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Monday, October 4, 2010

Music Video Round-Up - October 2010

Here we go again!  Time to let the artists have it.  In case you were wondering, I have given up on scoring these videos.  When it comes to music videos, I'm generally pretty easy to please anyway, so let's just discuss what we like or dislike about each one.  I must say we had some good ones this month!

Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"

This is good... so good.  No, really - it is!  Though the lyrics of the actual song seemed generic and anonymous, the music video almost seems to fill in all the gaps.  Included in this video are, not only Carrie's real-life mother Carole, but also her husband Mike Fisher (fitting as "Mama's Song" could just as well be called "Mike Fisher's Song").  That inclusion gives the video more of a personal and authentic touch.  One of the best parts is near the end when we see Carrie riding in the backseat of a car with her husband, and that part effectively captures the comfort she has found in her marital relationship.

Even though I haven't been impressed with some of Carrie's recent hit songs, I would never deny the fact that she makes some spectacular music videos.  This is one of her best.

Rascal Flatts, "Why Wait"

I can describe this video with just one word:  wild.  The new Flatts video has a Las Vegas theme, and a bevy of celebrity cameo appearances including Wayne Newton, Penn Jillette, and others.  In a way, it does fit the theme of the song, which is running off and getting married.  What's a better place to get hitched than Vegas?  This is a pretty crazy video, and it does seem a little over-the-top at times, but it is a lot of fun. (Is there a single preacher in Vegas who doesn't look like Elvis?)

By the way, seeing as I'm not the most cultured tool in the shed, I'm sure there were some celebrity cameos that went totally over my head, so leave a comment and tell me who else you recognize.

Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson, "As She's Walking Away"

And we have another winner!  First of all, props for having Alan in the video along with Zac.  Besides that, this video takes the general storyline of the song, and builds on it.  It's cool how you can do that with a music video.  In this video, we see that the smitten young man in the song is dealing with some competition in vying for this woman's attention.  He has an opportunity to talk to her when he finds her lost necklace outside the bar.  Suspense builds as the video progresses - will loverboy be successful in scoring a date with this woman?  How does it end?  I'm not going to tell you.  Watch the video yourself, and you'll see why I'm not telling you.

I might also add that the young man in this video was very appropriately cast.  The actor is physically good-looking, but he is still able to make himself look somewhat pitiful.

POLL RESULTS
Best new music video?

Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song" - 44%
Zac Brown Band, "As She's Walking Away" - 32%
Rascal Flatts, "Why Wait" - 24%

Thanks to the 25 readers who responded to this poll!