CML Top 60 Updated

The Top 60 for the 6/28-7/4/09 edition of the CML Chart has been posted.  Did last week’s #1 by the Zac Brown Band, “Whatever It Is,” hang onto the top spot?  Did Dierks Bentley’s “Sideways,” last week’s #2 sneak in, or did another song beat them both out?  Check out the CML Chart Top 60 for the answers.

The CML Top 60 welcomes 5 new songs this week–”Joey” by Sugarland, “Today” by Gary Allan, “Skinny Dippin’” by Whitney Duncan, “The Good Lord and the Man” by John Rich, and “Hurry Home” by Jason Michael Carroll.  Come back later this week for my reviews of these new songs to the Top 60.

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CML Chart Interactive Update

Congratulations to “Love Your Love The Most” by Eric Church, winner of the 3-star poll for the 6/28-7/4/09 chart week.  More congratulations to “Fight Like A Girl” by Bomshel, which won a close race in the 2-star poll.

The CMLCI for the chart week of 7/5-7/11/09 is now up and running. We are choosing one song for the 5-star poll, and 3 songs for the 4-, 3-, and 2-star polls.  Just click on the CMLCI link for details and to vote.

Just a reminder, please vote in each of the four polls and make sure to have placed the correct number of votes.  Since you can only vote once, not having the correct number selected means you are forfeiting the remaining votes to me, which I will make at the end of the week.  I’d prefer a fair voting process and for me not to have to make more votes than I already have.

Zona Jones- “Bluer Than Blue”

Outside of Tracy Lawrence, founder and owner, who else is on the Rocky Comfort Records roster? Well, Zona Jones is one of those guys. Never heard of him? Don’t worry, not many people have. “Bluer Than Blue” is the first single from Zona to actually make the CML Top 60, but that’s probably the only Top 60 he’ll make. While the song is okay, it does not have enough of a mainstream sound to be successful on today’s radio. His previous single, “You Should Have Seen Her This Morning” was a much better single and it never charted.

I love Tracy Lawrence as a singer and I want him to be successful as a producer/record label owner. While Zona is talented, he’s probably going to be no more than a regional success. Maybe I’m wrong and Zona goes on to great national success, but from the sampling I have heard of him so far, I think he’ll be a regional favorite where he’s from (Eastern Texas I believe).

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Uncharted

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Lyrics

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Sarah Buxton- “Outside My Window”

“Outside My Window” is an upbeat, uptempo song from one of the more unique female voices on country radio today.  The unfortunate thing for Sarah is that she has yet to find her breakthrough hit.  In my opinion, she’ll still need to look after this one’s done.

While the upbeat nature of the lyric pleases a lot of people, I think it doesn’t have that “grab” to it that a lot of songs need to have.  It was the same thing with her previous single “Space.”  While both songs are well written and well sung, it just seems that her music is not getting a chance.  I think Sarah will at least make the Top 40 with this, but it may be a stretch for her to have it go much further than that.

Billboard Chart Prediction- Top 40

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Lyrics

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CML Chart for 6/21 to 6/27/09 now online.

Who’s #1 this week?  Does Brad Paisley spend a 6th week on top with “Then” or does someone like Dierks Bentley (“Sideways”) or The Zac Brown Band (“Whatever It Is”) knock him off his perch?  Check the Top 60 out to find the answers!

There are two new songs to the Top 60 this week–Sarah Buxton’s optimistic ditty “Outside My Window” and the first CML Top 60 entry for Zona Jones (“Bluer Than Blue”).

Check out the Top 60 page to see a new way I am going about the chart to try to make it easier for people to understand the math.  This week’s chart is the first to feature CML Cash for each song to earn.  The one that earns the most cash each week is #1!

CML Chart Interactive: Week of 6/28 to 7/4/09

Last week’s winners are:

5-Stars: “Sideways” by Dierks Bentley
4-Stars: “Out Last Night” by Kenny Chesney and ”Kiss A Girl” by Keith Urban
3-Stars: “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift and “Best Days of Your Life” by Kellie Pickler
2-Stars: “Summer Nights” by Rascal Flatts and “Living For The Night” by George Strait

 

This is only one 3-Star song being removed this week from the CML Chart and no other of the “top” songs.  Therefore, there will only be two polls this week–one to vote a song to 3-Stars and one to vote a song to 2-stars.  Click on the CMLCI link to place your votes.  Thanks!

Due West- “I Get That All The Time”

There have been a lot of new duos and groups hitting the Country Music scene lately.  Most are getting a song or two to become big hits and that’s all while very few are truly making an impact.  Due West is one of those bands that has a chance at making a long term impact. 

“I Get That All The Time” is a “why do I need what you are trying to give me when I get that at home” kind of song.  In the first verse, it’s drugs from a shady character he meets walking down the street.  In the second verse, it’s a women offering to give him the best night of his life.  He turns them using the title lyric and then launches into the chorus of how his life at home is and home much he loves.

Why do I think Due West has a chance at long term success?  First of all, they sound great harmonically.  Second, if you listen to a few more of their songs on their MySpace page, they sound good on more than just this song.  Lastly, and this might just be me, but they appear to have “it”–that thing that Rascal Flatts has that makes people play their music and love it even though a lot of critics are critical of the music they make.  I am not comparing Due West and Rascal Flatts, just illustrating that there is just an inherent feeling coming from them that makes you want to listen to every word they sing.

As for chart success with their debut single, that normally would be difficult for me to come to a comfortable prediction, but I think I got this one.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 10

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Lyrics

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Montgomery Gentry- “Long Line of Losers”

The first time I heard this song was a few months back when my local station was interviewing MG and were playing some of there songs off of Back When I Knew It All.  From that time, I knew that if they released it a lot of people were going to find it funny, relate to it, or find it unique. 

With “One In Every Crowd” stalling at #5, MG has released “Long Line of Losers” to the radio and should easily equal the chart success with this song.  “Long Line of Losers” runs through the “singer’s” family tree and all of their imperfections that shaped the way he is today.  It is well-written and reminds me a lot of MG’s “Merry Christmas From The Family.”   While I think it may be well received, I don’t think it is going to find its way to #1.  I thought “One In Every Crowd” would, and I don’t think this song is as good (and only so because it doesn’t have the same energy to it).

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 5

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Lyrics

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George Strait- “Living For The Night”

Can George Strait ever do wrong?  Yet another great song by George!  “Living For The Night” drips with a man’s heartache and George sure connects well with the lyric.  While he may not have specifically experienced the lyric, what George does better than any other artist is get in the frame of mind of the song.  It’s a shame that he doesn’t like to do videos because he’s got some decent acting ability that he could use on songs like this and make great videos.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen “Pure Country” but I don’t recall his acting being bad, he just doesn’t like to do videos.

By the way, is there any way that George doesn’t go #1 with this song?  I will be one of many who will be buying Twang once it is released.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- #1

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Lyrics

You can have a hand in on well songs like George’s does on the CML Chart.  Vote each week in the CML Chart Interactive to help the song get more points and climb farther up the chart!  Click on the CMLCI link at the top or left side of the page for details.

The New Top 60 Is Now Online

This week’s CML Chart Top 60 has now been posted.  Feel free to check it out.

Tidbits:
Brad Paisley spends his 5th straight week at #1 with “Then” this week.
New songs include the latest from George Strait, “Living For The Night.”

 

Stay tune as I will be doing single reviews on the new-to-the-Top 60 songs soon.  I hope to have them up before the end of the day Sunday.