The New Wave

Last week I established myself as a country music "traditionalist" and talked new country vs old.  Looking back at that post, I kinda of lumped all of today's artists into the "pop country" category which is unfair.  There is a new wave of artists that broke through in the last five years or so that really have a good country sound not only in the actual music, but he lyrics as well.  Artists like Eric Church, Josh Thompson, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Justin Moore and Jamey Johnson.  If somebody who knew absolutely nothing about country music was scanning through the radio dial and came to a station playing any one of those artists, they would immediately know they had found a country station.  In particular, I really like the first three artists:  Eric, Josh & Luke.  If all you know about those artist is what you hear on the radio, it's pretty safe to say you'll probably enjoy everything on their CD's. 

Eric's first CD "Sinners Like Me" came out in 2006 (we've been over this already) and I have had to buy it twice cause I wore it out.  His singles "How 'Bout You" and "Guys Like Me" were a couple of his first big hits, but I believe the best material on that record never hit the radio.  "These Boots" is probably my favorite, while "Livin' Part of Life", "Before She Does", "The Hard Way" and the title cut are all great song too.  He even has a song featuring Merle Haggard called "Pledge Allegiance to the Hag" that Merle fans would probably get a kick out of.  When I found out Eric was working on his next album "Carolina" in 2008, I was a little bummed out because I knew none of those other songs would ever get on the radio.

The CD I have been listening to the most lately is Josh Thompson's "Way Out Here".  Josh just released his third single called "Won't Be Lonely Long" which hasn't cracked the top 30 yet, but it's climbing.  "Blame It On Waylon" is one of my favorites from Josh.  It's an upbeat song that has a true Waylon sound and says:  "blame the cussin' on my daddy, good looks on my mama but as for my honky tonk ways I blame it on Waylon and all them other outlaws....."  Great song.  Other highlights on the album for me are "You Ain't Seen Country Yet", "Back Around", "Sinner" and "I Won't Go Crazy".  Any
one of them could be a hit on the radio.

What I was getting at last week, was that while people who like traditional country music typically frown on "pop country", the crossover artists like Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Shania Twain are good for country music because they bring new fans in. 

BeulahFest turns 25 this Friday and Saturday!!  WXBM has been a proud sponsor for most, if not all BeulahFest events over the years.  This year look for a couple great days of food, arts & crafts, rides and entertainment.  I'll be doing my show live from the Equestrian Center from 2-7 Friday afternoon and we'll welcome Justin Moore (Small Town USA) and Jerrod Niemann (Lover Lover) to the stage that night.  Then Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw and John Michael Montgomery will play Saturday with lots of local bands in there too.  To get tickets in advance or get more general info, visit http://www.beulahfest.com/ 

As always, thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!!

Upcoming CD's

March 22nd
Josh Kelly - "Georgia Clay"

April 5th

Craig Campbell - "Craig Campbell"

April 12th

Alison Krauss - "Paper Airplane"

May 24th
Brad Paisley - "This Is Country Music"

TBD

Martina McBride

Ronnie Dunn (Bleed Red)

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Lady Antebellum

Eric Church (cd expected in late June)
Justin Moore (If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away)
Chris Young (Neon)

CD's Now Available
Jane Dear Girls - "Jane Dear Girls"

Thompson Square - "Thompson Square"

Joe Nichols - "Greatest Hits"

Sara Evans - "Stronger"

Upcoming Concerts

March 18th

Zac Brown Band - Wharf in Orange Beach

Justin Moore and Jerrod Neimann - BeulahFest at the Escambia County Equestrian Center

March 19th

Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw and John Michael Montgomery - BeulahFest at the Escambia County Equestrian Center

April 1st
Rodney Atkins - Hard Rock in Biloxi

April 8th
Loretta Lynn - IP Casino in Biloxi

April 9th
Josh Turner - Hard Rock in Biloxi

April 14th

Sugarland and Little Big Town - Pensacola Civic Center

May 21st
Travis Tritt - Wind Creek in Atmore

June 5th
Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and Craig Campbell - Wharf in Orange Beach

June 16th
Keith Urban and Jake Owen - Mississippi Coast Colisseum in Biloxi