Swift dominates charts
Thursday, November 1, 2012 – Taylor Swift owned the charts this week. "Red" was the top selling disc in the U.S. for the week ending Nov. 10 with more than 1.2 million units sold. Swift also held onto the top spot on the Billboard Songs Chart with We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
On the songs chart, Carrie Underwood remained second with Blown Away. Florida Georgia Line stayed third with Cruise. Lee Brice was in fourth with Hard to Love, up one. Luke Bryan's Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye inched up one to fifth. Jason Aldean broke into the top 10 with Take a Little Ride at 10.
Swift also held the 13th spot with I Almost Do, the download version from "Red." She also debuted at 17 with All Too Well and 24th with Stay Stay Stay. Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen debuted in 25th with Fade Into You.
Gary Allan was 18th, up 4 with Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain). Zac Brown Band was a big mover with Goodbye in Her Eyes. jumping 6 to 19th.
Swift displaced Aldean's "Night Train," which fell to second, on the album chart. Lady Antebellum debuted in third with "On This Winter's Night." Little Big Town held onto fourth with "Tornado." Scotty McCreery was fifth with "Christmas with Scotty McCreery."
The rest of the Top 40 had little movement. Josh Turner was 34th with "Punching Bag," up 4. Kasey Chambers and husband Shane Nicholson debuted at 35 with "Wreck And Ruin." Billy Ray Cyrus debuted at 38 with "Change My Mind."
On the bluegrass chart, Old Crow Medicine Show as first again with "Carry Me Back." Trampled By Turtles were second with "Stars and Satellites," Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile third with "The Goat Rodeo Stations," "The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent" fourth and Punch Brothers fifth with "Who's Feeling Young Now?"
On the overall top 200, Aldean was 3rd, Lady Antebellum 9th, LBT 11th, McCreery 15th and Underwood 20th.
More news for Carrie Underwood
CD reviews for Carrie Underwood
Blown Away
Carrie Underwood's calling card remains intact - her ultra strong set of pipes. "Blown Away" is almost a tale of two CDs. The first half or so tends to be far more pop oriented and at times rocks, while the other half veers far more towards country and even gets traditional on a song or two.
The lead-off hit first single, Good Girl, rocks far more than anything else. It sounds good, catchy, but with Underwood singing hard, the song is geared for arena rock, not anything remotely »»» |
Play On
Through three releases, the one constant about Carrie Underwood is her big voice. It's an instrument in and of itself no matter whether going for somewhat of a country sound, a pure pop bent or a tougher, rocking edge. She can add the right touch to sad songs such as Temporary Home in part about a young boy who has to shuffle from home to home or the tough sounding Quitter.
Underwood would not be accused of being heavy-duty country. She actually displayed more signs of that on her last CD, »»» |
Carnival Ride
Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts" debut sold 6 million, yielded 5 smash singles and was the fastest-selling debut by any country artist ever. If that weren't enough, she even passed Kelly Clarkson to be the lead-selling engine on the American Idol gravy train. So, who in their right mind would tamper with the soup?
Underwood's handlers, not about to let their franchise suffer a sophomore jinx, have assembled an airtight collection of pure country-pop from elite »»» |
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: Size doesn't matter to Winslow-King –
Luke Winslow-King may have a fine new CD out ("The Coming Tide") on a long respected indie country/roots label (Bloodshot), but that didn't mean the throngs were going to fill the club. In fact, in a second night of shows in the Boston area, Winslow-King drew a handful of people. Well, make that literally two handfuls of people.
As in 10 people.... »»»
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... »»»
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Currently at the CST blogs
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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
George Strait may have reached his seventh decade, but he shows zero signs of slowing down. In fact, Strait seems to be getting even more consistent as he gets older. Strait doesn't stray all that far from the formula that has resulted in superstar status. First and foremost, that means his sonorous voice is mixed far above the music, a very good thing. »»» |
Dark Dirty Mile
Jason Boland and the Stragglers have released a new country album that sounds old. This isn't to imply that the sound is aged in a negative way; they have a classic country maturity that isn't heard too much these days with the exception of Jamey Johnson. For those not familiar with the music of Boland, the first track is a great way to decide whether this is your kind of country music. The title track is a mid tempo country song reminiscent of the late Waylon Jennings. »»» |
Golden
Lady Antebellum probably needed a change in direction after "Own the Night" dropped in 2011. The material was overly geared towards taking dead aim at the radio jugular. That isn't the case this time out on the trio's fifth release because most of the songs veer away from being obviously radio fodder (except for the current single Downtown with its soulful beginning and strong vocals from Hillary Scott), but that also doesn't man that this was the right change. »»» |
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