Well, here's a thought for you. Perhaps you heard, know or remember that
there were many critics of the Nashville Sound. Artists many revere today
for being country icons such as Cline, Arnold, Reeves were chastised for
"selling out" to pop music. So, suppose in twenty years Twain is the
standard by which all other "country" acts are judged?
Somehow, Rod Serling just popped into my mind...
Shania Twain is somewhere between soft-country and pop. This didn't seem to
bother a lot of "country" fans when The Eagles gave us their brand of the
"formula" in the seventies or the myriad of same we experienced then. Twain
just took a "pop" image concept (watered down a bit) and transferred it to
country music. You could probably say the same of Elvis Presley who took a
"rb" image concept and transferred it to rockabilly. No, I don't care much
for Twain's music, but she did go against the grain, did get people to
notice her; she's photogenic, animated and will probably be seen on your
local movie screen within a year or two g The only thing which seems
suspect to me is how much some of her songs remind me of past rock-n-roll,
pop standard hits.
(Now, as far as The Backstreet Boys, geez...I think they're cute,
rosy-cheeked little dumplings. If I were trying to attract a young, pop
audience I'd say I rawked to them too. However, in a thirty-three/four yr.
old woman (as Shania is), it just reeks of PR. However, that video
"Everybody(Backstreet's Back)" was pretty inventive and considering the
drive-by rapping videos so prevalent in '98, I think it's just fine.
-Original Message-
From: Mike Woods [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: passenger side [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Thursday, January 28, 1999 11:53 PM
Subject: She don't impress me much
Just watched Shania Twain on Letterman. Whatever it was, even though
there was a steel guitar onstage, it sure wasn't country. Lots of great
prancing and grimacing from her band. Nice nipples, too.
Presumably she was on there to plug her big upcoming network show. Dave
asked her about it, and she couldn't giggle remember the exact date.
She did mention that every night before her show, all alone on her bus,
she turns on the Backstreet Boys and gets down. All I know about the
Backstreet Boys is what my daughters tell me. The 17-year old thinks they
suck. The 10-year old, who also digs the Spice Girls, think they rawk. I
think I know what I need to know.
-- Mike Woods
-- Honky Tonk Curmudgeons
