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Determination, patience, integrity, perseverance, and pride are all characteristics that describe the average blue collar worker. These five characteristics also describe Miranda Lambert and her career.
After finishing third on the inaugural season of Nashville Star (behind winner Buddy Jewel and runner-up Travis Howard), Miranda landed a deal with Epic Records. For most artists this would be the deal of a lifetime and the start of a booming career. But for Miranda, she just wanted the chance to do things her way; a chance to prove that she could write her own music, select her own tracks, and still be successful in the process. In the music industry, however, success is generally defined by two things: chart success and sales.
Right out of the gate though Miranda did not have much of either. Sure her first album, Kerosene (2003) debuted at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart, but the lead single "Me and Charlie Talking" peaked... Read More »
February 2
Rob Zombie - Hillbilly Deluxe 2
Toni Braxton - Pulse
k.d. lang - Recollection
Lifehouse - Smoke and Mirrors
Lil Wayne - Rebirth
Toro Y Moi - Causers of This
Nick Jonas & The Administration - Who I Am
February 9
Josh Turner - Haywire
Fear Factory - Mechanize
Redman - Reggie Noble 9 1/2
Sade - Soldier of Love
Watson Twins - Love You, Love Me
Young Jeezy - Thug Motivation 103
Jaheim - Another Round
February 23
Josh Thompson - Way Out Here
Sarah Buxton - Sarah Buxton
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No... Read More »
We wanted to start something new where we highlight notable album releases each month. We can't possibly list every album to be released each month so don't be upset if your favorite isn't here. Although January 2010 is over, we present the notable album releases of January 2010.
January 5
Katharine McPhee - Unbroken
Ke$ha – Animal
January 12
O.A.R. - Rain or Shine
OK Go - Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
Omarion - Ollusion
Ringo Starr - Y Not
Vampire Weekend – Contra
Adam Green – Minor Love
January 19
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Eels - End Times
Spoon - Transference
One Republic - Waking Up
January 26
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Patty Griffin - Downtown Church
Vince Gill - Love Songs
Corrine Bailey Rae - The Sea
David Bowie - A Reality Tour
Dolly Parton - Live From London
Flo Rida – Hits Mix... Read More »
You might not recognize the name but if you were a fan of country music in the 90s, you will remember the songs "Someone Else's Star," "Rebecca Lynn," "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore," and a duet with Shania Twain, "From This Moment On." Bryan White was a staple voice in country music in the 90s but he has been absent for much of the last decade.
After charting 17 singles on Billboard's Country Charts, White realized he needed to step away from the music industry. He did just that by getting married and starting a family. In 2001, he released a country album and a greatest hits album. In 2006, he had another Christmas project. However, in 2009, he released Dustbowl Dreams, an album that encourages people to never forget their roots. A native Oklahoman, White wrote the song "Dustbowl Dreams" about his roots and heritage. His hopes for this new album? Modest in... Read More »
Artists and bands often have multiple ways of playing their songs and, frequently, fans prefer one of the non-album versions of the song. Anyone who has ever experienced this should get in a moderately long but growing line of people that desire to kiss the feet of Andrew Futral and The Age of Rockets.
The Age of Rockets (Andrew Futral, Saul Simon-MacWilliams, Bess Rogers and Adam Christagau), an unsigned indie band out of New York, has come up with the idea to record three versions of ten different songs and release it as a 30-track triple album. This way, fans can pick their favorite of the three different recordings of each song thereby creating their own special official version of the album.
The Age of Rockets ask for donations to make their triple album idea a reality
The band refers to this idea as a “choose your own adventure album” in reference to the once popular children books.
In... Read More »
Terra Naomi has not been overweight since she was a child, but her voice could represent a fat lady’s for the music industry in the not-too-distant future.
After a frustrating and short relationship with a big label (Island Records), singer/songwriter Terra Naomi decided to return to being her own boss and pursue her music career by marketing herself through the internet—a pursuit that has worked brilliantly thus far.
Terra Naomi before she became a YouTube phenomenon
Naomi was a self-proclaimed “big nerd” as a kid growing up in New York. After graduating high-school, she attended the University of Michigan School of Music where she studied opera and claims on her website to have abused drugs.
In the early 2000s, Naomi cleaned herself up, returned to New York, wrote her first songs, got her first guitar and played her first gigs. In 2003, she moved to Los Angeles; and, in 2006, she started a YouTube Virtual Tour that would... Read More »
The album should look familiar - That's Robyn. She had a couple huge pop hits in the 90s, "Do you know what it takes?" and "Show Me Love". She put out one more album in 2002 before she left to go back home to Sweden in 2003 due to creative differences with her then label, Jive Records.
Robyn had this to say about her 3rd album on Jive Records:
“I think the third record I made was a big compromise,” she says. “I felt like it wasn’t fun anymore. Once you make the record and you give it to the record company, it’s not your record anymore! And I hated that situation. “I was going backwards. I wasn’t doing what I wanted to.”[caption id="attachment_970" align="alignleft" width="221" caption="Robyn now"][/caption] She then bought herself off of her label and started her own label, Konichiwa Records. Her fourth album, Robyn was the first album... Read More »
If you were around in the 90s, you certainly know who I am talking about. They hit the world by storm in 1997 with their album Middle of Nowhere and their smash single, "MmmBop," that shot straight to number one.
The next four singles off that album didn't do well, with the exception of "I Will Come To You," which made it to number 9 on the charts. Then, they kind of dropped off the face of the Earth, at least for most people. They actually put out another album in 2000, This Time Around, before taking a four year break.
So maybe you have been wondering, where are Hanson now?
They look similar but yet so different and they are still making music. However, the road hasn't been easy. After a three year struggle with their label, depicted in the documentary film, Strong Enough to Break, by Ashley Greyson, Hanson formed their own indie label, 3CG Records... Read More »
On June 23, Regina Spektor will release Far, her second album since signing with Sire Records (fifth album overall).
Initially, a handful of diehard Spektor fans criticized her for signing with Sire Records and then again when they heard the new production of songs on her 2006 debut album with Sire (Begin to Hope). Fans had already grown to love most of the songs as raw, acoustic bootlegs from various concerts.
Just as many, if not more, Spektor fans rallied behind Spektor’s deal with Sire. They pointed out that the deal left complete creative control in the hands of Spektor herself; therefore, fans should have nothing to worry about because this was not a case of an artist selling out.
Spektor Defends Slicker Production on Albums with Sire
In an interview for The Onion with Noel Murray on June 21 of 2006, Spektor... Read More »
In 2008, Amanda Palmer released her debut solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer?The album has garnered even more critical success than her widely acclaimed albums with The Dresden Dolls (Palmer and drummer Brian Vigilone).
Despite the critical and relative commercial success of Palmer’s solo debut, her A&R representative at Roadrunner Records called Palmer in for a meeting to discuss her video for “Leeds United” ("Leeds United" video). He shocked her by explaining the label wanted to digitally alter or altogether cut shots of Palmer’s exposed stomach.
Palmer, a prodigious... Read More »
CDBaby is the largest independent aggregator of digital music. Today it houses over 250,000 albums and grows every day. Ben Hubbird, CD Baby Large Account Representative, recently answered our questions regarding the... Read More »
Would a song by any other artist be as sweet? Ok, enough of my attempt at Shakespearean-esque humor. The issue I am getting at, though, has often bothered me. We label songs and... Read More »
Corinne Bailey Rae, the bubbly, bike-riding, curly-coiffed "Put Your Records On" crooner, returns with The Sea, an eleven-track tribute to love, loss, and no regrets.
Rae is certainly no stranger to loss, losing husband and bandmate... Read More »
If you’re slightly oblivious like I am you might not recognize the name Jessica Harp; a new artist making big waves on the country scene. Jessica is best known as the “not Michelle Branch girl”... Read More »
The music history in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia is known for its Hip-hop/R & B roots. From Teddy Riley of BLACKstreet to Timbaland, it is very rare that a rock band comes out... Read More »
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