web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Rascal Flatts

  • American Idol Season 9 – Who Makes The Top 5?

    We’re not necessarily down to the nitty gritty just yet, but we’re close. With just six competitors left, we’re halfway home.

    You could say that last night’s show was the most competitive one thus far, though I disagreed with a lot of the love the judges were throwing out last night. How about next year, you can’t hide behind the guitar and just play?

    George, the big kahuna of this website had a pretty good idea for next year.

    He said:

    My real hope for this show is that next year, you get to play a guitar ONCE if you make the top 12 and you get to play a piano/keyboard ONCE. That’s twice you get to play an instrument.

    I like that idea. This way, Casey James and Lee DeWyze don’t get to be boring behind their guitar and get major love from the judges. It’s a singing competition yes, but if your winner has zero personality and charisma, or in DeWyze’s case, looks like he’s going to pee his pants whenever Ryan talks to him, how can you sell any of his or her records?

    Rascal Flatts is on stage performing Unstoppable. Even though I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan, I’ve always liked them from afar. They’ve always seemed more pop than actual country to me, but that might be simply because I’m not a big country music connoisseur.

    Cameron Diaz and the man who once looked like Antonio Banderas are on stage to promote the newest Shrek film. Diaz is wearing heals, but she’s at least half a head taller than Ryno.

    Dim the lights, and here we go…

    Ryno tells creepy girl to stand up. She goes to the far left of the stage to be in one of three groups.

    Ryno calls up Aaron Kelly next. Kelly forgot the take the hanger out of his jacket before he put it on. He goes to the center of the stage.

    Last night, I thought that Big Mike sounded a lot like Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men. Tonight, he’s wearing a Boyz II Men cardigan sweater. He goes to the far right of the stage. Motown Philly back again…

    Ryno asks Lee DeWyze a question and he answers by saying, “I mean…” Um, Lee. You don’t mean anything if you haven’t spoken yet. He joins creepy girl on the left side of the stage.

    Casey joins Big Mike on the right and Crystal joins Aaron in the middle.

    Ryno tells creepy girl to walk towards Big Mike and Casey and they are the bottom three.

    Carrie Underwood is out to introduce Sons Of Sylvia. Can someone just give Carrie a sammich? That girl is going to wither away. The lead singer from SOS looks like Bill Hader from Saturday Night Live, except with a mullet. He’s straight up singing while playing a violin.

    Lady Antebellum is out singing Need You Now. I know they’re hot and the song is very nice, but I’m not overwhelmed. I’ll take a mulleted Bill Hader any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

    Now, Shakira is on stage playing the harmonica singing Gypsy with Rascal Flatts. Is this American Idol or the American Music Awards? Sorry, I didn’t get that at all. Thankfully, I’m watching this on the DVR. All I saw was Shakira dancing really fast.

    Ryno tells Big Mike that he’s safe. It’s between Casey James and creepy girl.

    And, the person who goes home tonight is…

    I’m sad. How can I keep writing this post for the next month without my creepy girl? The creepy girl has left the building.

    I know that I once said that whenever I see Siobhan on screen I feel the need to lock my door, but I have liked a bunch of her performances. I’ll leave you with my favorite.

  • Chart Chat 4/16/09: We’re Country!!

    flatts1

    How scary is it that we’ve completed almost four months of 2009 and NOT ONE album has hit the million mark in sales yet? Actually, only 7 albums have passed the 500,000 mark. If that’s not a sign that there’s some serious problems going on, I don’t know what is.

    However, this week we have reason to celebrate! For the first time in 2009, sales last week were higher than sales for the same week in 2008, due to the ACM Awards as well as the Easter holiday. That leads to some nice and robust numbers on this week’s chart (which would have been an ordinary Top 10 in 2003, but I’m just sayin’…).

    As expected, country trio Rascal Flatts debuts at the top spot with their new album “Unstoppable”. It’s their fourth #1 album, and it boasts the second biggest debut of the year, scanning 351,000 units, second only to U2’s first week total earlier this year. However, let’s put that into perspective. That total is less than half of what their “Me & My Gang” album did just three years ago.

    Elsewhere on the album chart, Jadakiss debuts at a surprising #3 with his third album, “Kiss of Death”. I thought people had forgotten about the guy, but his Roc-a-Fella debut proved that the former LOX member could still move units. The week’s final big debut comes from country star Jason Aldean. Aldean, who is easily the most popular indie label country artist around, enters at #4 with his third album “Wide Open”.

    The rest of the Top 10 includes the “Hannah Montana” soundtrack at #2 (expect this to make a run at #1 next week after Miley Cyrus’s “American Idol” appearance), the 30th installment of the “Now That’s What I Call Music” series is #5, Taylor Swift, who still has this year’s top selling album,  moves back up to #6, padding her total, while Keith Urban, who had last week’s #1 album, slides down to #7, while the “Twilight” soundtrack hangs around at #8, Prince’s Target exclusive set falls to #9 after entering at #2, and Lady GaGa holds the #10 spot down (can the music business really be in trouble if people are still buying tripe like this?).

    This week’s Epic Fail comes from Shad Moss, who you all know better as Bow Wow. After a run of five consecutive Gold or Platinum albums, his latest “New Jack City Part II”, falls to #43 in only it’s second week on the chart. This is despite the fact that his latest single, “You Can Have it All”, is currently rising up the charts. Ain’t no love left for a kid rapper, I guess. Especially when he doesn’t write his own lyrics.

  • Grinding My Gears: More on the ACM Awards

    WTF is up with Taylor Swift? The girl CANNOT sing. Period. Not even close. I saw her on “Saturday Night Live” and she was so bad that it was truly embarrassing. Yet I like her records. Just shows the magic that Autotune can do for a mediocre singer.

    Rascal Flatts once again annoyed me. They won Best Vocal Group for the seventh straight year, beating the record set by Alabama. Lead singer Gary LeVox mused “gee, now I think I know what Brooks & Dunn feel like”. Uh, Gary, you will NEVER be Kix Brooks OR Ronnie Dunn. Brooks & Dunn have had 40 singles on the Billboard charts, 20 of which reached #1. Rascall Flatts have had 23 singles chart, with nine hitting #1. Rascall Flatts are a smarmy, cheesy brand of country that just irritates the hell out of me. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, maybe it’s because I like a lot of “old time” country, but I’d rather hear George Strait than Sugarland. I’d rather hear Alabama than Rascall Flatts. I think there are artists (like Kenny Chesney) who started out writing great, heartfelt songs (“There Goes My Life”, “The Good Stuff”) and have caved to the “weekend warrior” country fans & started writing “let’s go to the bar & get drunk” songs (“Have Another Beer In Mexico”, or any of the last few Kenny singles). Artists like Brad Paisley straddle the line (I think he’s great, but that “Ticks” song, well, it just ticked me off…). While I realize that Keith Urban draws more people to his shows than Alan Jackson, how country is Keith? He’s a good looking guy, with an enormous (mostly female) following, but his songs could fit just as well on pop radio. (I’d love to see David Allan Coe open for Keith, just to see the looks on those ladies faces……)

    With the music business in the current state that it’s in, I should be happy that Keith & Rascall Flatts are selling as many records as they do. I just like my country…with a little bit more country in it.