Messina plans song/story tour
Monday, March 2, 2009 – Jo Dee Messina will launch the five-week Music Room Series tour, a combo of song and story behind the song, in April.
The tour, which starts April 16 in New York, is centered around Messina's music and the stories behind hits like Heads Carolina, Tails California, I'm Alright, Bye Bye and Bring On The Rain. The stage will resemble the music room at her home where many of her popular songs came to life. The acoustic performances will give concert goers a look the songs' selection process and songwriting.
Messina will also be taking questions and requests from the audience. "People have known my music for years," said Messina. "I wanted to use this tour to give folks the opportunity to get to know me on a more personal level. I'm leaving out the fancy production and using the show time to 'visit' with the audience for a while - as if they were to come to the house and sit with me in my music room. I think it will be a lot of fun. Instead of going to see a show, the audience will be a part of a show".
Messina kicks off full band performances to support the release of her new single, Shine and her long-delayed album "Unmistakable."
Tour dates are:
April 16 Verona, NY Turning Stone Resort Casino -- Showroom
April 17 Westbury, NY - The Capital One Bank Theatre
April 18 Jim Thorpe, PA - Penn's Peak
April 19 Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse
April 23 Concord, NH - The Capitol Center For the Arts
April 24 Kingston, NY - Ulster Performing Arts Center
April 25 Collingswood, NJ - Scottish Rite Auditorium
April 26 Wye Mills, MD - Todd Performing Arts Center
April 30 Tulsa, OK - Spirit Bank Event Center
May 2 Effingham, IL - The Rosebud Theatre
May 3 Hammond, IN - The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino
May 4 Milwaukee - Northern Lights Theatre
More news for Jo Dee Messina
CD reviews for Jo Dee Messina
Delicious Surprise
Despite the phallic guitar fondling on the enclosed poster, Jo Dee Messina's latest targets mainstream country's chief demographic - women. The 12-song set sports the usual Bryon Gallimore - Tim McGraw bag of tricks - '70s rock guitars and heavy pop chorus augmented with smatterings of hard fiddle, twangy Dobro and banjo. Yet, Messina's brassy humor, positive attitude and full-throated passion triumphs over the formulaic production chops.
Messina's sassy asides transform "My Give a Damn's Busted" »»» |
Greatest Hits
There is no denying Jo Dee Messina deserves a greatest hits album. Three albums into her career, the Massachusetts native has scored a slew of hits from the get go with "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and "You're Not in Kansas Anymore." Throughout, Messina clearly has crossed over into the pop side of music, more so over time.
What has served the redhead well is her voice. It's a strong and powerful instrument with vocals out front time and again. When she gets sensitive - "Bring on the Rain," »»» |
A Joyful Noise
Jo Dee Messina recorded this album live in front of a full orchestra, and as a result, the singing is less polished than it might have been if they had done half a dozen takes. It works well - Messina's singing has a refreshingly imperfect quality. Due to its bouncy, cheerful arrangement and Messina's energetic performance and giggle at the end, "Sleigh Ride" is a standout.
On the other hand, the slower songs drag a bit - Messina just doesn't have the voice to carry a song like "The Christmas Song," for example. »»» |
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.... »»»
|
|
Country News Digest
 CST
 CST
Elsewhere in the news
Currently at the CST blogs
Blue Highway's banjo player Jason Burleson acknowledges that their 1995 debut album "It's A Long, Long Road" turned out to be prophetic. It has been quite a journey for the Tennessee-based band that has become one of the "gold standards" of bluegrass, with 8 more "signpost" albums along the way, the latest being their newly-released 15th Anniversary collection on Rounder, "Some Day."... »»»
Elvis Aron Presley, had he not collapsed face first into a shag carpet in his Graceland bathroom on Aug. 16, 1977, would have been 75-years-old Friday. Yet, somehow, his birthday seems all the more important because he is not actually here while others feast at his table. Graceland - a greater cultural icon and more milkable cash cow than even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - is being remodeled for future generations to come, gawk and breathe in a few scant molecules of the King's essence. Do the new overseers really care about Elvis?... »»»
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
There are two versions of Josh Turner's fourth CD - standard and deluxe. The deluxe has the same 11 tracks as the standard, plus (among other goodies) live versions of previously released songs Long Black Train and Your Man . But don't spend more money than you have to; if it's redundancy you're looking for, there's plenty to be had on the standard version. »»» |
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. »»» |
Dailey & Vincent Sing The Statler Brothers
In the 60's through '80's, the Statler Brothers, Don and Harold Reid, Phil Balsley, Jimmy Fortune and the late Lew Dewitt, were the hottest thing going. They set the standard for modern country vocal groups. Bluegrassers Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent do a great job of honoring their idols, covering classics like "Flowers On The Wall," "Bed of Roses," "Thank You World" and "Class of '57." »»» |
|
