally set to be released on Sept. 8th, but a rough recording of it was leaked causing the label to rush the single to radio. Underwood co-wrote the song with Mike Elizondo and Brett James, who wrote her huge hit "Jesus, Take The Wheel". Play On is set to drop on November 4th, 2009. Expect a review of "Cowboy Casanova" next week in the Jubilee.
MUSIC TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Country Singles Reviews
The Road Hammers - "I've Got the Scars To Prove It"
The Road Hammers was formed as a side project for multi-time Canadian Country Music award winner Jason McCoy. McCoy says he formed the group in order to make "trucker" music. The band's debut album, The Road Hammers, was released in 2005. It contained some covers of classic country road songs like "East Bound and Down", "Girl On The Billboard", and "Willin". It received critical praise for it's Southern rock sound and shot up the Canadian country charts. The success of the album lead to the band winning Group or Duo of the Year at the CCMAs. In 2007, The Road Hammers were signed to Montage Music Group, an American label. Since then, the band has been trying to duplicate their Canadian success on American soil.
"I've Got The Scars To Prove It" is the third release from The Road Hammers' Blood, Sweat, and Steel album. It's about a fellow who has been through a lot in life. He "ran on whiskey and burned like gas" and he would "light a fire just to walk right through it". He made it through his trials and tribulations, and it's made him a better man. Now he's got the leftover scars to forever remind him how far he's come in life. It's a great subject for a country song and fits rather well into The Road Hammers' theme of "trucker" music. I can only imagine what some truckers have been through. Lead singer Jason McCoy has a burly, deep, Southern rock voice that is perfect for this kind of music. It's sounds like a mix between Waylon Jennings, Trace Adkins, and a refined "Country" Dick Montana of The Beat Farmers. Now I see why the Canucks like The Road Hammers so much.
Favorite Lyric: "I shake my head in disbelief, at all my self inflicted grief / had a strong right hand, I wasn't afraid to use it"
Cedarburg, Wisconsin is the home of Josh Thompson, a newcomer to country music. Thompson grew up in a working class family and moved to Nashville to pursue his dreams in 2005. His energetic live shows caught the attention of Columbia Nashville Records. He had his first taste of songwriting fame when fellow country artist Jason Michael Carroll recorded his song "Growing Up Is Getting Old" on his current album. Columbia Nashville and Thompson are currently working on his debut album. It's being produced by Michael Knox, who has produced albums for Jason Aldean in the past.
"Beer on The Table" is the debut single from Josh Thompson. It will be featured on his upcoming debut album from Columbia Nashville Records. Currently the album still has no release date. "Beer on the Table" is a blue-collar, working man's song through and through. It's about being a simple man who just wants a good job, good friends, and beer to drink. I think that's what every red-blooded, working class man wants. The song hits the ground running and is full of energy from beginning to end. Thompson has a very distinct voice. When he comes on the radio, you're going to know it's him right away. It's a shame that country radio is jam packed full of over-exposed artists like Toby Keith, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney. Variety is the spice of life, man. Make room for new artists like Josh Thompson that can give established acts like I just mentioned a run for the money.
Favorite Lyric: "Eggs and bacon in my belly and a Folger's coffee buzz/ Good ol' radar detector it protects me from the fuzz/ Well, I do what I gotta do to get through working that 9 to 5/ It's killing me but then again it's keeping me alive"
Rating: 4/5
Jypsi - "Mister Officer"
The country band Jypsi is comprised of the Rische siblings: Amber-Dawn on fiddle and vocals, Frank on guitar and vocals, Lillie Mae on lead vocals, and Scarlett on mandolin and vocals. The siblings formed the band way back in 1994 in Illinois. They played locally for several years until being discover by Cowboy Jack Clements in 2000. Clements brought them to Nashville where they continued to play in bars for a couple of more years. Jypsi was finally signed to Artista Nashville in 2007. They released their debut album in May 2008 to digital retailers. Three singles were released, but only one charted. "I Don't Love You Like That" peaked at Number 38 on the country charts. The band hasn't given up yet, though. They plan to released another album really soon.
"Mister Officer" is the first single from the upcoming, untitled second album from country band Jypsi. The song has a very unique, distinct sound that will catch your attention right away. It features rock drums, electric guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. That's not a very common combination. It sounds like a mish-mash of The Dixie Chicks and Avril Lavigne. "Mister Officer" is about a girl who has been pulled over by the police for speeding and reckless driving. Her excuse is that she didn't know she was doing 90 because she had the top down, blaring music, and thinking about a boy. It's an infectious, catchy ditty that should do well as long as it gets some air-time.
Favorite Lyric: "Mister officer, I'm so sorry/ Yes, I know that this is not the Audubon/ Mister officer, this isn't like me/ Yes, sir. Yes I have a reason"
Rating: 3/5
Retro Country Single
John Schneider - "I'm Gonna Leave You Tomorrow"
After he was Bo Duke but before he was Jonathan Kent, John Schneider was a country singer. A damned good country singer too. During the 1980s, Schneider released nine albums and one greatest hits compilation. He released eighteen singles to country radio, of which four hit Number 1. Some of his bigger hits included "I've Been Around Enough To Know", "Country Girls", "What's A Memory Like You (Doing In A Love Like This)", "At the Sound of the Tone", and "Love, You Ain't Seen the Last of Me". Despite his musical success, Schneider hasn't released any new material since 1987.
I really wanted to included either "Love, You Ain't Seen the Last of Me" or "Take The Long Way Home" in the column, but I couldn't find any videos for them, officially made or fan made. The only video I was able to find was for "I'm Gonna Leave You Tomorrow", which is a great song in it's own right. In fact, I had totally forgotten that John Schneider recorded that song. He sounds so good and natural, that I thought "I'm Gonna Leave You Tomorrow" was a George Strait song until a few weeks ago. It can be found on his 1985 album Tryin' to Outrun The Wind. It was released as a single and peaked at Number 10 on the country charts.
Favorite Lyric: "We sleep separately together - never touchin'/ And you won't talk about it anymore/ I guess you've just grown so used to havin' me around you/ That I'm just some old habit that you ignore"
I Bet You've Never Heard This Song
The Abrams Brothers - "Viva La Vida"
The Abrams Brothers have been playing music since before they can remember. I guess that's what happens when you are the fourth generation of a musical family with roots dug deep. The band is comprised of John Abrams (18) on vocals and guitar, James Abram (16) on vocals and fiddle, and cousin Elijah Abrams (18) on bass. They mix their youth and energy with their families' rich musical background. Despite being very young, the guys are very experienced musicians. They are the youngest Canadians to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, they've played the European World of Bluegrass Festival, and performed at the 2007 and 2008 Jacob's Labber Folk Festival in Israel. Needless to say, these boys have seen the world.
"Viva La Vida" is the latest single from The Abrams Brothers. It is indeed a cover of Coldplay's 2008 Number 1 hit from their album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. I am in no way, shape, or form a Coldplay fan. I think they are an overrated, bloated U2 "wanna be". I didn't like "Viva La Vida" until I heard The Abrams Brothers' bluegrass version late one night on CMT. This is the third time I have preferred a bluegrass version of a song over the original. I didn't really like "Stairway to Heaven" until I heard Dolly Parton's bluegrass version, and my favorite version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" is Hayseed Dixie's bluegrass version. Unfortunately, The Abrams Brothers are drawing a lot of comparisons to The Jonas Brothers.
Favorite Lyric: "Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate/ Just a puppet on a lonely string/ Oh, who would ever want to be king"
That's all for this week, folks! Come on back next week for some more good times and better music!
