New country acts get tepid response from radio execs
By Tom Roland / Tennessean Staff Writer
Record companies spent last week trying to gain the favor of the nation's
broadcast media at the Country Radio Seminar, and the convention closed
with the ultimate attempt, the annual New Faces Show.
The show is an opportunity for recording artists to show their stuff to
the decision-makers at radio who can make or break them. Thus, it's a
crucial moment for each of the 10 acts selected.
But, said one influential radio executive, if Saturday's lineup is the
best the labels can do with new talent, it'll be a while before country
gets out of its current funk.
Nobody shot themselves in the foot during the show, but nobody got a
standing ovation, either. Here's a look at the results, in order of
performance:
Chad Brock. His ballad Ordinary Life was a steel-tipped portrait of the
blue-collar world, while The Lightning Does The Work hinged on an Indian
Outlaw backbeat. Brock has a big voice, though he's not particularly
unique. Radio gave him a good hand.
South 65. 'N Sync meets The Oak Ridge Boys. Five cute guys in their early
20s deliver gospel-pegged harmonies and songs with big, sing-along
choruses. They received a decent, though not overwhelming, hand.
Gil Grand. Firmly country, Grand displayed a vocal conviction with a
resonance reminiscent of Mark Chesnutt. Unfortunately, he had occasional
pitch problems, though they weren't particularly devastating. Again, a
decent, if not spectacular, reception.
Jon Randall. Very smooth performance, and his rendition of the hauntingly
lonely I Can't Find An Angel was chilling. Unfortunately, the audience
had heard so many ballads by this point that the song's subtlety was lost
on a crowd fighting post-dinner fatigue.
Allison Moorer. Even though women are the strongest creative force in the
business currently, Moorer was the lone female on the bill. Her husky
vibrato and smoky tone succeeded, but her biggest stage move was to
change the hand she wrapped around the mic stand. A good hand.
The Great Divide. A country/gospel tune segued into a perfunctory
rendition of Will The Circle Be Unbroken, and they followed with a
country/rocker. With a rather gruff lead singer, the group leans toward
Steve Earle, though it's a distilled version of him, at best. Applause
was polite.
Mark Nesler. The author of Tim McGraw's Just To See You Smile put a tinge
of Waylon Jennings spirit into a Randy Travis kind of resonance on the
solidly country Used To The Pain and sounded more like Billy Ray Cyrus on
the breezy pop/country Baby Ain't Rockin' Me Right. Again, the reception
was good, but nothing special.
Trini Triggs. In the most obvious instance of pandering to the jocks, he
toasted the ailing George Jones in a moment that went flat. His songs
exhibited an island influence and a bit of Spanish flavor, but they were
so wordy they allowed no room for any vocal uniqueness. He did, however,
receive a fairly strong response.
Shane Stockton. Left in the dust when Decca closed, he got a lot of
humorous mileage out of being the only act without a label. After his
gritty Geronimo, he got the biggest response of the evening.
Monty Holmes. He followed a churning country opener with a George
Jones-style weeper, but the crowd had substantially thinned out. Holmes
got decent applause from those who were left.
