photo by Mike Carroll
Check out Brad Paisley’s nostalgic video for “Beat This Summer” – do you think this could be a Video of the Year Nominee?
Apr 242013
Apr 232013
The Randy Rogers Band are previewing tracks all this week from their new album, Trouble, in advance of its April 30th release. The band will be streaming one track per day, beginning yesterday, April 22, with “Goodbye Lonely” on Country Music Rocks, and continuing today with “If I Had Another Heart” on Keepin’ It Country.
Trouble is Randy Rogers Band’s 8th studio album, and features the single, “Fuzzy” (available now on iTunes). The group have charted 7 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and their last release, 2010’s Burning the Day, peaked at #2 on the Country Albums charts.
For more on the Randy Rogers band, and to keep up with the daily song premieres, visit their official site at randyrogersband.com.
Apr 222013
Here are this year’s Billboard Music Award Finalists. Country artists will be in blue!
ARTIST AWARDS
Top Artist:
Justin Bieber
Maroon 5
One Direction
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Top New Artist:
Carly Rae Jepsen
Gotye
One Direction
PSY
The Lumineers
Top Male Artist:
Bruno Mars
Drake
Flo Rida
Jason Aldean
Justin Bieber
Top Female Artist:
Adele
Carly Rae Jepsen
Nicki Minaj
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Top Duo/Group:
Coldplay
fun.
Maroon 5
Mumford & Sons
One Direction
Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Adele
Justin Bieber
Mumford & Sons
One Direction
Taylor Swift
Top Hot 100 Artist:
Flo Rida
fun.
Maroon 5
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Top Digital Songs Artist:
Carly Rae Jepsen
Flo Rida
fun.
Maroon 5
Taylor Swift
Top Radio Songs Artist:
Flo Rida
fun.
Maroon 5
Nicki Minaj
Rihanna
Top Touring Artist:
Bruce Springsteen
Coldplay
Lady Gaga
Madonna
Roger Waters
Top Social Artist:
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
One Direction
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Top Streaming Artist:
Baauer
Drake
Nicki Minaj
PSY
Rihanna
Top Pop Artist:
Adele
Bruno Mars
Justin Bieber
Maroon 5
One Direction
Top R&B Artist:
Alicia Keys
Chris Brown
Ne-Yo
Rihanna
Usher
Top Rap Artist:
Drake
Flo Rida
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull
PSY
Top Country Artist:
Carrie Underwood
Hunter Hayes
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Taylor Swift
Top Rock Artist:
Bruce Springsteen
Coldplay
fun.
Gotye
Mumford & Sons
Top Latin Artist:
Don Omar
Jenni Rivera
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos
Shakira
Top Dance Artist:
Calvin Harris
David Guetta
Madonna
Skrillex
Swedish House Mafia
Top EDM Artist:
Calvin Harris
David Guetta
deadmau5
Skrillex
Swedish House Mafia
Top Christian Artist:
Casting Crowns
Chris Tomlin
Matt Redman
MercyMe
tobyMac
ALBUM AWARDS
Top Billboard 200 Album:
Adele “21”
Mumford & Sons “Babel”
One Direction “Take Me Home”
One Direction “Up All Night”
Taylor Swift “Red”
Top Pop Album:
Adele “21”
Justin Bieber “Believe”
Maroon 5 “Overexposed”
One Direction “Take Me Home”
One Direction “Up All Night”
Top R&B Album:
Alicia Keys “Girl On Fire”
Chris Brown “Fortune”
Frank Ocean “Channel Orange”
Rihanna “Unapologetic”
Usher “Looking 4 Myself”
Top Rap Album:
2 Chainz “Based On A T.R.U. Story”
Kendrick Lamar “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “The Heist”
Nicki Minaj “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
Rick Ross “God Forgives, I Don’t”
Top Country Album:
Carrie Underwood “Blown Away”
Jason Aldean “Night Train”
Lionel Richie “Tuskegee”
Luke Bryan “Tailgates & Tanlines”
Taylor Swift “Red”
Top Rock Album:
fun. “Some Nights
Mumford & Sons “Babel”
Of Monsters And Men “My Head Is An Animal”
Phillip Phillips “The World From The Side of the Moon”
The Lumineers “The Lumineers”
Top Latin Album:
Jenni Rivera “Joyas Prestadas: Banda”
Jenni Rivera “Joyas Prestadas: Pop”
Jenni Rivera “La Misma Gran Senora”
Prince Royce “Phase II”
Romeo Santos “Formula: Vol. 1”
Top Dance Album:
David Guetta “Nothing But The Beat”
deadmau5 “Album Title Goes Here”
LMFAO “Sorry For Party Rocking”
Madonna “MDNA”
Skrillex “Bangarang”
Top EDM Album:
David Guetta “Nothing But The Beat”
deadmau5 “Album Title Goes Here”
Skrillex “Bangarang”
Skrillex “Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites”
Swedish House Mafia “Until Now”
Top Christian Album:
Casting Crowns “Come To The Well”
Lecrae “Gravity”
MercyMe “The Hurt & The Healer”
tobyMac “Eye On It”
Various Artists “Wow Hits 2013”
SONG AWARDS
Top Hot 100 Song:
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
fun. “Some Nights”
Gotye Featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Maroon 5 “One More Night”
Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa “Payphone”
Top Digital Song:
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
fun. Featuring Janelle Monae “We Are Young”
Gotye Featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz “Thrift Shop”
Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa “Payphone”
Top Radio Song:
Bruno Mars “Locked Out Of Heaven”
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
Gotye Featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Maroon 5 “One More Night”
Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa “Payphone”
Top Streaming Song (Audio):
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
Ellie Goulding “Lights”
fun. “Some Nights”
fun. Featuring Janelle Monae “We Are Young”
Gotye Featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Top Streaming Song (Video):
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
fun. Featuring Janelle Monae “We Are Young”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz “Thrift Shop”
PSY “Gangnam Style”
Taylor Swift “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
Top Pop Song:
Bruno Mars “Locked Out Of Heaven”
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
Ellie Goulding “Lights”
Maroon 5 “One More Night”
Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa “Payphone”
Top R&B Song:
Alicia Keys Featuring Nicki Minaj “Girl On Fire”
Frank Ocean “Thinking Bout You”
Miguel “Adorn”
Rihanna “Diamonds”
Trey Songz “Heart Attack”
Top Rap Song:
Flo Rida “Whistle”
Flo Rida Featuring Sia “Wild Ones”
Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz “Mercy”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz “Thrift Shop”
PSY “Gangnam Style”
Top Country Song:
Eric Church “Springsteen”
Florida Georgia Line “Cruise”
Hunter Hayes “Wanted”
Luke Bryan “Drunk On You”
Taylor Swift “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
Top Rock Song:
fun. “Some Nights”
fun. Featuring Janelle Monae “We Are Young”
Gotye Featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Phillip Phillips “Home”
The Lumineers “Ho Hey”
Top Latin Song:
Don Omar “Hasta Que Salga El Sol”
Don Omar Featuring Natty Natasha “Dutty Love”
Juan Magan Featuring Pitbull & El Cata “Bailando Por El Mundo”
Michel Telo “Ai Se Eu Te Pego”
Wisin & Yandel Featuring Chris Brown & T-Pain “Algo Me Gusta De Ti”
Top Dance Song:
Baauer “Harlem Shake”
David Guetta Featuring Sia “Titanium”
Nicki Minaj “Starships”
PSY “Gangnam Style”
Rihanna “Where Have You Been”
Top EDM Song:
Baauer “Harlem Shake”
Calvin Harris “Feel So Close”
Calvin Harris Featuring Florence Welch “Sweet Nothing”
David Guetta Featuring Sia “Titanium”
Swedish House Mafia Featuring John Martin “Don’t You Worry Child”
Top Christian Song:
Big Daddy Weave “Redeemed”
Building 429 “Where I Belong”
Matt Redman “10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)”
newsboys “God’s Not Dead (Like A Lion)”
tobyMac “Me Without You”
Apr 212013
photo by Mike Carroll
Two days removed from being informed that he will be part of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013, Kenny Rogers put on a very entertaining show at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Friday, April 12th. The surprisingly spry 74-year-old legend, with over 120 charted singles over multiple genres and over 130 million records sold, got the show started with a couple of songs that were not familiar to many in the crowd before stopping to give what you might call a little stand-up comedy routine. He cracked that he had lights installed so that he could watch folks in the first few rows watching him. He went on to single out a few fans in the crowd to playfully pick on them, including how it baffled him how a fan in the 8th row needed to watch the show through a huge pair of binoculars. He commented on how he can tell when husbands get dragged to his shows by their wives, and on this night, singled out a guy in the front row that didn’t look too enthused to be there. Rogers challenged him that by the end of the night that he was going to be a big fan, and told him to raise his hand anytime he heard a song that he recognized. As the show went on, you could hear a chuckle from the crowd when the man raised his hand, as Rogers threw him $10 for every song he recognized. “I’m not above buying my fans!” Rogers joked.
He then got back to doing what he does best, and really got the crowd into it as he dove into “Through the Years,” “She Believes In Me,” and “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.” He then stopped to tell a joke about two men that met in 1955 named Sam and Joe. They went to many baseball games together, and quickly became lifelong best friends. Many years later, as Sam is on his death bed, Joe asks him to find out if baseball is played in heaven. A few days later, as friends were visiting Sam’s casket, Joe hears Sam’s voice say, “Joe, I have good and bad news. Yes, they play; but you’re pitching next Thursday.” This story was the lead-in to his next song, which is one of my personal favorites, “The Greatest,” which is a story about a little boy struggling to hit baseball that he is tossing up into the air to himself. If you’ve never heard the song before, check it out…it just might bring a tear to your eye, especially if you’re a baseball fan.
The show continued with Rogers performing many of his biggest hits, including “Love The World Away,” “Rueben James,” “Coward of the County,” “Daytime Friends,” and “Buy Me a Rose.” He then changed things up a bit to perform some songs from his early days when he was in a band called The First Edition. That part of his set list included “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” and “Something’s Burning.”
Rogers went on to perform his 1982 #1 hit “We’ve Got Tonight,” which was originally a duet with Sheena Easton. The next song was a bit of a surprise…he launched into “Ol’ Red,” the song made famous by Blake Shelton in 2002! It turns out that Kenny Rogers recorded the song in 1993 on his If Only My Heart Had a Voice album, but didn’t release it as a single. Just as surprising, George Jones had recorded it before Rogers did on his 1990 You Oughta Be Here With Me album!
He went on to finish the show with “Have a Little Faith In Me,” “The Gambler,” and “Lucille” before joking that he realized as he gets older that leaving the stage just to come back for an encore isn’t worth the wasted steps and theatrics, especially when everyone knows he’d be coming back out. So he used this explanation as his “rest” period before launching into his encore, where he played his 1980 #1 smash hit, the Lionel Ritchie penned “Lady,” and his big duet hit with Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream.” As he ended the show, he threw the rest of $10 bills he had to the fan in the front row, making it a memorable night for what is sure to be a new fan of Kenny Rogers.
The show lasted about 70 minutes and was a wonderfully entertaining trip down memory lane. If you ever have a chance to see this living legend who can now add Hall of Famer to his resume, please do yourself a favor and do it! You will laugh, you will get goose bumps, and you might even cry. You will definitely walk away with a night to remember for the rest of your life.
Apr 172013
photo by Mike Carroll
He may not be a household name, but Anthony Smith has left his mark on country music in more ways than you know. We were lucky enough to have him in town this past Thursday, April 11th for an intimate acoustic show at Guanabana’s in Jupiter, FL thanks to Bart Roy Productions. I had the chance to meet Anthony before the show, and he is a genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy.
His set list featured several songs that even the casual country music fan would recognize, as he has written several hits that were recorded by many of today’s superstars. He got the show started with “What Do Ya Think About That,” a song that Montgomery Gentry took to #3 on the charts in 2007. He then did George Strait’s 2001 #2 hit “Run,” before launching into “Metropolis,” a song that was on his debut album If That Ain’t Country, which was released in 2002. While never released as a single, “Metropolis” was cut by Trace Adkins on his 2005 album Songs About Me. He then performed “Chrome,” another song recorded by Trace Adkins, which peaked at #10 on the charts in 2002.
Smith then performed his highest charting single as a solo artist, “If That Ain’t Country,” which peaked at #26 in 2002. While it didn’t crack the Top 25 on the charts, it is still a popular song that gets played at events such as between sets at the Kiss Country Chili Cookoff. He then played George Strait’s “Cowboys Like Us,” which peaked at #2 in 2003, and “Half a Man,” a song that Smith charted at #40 off his debut album in 2003.
photo by Mike Carroll
The next song was “Didn’t I,” a song that he was asked to write for the Mel Gibson movie, “We Were Soldiers.” It was recorded by Montgomery Gentry for the soundtrack, and peaked at #45 on the charts. It’s a great song, so if you haven’t heard it yet, go check it out.
He went on to perform a few more songs, including “Infinity” from his debut album and Trace Adkins’ “I’m Tryin’,” which hit #6 in 2001. He closed the show with his song, “Up to the Depths,” which was also on his debut album. What made this special was the fact that SFCM Featured Artist Tom Jackson, who was sitting in the front row, had recorded this song on his Southern Thang album. It would’ve been cool to see them sing the song together, but he was already going over on the allotted time as it was.
Overall it was a great night of live music in a beautiful outdoor setting on the water in Jupiter. Besides his debut album, Anthony Smith also independently released an album titled Sunshine in 2009 that you can pick up. Sadly, there are currently no albums out that contain the hits he’s written for others, but hopefully that will happen one day. Smith did confide that his debut album, If That Ain’t Country, is going to be re-released in the near future, so keep your eyes open for that. Maybe there will be some surprise additions to it!