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Gretchen is "All Jacked Up"

D

DiamondJoe

Guest
The new single from her second album (same title) is on the radio and sounds great, IMHO.

My question is: Do you think Gretchen Wilson will be "jacked up" enough to overcome the "sophomore jinx" that saddles a lot of artists?

Based on the new song, I'm sure she has a shot.<P ID="signature">______________


New York City Radio and TV</P>
 
> The new single from her second album (same title) is on the
> radio and sounds great, IMHO.
>
> My question is: Do you think Gretchen Wilson will be "jacked
> up" enough to overcome the "sophomore jinx" that saddles a
> lot of artists?
>
> Based on the new song, I'm sure she has a shot.
>
What she needs to avoid is the route many female artists seem to go after a successful first album of 'traditional' sounding country, they decide to go after pop-crossover material & change their whole look and style. Leann Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Dolly Parton, etc. they've all been there, done that. Male artists who start as traditionalists seem to be able to keep that style longer.
 
> What she needs to avoid is the route many female artists
> seem to go after a successful first album of 'traditional'
> sounding country, they decide to go after pop-crossover
> material & change their whole look and style.

I can buy your premise, but you completely lose me with the examples you cite.


> Leann Rimes

I'm with you here.


> Lee Ann Womack

It wasn't until the fourth album -- after the remix of "I Hope You Dance" -- before she went this way, but I'll give it to you.


> Reba McEntire

This is where you go WAY off the rails. Reba spent her first ten years in Nashville as a "B" level act with a good run of hits, but it was the "Whoever's in New England" album that turned her into a superstar. Granted, she had a stretch of about fifteen years where her concerts were big productions with glitz and glam and lights and smoke -- one day she could put together a Vegas show that would embarass Celine all the way back to Quebec -- and contained lots of genres of music. However, her crossover appeal didn't really come until her acting career started getting bigger. Hardly a change on the heels on a successful first album...


> Faith Hill

Her first two albums were traditional, but the third and every one since has taken her farther down the AC/Pop road. Martina McBride tried the same thing for one album with significantly lower sales. Faith is the architype for your argument, no question.



> Dolly Parton

Same argument as Reba, though Dolly had more early success, both with Porter and as a solo singer/songwriter. It was the confluence of Dolly's acting career [think "9 to 5"] and the Urban Cowboy movement that led Pop to her more than she crossed over to it. In recent years, you even have to credit Dolly with giving Pop/Rock material [think "Shine" and "Stairway to Heaven"] a much more Traditional Country spin.

I'll grant you the reasonable logic of your argument, but some of your examples fall short or run contrary to that position.

To the original question, can Gretchen follow it up? From the half-dozen cuts I've already heard from this new album, I'd say this one won't live up to the success of the first. BUT...I could name a dozen acts who had smash first albums who then tanked on the second and still went on to have very strong careers.
 
You're right, I didn't mean literally that these artists changed with their second releases, I meant over time in their careers they decided or were given advise to go for the "crossover" market, and of course some do return to their country roots after the pop audience tires of them. Dolly's return to bluegrass was especially well done. I haven't heard all of the album cuts from Lee Ann & Faith's recent attempts to be more country. My main point was that male artists that start out traditional seem to stay that way, while females are drawn toward going more pop for whatever reasons. But not always - back in the 1960's Buck Owens made a famous statement that he would never record a non-country song, and not much later he recorded Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" to the horror of some traditional fans!
 
> > What she needs to avoid is the route many female artists
> > seem to go after a successful first album of 'traditional'
>
> > sounding country, they decide to go after pop-crossover
> > material & change their whole look and style.
>
> I can buy your premise, but you completely lose me with the
> examples you cite.
>
>
> > Leann Rimes
>
> I'm with you here.
>
>
> > Lee Ann Womack
>
> It wasn't until the fourth album -- after the remix of "I
> Hope You Dance" -- before she went this way, but I'll give
> it to you.
>
>
> > Reba McEntire
>
> This is where you go WAY off the rails. Reba spent her
> first ten years in Nashville as a "B" level act with a good
> run of hits, but it was the "Whoever's in New England" album
> that turned her into a superstar. Granted, she had a
> stretch of about fifteen years where her concerts were big
> productions with glitz and glam and lights and smoke -- one
> day she could put together a Vegas show that would embarass
> Celine all the way back to Quebec -- and contained lots of
> genres of music. However, her crossover appeal didn't
> really come until her acting career started getting bigger.
> Hardly a change on the heels on a successful first album...
>
>
>
> > Faith Hill
>
> Her first two albums were traditional, but the third and
> every one since has taken her farther down the AC/Pop road.
> Martina McBride tried the same thing for one album with
> significantly lower sales. Faith is the architype for your
> argument, no question.
>
>
>
> > Dolly Parton
>
> Same argument as Reba, though Dolly had more early success,
> both with Porter and as a solo singer/songwriter. It was
> the confluence of Dolly's acting career [think "9 to 5"] and
> the Urban Cowboy movement that led Pop to her more than she
> crossed over to it. In recent years, you even have to
> credit Dolly with giving Pop/Rock material [think "Shine"
> and "Stairway to Heaven"] a much more Traditional Country
> spin.
>
> I'll grant you the reasonable logic of your argument, but
> some of your examples fall short or run contrary to that
> position.
>
> To the original question, can Gretchen follow it up? From
> the half-dozen cuts I've already heard from this new album,
> I'd say this one won't live up to the success of the first.
> BUT...I could name a dozen acts who had smash first albums
> who then tanked on the second and still went on to have very
> strong careers.
>

come on dolly parton..you dont get more tradiotional than bluegrass!!
<P ID="signature">______________
note to tvland...bring back wkrp!!!</P>
 
Oddly, MIKE-FM, a variety hits station in Boston plays a little country like Friends In Low Places & Redneck Woman & I have no idea why. Neither song crossed over. Maybe they've done some research that shows the songs became familiar to non-country listeners because of artist exposure on TV. Possibly because they fall into that "huge" category. It's damn sure not because they're hoping to pull country listeners over.
 
> Oddly, MIKE-FM, a variety hits station in Boston plays a
> little country like Friends In Low Places & Redneck Woman &
> I have no idea why. Neither song crossed over. Maybe they've
> done some research that shows the songs became familiar to
> non-country listeners because of artist exposure on TV.
> Possibly because they fall into that "huge" category. It's
> damn sure not because they're hoping to pull country
> listeners over.

Is Mike playing "Achy Breaky Heart" yet?

btw As far as "Redneck Woman" "crossing over" - it was on a recent "NOW" compilation.
<P ID="signature">______________


New York City Radio and TV</P>
 
> Is Mike playing "Achy Breaky Heart" yet?

I haven't heard it but it's the kind of song they would play, not that I have a problem with that.
 
> Oddly, MIKE-FM, a variety hits station in Boston plays a
> little country like Friends In Low Places & Redneck Woman &
> I have no idea why. Neither song crossed over. Maybe they've
> done some research that shows the songs became familiar to
> non-country listeners because of artist exposure on TV.
> Possibly because they fall into that "huge" category. It's
> damn sure not because they're hoping to pull country
> listeners over.
>
On 100.3/JACK-FM in Dallas/Fort Worth (Rock/Pop), I have heard them play Pat Green's "Wave On Wave," which I didn't think was too odd...but I have also heard them play Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dyin'", which I thought was very odd. But their tagline is, "We Play What We Want," so I guess that fits...

...then there was a song on that station by a group called the KLF (really nothing more than a European rap group) called "Justified and Ancient" that featured vocals by Tammy Wynette, but I don't think that counts as "country." :)<P ID="signature">______________
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." - Robert Heinlein

dan</P>
 
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