The A-Side Record - Vol. 1
Welcome to the A-Side Record.
I grew up excitedly waiting for the day my latest edition of Country Music magazine arrived in the mailbox. Hazel Smith’s tales and gossip drops of the Nashville scene were my favorite sections in those cherished issues. There’s so much happening within country music at all times. Sometimes I can’t dedicate an entire podcast or news announcement, but wanted to touch on the topics. This is intended to be a regular effort to cap the week.
Plenty of new music has been released in the last few weeks. Brandy Clark, Marty Stuart, The Malpass Brothers…I can’t wait to dive into their new albums. This week, I’ve been revisiting Lady & Gentlemen from LeAnn Rimes; it’s full of country classics like “Rose Colored Glasses” and “Sixteen Tons.” Vince Gill produced it and it’s pure magic.
I played Brothers Osborne’s new single “Nobody’s Nobody” on my radio show Afternoons with Amanda this week. They really just outdo themselves with every release.
Speaking of new music, Jake Owen is set to release his seventh studio album Loose Cannon on Friday, June 23. Walker Hayes, Jordan Davis, Jessie Jo Dillon have all penned songs for the collection. You can see Jake perform on Good Morning America on Monday, May 29.
Tyler Hubbard has the number one country song in country music this week. This marks his second straight number one as a solo artist.
Last year, I introduced a series called “90 Underrated Songs of the ‘90s” on my podcast. Since I wanted to include the song itself in the podcast, the series was only available through Spotify. Now, you’ll find bite-sized episodes, featuring a single song spotlighted on the Across the Country with Amanda podcast. This means that you can listen on Apple Music, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This first episode deep dives into Sons of the Desert’s “Albuquerque” and is available here.
John Berry’s debut album turns 30 this year, and to celebrate he’s been posting acoustic performances of some of the album’s tracks. Head over to his Facebook page to watch. I’m thinking I need do to a deep dive into that album for the podcast! Such a phenomenal voice.
The world lost the incomparable Tina Turner this week. Mickey Guyton performed “What’s Love Got To Do With It” at Tina’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction a few years back - there’s a few videos floating around YouTube, check them out! Mickey’s rendition is flawless.
Jeannie Seely announced through Facebook that she’ll be skipping out on playing the Opry for the next few weeks. She recently had surgery to remove skin cancer on her nose which resulted in stitches and a swollen face. Wishing her the best and a speedy recovery!
I stumbled upon a video of the 1996 ACM Awards and ended up watching the entire thing because I haven’t seen it since the original broadcast. Brooks & Dunn and Faith Hill hosted that year. A few performers did low-key performances and they ended up being the best ones of the show. Clint Black’s solo acoustic rendition of “A Bad Good-Bye” might just be the best performance I’ve ever seen from him. Garth did a medley of Tony Arata songs: “The Dance,” “Face to Face,” and “The Change” with just a piano and backing vocalist. Collin Raye singing “Not That Different” is proof that he is one of the best vocalists of all time. I wish he could’ve been recognized for his vocal talents more in that time period.
Jeff Carson would end up winning the Music Video of the Year on that 1996 show. Bittersweet watching it now. His final album is available now - you can read all about it here.
Don’t miss my podcast (listen here) where I discuss this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards. Things have definitely changed since that 1996 show!
On the horizon: I’m digging up some archival interviews from Shenandoah, working on a Runaway June review for their latest single, and I’m really going to dive into all that new music I mentioned above.