Number One:
Kenny Chesney- “Better As A Memory” (3rd week)
Making The Most Noise:
Rascal Flatts- “Bob That Head” (+19.2 points, jumps from #56 to #43)
New Songs:
Pat Green- “Let Me” at #42
Zac Brown Band- “Chicken Fried” at #60
Songs Leaving:
Brad Paisley- “I’m Still A Guy”
Emily West- “Rocks In Your Shoes”
This song has already become my favorite Pat Green song. Pat has his own unique sound that you can always tell it’s him singing. His style can be tweaked a little to match the way a song was written, and “Let Me” is a perfect example of that. A love ballad all the way, Pat’s vocals completely connect with the lyrics and make this a very enjoyable listen. The song is a “‘let me’ be the one who can love you best” song. Basically, he says all these things that he’ll do for the woman he loves is she lets him. It’s not new ground, but for Pat this could be the biggest radio hit of his career. I’m going to be bold and predict that this will be his first #1.
Initial Impression for CML Chart- Top 20
Chart Prediction- #1
To listen, visit Pat’s MySpace page.
Talk about a song that’s stereotypical country…but that really doesn’t detract from the charm of the song. This is one of those “this is who I am” songs with a hint of southern pride. The charm to the song is that Zac Brown connects so well with the lyrics and doesn’t have to strain to come across as real. It’s a really laid back song that just sounds good. I haven’t heard it on the radio yet, but I’m sure that I will eventually. I definitely think that this will get airplay because it’s a summer-feeling song. However, I don’t see it having enough substance to get beyond the Top 30. The laid back feeling could be the downside of the single, but at least it’s not going to annoy everyone.
Initial Impression for CML Chart: Top 30
Chart Prediction: Top 30
To listen, visit the Zac Brown Band’s MySpace page.
I was out of town this weekend, so I wasn’t able to post this on Saturday…
Number One:
Kenny Chesney- “Better As A Memory” (2nd week)
New Songs:
Rascal Flatts- “Bob That Head” at #56
Marcel- “I Love This Song” at #60
Songs That Left:
Phil Vassar- “Love Is A Beautiful Thing”
Ashley Gearing- “Out The Window”
Making Noise:
Brad Paisley- “Waitin’ On A Woman” +17.2 gain in points, moves up 15 spots to #39
I’ll start by saying that this isn’t my favorite song on Still Feels Good, but I do have to say it is the most unique sounding song on the album. Many people might be a little turned off by this song, but I think it’s going to connect with the Friday Night party crowd that is the subject of the song. Basically, the man in the song has a tricked out truck that he takes out Fridays when he parties “bobs his head” to the music as he drives along.
I have to compare this song with “Me and My Gang” which was a motorcycle gang song. It doesn’t appeal to everyone, but appeals to a broad enough group of Rascal Flatts fans that they’ll find major radio success with this song. I do not think they’ll be getting to #1 or #2 like they’ve done with their other three singles off Still Feels Good, but I can see them getting into the Top 10.
Initial Impression for CML Chart: Top 20
Billboard Chart Prediction: Top 10
To listen, visit Country Universe’s review (it’s not up on their MySpace page yet).
I can honestly say that this is one of the most interesting songs I’ve heard in a while. I can’t say that “I love this song” but it is pretty catchy. Most of the chorus is nonsense words (I think he sings bam-a-lam-a-ding-dong…). It’s basically just a “fun” song as in Marcel had fun writing (with Jeffrey Steele) and singing it (you can hear it in his voice). After listening to it a few more times, all I can get out of the point of the song is that he’s got a song in his head that he keeps hearing over and over (in his head and on the radio) and it just makes him happy.
As for radio success, I don’t think the song has enough substance to be a major hit, but it sounds like a summery song that could find it’s way onto open car door speakers for the next couple of months. I think it’ll probably fizzle out in the Top 40.
Initial Impression for CML Chart: Top 40
Billboard Chart Prediction: Top 40
To listen, go to Marcel’s MySpace page.
Number One- “Better As A Memory”- Kenny Chesney.
This is Kenny’s 18th CML Chart #1 joining “A Chance,” “That’s Why I’m Here,” “You Had Me From Hello,” “I Lost It,” “Don’t Happen Twice,” “The Good Stuff,” “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems,” “There Goes My Life,” “When The Sun Goes Down,” “I Go Back,” “Anything But Mine,” “Who You’d Be Today,” “Living In Fast Forward,” “Summertime,” “Beer In Mexico,” “Never Wanted Nothing More,” and “Don’t Blink.” I think someday I might have to make a page that outlines who’s had a #1 and what they are so I can just link to that page instead of listing them all here. I don’t know the count for sure, but I’d imagine that Kenny has the most CML Chart #1’s in the charts 10 year history.
Biggest Mover- “Troubadour” by George Strait (+6.8 points, moves from #41 to #32).
Leaving the Top 60-
“If You Didn’t Love Me”- Phil Stacey
“Stronger Woman”- Jewel
“Some Things Never Change”- Sara Evans
“No Love Songs”- Chris Cagle
“Faith In You”- Randy Travis
“When You Love Her Like Crazy”- Mark Chesnutt
New Songs-
“Anything Goes”- Randy Houser at #46
“Lookin’ For A Good Time”- Lady Antebellum at #49
“Waitin’ On A Woman”- Brad Paisley at #54
“For You”- James Otto at #55
“If You Ever Went Away”- John Michael Montgomery at #58
“I Do”- Jewel at #59
“Anything goes when everything’s gone…” What an interesting tagline. The man in the song finds himself doing things that he would never do, but since he’s lost the woman he loves, he’s not feeling quilty about it. This is a heartbroken, hit the town drinking, find another woman, pain song. Randy Houser demonstrates that he can be an outstanding singer as well as a writer (he helped write “Honky Tonk Badonadonk” for Trace Adkins among other recent hits).
In an era where it seems that any male with a recording contract can make it on country radio, it still takes something special to establish yourself. I think Randy will get a Top 10 out of “Anything Goes” and that he has that something special to get established. Good luck Randy!
Initial Impression- Top 20
Chart Prediction- Top 10
To listen, visit Randy’s MySpace page.
Brooks & Dunn have never done it on a single, but Montgomery Gentry has had success with it–having the two “lead” singers singing in the song. Lady Antebellum attempts to do this on this song with the unique twist that the singers are singing to each other instead of complementing each other. Since the lead singers of Lady Antebellum are of the opposite sex, it allows for them to sing a song like “Lookin’ For A Good Time” and get away with it. The song is about how the guy is just lookin’ for a good time with the woman and tries to pick her up throughout the entire song. The girl interjects throughout the song with comments and replies.
Some people might worry that a newer group like Lady Antebellum might have a problem with chemistry on the song or that they may not be established enough to try something this risky. However, this song has no problems with that. I think they nailed this song and it’s a great follow up to “Love Don’t Live Here.” I think Lady Antebellum will eventually get this song to the Top 5 and I think this song gets them established as a vocal group to be reckoned with.
Initial Impression- Top 20
Chart Prediction- Top 5
To listen to the song, visit Lady Antebellum’s MySpace page.
Some people may not know this, but Brad’s current single “Waitin’ On A Woman” was actually on his Time Well Wasted album. What not many people know is that after “She’s Everything” went #1 from Time Well Wasted and before this released “Ticks” off of 5th Gear this song was getting unsolicited airplay. Since I have been watching the MediaBase 24/7 chart weekly since I started using a formula for my chart, I actually saw it receiving some airplay towards the beginning of 2007 and was hoping that he was releasing it. The song is one of the better songs Brad has done recently as it’s neither a laugher or a love song but a subtle combination of both.
The song starts when an older man and sits next to a younger man at a mall and the older man asks if the younger man is waiting on a woman. The young man asks the question back, and that leads into the older man reminiscing about all the good things that have come from waiting on a woman.
From what I’ve read Andy Griffith is going to play the older man in the video, which will add to the overall likeability of the song. I think Brad’s streak of #1’s is about to increase to 8 in a row and 9 out of the last 10. Brad is definitely on fire when it comes to the radio over the past 3 years. He’s always been loved by radio–2 of his first 3 singles where only Top 20s but he’s only had one not make the Top 5 since and that was “I Wish You’d Stay” at #7.
Initial Impression- Top 20
Chart Prediction- #1
Since this song was just released, it’s hard to find a place to listen to it. As of this moment, you can go to this link to listen to the song and read the lyrics as they come on the video.
