In case you missed it last week, Trace Adkins was on Jimmy Kimmel Live where he performed “Whoop A Man’s Ass,” the last track on his new CD, Cowboy’s Back in Town. Great performance of a song that is absolutely perfect for Trace!
I couldn’t help but think about another “don’t mess with me or there’s gonna be a fight” anthem from the late, great Chris LeDoux. “This Cowboy’s Hat” is one of my all-time favorite songs. What’s your favorite “butt kickin’” country song? Leave me a comment and let me know below…
Most fans probably don’t think much about it, but being in a band is completely different from working as a solo artist. There are more expenses, more opinions and more egos involved, so decisions require more communication and more time. As a reward for all that extra work, there’s less potential income — the band members have to split up the proceeds in the end.
Trace Adkins photo courtesy of Show Dog-Universal Music.
One way to find out if your song is a hit: Run it by a kid.
Trace Adkins’ current single, “This Ain’t No Love Song,” has become a major success for him, and he’s the least surprised of anyone. The first part of the chorus has a fairly linear melody — it mostly stays on one note — but it’s part of what’s made it work.
Trace Adkins photo courtesy of Show Dog-Universal Music.
Trace Adkins has repeatedly made a point in interviews about upping the fun quotient in his career, and it shows on his new Cowboy’s Back In Town album.
It’s particularly evident in the second track, “Hold My Beer,” which is a rather irreverent story that involves a reverend. The song is essentially about a redneck wedding in which the groom tries to hang on to his brew all the way down the aisle. And the minister… well, he’s not a by-the-book kind of guy either.
“Dearly beloved,” Trace deadpans in the preacher’s role, “we are gathered up in here today to join in holy monogamony this old feller and this ol’ gal he brought with him.”
Trace Adkins (l) and Blake Shelton rehearse on Friday, April 16, 2010 for the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Photo courtesy of the Academy of Country Music.
The two singers have quite a bit in common: lengthy resumes, an acerbic wit, August album releases and some interesting attachments to other artists. Trace’s new album, Cowboy’s Back In Town, comes out on Tuesday, and it represents his first project since signing with Show Dog-Universal, a label owned in part by his tour partner, Toby Keith.
Blake’s latest album, the All About Tonight Six Pak, was released this past Tuesday, and it includes a vocal appearance by Blake’s fiancee, Miranda Lambert.
One of the reasons Blake likes the Six Pak format is that it means he has new music coming out every few months. But that’s also precisely the reason Trace wants nothing to do with six-track releases.
Trailer Choir co-hosts Top 20 Country Countdown with Suzanne Alexander at the 2010 Country Thunder festival in Wisconsin. Photo by Eric Jensen.
Wisconsin’s Country Thunder was four days of people, rain and wall-to-wall country music. Mother Nature might not have been kind to the festival’s visitors, but they didn’t seem to mind a little water or mud when it gave them a chance to see Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland or Trailer Choir. GAC’s Suzanne Alexander didn’t mind either — she was there, too, chatting with some of those stars for this weekend’s Top 20 Country Countdown (check out our festival photos here).
The rain was certainly a problem for Country Thunder last weekend, though the show, as they say, must go on. Randy Houser, Luke Bryan, Craig Morgan, Gloriana, Kevin Costner, Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Miranda and Sugarland were all on hand — and all of them spent a little time with Suzanne. As did Trailer Choir, a new trio whose album Tailgate came out earlier this month. The fun-loving band’s Big Vinny even found Suzanne hiding in his bunk! Watch the clip below:
Trace Adkins photo courtesy of Show Dog-Universal Music.
The next month has Trace Adkins working two different parts of his public persona. The music part gets a workout when his next album, Cowboy’s Back In Town, comes out Aug. 17. And his acting abilities get used when he spends a few days in Los Angeles to film a part in the movie The Lincoln Lawyer.
The album and the movie have one other thing in common besides Trace: Both involve Matthew McConaughey. Matthew has the lead role in the movie, and he also gets namechecked in a song on the album called “Hell, I Can Do That.” Trace made sure Matthew got to hear it, though during a recent visit, Trace didn’t yet know what the actor thinks of the song.
