Author Archive: Robert K Oermann
Robert K. Oermann is a longtime contributor to MusicRow. He is a respected music critic, author and historian.
DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/20/10)
I always like a listening session with plenty of newcomers. After all, the thrill of discovery is what every critic lives for. This week sees column debuts by Chet O’Keefe, Corinne Chapman, The Jeremy Miller Band, James Lann and Daniel Warren.
NARAS Honors Loretta
Legendary Loretta Lynn was honored by the Recording Academy during a star-studded gala last night (10/12) at the Ryman Auditorium. The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) presented the Country Music Hall of Fame member with its President’s Merit Award. On January 31, Lynn was announced as a winner of the Academy’s Lifetime […]
Category: Artist, Awards, Featured, Organizations
DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/13/10)
Variety is the spice of life, they say. It’s certainly true in this week’s stack of platters. We have an electronic dance record, a comedy disc from a Country Music Hall of Famer, a pop/folk outing by a Russian country performer, a homespun ditty from a husband-and-wife team, a group re-naming, an Oz man’s cowbell-backed guitar rocker and a Texan with singer-songwriter grit to spare.
Loretta Lynn Saluted
The 50th anniversary of Loretta Lynn’s musical career continues this evening with an all-star concert at the Ryman Auditorium. Billed as a “Grammy Salute to Country Music Honoring Loretta Lynn,” the gala is being staged by The Recording Academy. The organization will present her with its President’s Merit Award during the event. Scheduled to appear […]
DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/6/10)
This is a column full of old favorites of mine. Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen are back, sounding as hale and hearty as ever. Dale Watson returns as well, and he is still a country singer’s country singer. The evergreen Bellamy Brothers remain the groove masters they have always been.
Bobby Karl Works IBMA Awards
Chapter 348 The bluegrass demographic looks like it is becoming more diverse than ever. Judging by the crowd at the 21st annual International Bluegrass Music Awards at the Ryman (9/30), bluegrass still skews somewhat older. But more than ever, the genre’s fans were hard to pigeonhole. Thin young people mingled with heavyset seniors. Cowboys sat […]
Category: Awards, Featured, Organizations, Radio
DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/29/10)
As we head into the fall, the stars are beginning to come out. This week, we have new music by honcho Toby Keith, as well as from Billy Currington and Lee Brice, both of whom are coming off career highs. It appears that Capitol/EMI rules the roost, label-wise, since it is presenting fine new tunes from both Troy Olsen and newcomer Walker Hayes.
Memorial Set For Engineer Bill Porter
A memorial service for pioneering Music Row studio engineer Bill Porter will be held at 5:00 PM on Friday, Sept. 24, at RCA Studio B. He died at age 79 on July 7 of Alzheimer’s disease in Ogden, Utah. Porter was the long-time engineer at the famous RCA Studio B. As such he was behind […]
Category: Featured
DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/22/10)
What is past is present. This week, The Judds and Ken Mellons are returning with records that reinvent their respective sounds. Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow & Miranda Lambert revisit a country classic and earn a Disc of the Day honor in the bargain.
DISClaimer Pop/Rock Single Reviews (9/20/10)
It’s high time we checked up on Nashville’s ever-expanding pop/rock community. There’s a little big of everything to sample, from the hard rock of November to the singer-songwriter vibe of Alyssa Bonagura, from the over-the-top personality of Joanna Cotten to the introspective-and-hooky Dave Barnes, from the soul sisters of Kentucky Thunder to the new-wavey Jeff the Brotherhood.
DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/15/10)
This is apparently Country Ballads Week. Almost all of the class acts in this stack of platters are making their marks with slower tempi fare. James Otto, Lorrie Morgan, John Mellencamp, Charlie Louvin, the LoCash Cowboys, Jerrod Niemann and Teea Goans ain’t about rockin’ the house. They have generally thoughtful things to say.
