Randy Houser photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

If you want an update on where country music’s been and where it’s going, you only need to put two events from the past week into perspective: Tuesday’s announcement of the 2010 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees and Friday’s New Faces Show at Nashville’s Country Radio Seminar.

Don Williams, the most recent hitmaker among the four Hall of Fame additions, was often noted for a quiet stage show. He simply stood at the microphone and sang, and his success relied exclusively on the warmth of his gentle demeanor and the thoughtful messages that dominated his understated songs.

The New Faces Show demonstrated the bigger-is-better philosophy that’s dominated concerts ever since Garth Brooks turned up in arenas two decades ago. From the outset, Love And Theft and Randy Houser — the first two acts in a five-artist lineup — cranked the volume and the tempo in a slickly produced show meant to confirm for radio programmers that they are indeed playing the right new performers as they compete for listeners’ ears.

For the artists, it was pretty much a parade of thank yous as they figuratively genuflected to a very influential audience. A study released Thursday by the Country Music Association showed that 93 percent of country fans listen to country radio during the course of a month. The people programming the stations are, therefore, essential to any singer’s career, and the artists in Nashville are acutely aware of that fact.

“You made a redneck from Arkansas’s dream come true this year,” closer Justin Moore said, typifying the appreciation that flowed from the stage in a Renaissance Nashville Hotel ballroom.

Here’s a summation of the music that emanated from that same stage, in the order the artists were presented:

• Love And Theft offered a form of country greatly influenced by ‘80s power pop, complete with the requisite three-part, Eagle-esque harmonies. The tempos were so amped that — combined with the tattoos, piercings and big guitars — you could make a case for Love And Theft as the first example of country emo.

• Topped with a “LIBERTY OR DEATH” ballcap, Randy Houser drew from influences as wide as gospel-flavored country and “Honky Tonk Women”-era Rolling Stones, hinting on occasion at a little Cajun spice. Through it all, Randy’s unbridled tenor was simply a tower of sheer force.

• Chris Young offered a little Tracy Lawrence-like rumble in songs that generally demonstrated a lyrical maturity. He also showed a little wisdom by adding melismatic nuance to the melodies only when it strategically enhanced the performance. And, after singing the Brook Benton classic “A Rainy Night In Georgia” numerous times in past months, it’s clear he finally owns it completely.

• Gloriana added a fairly faithful cover of the Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” to its set, which draws a perfect parallel to Little Big Town, another current band that makes heavy use of thick, four-part harmonies. Gloriana’s version of the sound was a little more sugary than LBT’s, particularly true on its first hit single, “Wild At Heart.”

• Justin Moore has apparently picked up a few stage movements from Kenny Chesney, Ronnie Dunn and Craig Morgan. He also picked up some influence from Hank Williams Jr., tossing an instrumental passage from “A Country Boy Can Survive” into “Hank It.” Between the cowboy hat and boots, the super-sized belt buckle, the thick drawl and the mix of Southern rock and country, the self-proclaimed redneck essentially turned the stage into Skoal Central.

Chris Young and Gloriana are in the running for new-artist trophies at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and you can vote through GACTV.com! They compete with Luke Bryan, Jamey Johnson, Bomshel, Joey + Rory, Steel Magnolia, the Eli Young Band and the Lost Trailers. Cast your vote here.

Click here to see photos from the New Faces Show!

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