How Do  - Mary Chapin Carpenter  - 1989 -  (Album - State Of The Heart)

 Mary Chapin Carpenter sold a ton of albums in the 1990's.  She is perhaps one of the more underrated singers of that remarkable decade as sometimes, time is not overly kind to some of our past stars.  In the long run, MCC was not traditional country, she was not pop, but what she was, was a very interesting mix of a few kinds of music, and much of it was for the thinking person.  This song was not her biggest hit by any means. But this was her very first successful hit single.  And this is among the most savvy debut songs in all the years I've been doing this. More artists should follow this formula. This is short, concise, uptempo, fun and hard not to sing along with, or at least tap your toes. When introducing yourself to someone, many times less is more, and leaving them wanting more is a key as well.  That's exactly what this song does, and even though she was not traditional, this song is.  It checks every box for a proper introduction, and after this, she was on her way for a decade of big hit songs.   Smart, slick and perfect for an introduction.  Young artists - listen up!

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My Full Profile On Mary Chapin Carpenter

Sam Hunt's current single, "Outskirts," went from two to the top of the Mediabase country singles chart this week. "Outskirts" is also the first single from Sam's newest EP, Locked Up. 

Brad Paisley just earned a high honor that has little to do with his music or talent. Brad was named Tennessean of the Year.
He was recognized for his philanthropic efforts like The Store, which provides groceries for those experiencing food insecurity. In addition, he hosts and participates in many charity events and has established a scholarship fund at his alma mater, Belmont University.
He is also part of the nationwide "Tennessee On Me" campaign to promote tourism. 

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 Well the 90's were over and it was a new century.  Lee Ann Womack was a terrific country singer with a great look and a wonderful voice that gave real emotion to much of her material.  This ushered in 2000 and was perhaps the first gigantic country hit of the new millennium. It was universally loved by about everyone on the planet, winning about every award a song can.  Grammy's, ACM, CMA the list goes on and sold millions.  This written song is about perfect.  It speaks of every parents hope for their own child, taking every parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, or Godparent to the vision of the children in their life and their dreams for them.  But a song this good needs a voice and it ended up where it should have, with Womack who was a young mother herself at this moment, which gave it real credibility.   This is a confluence of many great things that spawned a huge hit song.  Then toss in the wonderful background vocals of the Sons Of The Desert and you have about the perfect mix yet again.  The video was a big part of this enormous #1, that was the zenith of LAW's career, as it became a huge crossover hit as well.   Funny thing, many times a song this big and influential can be a curse at the same time.  With all the awards, airplay and sales, there comes the "what's next"  factor.  Her next song, Ashes Buy Now, was her last song to really chart well.  Although her There's More Where That Came From, album from 2005, was a big success and is a work of art.  But every artist would love a song this big, and this important that introduced us to millions, upon millions of new fans.  And still does when played.

Last Week #34

My Full Profile On Lee Ann Womack