‘Is Anybody Going To San Antone’ is the closing track on Ron Sexsmith’s 2015 album Carousel One.
The song is a cover of a song released by country music singer Charley Pride in 1970. You can hear that version here.
Pride was a top-selling artist in the 70s. Over the course of his career, he scored 30 #1 Country hits and put 52 songs on the top 10.
If you’re a Billy Joel fan, as I am, you find gems no matter where in his catalog you go. OK, maybe his last couple of albums were a bit thin on great material, but prior to the mid-80s, he was firing on all cylinders.
Take today’s SOTD, a cut from the second half of Piano Man, Joel’s 1973 sophomore album and his commercial breakthrough. ‘Stop in Nevada’ is a great song in the same country rock vein as much of the record. Casual Joel fans have probably never heard it. But if you know and love the man, this is one more solid song in a sea of them.
I never really got into Alicia Keys when she was making a big splash in the 2000’s. While I appreciated her singer-songwriter chops and her use of classical piano in an modern soul setting, ultimately she just wasn’t making the kind of music I like. R&B has always been one of my blind spots.
I’ve come to appreciate Keys more in recent years thanks to her charming work as host of the Grammys. She is so earnest, positive and full of love that it’s hard to remain cynical in the face of her infectious brightness.
I’ve wanted to give Drive-By Truckers a listen ever since I discovered Jason Isbell a few years back. I knew he spent time in the Athens-based Southern rock band before he went solo and released some of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time.
2003’s Decoration Day, the Truckers’ fourth studio album, was Isbell’s first with the band. He replaced a departing guitarist and eventually became one of the principal songwriters. His tenure was short, however, because his drug and alcohol abuse made him impossible, and forced the band to boot him a few years later. Fortunately, he got clean and embarked on an extraordinary solo career.
I like when the Decades posts give me a chance to listen to an artist I’ve never heard before, and frankly will likely never hear again. Kylie Minogue is such an artist.
The 52-year-old dance-pop star is the all-time top-selling Australian artist, with more than 70 million albums sold worldwide. I don’t think I’d ever heard a note of hers until this week.
Meet Me In Montauk 