LeAnn Rimes hosts Colgate Country Showdown
Thursday, November 15, 2007 – LeAnn Rimes will again host and perform at the 26th Annual Colgate Country Showdown National Final on Jan. 24, 2008 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The Showdown is the Nation's largest and longest-running country music talent search and radio promotion.
Showdown producer Dean Unkefer said, "The most important thing is not winning or losing but having the opportunity to perform in front of live audiences and be exposed to industry professionals."
Each year, the competition begins in the spring with country radio stations producing live shows to find new talent in their market. About 50,000 people participate, according to the organizers.
The winners then compete at state and five regional competitions throughout the summer and fall. The five finalists compete for the grand prize of $100,000 at the National Final. The televised one-hour special is syndicated nationwide and last year also aired on the GAC (Great American Country) Network.
In addition to hosting the event, Rimes will perform two songs from her latest CD, "Family." Her first single, "Nothin' Better to Do," is currently climbing up the charts.
All participants are consistently judged on five core criteria: Marketability in country music, vocal/instrumental ability, originality of performance, stage presence/charisma and talent. Optional bonus points can be awarded to acts with original music in the songwriting category.
Past local, state and regional winners including Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.
More news for LeAnn Rimes
CD reviews for LeAnn Rimes
Lady and Gentlemen
Among female singers in country music, with the possible exception of Martina McBride, no one can touch LeAnn Rimes' voice for purity, grace, power and tone. Nowhere is Rimes' vocal prowess more evident than on her latest record, a 14-song collection of hits not by the women of country, but by a cross-section of all-star male country singers. Perhaps the best thing about this collection is that Rimes puts her own stamp on each song. That's easier said than done, since these are some »»» |
Family
As remarkable as LeAnn Rimes's career has been, no one's ever accused
25-year-old elder stateswoman of being earthy and gritty. Until now.
Goodbye "Blue," adios "How Do I Live," welcome to Rimes's Bonnie Raitt-esque "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine." Call her 14-song "Family" a coming-out party, a baring of the soul, a declaration of who she is and how she got here. There's a new woman in Nashville, and she's holding nothing back. »»» |
This Woman
LeAnn Rimes' latest was billed as a return to the style that launched her career. While this is far from the traditional country sounds of "Blue," Rimes shows herself in fine vocal form.
Rimes especially shines on the bluesy songs (the lead-off "I Want to With You," "When This Woman Loves A Man" and "I Got it Bad") where she recalls a less tougher Wynonna, but sill pulls it off quite well. Too often, though, Rimes succumbs to material that seems more suited for the pop side of country or blues. »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: McGraw has plenty of fight left –
Despite the fact that Tim McGraw is five years sober, fit as a triathlete and touring behind a number one album, he is still in an unenviable position. As he approaches 50, McGraw has to stay a step ahead of the current crop of young country hunks with TV shows, cross format radio airplay and wider appeal. But as he proved at First Niagara's... »»»
Concert Review: Steve Earle doesn't rest (on laurels) –
If you didn't realize Steve Earle had a new disc out, "The Low Highway," it would have been no problem realizing that quite and quickly.
That was because Earle started the two-hour show with three straight tracks from "The Low Highway," and he would not be done for the night. The title track of was a midtempo effort... »»»
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Wilderness
"Wilderness" is another twisted menagerie of The Handsome Family songs. Once again, husband Brett Sparks sings their songs, sometimes in a bellowing gravedigger voice, after adding music to wife Rennie's lyrics. This time out, each and every tune is named after an animal, insect or other such nature creature. However, Rennie studies animals the way Flannery O'Connor wrote about humans, which is with the weirdness and character flaws in primary focus. »»» |
Love Is Everything
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Dark Dirty Mile
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