For three days in Nashville, it was a country music glutton’s feast of performers:Luke Bryan,Carrie Underwood,Garth Brooks,Miranda Lambert,Kenny Chesney,Keith Urban,Reba McEntire,Dierks Bentley,Eric Church,Florida Georgia Line,Lady Antebellum.
Was there any reason to complain? Well, maybe thatChris Stapletondid fail to show up, but he had a good excuse with three ofhis five kidsdown with the flu.
Otherwise, the artist lineups had the sparkliest shine at Country Radio Seminar, the broadcasting convention held last Wednesday through Friday. CRS offers artists and labels the annual opportunity for one-stop radio promotion: to break news, to introduce new music and to boost songs already charting.
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Peyton Hoge
Kenny Chesney, who jumped from Sony to Warner Music a couple of years ago, appeared at Warner’s luncheon on Wednesday to receive the artist humanitarian award from the Country Radio Broadcasters. He was honored for his bountiful charitable efforts, including donating all proceeds, more than $1.1 million, from his 2018 album,Songs for the Saints,to Hurricane Irma relief. Chesney kept any new music under wraps, instead performing crowd-pleasers “Save It for a Rainy Day,”“When The Sun Goes Down”and“Get Along.”
Nancy Kruh
Since CRS offers a captive audience of radio’s decision-makers, it’s often the moment when new songs are premiered.
Just back from two months of surfing,Kip Moorebrought his current single, “She’s Mine,” out to play for a verse and a chorus before effortlessly segueing into “Janie Blu,” a soulful heartbreaker probably destined for his next album.
Hard at work on their next project, theBrothers Osbornedelivered a first-time performance of “Skeletons,” with trademark guitar licks and a driving “It Ain’t My Fault” beat.
Sam Huntdidn’t bring a hip, hop or click track with him, but he did arrive at UMG’s event with three acoustic guitarists to help him deliver a surprisingly traditional “three chords and the truth” country ballad. Solemn and mournful, “2016” is steeped in regret (“I thought I wanted my freedom / I told myself I’d have a ball / But it turns out goin’ out and chasin’ / Dreams and lonely women / Ain’t freedom after all”). Surely it has some real-life inspiration, considering his well-documented reconciliation that year with girlfriend Hannah Lee Fowler,whom he married in 2017. Hunt’s new album,Southside,is due out April 3.
Eric Church.Nancy Kruh
At the end of an hour-long Q&A covering his life and career, Eric Church premiered one of 28 songs he’d completed in an astonishing 28-day marathon, in which he wrote and recorded a song a day. Perhaps to be titled, “Jenny,” the high-spirited love song comes with lots of renegade spirit.
Other up-and-comers with new music, some just released, also drew attention: Sami Bearden, Savana Santos and Sam Backoff — the girls-next-door trio Avenue Beat — showed they’re blazing their own trail with an infectious song like“Ruin That For Me,”which goes to radio March 23.Travis Denningbrought a welcome helping of merriment with new release“ABBY”(which stands for “anybody but you”). At Big Machine’s luncheon, Payton Smith auditioned to be the next country-rock god with a four-song set, including upcoming debut single,“Like I Knew You Would.”
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Kayla Schoen/CRS
Dierks Bentleyshowed up as Hot Country Knights frontman Doug Douglason in his bad wig and (yikes) a crop-top T-shirt; he and his ’90s-throwback band threw down their new single,“Pick Her Up.”Florida Georgia Lineand Lady Antebellum both did victory laps, delivering sets of selected hits at the Big Machine event.Miranda Lamberttopped an hour-long Q&A with twoWildcardcuts, “Dark Bars”and“How Dare You Love.”And Garth Brooks turned in an 11-song set of covers and his own hits at CRS’s annual songwriters event.
Ingrid Andress.Nancy Kruh
Morgan Evans.Nancy Kruh
source: people.com
