Music Video Round-Up - July 2011

Jason Aldean, "Dirt Road Anthem"

What on earth is that?  Is he trying to dance?  Other than that, a fairly predictable video.

Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter, "You and Tequila"

Possibly my favorite of this list.  The "You and Tquila" video features a beautiful seaside setting with some breathtaking aerial shots.  Extra points for having Grace Potter in the video with Kenny.

Martina McBride, "Teenage Daughters"


Shania Twain, "Today Is Your Day"

Shania's video for "Today Is Your Day" is made up of compiled footage from her OWN docu-series Why Not? with Shania Twain.

Terri Clark, "Northern Girl"

Terri's "Northern Girl" video features her singing in a variety of beautiful scenic locations in her native Canada.

Trace Adkins, "Just Fishin'"


Lady Antebellum, "Just a Kiss"

A lame, cheesy, four-and-a-half-minute iPad commercial with little or no connection to the original song.

Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett, "Knee Deep"

A little creepy, but still fun.

Music Video Round-Up - June 2011

This month's edition of the Music Video Round-Up features quite a few offerings from new and independent artists as well as major-label hitmakers.

Luke Bryan, "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)"

I was pretty sure I knew what I was getting before I had even seen this video, but at least they didn't play up the backwoods country corn as much as I was expecting.

Burns and Poe, "Second Chance"


Amber Hayes, "Wait"

Amber Hayes' first music video acts out the story told in her current single "Wait," featuring a simple chance meeting in a coffee shop - a meeting that could turn into something more.

Amos Lee, "Flower"

The animation in the video is very artistic, though it throws me off a bit that we never see any actual footage of Amos Lee himself.


Hunter Hayes,"Storm Warning"

Blake Shelton, "Honey Bee"

Frankie Ballard, "A Buncha Girls"

Like you didn't already know what this video was going to have in it.  Hint:  See song title.

Brad Paisley, "Old Alabama"

It wouldn't be a Brad Paisley video without celebrity cameos now, would it?  Besides the expected Alabama appearance, we also get to see some classic Alabama video footage from back in the day, along with some Jeff Gordon thrown into the mix.

Teea Goans, "Letter from God"

The sand painting is a very interesting touch.

Music Video Round-Up - May 2011, Part 2

Stealing Angels, "Paper Heart"


Margaret Durante, "Maybe Tonight"


Jennette McCurdy, "Generation Love"


Corey Smith, "Twenty One"


Ronnie Dunn, "Love Owes Me One"


Eric Church, "Homeboy"


Taylor Swift, "Mean"

Music Video Round-Up - May 2011, Part 1

Lots of great new vids to talk about this month, so we're going to split this round-up over two parts.  Part 2 will be coming soon!

Josh Abbott Band, "Oh, Tonight"

Overall simple, but including a few more dramatic touches - like fire, for instance.  The music video preserves the same conversational tone that the song itself has, in that it shows Josh Abbott and Kacey Musgraves playing guitar and singing to each other in a simple fireside setting.

The Dirt Drifters, "Something Better"
(Embedding disabled - Click here to watch)
This video follows a blue collar worker through his grueling everyday routine.  It includes quite a few odd camera angles, and a good bit of humor.  Quirky, fun, and off-beat, just like the song.

David Nail, "Let It Rain"

Eh, didn't really care for this one.  Kind of boring.  Never really went anywhere.  All that really happened was sitting around and watching the soon-to-be-ex-lover get dressed.

Thompson Square, "I Got You"

A Sonny & Cher spoof - seems appropriate, considering the song's title.  This video finds Keifer and Shawna Thompson playing muliple roles - the hosts of the Keifer & Shawna Show, themselves performing as Thompson Square, and others as well.  Still not a fan of the song, but this is a cute video.

Sugarland, "Tonight"

Some interesting visual elements, including a variety of colorful costumes worn by Jennifer Nettles.

Emerson Drive, "Let Your Love Speak"

What could possibly be a cooler setting than Sydney, Australia?

Chris Young, "Tomorrow"

Simple, yet very well played out.

Music Video Round-Up - April 2011

Lee Brice, "Beautiful Every Time"


Due West, "When the Smoke Clears"


Keith Urban, "Without You"


Rehab, "Talk About"


Alison Krauss & Union Station, "Paper Airplane"

Music Video Round-Up - March 2011

Zac Brown Band, "Colder Weather"

Very artistic.  The editing effects, especially the fact that the video is in black and white, really seems to fit with the mood of the song.  Well done.

Sarah Darling, "Something to Do with Your Hands"

It's hard not to use the word "cute" in describing this video. She's in love with a handyman, so she keeps intentionally breaking things to get him to spend time with her.

Darius Rucker, "This"

I like how this video shows Darius singing in the Ryman Auditorium.  Who doesn't love the good ol' Ryman?

Reba McEntire, "If I Were a Boy"

A definite improvement over the "Turn On the Radio" video.  Reba's simple yet elegant video for "If I Were the Boy" almost seems to lend the song more maturity in a way.  Great video!

Carter's Chord, "A Little Less Comfortable"

The Victorian-era setting makes an interesting visual element, and the storytelling is fantastic.

The Band Perry, "You Lie"

You Lie - The Band Perry - The Band Perry Videos

Some great performance footage, and another interesting setting similar to that of the Carter's Chord video.

Trace Adkins, "Brown Chicken Brown Cow"

The puppets were kind of cute, but I hate it when Trace tries too hard to be sexy.

Music Video Round-Up - February 2011

Quite a diverse group of videos in this month's Music Video Round-Up.  This edition includes contributions from new artists, established hitmakers, an indie artist, a veteran group, and even some bluegrass from Dierks Bentley.

Randy Montana, "1,000 Faces"

Surprisingly (or not), this video has a lot of faces in it.

Danielle Car, "Walk of Shame"

A fun and energetic performance by a talented indie country artist from Detroit.

Ashton Shepherd, "Look It Up"

Why, Miss Ashton!  Somebody should wash your mouth out.  But still a cute and funny video nonetheless.  In the "Look It Up" video, Ashton claims sweet revenge on her philandering man by selling off his belongings at a yard sale.

The Harters, "If I Run"

Beautiful.

Taylor Swift, "Back to December"

I think the snow falling indoors is actually pretty cool.  It's definitely in character with the song.

Joe Nichols, "The Shape I'm In"

Joe Nichols's video for "The Shape I'm In" puts a new and different spin on the song by applying the sentiments to a soldier recovering from injuries.

Steel Magnolia, "Last Night Again"

Steel Magnolia's video for "Last Night Again" fits the song perfectly, and also places it in an interesting setting - a bowling alley.

Alabama, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way"


Emerson Drive, "When I See You Again"

A tribute to former member Patrick Bourque, who died one month after resigning from the band.  You can tell there's a lot of emotion packed into this video.
Dierks Bentley, "Fiddlin' Around"

I'll start appraising the video once I get over how cool the record itself sounds.

Music Video Round-Up - January 2011

Katie Armiger, "Best Song Ever"

Ha, I totally could have been in this video.  See all those people bopping out to "Best Song Ever"?  That's how I get whenever I'm listening to it in the car.

Easton Corbin, "I Can't Love You Back"

Really interesting concept.  It fleshes out the storyline a bit further, and shows that the departed lover has not dumped the guy, but rather was killed in a car accident (Don't worry - It's not graphic or bloody).  It makes the song seem even sadder!  My only thing is that I was expecting it to reach some sort of peak when it finished showing the lover driving in reverse back towards her man, and it really didn't.  But still a good video nonetheless.

The Grascals and Dolly Parton, "I Am Strong"

Aw, they filmed it at St. Jude.  And yay for Dolly Parton!

POLL RESULTS
Favorite new video?

56% - Easton Corbin, "I Can't Love You Back"
37% - Katie Armiger, "Best Song Ever"
6% - The Grascals and Dolly Parton - "I Am Strong"

Music Video Round-Up - December 2010

Joey + Rory, "That's Important to Me"

Every bit as sincere as the song itself.  Joey + Rory add many unique personal touches by filming portions of the video on their farm, and in their family's diner.  Even their daughters make an appearance.  Excellent video!

Catherine Britt, "Sweet Emmylou"

A beautiful tribute to the incomparable Emmylou Harris.  This song originally appeared on Joey + Rory's 2008 debut album The Life of a Song.  Catherine's video earns props for keeping things simple, and letting sincerity and emotion pull the load.

Jewel, "Ten"

Okay, which is cooler - Matthew McConaughey in a gorilla suit, or Jewel in a boxing match with a giant heart?  Wittiness aside, I can give this video plenty of creativity points, though part of me would have preferred that they kept it more serious.

Tim McGraw, "Felt Good On My Lips"

I am actually tempted to like this one.  The creative video editing serves as a pleasant distraction from the overall cruddiness of the song itself.

Dierks Bentley, "Draw Me a Map"

Great performance footage and nice lighting effects.  It's great to see all those bluegrass musicians in this clip.  But I would have given extra points if the video had had Alison Krauss in it.

Josh Turner, "I Wouldn't Be a Man"

This video perfectly fits the mood of the song.  And yes, that is his wife.  Nice touch how they show the pregnant belly at the end.

No Justice, "Just Get Going"

A great energetic performance, incorporating a few touches of humor.  Fun video.

Little Big Town, "Kiss Goodbye"

Little Big Town   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

I love the setting with Phillip Sweet playing piano in a middle of a field, and I also enjoy this video's portrayal of the song's story.

Music Video Round-Up - November 2010

Jamey Johnson, "Playing the Part"

Just what every music video needs - Matthew McConaughey in a gorilla suit.  Between Jamey Johnson and Gorilla Suit Matthew, I think it's a toss-up between which one is hairier.  The video told its story well, and it incorporated some humor as well.  I find it odd that we don't actually see Jamey until three minutes into the video (which was very much on the long side), but overall I would consider this video a success.

Blake Shelton, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"
[Embedding disabled - click above link to watch)

Overall not bad, but I was irritated by a few misguided attemtps to make it sexy.

Music Video Round-Up - October 2010, Part 2

Just a few days after I did my last Round-Up, CMT premiered a long list of music videos that we had not had a chance to talk about.  Now it's time to do a super-sized Round-Up for Part 2.

Sara Evans, "A Little Bit Stronger"

I have to admit that I have a bit of a biased stance toward my girl Sara, but I just love this song more and more each time I hear it.  The video featured Sara talking about her post-breakup feelings in a video blog.  At first I was distracted because I automatically expected to see bad acting, but that portion fits well with the song, since talking about her feelings is just another way to get "A Little Bit Stronger."  Overall, the video does a fine job in channeling the emotions in the lyrics.  Besides that, Sara just looks so pretty in this video!

Elizabeth Cook, "All the Time"

I thought it would be cool to include a video from an artist who is outside the country music mainstream, but still undeniably talented.  She may not have any radio hits, but trust me, this gal is worth a listen.  This video of the recent single from her new album Welder features several Old-West-style movie clips interspersed with footage of Elizabeth singing.  Elizabeth dons a wide array of unique constumes throughout the clip.  The video is in all black-and-white, which fits the theme well, and gives it a special classic appeal.

Keith Urban, "Put You In a Song"

Keith strikes out.  While this video does have some interesting performance footage, it's clogged up with far too many uninteresting shots.  It takes place entirely in a recording studio.  Such a concept works on some songs (Mary Chapin Carpenter pulled it off with"Shut Up and Kiss Me"), but "Put You In a Song" calls for a more colorful setting.  How about shots of Keith driving with music turned up loud?  Just a thought.

Jason Aldean, "My Kinda Party"

Eh... I could take this one or leave (probably leave it).  It's just what I expected - a bunch of gyrating backwoods babes.  But there were some interesting visual effects.  It's kind of funny how they include several close-up shots of the steel guitar.  It's like Jason's saying, "Look!  I have a steel guitar player!  SEE?!  I am country!"


Jaron and the Long Road to Love, "That's Beautiful to Me"

One half of my brain says, "Aw, how cute!"  The other half says, "Oh, how sappy."  Discuss.

Jerrod Niemann, "What Do You Want"

I like this one!  Maybe I just have a thing for black-and-white music videos.  One interesting touch is that Jerrod's significant other is portrayed by co-writer/ backup vocalist Rachel Bradshaw.  Though our sympathy primarily rests with Jerrod, Rachel's presence serves to remind us that there are two sides to this story. (Off-topic:  That is a really cool hat)

POLL RESULTS
What's your favorite video from Part 2?

Sara Evans, "A Little Bit Stronger" - 42%
Jerrod Niemann, "What Do You Want" - 19%
Keith Urban, "Put You In a Song" - 19%
Jason Aldean, "My Kinda Party" - 14%
Elizabeth Cook, "All the Time" - 4%
Jaron and the Long Road to Love, "That's Beautiful to Me" - 0%

Hooray!  Sara wins!  It's also nice to see that at least one person voted for Elizabeth Cook.  Thanks to the 21 readers who participated in this poll.

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!

Music Video Round-Up - September 2010

                                                              
Just in case you thought all those single reviews were getting stale, I am now introducing a new feature.  The Music Video Round-Up will be a monthly feature (if I can remember to do one each month!) in which I post several new music videos that have come out in the previous month, along with some candid thoughts about each one.  For now, the quality of the song itself is totally irrelevant - I am solely judging how good the video is.  As always, readers are encouraged to share their thoughts in the comment section.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on these videos.

Now let's get down to business!

Miranda Lambert, "Only Prettier"

I usually love music videos that have a clever and unique setting.  Miranda's new video is set in a 1950s sock hop.  Why not throw in some cameo appearances by Kellie Pickler, Hillary Scott, and Laura Bell Bundy?  That can't hurt.  Add some dancing, and more of the same quirky humor that makes the song itself so darn fun, and we've got a keeper.

MIRANDA'S SCORE:  8

Sugarland, "Stuck Like Glue"

Wha-oh, wha-oh, so-so cute.  Jennifer Nettles does a fantastic job of channeling her ditzy lovestuck character in this hilarious clip.  She, along with Kristian Bush as her accomplice, kidnap the object of her affections (played by Ryan McPartlin, a.k.a. "Captain Awesome" of Chuck fame) and subject him to her endless attempts to impress him.  The best part is near the end when Jennifer and a bevy of dancing beauties perform a choreographed routine during the reggae breakdown portion of the song.  Who knew Jennifer could move like that?  Could Dancing with the Stars be in her future?  That I can't say, but a sweep at next years CMT Music Awards seems quite likely after this awesome video.

SUGARLAND'S SCORE:  10

Reba McEntire, "Turn On the Radio"

What a disappointment!  This video was just one big missed opportunity!  As you well know, I was not a fan of this song, though I will admit it has grown on me lately.  But one thing I recognized about it was its potential to be an awesome fun music video.  This video come anywhere close to its potential.  It mainly consists of Reba pacing around a room and taunting her ex-lover (who is tied to a chair, and looks young enough to be her son).  A shelf stacked high with radios sits in the room.  The only remotely interesting part of the video is when Reba turns all of the radios on near the end of the song.  Throughout the whole boring video, you feel like you're waiting for something to happen.  But nothing happens.

REBA'S SCORE:  4

Taylor Swift, "Mine"

Whoops!  Taylor's new single leaked.  Whoops again!  The video leaked too.  Taylor's new video is a fine example of the well-constructed storytelling found in much of her music.  The clip builds on the basic story of the song and elaborates on it.  We see several flashbacks of her character's troubled childhood, in which she witnesses the breakup up her parents' marriage.  This explains why she has a tendency to run from love.  At the point when grown-up Taylor and her husband have a fight, she once again recalls a memory of her parents fighting as she 'braces herself for the goodbye.'  As her husband reassures her of his love, we see more flashbacks of the happy memories she has shared with her other half.  The video gives us insight into the thoughts and feelings of Taylor's character, making it all the more engaging.  I've probably said this before, but this might be one of Taylor's best videos.

TAYLOR'S SCORE:  9

(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10... as always)

POLL RESULTS
Which of these vidoes do you like best?

Sugarland, "Stuck Like Glue" - 50%
Miranda Lambert, "Only Prettier" - 21%
Reba McEntire, "Turn On the Radio" - 16%
Taylor Swift, "Mine" - 11%

It's Sugarland by a landslide!  Thanks to the 42 readers who voted in this poll.