Thursday, June 30, 2011

Free Music on iTunes

I'm sure most people at some point have wished they could just get a code for some free downloads on iTunes. It doesn't have to be a code for millions, thousands, or even hundreds of songs - just a few songs. Well, I think I can help with that. I will add a link to another page, on the right margin, where I will post a few legitimate sources (such as a popular magazine) that offer free codes as I come across them in my quest to provide you with free and legal methods of obtaining free music with no strings attached.

Here's a good link to get you started: People.com 

Enjoy the music!
  
iTunes is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. 

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Return of the King of Country

"Here for a Good Time" is the new single released by George Strait, marking the end of "Twang" singles and a new album. Two days ago Strait's single hit country radio and it is one of the most played and requested song in the last two days. Fans have been waiting for new music since his last single, "The Breath You Take", was released July 12 of last year to country radio nationwide. "Here for a Good Time" debuts at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on its official date of release to radio stations. It is his second highest debut since "I Saw God Today" from his "Troubadour" album back in 2008. 

GeorgeStrait.com also announces that a new album is scheduled to be released sometime this fall . . . no word, though, on the title of the album. "Here for a Good Time" will be available on iTunes June 28.

Strait's latest single is a great song and I really enjoyed listening to it on the radio. The song, written by Strait, his son Bubba, and Dean Dillon, takes up the same topic of "The Breath You Take", but in a more uptempo, cheerier kind of way. I will try to create a decent video as I did for "Twang" for y'all to enjoy! In the meantime, I leave you with a quote from the reigning ACM Artist of the Decade:

"'I think this is the longest time, during my recording career, without anything new on the radio. It’s good to be back and I want to thank country radio for their continued support. Have a great summer!'" - George Strait

Sunday, June 5, 2011

2011 CMT Music Awards

The 2011 CMT Awards are coming up and CMT is trying to market the award show and create hype about it like never before. Honestly though, this award show, like most CMT Awards shows before, will be a bust compared to the CMA's and ACM's shows. The artists performing, or at least most of them, are the same country and "country" singers that perform at the other more prestigious award shows. That being said, the CMT Music Awards shows tend to be presented with a more pop-rock with a dash of rap type of theme rather than a country atmosphere. The CMT Awards are much like the MTV Awards - wait a minute, MTV owns CMT, hmmm.

Acts performing this Wednesday night include Sugarland, Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Big and Rich (the duo is back!), Lady Antebellum, and a few others. There is also supposed to be a special appearance by Shania Twain, it may be as a performer or just presenting an award. Justin Bieber will also show up as a nominee, yes he is a nominee.

If you will be tuning in to watch, then the show will air on CMT on June 8 at 8/7 central. Actually, you  might want to tune in earlier because there is usually a pre-show of some sorts.
Thanks for reading and I hope the award show turns out well! 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

New Taylor Swift Music Videos


Two music videos released less than a month apart, an interesting move by country singer Taylor Swift. On May 6, 2011 the music video for her single "Mean" premiered on Country Music Television (CMT) and about 20 days later her "The Story of Us" music video premiers on her website at TaylorSwift.com. Is it just me or is Swift releasing singles and their accompanying videos way too fast? Regardless of how she and her record label choose to release singles, the music videos are out and ready for us to enjoy. 


"MEAN"-
"Mean" was supposedly written in response to a critic who constantly bombarded Taylor Swift with negative comments. Swift says, "[T]here's constructive criticism, there's professional criticism, and then there's just being mean [hence the title of the song]. And there's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person." However, Swift also hopes the song will help those who are the victims of bullying by showing them that this can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime and "dealing with that is all that you can control, how you handle it"(Swift). One of the things she is criticized for is the lack of a country sound to her music, or at least not enough. So what does Swift do? She makes a song in which she throws in some hand-clapping, fiddle, and a banjo. Her voice also takes the leading role in the song, not letting the instruments overpower her voice or overtake the song. A nice balance is created between the banjo, fiddle, clapping and her voice. Like a good country-folksy song, "Mean" lends itself to be sung because of its catchy lyrics and smooth, easy melody. The video also has a nice balance with the scenes being an old country house, locker room, locomotive tracks, and a Broadway stage. The song is portrayed well through the music video and the video is simply fun to watch. To watch the video click on the "Mean" image to the left. 



Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Summer Playlist

The country summer tunes playlist is out! To view it please click on the "Summer Playlist" link under "Pages" on the sidebar. Enjoy your summer and the music!

Kenny Chesney, Trace Adkins, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, and more!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Summertime

Well, spring is coming to an end and when I step outside I can feel those rays coming down hard. What does this mean? If you love country music and summertime, it means having a blast all summer long!! Summer is a great time to go out and have lots of fun, and we all know you need some tunes to really make things roll. As summer approaches, I will compile a list of the very best summer songs that have been the center of many tailgates, parties, and unforgettable summer moments over the past few years and publish it here for you to enjoy and use as your own playlist of summer songs. Until then, enjoy the spring!