ACM AWARDS: On Sunday evening, April 3, 2016, the Academy of Country Music awards aired live. The first thing I thought of was, "how often do they have these awards?....they seem to have them every few months". But the ones airing in the fall are actually the Country Music Association (CMA), so there is a difference. The outcome of them, however was pretty much as the same as the prior one....Chris Stapleton cleaned up once again. Probably the big difference between this year and last is that I've started listening to country a bit more than a year ago, thanks to some recommendations from friends. On my SNS 100, I went about six months without a country song on my list. On my current list which you can see below, there are seven songs, with a few more up and coming. One thing I am proud of, is that all five nominees for Country Album of the year are all by artists I had put on my list last year: Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Eric Church, Chris Young and winner Stapleton, who got the nod for Traveller (of which the title track drops out of my top 20 this week).
Although a majority of friends haven't listened to anything past 1995, many of them do, and country is their genre of choice. Compared to current pop, there is much artistry involved in the making of these songs, and one could be forgiven if the current "sound" isn't the classic sound that your parents or grandparents grew up with. Music keeps changing, and country changes with the best of them.
Congratulations also go out to winners Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Old Dominion and Florida Georgia Line for the major wins.
Before I leave the subject, I just wanted to comment on the much-publicized duet between legend Dolly Parton and pop star Katy Perry. They performed Parton's "Coat of Many Colors", "Jolene" and "9 to 5". Dolly was in rare form, not surprisingly given her longevity and all her accomplishments during the last half a century; she is a very consummate performer. As for Perry? She is one of my favorite pop performers, and she gave it her all, but to be honest, her voice wasn't suitable for songs like this. She had all the right moves, but the voice just didn't seem to agree with the progression of these songs. However, reviews seemed positive, and I do agree that the two voices blended in well together. With the trend in pop music away from these late 2000's-early 2010's female artists, chances are Perry's top 40 days are numbered, and like Lady Gaga and P!nk, it's time to tackle other projects. I don't think country is for her, but maybe it is time for a reinvention there.
GOODBYE OKIE: While we are on the subject of Country, just a few days after the awards aired, we lost the legendary Merle Haggard, who left us at age 79. He had hits spanning decades, but is probably best known for "Okie from Muskogee", his statement on the burgeoning counter-culture taking place in the late 1960's. "Mama Tried" was another big hit of his, as well as "If We Make It Through December", and countless others, extending into the current millenium. "Okie" was played a lot on the jukebox in the game room of the college I went to, which is how I was introduced to the song. And, during the "CB" craze of the mid 1970's, a novelty song on the subject, "The White Knight" by Cledus Maggard & the Citizen's Band, was released. Aside from the singer's last name rhyming with Merle's, the song ranks the CB at number 4 of the ten best things in life, behind "beavers" (slang for pretty women), hot biscuits, and Merle Haggard. Merle has recorded with other legends like Willie Nelson, George Jones, Johnny Paycheck, Ernest Tubb, and even more contemporary artists like Gretchen Wilson.
In a year littered with the passing of music greats, here is yet another one.
IDOL FAREWELL: It's common knowledge that American Idol isn't what it used to be. What was once the hottest show out there, which also launched major careers, has diminished in recent years, with the winners fading quickly into oblivion, and its format getting pretty staid, especially when compared to The Voice, which, in spite of not launching any new superstars, gets merit for the coaches' interaction, something which Idol also had in its glory days.
So initially, I just took a passing notice in the fact that "Idol's" finale to its fifteenth and final season aired on Thursday. Normally I watch "Big Bang Theory" on Thursday nights, but then it dawned on me. I really liked "Idol" in its heyday and there were promises of a reunion of not only the winners but many of the other contestants as well as the original judges.
Well, to make a long story short, by the time the winner was announced at 10:06 PM Eastern time (which was Trent Harmon, by the way), I was misty-eyed in remembering how much that show had an impact on me.
But the funny thing about it, is that when it debuted, I had as much interest in the show then as I did the last few seasons, none. However, as I was into music, I did keep a peripheral eye on the proceedings. My girlfriend Sherry, at the time, however, loved it. The show came out at a time when competitive reality shows were taking off: Shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race had debuted two and one year before, respectively, and you also had shows like Big Brother, and later on, The Apprentice and The Bachelor, among others. And although there have been talent shows in the past (Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour and Star Search come to mind), those shows crowned a winner during each show, while Idol followed the premise of eliminating one contestant (or more) each week, en route to a season winner.
Sherry hated reality competition shows like Survivor and Amazing Race, yet I took her to task for liking Idol...she replied, "but this not reality, this is talent!". Okay, fine. And when Kelly Clarkson became the original "American Idol" when it aired in the summer of 2002, I thought it was a good choice (even though her name was similar to snowboarder Kelly Clark, who won the first gold medal in that sport during Salt Lake City's Winter Olympics earlier that year, and she was from Mt. Snow where I had a share in a ski house during that time). "A Moment Like This" became a huge hit and her "coronation song". She was a true idol as she racked up many, many hits, even spanning the life of the show. She, in a taped segment (she couldn't appear live because of her impending pregnancy), capsulized all of her hits in a five minute medley. She remains my favorite "Idol".
Subsequent winners also were successful, most notably fourth season victor Carrie Underwood, who had found equal stardom in the country field as Clarkson did in the pop world. She even became a member of the prestigious Grand Ole Opry and has won numerous Entertainer of the Year awards. She also performed on the farewell show.
When I met my wife Barbara, she was a fan of the show as well (and, like Sherry, hated Survivor and The Amazing Race, (which I may add, has outlasted Idol, just saying), and by season five, even I got really into it. Although that winner, Taylor Hicks, had only modest success, others, like country singer Kellie Pickler and singer/actress Katherine McPhee fared better. Chris Daughtry, who finished fourth, had the most success, however, with the band that bears his surname. That summer, we saw the "Idols Live" tour which featured the top ten finalists for the season.
The judges also had much to do with its success, the originals being Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and the tell-it-like-it-is Simon Cowell, and it was good to see them reunite for the show. Subsequent seasons were also watched and were memorable. I pretty much watched through season 11, when Phillip Phillips had the last major success winning the competition.
Going into season twelve, it looked like the show was stronger than ever, coming off Phillips' hit "Home" which reached the Billboard top ten three different times (and #11 on my blog) during the summer and fall of 2012. But the show jumped the shark when people seemed to vote off all the male contestants (the previous five winners were all white males, and were dubbed "WMWG"--"white males with guitars", some of them, such as David Cook, Lee DeWyze and Kris Allen, so interchangeable and undistinguishable), leaving the top six being all females. That backfired, when the winner, Candice Glover, had the worst sales of all the winners thus far (although she did make the SNS top 40), and the show never recovered.
Season 8 yielded success for runner-up Adam Lambert, and for me, a favorite was Allison Ireheta, who finished fourth (Kris Allen won that year), and we traveled to Atlantic City to watch the tour for the second and final time. All of the artists I mentioned performed on the farewell show.
Idol had its comedic moments , and they were highlighted as well, including "Pants on the Ground", and William Hung's infamous rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs". In its prime, the show was very entertaining all around.
Many who appeared on the show were featured on my blog. This week, Clarkson and two songs by Ireheta's band Halo Circus are listed on my SNS 100. Underwood, DeWyze, Daughtry, Pickler, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and a few others have made my playlist.
Farewell to a show, which, in its prime was a major force, not only on television but in the music industry.
BACK TO THE HERE AND NOW: Foals hold on a second week on the SNS 100's summit with "Give It All", while DNCE and Adele switch positions two and three, apparently denying the latter of her fifth number one. Elle King's "Under the Influence" holds at #4, while Fitz & the Tantrums jumps from 27 to 5 with their new one "HandClap", which has a chance to equal a record next week for fastest rise to #1. The aforementioned Allison Ireheta and Halo Circus is the big mover this week with "Desire".
REACH FOR THE SKY: The top debut is the new song by local artist Paul Czekaj, "Up in the Sky". It's his first release in over two years and the first to make my SNS 100 since "Elvis In Heaven" dropped off the chart later in early 2014. Czekaj first garnered notice on SNS when "My Home New Jersey" hit #20 back in 2011. The video went viral on YouTube and with Facebook friends, which showed many of the finer things of the Garden State. A "Part 2" followed, and hit #30 a year later. Then, between late 2012 until 2014 he was on a roll, releasing the songs "Even Better Than Before" (a positive message to those recovering from Superstorm Sandy), "At the Beach" (about the delights of hanging at the Jersey Shore), "Wheels on Fire" (a tribute to bikers in the state), "Christmas Is Forever" (his holiday entry), and finally his ode to "The King" himself, Elvis Presley ("Elvis in Heaven"). All of those entries made my top 20, with "At the Beach" becoming my song of the summer of 2013 with a six week stay at the top.
After a hiatus, Czekaj started recording again in 2015. Last fall, he released the video "That Old New Jersey", which highlights the many attractions in the state that are no longer there. The song didn't chart on SNS as there was no commercial download available; Czekaj stated that it would appear on his next album. The video, like the original "My Home New Jersey' went viral, with close to 300,000 views on YouTube.
Which brings us to his latest "Up in the Sky". Released in January and available commercially, the song is somewhat of a departure for the Jersey laureate as instead of focusing on the sites and scenes of New Jersey, he turned to the serious issue of drug and substance abuse, and its toll on themselves as well as family and friends. Assisting him on the song are musicians including Jersey legend Bobby Bandiera who has played with Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes and more recently, Bon Jovi. This is a serious but uplifting plea for those hooked on foreign substances to better their lives and eliminate the "enablers" and to get a better, drug-free life. The song itself takes a couple of listens to really appreciate, but the melody and hook will get you, hopefully while you or a loved one will get "un-hooked". And it's great to see the singer/songwriter prominently displayed in the video A strong and powerful message from the Mount Olive singer....and, may I add, friend.
One more thing: Paul will be performing at this summer's "WNTI Summer Stage". His music had been played on the Centenary College radio station (which now broadcasts online at wnti.org), and I was hoping he'd finally get to play the festival. He is, and I definitely plan on being there this July.
Other songs hitting my list this week include the latest by Nada Surf, "Believe You're Mine". The New York based alt-rock group had a big hit in that genre with "Popular" back in the mid-90's but in recent years have enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence. Their last album, 2012's The Stars are Indifferent to Astromony, spawned the SNS top 10 "Waiting for Someone" that year. The new song is from their recently released You Know Who You Are, and is rock with a folk-ish pop flair. The band is more "serious" than the "Popular" days and seem to enjoy making music. This is a song to be reckoned with.
Wild Belle's "Keep You" from their 2013 debut Isles was my second biggest song when I did my fifth anniversary blog last summer, and it spawned another number one ("Backslider") and top 10 "It's Too Late". The sibling duo released their second effort early this year, Dreamland, featuring the SNS top 20 "Giving Up On You", which had a more mainstream, more rhythmic sound. It garnered more airplay nationally then their debut, but was somewhat of a disappointment for me. The new single, "Throw Down Your Guns", is a bit of a compromise between the quirky pop of the previous single and the emotions of their debut songs. It should return them to my top 20 for a fifth straight time.
Also debuting are "Not My Girl" from Canadians Tokyo Police Club, which had an SNS top 20 hit with "Wake Up" from their Champ set back into 2010. 2014's Forcefield went unnoticed, but are back strong with this song from a forthcoming EP. Matt Simons, from New York, makes his SNS debut with "Catch and Release" from his sophomore set of the same name; the track is getting airplay on Triple-A stations.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
April 3,
2016
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Give It All"
Album: What Went Down
(2 weeks at #1)
|
9 |
| 2 | 3 | DNCE - Cake By the Ocean | 10 |
| 3 | 2 | Adele - When We Were Young | 11 |
| 4 | 4 | Elle King - Under the Influence | 11 |
| 5 | 27 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"HandClap"
Album: Fitz & the Tantrums
|
2 |
| 6 | 8 | Half Moon Run - Turn Your Love | 17 |
| 7 | 12 | Run River North - Run or Hide | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | Beach House - Space Song | 10 |
| 9 | 14 | Avid Dancer - I Feel It | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | Tame Impala - The Less I Know the Better | 7 |
| 11 | 7 | City and Colour - Lover Come Back | 15 |
| 12 | 15 | Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - Look It Here | 8 |
| 13 | 17 | The Parlor - The Surgeon's Knife | 5 |
| 14 | 5 | Coldplay - Adventure of A Lifetime | 16 |
| 15 | 13 | Martin Courtney - Northern Highway | 19 |
| 16 | 18 | Kaleo - Way Down We Go | 6 |
| 17 | 16 | Taylor Centers - Dodged Your Bullet | 10 |
| 18 | 21 | Smash Palace - My Mistake | 4 |
| 19 | 6 | Florence + the Machine - Delilah | 8 |
| 20 | 10 | Lake Street Dive - Call Off Your Dog | 13 |
Tremors:
| 101 | 103 | Panama Wedding - Infinite High |
| 102 | Frightened Rabbit - Get Out |
| 103 | Collective Soul - Contagious |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod. 
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