CMLCI for 3/29 to 4/4/09 Online

The CML Chart Interactive page has been updated with this week’s polls.  The format for the page has changed a little and is hopefully less wordy.

CMLCI Results

Moving up to 100 this week will be Dean Brody’s “Brothers.”

Moving up to 90 this week will be Martina McBride’s “Ride,” which won in a tiebreaker.

Moving up to 80 this week will be John Rich’s “Shuttin’ Detroit Down.”

Moving up to 70 this week will be Montgomery Gentry’s “One In Every Crowd” (who received the most votes) and Jason Michael Carroll’s “Where I’m From” (which won the tiebreaker for 2nd).

Billy Currington- “People Are Crazy”

What an interesting song.  I love the twist at the end where the rich, old man leaves his fortune to the main subject of the song.  Sometimes, you just know when you first listen to a song that it’s going to be something special.  Well folks, Billy’s got another #1 on his hands.  The neat story, combined with the relaxed feel makes this certain to be loved by everyone.

Chart Prediction- #1

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Lyrics

Vote each week in the CML Chart Interactive to help songs climb to the top of the chart.  For details, just click on the CMLCI link at the top of the page.

Love and Theft- “Runaway”

At first, I thought the band’s name was Runaway and the song was Love and Theft.  Well, now that I’m no longer confused, I can safely say that this is a big hit in the making.  Just like I said with Gloriana’s “Wild At Heart,” this song isn’t going to tear up the charts.  I do believe that it’s going to catch a few people by surprise and really stick to a lot of people.

It’s the typical “get away from the stresses of life” song, but Love and Theft puts their unique touch and harmonies on it and it’s great!

Chart Prediction- Top 10

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Lyrics 

Vote each in the CML Chart Interactive to help songs climb the charts.  For details, just click on the CMLCI link at the top of the page.  A song cannot make #1 on the CML Chart without your help!

Change is Coming…

…well, at least with the CML Chart Interactive.

I’ve been trying to find an easier way to pick songs for voting when I create the poll for songs to move up to the 70 Impression Rating.  The rest of the polls are easy since they have a requirement (like you have to be at 90 to be moved up to 100, for example).  Well, I am now placing a variety of requirements on songs to be included each week in the polls.

The three songs that match the following criteria will be automatically included in the 70 Impression poll each week:

The Highest song on the CML Chart not at 70 or above
The song on the CML Chart the longest that is not at 70 or above.
The Highest debut from the previous week’s chart (to give a hot, new song a chance).

That should give two or three songs a week that get automatic inclusion (sometimes a song may be the highest and longest).  In order to make more than three songs available (because sometimes I need three or more songs to move up to 70), any song lower than a 70 Impression that meets any of these requirements will also be included:

Is currently in the CML Top 20
OR
Is Top 20 on both Billboard and Mediabase
OR
Has spent 15 weeks on the CML Chart and is in the CML Top 30

I gave 15 options for the 3/22 to 3/28/09 CMLCI, and I think that is too much, so there will be a limit of 8 songs a week to be included (the 3 automatics and 5 of the “others”).  If there are more than 8 songs that qualify, the lowest charting song on the CML Chart will be cut until there are only 8 songs to chose from.  If there are less than 8 songs, then there are less than 8 songs.

These changes will start with the CML Chart Interactive for the CML Chart week of 3/29 to 4/4/09, which begins this Wednesday afternoon.

Finally, the only change that effects all the polls, is the new “cannot win two weeks in a row” clause.  In order to allow for songs to have a fair chance each week, a song cannot win one poll one week, then will the next poll the next week.  For example, there have been several songs that have won the 70 poll one week, won the 80 poll the next week, and then won the 90 poll the week after.  While it helps that song “fly” up the CML chart, other songs aren’t given a fair chance to move up.  All this new clause does is give a song a chance to move up that it would’ve had to wait on, if it moved up at all.

Hopefully, these changes will give people easier choices when voting for a song.  Hopefully, this will be the final change I make to this, but we’ll have to wait and see!

CML Chart for 3/15 to 3/21/09

For the third week in a row, Brooks & Dunn has the #1 song on the CML Chart with “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.”  The highest debut this week belongs to new group Love and Theft with their single “Runaway,” which debuts at #45.  Also new this week is “People Are Crazy” by Billy Currington (#47), “Even Now” by Caitlin & Will (#57) and “Lost You Anyway” by Toby Keith (#60).

The CML Top 60

Note: There will not be a single review for “Even Now” because the label decided to release a different single even though “Even Now” was initially dubbed as Caitlin & Will’s debut single.

Miley Cyrus- “The Climb” and Billy Ray Cyrus- “Back To Tennessee”

Two for the price of one today! I figured since I was going to review both singles this week, that I’d put father and daughter all in one post. 

Ladies first:

This day was inevitable once Miley was included on her father’s ”Ready, Set, Don’t Go,” transforming the single into a duet and a Top 5 for both.  Now, here’s Miley’s first solo Country single, which is technically a crossover single.  After the initial novelty wears off, which may take three months, the song will probably end up like Jewel’s and Jessica Simpson’s first country singles did.  I can see this making “the climb” to to Top 20, and then fizzle out.  I don’t know if Miley will ever have a successful country career if she’s going to hang onto the “Hannah Montana” side.  Once her Hannah Montana days are over, if she wanted to pursue a career in country, she’s got the roots to pull it off thanks to her dad.

Chart Prediction for “The Climb”- Top 20

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Lyrics

Now for “father knows best:”

The title track to his latest CD and a song on the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack, “Back To Tennessee” talks about a man realizing that his life is leading back to Tennessee, which is where he belongs.  It is a decent sounding song, but with a much better single in “Somebody Said A Prayer” failing to get into the Top 30, this song is going to have the same problems.  “Back To Tennessee” may come close to the peak of “Somebody Said A Prayer,” but I can’t see it getting much higher than that.

Chart Prediction for “Back To Tennessee”- Top 40

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Lyrics

Vote each week in the CML Chart Interactive to help songs climb the CML Chart.  For details, click on the CMLCI link at the top of the page.

David Nail- “Red Light”

I can safely say that I’m not completely impressed with David Nail’s latest effort.  I like “I’m About To Come Alive” and felt that it was underplayed and underappreciated. ”Red Light,” however, is a song I would consider overplayed and overappreciated if it made it as high as “I’m About To Come Alive” (#47).  It’s not a terrible song and David is not a terrible singer (quite the opposite), he just doesn’t have a quality single here.

Chart Prediction- Top 50

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Lyrics

Vote each week in the CML Chart Interactive to help your current favorite song climb the CML Chart.  Click on the CMLCI link at the top of the page for details on what it is and for the polls to vote in.

Blake Shelton- “I’ll Just Hold On”

Another great song from another of today’s underappreciated stars. Yesterday, it was Dierks Bentley. Today, it’s Blake Shelton. Both artists are stars who record great albums and have great success on the charts, but the industry seems to value them less than Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, George Strait, etc.

This is simply a great song about holding on during heartbreak and should be Blake’s third straight #1 single.

Chart Prediction- #1

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Lyrics

Vote each week in the CML Chart Interactive to help your current favorites climb to the top of the Chart.  Just click on the CMLCI link at the top of the page for an explanation of the voting process and for the polls to vote in.

CMLCI Results/CMLCI for 3/22 to 3/28/09

Moving up to 100 is Trent Tomlinson’s “That’s How It Still Ought To Be.”

Moving up to 90 is Trace Adkins’ “Marry For Money.”

Moving up to 80, finally, is current Billboard and Mediabase #1 “Sweet Thing” by Keith Urban.  This is where the CMLCI can get a little tricky.  When people vote for an artist who’s song is just climbing the charts and don’t vote for a song that is way up the charts, a song may not climb the CML Chart as well.  When I started the CMLCI at the beginning of January, this song was rated a 70 and had just cracked the Top 20 on the Billboard chart.  Since then, it had received maybe two votes total until this week when it finally received enough votes to win.  So, while it is in it’s second week at #1 on Billboard and Mediabase, it’s only going to be #4 for next week’s CML Chart (up from #10, which was its previous high position).  If you don’t want a song that is high on the Billboard chart to miss out on getting that high on this chart, vote for it and then get some online friends to do the same!

Moving up to 70 this week are John Rich’s “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” and Kellie Pickler’s “Best Days of Your Life.”

The CMLCI for the chart week of 3/22 to 3/28/09 is now up.