'TIN PAN SOUTH' REPORT
Day One: March 24 (Tuesday)
"Tin Pan
South" is in full swing, spotlighting professional songwriters at various
venues around the city. It's always a challenge deciding which shows to attend.
The level of talent in Nashville is amazing. On Wednesday night, hanging out at
3rd and Lindsley seemed a good thing to do... especially with performers such
as Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Casey James, Tom Johnston, and
Charlie Worsham. Their performances did not disappoint.
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(Left to
Right): Casey James; Doobie Brothers Tom Johnston and John Cowan;
Charlie
Worsham at 3rd & Lindsley late show. Photo: Moments By Moser
(Provided by
Campbell Entertainment Group)
|
Kick-off Show (Early Show at 3rd and Lindsley):
Shane McAnally, Josh
Osborne and Brandy Clark, with surprise guest!
This show may turn
out to be my favorite this year.
All of these singer-songwriters are riding the crest and deliver a great
performance. Each one witty,
entertaining and masters at their craft.
Josh opened by
saying "Tin Pan South" is sponsored by Regions Bank. “A few years ago
I didn’t have enough money to open a bank account, (but) now I have a Regions
Bank account.” I’ll bet he
does! Osborne then got things
going with the familiar "Leave The Night On", a number one song by
Sam Hunt, which he wrote with McAnally.
He also treated us to "I Got A Little Drunk Last Night"
recorded by The Eli Young band. We heard Reba’s upcoming killer
single "Whichever Way It Hurts the Least". He
closed with Blake Shelton’s new release "Sangria".
This
is the first time I saw Brandy Clark live. I was not disappointed. Her velvet, rootsy voice reminds me of what country music is
all about. I could listen to her all night. She got the groove going with Miranda Lambert’s #1
"Mama’s Broken Heart". Brandy cracked us up with
"Big Day in a Small Town" and brought us to the edge with "Hold My Hand", a song from her debut album. I sure hope you caught her performance
of this ballad on this year’s Grammy’s with Dwight Yoakam. Unbelievable! We also heard the number one "Better Dig Two"
recorded by The Band Perry. She
had us laughing, identifying and sympathizing with the words to "Get
High", another song from
her CD. Clark closed with The Craig Campbell cut "You Can Come
Over". This girl knows her
way around the guitar oozing out some great accompaniment.
Shane McAnally told
us the story behind Reba’s "The Day She Got Divorced". It was about his mother! Early on, his mom asked him to stop
telling people it was about her.
She was embarrassed. That
was until the day she met Reba backstage and told Reba that Shane had written
the song about her. Shane and Josh
performed the Blake Shelton hit "I Really Shouldn’t Drink Around
You", which came about
after a night of drinking with Osborne.
The next day, Josh sent Shane pictures of silly things he was doing and
quotes of things he said which lead to the title of the song. I just loved the line, “There ain't really no such thing as gin and platonic”. McAnally and Clark had us
smiling on the upbeat "Follow Your Arrow", which they wrote with Kacey
Musgraves, who turned it into a hit.
Shane left us rockin’ on the Lady Antebellum chart topper "Downtown",
co-written with Natalie Hemby and Luke Laird.
These three writers
are responsible for 11 or the 12 songs on Kacey Musgraves’ Grammy-winning album
“Same Trailer Different Park”. So
it was no surprise when she was called to the stage to perform her new single
"Biscuits", written with Brandy Clark, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally,
and Luke Laird.
Josh, Kelly, Shane,
and Kacey are close friends who wrote together before their songs were cut and
made them a lot of money. They
have laughed, drank, kidded and encouraged each other for quite a while. The ease that they share with one
another made this show one to remember.
-- Wil Comstock, MCAU
Contributing Writer
BMI Show (Late Show at
3rd and Lindsley):
The BMI show
featuring Casey James, Tom Johnston and Charlie Worsham (with special guest
John Cowan) was splendid from start to finish. An enthusiastic audience was
treated to a mix of country, blues pop and Americana songs performed by expert
singers, songwriters and musicians. The sound was top-notch with up to six
stringed instruments being played at the same time (plus percussion). It was an
unforgettable blend of classic and young, with each songwriter holding his own
weight.
Tom Johnston wowed
the crowd with stirring renditions of his hits "China Grove" and
"Listen to the Music". His voice was in top form, taking Baby Boomers
back to the Doobie Brothers days. The audience sang along eagerly, seeming to
know every word. The artist introduced the harmony-laced "Nobody" saying,
"We do this because we love to make music. Music should be authentic and
real, getting you through a tough time."
It was a pleasant
surprise to see John Cowan (who was not listed in the "Tin Pan South"
program). The American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist/musician,
who served as the bassist for New Grass Revival, was outstanding. He played
bass (including a beautiful green one) for most of his songs. Cowan showed his
range with the remarkable (and moving) ballad "This River" and the
fast-moving (clever) tune "Six Red Birds in a Joshua Tree".
Johnston was very
complimentary of brilliant newcomers Casey James (of "American Idol"
fame) and Charlie Worsham (a storyteller that someone sitting near me described
as a younger Shane McAnally).
James was eager to
play as many of his bluesy, spirited tunes as possible, and the audience urged
him on. His ability to powerfully sing original tunes (such as "Devil
Down") while playing complicated, syncopated riffs on his guitar inspired
Worsham to deem him a "triple threat". "You're a triple threat,
too," James replied back.
Worsham proved James
was right with a strong voice, weaving melodies, and creative guitar licks. He
is an excellent wordsmith, too. The crowd loved his tongue-in-cheek song
"Wired That Way". The thought-provoking (and fun) "You Can't
Please People" could be a hit (if he remembers the words).
We left 3rd and
Lindsley invigorated, inspired and ready for more.
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