web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Carrie Underwood

  • Just Another Country Tuesday…New Releases 10/23/07

    Her debut album is the biggest seller to come out of the American Idol camp. She won last year’s Grammy for Best New Artist. Hopefully, she gave Tony Romo some kicking lessons. She’s Carrie Underwood, and she has a new album in stores today called Carnival Ride. Considering the success of Carrie’s debut CD (over 6 million sold, yada yada yada), I would assume this is something of a slam dunk, no?

    Check out her website: http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/

    You can also catch the video for her new single “So Small” here…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUtFEKhtB30

    In other ex-idol news, remember Bo Bice? His new album, See The Light also comes out today. But there’s a catch, folks!! Bice’s new album is (somewhat fittingly) available in Wal-Mart stores. That’s the same gambit that The Eagles will be running with their upcoming release. Weird. Sorry for you Northeast folks (especially those of us in NY and NJ) who don’t have Wal-Marts in the area.

    No other superstar acts have records in stores today-although there are a few mid-level names making waves (Coheed and Cambria, System of a Down’s Serj Tankian, a very interesting sounding duet album from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss). Me? I’m just holding out for another seven days, when the trainwreck we all know as Britney Spears descends on us. Can you feel the anticipation?

  • High School Musical-Something Like A Phenomenon?

    So, everyone knows about record sales being in the crapper…yadayadayada.
    But the fact is…people are still running in to buy certain things. It’s just that phenomenons are fewer and further between.
    This week, the High School Musical 2 Soundtrack marks it’s fourth consecutive week on top of Billboard’s Album Chart, with sales at a very healthy 170,000 copies. It’s sold nearly 1.5 million copies in four weeks. This comes after the soundtrack to the first movie sold over 4 million copies and was the top selling album (not soundtrack, mind you…over all album) of 2006.
    It’s still in the Top 40 18 months later.
    Me, I’m not a Disney channel watcher. I can’t vouch for why this is so successful, especially in light of failed past Disney projects (anyone old enough to remember The Party back in the early Nineties?) AND the fact that albums by members of HSM’s cast have either underwhelmed or flopped miserably (Vanessa Hudgens is the only cast member to go Gold on her own). It might be because it’s a family movie and a family soundtrack, and the best-selling albums historically have been albums the entire family can listen to…or at least are kid-friendly (see: Carrie Underwood, Nickelback, et. al.).
    Of course, there might be a little extra hubbub nowadays since the news popped about the nudie pictures of Ms. Hudgens. The fact that the news appeared not to affect sales at all speaks to how trivial the whole deal is (she’s 19…get real people!). My main curiosity is…how long is this juggernaut going to last? And how long is Disney going to continue to milk this? Because if these albums continue to sell, I can see High School Musical: The 10-Year Reunion coming to a store near you in 2016.
    Here are this week’s Top Ten albums (courtesy of Billboard Communications)
    1. High School Musical 2 Soundtrack: Various Artists
    2. The Dutchess: Fergie
    3. Hannah Montana 2 Soundtrack: Meet Miley Cyrus: Miley Cyrus
    4. The Altar & The Door: Casting Crowns
    5. Bone Palace Ballet: Chiodos
    6. Hairspray Soundtrack: Various Artists
    7. Now That’s What I Call Music 25: Various Artists
    8. All The Right Reasons: Nickelback
    9. Back To Black: Amy Winehouse
    10. Minutes To Midnight: Linkin Park

  • Blige and Underwood Make Unlikely Duo

    If the Billboard Music Awards are any indication, Mary J. Blige should sail through the Grammys in February. These are not the popularity awards, but the actual tallies — you know, sales and money and airplay and the things that really matter.

    Blige won NINE Billboard Awards yesterday in Vegas, but somehow Carrie Underwood’s Some Hearts won Album of the Year. I’m simply trying to figure out how you win every award but the big one.

    As far as critics go, neither would typically be hailed for producing the best album of the year, but it was a strange, singles-oriented 2006 that let the ladies slip past the soft alt-rock bands and puppy Chris Brown, who is one day going to walk away from one of those shows with nine of his own awards.