I gather that the charge that Twain doesn't do live shows because she's
incapable of it is no longer a viable one <g>.
Having said that, and taking note that the fiddle players in the band do, in
fact, play their instruments (I've had two separate reports of at least one
of them contacting people who played fiddle on the recordings in order to
get some pointers on specific passages), it looks to me as though Twain is
moving in the direction of crossing over permanently. I suspect we'll see
some more of that, too, with others; the crisis in country music, and the
way that these crises have historically been resolved, means that a number
of fence-straddling artists are going to have to decide which side to jump
down on, and not only with regard to country vs. high-production pop, though
I'll go out on a limb to assert that the Garthman will either be one of the
few who are able to maintain a foot in both areas, or that he will
eventually land on the country side of things.
The song itself aside, what was striking about Twain's performance was that
it made virtually no concessions at all to country sensibilities; from dress
to lighting, it was wholly pop-oriented, bearing a much closer resemblance
to performances like Ricky Martin's than to Gill's, just like Alanis
Morisette's was closer to Twain's than to Gill's, even though she, like
Vince, was accompanied by an orchestra <g>; notice that those goddamn lights
didn't blink, or flash, or do anything else while the AOTD performed.
If the Dixie Chicks performed, I missed it. I have a problem with them that
relates mostly to what is a matter of taste - to wit, though I like the tone
of Natalie Maines' voice, she has some mannerisms, like the extra syllable
she inserts in the third verse of "Wide Open Spaces" ("like-a that long
ago"), that I find annoying, but beyond that, I think they're a fine band
that's put out some great singles, and I will happily claim that they are a
good deal closer to the Carter Family than not only Shania Twain, but a good
many alt.country favorites. It's nice to see the banjer doing well on the
Grammies.
And, finally, two Parthian shots:
1. Clapton was an embarrassment next to King, especially considering his
propensity for stepping all over King's playing.
2. You gotta have a little sympathy for Ralph Stanley; one of the unspoken
(as far as I know <g>) goals of Clinch Mountain Country was to get him the
Grammy.
Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
