Here’s a track from Wilco’s sophomore album, 1996’s Being There. This two-disc album was the alt-country band’s first foray into the more experimental sounds for which they would receive widespread acclaim in later years.
A double album loosely based on the relationship between musicians and their fans, Being There features some straightforward bops alongside fascinating sonic detours.
‘Country Road’ appeared on James Taylor’s great 1970 album Sweet Baby James. It was inspired by the area surrounding a Massachusetts hospital where Taylor sought treatment for depression.
‘Country Road’ reached the top 40 at #37, while the album’s first single, ‘Fire and Rain,’ made it all the way to #3. The album was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy but lost to Simon & Garfunkel’s final studio release, Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the headliner of tomorrow night’s Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars concert — Ms. Miranda Lambert!
I’ve been playing Lambert’s entire catalog on random the past couple of weeks in preparation for the show — seven solo albums plus three with Pistol Annies — and somewhere along the way it hit me: Miranda Lambert is my favorite musical artist. At this point in my life, nobody out there give me more consistent listening pleasure.
Ashley Monroe, one third of the Pistol Annies, has had a very rich career since her debut album, 2009’s Satisfied. Since then she has released three more solo studio albums along with a live album, in addition to the three Pistol Annies records.
She has recorded music with Blake Shelton, Jack White, and Train, among others, and written or co-written songs for a number of fellow country artists. No doubt, she’s stayed busy.
At some point during Miranda Lambert’s concert she will bring out her two Pistol Annies bandmates to perform a few songs as a trio. Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe are both fine artists in their own right, and teamed up with Miranda they’re one hell of a band.
But rather than feature an Annies song this week, I’ll give Presley and Monroe a little solo love.
The main opening act on Miranda Lambert’s Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour is Maren Morris, who is definitely on the rise. She’ll likely be playing as a headliner starting next year.
Morris made a splash with her 2016 album Hero, featuring the hits ‘My Church,’ ‘Rich’ and ’80s Mercedes’ but had her first major success with the track ‘The Middle,’ a cut by the DJ Zedd that featured her on lead vocals. That song hit #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #1 on the pop chart.
This Saturday my family and I are heading to Orlando to see Miranda Lambert in concert. This show caps off a nice year of live music for our squad, starting with Josh Rouse in Asheville, then Brad Paisley in West Palm Beach and a performance of Les Miserables in Fort Lauderdale before culminating with Miranda.
I’ll also be seeing Elvis Costello this week, accompanied by a man who has posted a comment on every single Song of the Day to date. So yeah, a pretty great year for live music.
