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My Country Music Ballot, 2006
[For the Nashville Scene's Country Music Critics Poll]
Frank Kogan's Country Critics Ballot, 2006
TOP TEN COUNTRY SINGLES OF 2006:
1. Marit Larsen "Only A Fool" (EMI)
2. Carrie Underwood "Before He Cheats" (Arista)
3. Taylor Swift "Tim McGraw" (Big Machine)
4. Eric Church "How 'Bout You" (Capitol)
5. Ashley Monroe "Satisfied" (Columbia)
6. Dierks Bentley "Settle For A Slowdown" (Capitol)
7. The Dixie Chicks "Not Ready To Make Nice" (Sony)
8. LeAnn Rimes "And It Feels Like" (Curb)
9. Toby Keith "A Little Too Late" (Show Dog/Universal)
10. Little Big Town "Good As Gone" (Equity)
TOP TEN COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift (Big Machine)
2. Various Artists - Totally Country Vol. 5 (Sony BMG)
3. Eric Church - Sinners Like Me (Capitol)
4. Alan Jackson - Like Red On A Rose (Arista Nashville)
5. Toby Keith - White Tra$h With Money (Show Dog/Universal)
6. The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty (Maverick)
7. Montgomery Gentry - Some People Change (Columbia)
8. Shooter Jennings - Electric Rodeo (Universal)
9. The Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (Sony)
10. Jessi Colter - Out Of The Ashes (Shout! Factory)
TOP FIVE COUNTRY REISSUES OF 2006:
1. Various Artists - Classic Country: Sweet Country Ballads (Time Life)
2. Todd Snider - That Was Me: 1994 - 1998 (Hip-O/Universal)
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST MALE VOCALISTS OF 2006:
1. Alan Jackson
2. Toby Keith
3. Dierks Bentley
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST FEMALE VOCALISTS OF 2006:
1. Natalie Maines
2. Taylor Swift
3. Julie Roberts
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST SONGWRITERS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Liz Rose
3. Toby Keith
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST DUOS, TRIOS, OR GROUPS OF 2006:
1. Montgomery Gentry
2. The Dixie Chicks
3. The Wreckers
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST INSTRUMENTALISTS OF 2006:
1. Mark Wright
(Gonna keep voting for this guy until you add a producers category)
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST NEW ACTS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Eric Church
3. Jace Everett
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST OVERALL ACTS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Eric Church
3. Alan Jackson
Some Genres Change
I'm fascinated by the question "What is country?" but at the same time it's not my question, since I've never thought for a moment that I myself am country. So my ballot is loose-limbed and ready to dance around the question, without caring about the answer. Germany's entry in the Eurovision contest was Texas Lightning's "No No Never," a country song, or more accurately a good little Europop tune dressed up in country hats. Is that country? It's the country of someone's imagination, would have made my list somewhere around 35 or 40, if I'd gone that long. My number one is by Marit Larsen, a playful, impish Norwegian ex-teenpopper, now a singer-songwriter who's bookish and explores the complexities of her own mind, the small self-torments that magnify and confuse. And for her one and only country song she knocks out this little hoedown that's light as angel food cake, but it's cake that's spiked with a bit of hard rum. And it's perfect and it's wonderful. Would the American country audience be interested if they heard it? Won't happen, but maybe Marit's what they're waiting for; because they've embraced the Wreckers, consisting of another two ex-teenpoppers, one of 'em, Michelle Branch, being the woman who sang modern teen confessional's first big hit in 2001. Despite her confessional sound, Michelle never had anything particularly interesting to confess - she's no secretly brilliant Ashlee - and on the page the Wreckers' lyrics are weepy and empty. But heard through the Wreckers' harmonies, the songs have the same beautiful teenpop ache as always, now welcomed in country. And girly teen Taylor Swift may be the genre's new master, creating scenes with perfect detail, sung with an unerring balance, not too heavy, not too light, but whipsmart.
Frank Kogan's Country Critics Ballot, 2006
TOP TEN COUNTRY SINGLES OF 2006:
1. Marit Larsen "Only A Fool" (EMI)
2. Carrie Underwood "Before He Cheats" (Arista)
3. Taylor Swift "Tim McGraw" (Big Machine)
4. Eric Church "How 'Bout You" (Capitol)
5. Ashley Monroe "Satisfied" (Columbia)
6. Dierks Bentley "Settle For A Slowdown" (Capitol)
7. The Dixie Chicks "Not Ready To Make Nice" (Sony)
8. LeAnn Rimes "And It Feels Like" (Curb)
9. Toby Keith "A Little Too Late" (Show Dog/Universal)
10. Little Big Town "Good As Gone" (Equity)
TOP TEN COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift (Big Machine)
2. Various Artists - Totally Country Vol. 5 (Sony BMG)
3. Eric Church - Sinners Like Me (Capitol)
4. Alan Jackson - Like Red On A Rose (Arista Nashville)
5. Toby Keith - White Tra$h With Money (Show Dog/Universal)
6. The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty (Maverick)
7. Montgomery Gentry - Some People Change (Columbia)
8. Shooter Jennings - Electric Rodeo (Universal)
9. The Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (Sony)
10. Jessi Colter - Out Of The Ashes (Shout! Factory)
TOP FIVE COUNTRY REISSUES OF 2006:
1. Various Artists - Classic Country: Sweet Country Ballads (Time Life)
2. Todd Snider - That Was Me: 1994 - 1998 (Hip-O/Universal)
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST MALE VOCALISTS OF 2006:
1. Alan Jackson
2. Toby Keith
3. Dierks Bentley
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST FEMALE VOCALISTS OF 2006:
1. Natalie Maines
2. Taylor Swift
3. Julie Roberts
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST SONGWRITERS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Liz Rose
3. Toby Keith
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST DUOS, TRIOS, OR GROUPS OF 2006:
1. Montgomery Gentry
2. The Dixie Chicks
3. The Wreckers
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST INSTRUMENTALISTS OF 2006:
1. Mark Wright
(Gonna keep voting for this guy until you add a producers category)
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST NEW ACTS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Eric Church
3. Jace Everett
COUNTRY MUSIC'S THREE BEST OVERALL ACTS OF 2006:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Eric Church
3. Alan Jackson
Some Genres Change
I'm fascinated by the question "What is country?" but at the same time it's not my question, since I've never thought for a moment that I myself am country. So my ballot is loose-limbed and ready to dance around the question, without caring about the answer. Germany's entry in the Eurovision contest was Texas Lightning's "No No Never," a country song, or more accurately a good little Europop tune dressed up in country hats. Is that country? It's the country of someone's imagination, would have made my list somewhere around 35 or 40, if I'd gone that long. My number one is by Marit Larsen, a playful, impish Norwegian ex-teenpopper, now a singer-songwriter who's bookish and explores the complexities of her own mind, the small self-torments that magnify and confuse. And for her one and only country song she knocks out this little hoedown that's light as angel food cake, but it's cake that's spiked with a bit of hard rum. And it's perfect and it's wonderful. Would the American country audience be interested if they heard it? Won't happen, but maybe Marit's what they're waiting for; because they've embraced the Wreckers, consisting of another two ex-teenpoppers, one of 'em, Michelle Branch, being the woman who sang modern teen confessional's first big hit in 2001. Despite her confessional sound, Michelle never had anything particularly interesting to confess - she's no secretly brilliant Ashlee - and on the page the Wreckers' lyrics are weepy and empty. But heard through the Wreckers' harmonies, the songs have the same beautiful teenpop ache as always, now welcomed in country. And girly teen Taylor Swift may be the genre's new master, creating scenes with perfect detail, sung with an unerring balance, not too heavy, not too light, but whipsmart.
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