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
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. »»» |
Greatest Hits
At the ripe young age of 21, LeAnn Rimes finally has her first greatest hits plus package, and it shows how over the course of eight years, the former youthful star has crossed stylistic boundaries.
When she released her first song and hit, "Blue," it was an eye opener. First, she displayed great vocal skills in a hard country song from veteran DJ Bill Mack. What was also telling was that "Blue" was never a huge hit on radio that was more conducive to a pop form of country. »»» |
Editorial: American Idol's Carrie Underwood can sing –
If anyone saw the Super Bowl – what a great great game that was – they would have heard American Idol winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood sing the National Anthem. Underwood did with her voice what Kelly Clarkson did last week with her written words – give it to Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Records,, who tried defending Taylor Swift by knocking American Idol performers. »»»
Concert Review: McBride, Adkins shine sometimes –
As Martina McBride pointed out, the pairing of the country singer with Trace Adkins on their current jaunt was surprising. After all, she's of diva-quality voice, petite, non-controversial unless you call singing songs that empower women controversial. Adkins, on the other hand, has not been afraid to speak his mind with a kick butt attitude.... »»»
Concert Review: Eilen Jewell wears her musical hats well –
Eilen Jewell wears a lot of musical hats. The Idaho native, who now lives in Boston, fronts the Eilen (ee-lin) Jewell Band, a pretty much traditional country band. She's a member the Sacred Shakers, an octet doing gospel country with a country beat. And she has yet another project, Butcher Holler, covering Loretta Lynn songs.... »»»
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Here it is the top 30 for 2009. This isn't authoritative in case you thought otherwise. It's just one man's opinion about his favorite CDs of the year, which seemed a cut above everything else. It was incredibly hard figuring out a number one CD for the year between the Avett Brothers, Brad Paisley and George Strait. All three were great albums from different perspectives of country and roots music, and at any one time over the past few days, each was my favorite. Come back in a few days, and who knows? Maybe the order will change.... »»»
Haywire
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Somewhere in Time
If Rascal Flatts is country music's clean cut, commercially palatable Beatles, then Reckless Kelly is the genre's Rolling Stones; grittier, more authentically influenced, rawer at the core even when their output is every bit as polished. The brainchild of Idaho brothers Willy and Cody Braun, Reckless Kelly was crowned Austin's Best Country Band in the city's 2008 music awards, an incredible honor. »»» |
As He Wanders
Fans of country - and we're using a definition starting just west of real country and stopping a bit south of alt.-country - who aren't sold on Austin's Texas Sapphires four songs in can be suspected of unnecessary stubbornness. Just look what that first third offers. You get both male and female voices: Billy Brent Malkus' is handsome yet tough and wiry enough for a bar fight, and Rebecca Lucille Cannon's is lovely yet, well, tough and wiry enough for a bar fight. »»» |
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