Nashville Music News - Single Of The Week, 2000

PAGE UPDATED: See date of latest award

This section of Nashville Music News has not been updated since March 2000, although I have kept the pages in because the songs are still as good now as they were when I picked them.

I have been nominating a single for this award each week since March 1999. This page contains the awards for 2000.

What do I look for in my selection? Well each will be 'a single which blows the socks off almost anything heard on UK daytime radio', unfortunately this should not be difficult. Also I will be looking to assemble a good cross section of styles, a list of songs which could be played to convert people to the music.

Current Award
Alan Jackson & George Strait, Murder On Music Row

January
03   Clay Walker     Chain Of Love
A good story telling song which survives where others fail. Even if you normally do not like this kind of song do give this one a listen.

10   Eddy Arnold & Leanne Rimmes     Cattle Call
An unlikely pairing of young and old(60 years+ between them), but it works. Although we now refer to it country and avoid the ' & western' bit, this is a reminder of just how good some of those old songs were.

17   Keith Harling     Bring It On
This is one of those songs that just has to be listened to. Different to his usual style, when I first heard it on the radio, without an introduction, I tried to place the voice. My best guess was Hank Williams Jnr.

24   Trace Adkins     Move
Not much needs to be said. Great voice, great song. Listen to it.

31   Yankee Grey     Another Nine Minutes
Good vocal harmonies with a radio friendly song.

February
07   Tammara Walker     Askin' Too Much
A good song with powerful vocals, better to just listent to it rather than try and classify it.

14   Nikki Dean     A Broken Wing
I have no idea which song Nikki will use for her single, so I picked this one. Martina's version of this song was so good it was a brave one to try, but Nikki's version more than holds it own against it..

21   Jessica Andrews     Unbreakable Heart
Another 'newcomer' with a gentle ballad. Jessica's voice is more than up to the job for this song. The record companies are now pushing the younger artists at the expense of the established ones, but a voice like this will do country no harm.

28   Alan Jackson     The Blues Man
A fine story telling song based on the life of Hank Williams Jnr. Excellent writing combined with Alans easy singing style which manages to get more out of a song than many more 'excitable' singers ever could.

March
06   Kenny Rogers With Alison Krauss & Billy Dean     Buy Me A Rose
Three great vocalists so the song shows promise from the start. A good, well written and well sung ballad. Kenny takes the lead, but it is the combination which makes the song.

13   Laura Cantrell     Queen Of The Coast
What does a good song need? Well, good writing, good singing and good playing would seem like a good start. Sometimes all 3 just come naturally together. This is exactly what has happened here. Highly recommended.

20   Jerry Kilgore     The Look
A great sound. Just the right balance between ballad and 'radio friendly' should ensure it gets played.

27   Alan Jackson & George Strait     Murder On Music Row
Alan Jackson again so soon? Yes, because this just had to be in here. The lyrics of this song explain everything that some people think is wrong with US country radio today. Will the radio stations play it? Apparently some are, but others are not.