CRS Day Four

The final day of CRS 2010. The last day of seminars to discuss the various aspects of the radio and record business.

Beyond that, Capitol Records hosted a luncheon and The New Faces Class of 2010 performed. At lunch, it was announced that Little Big Town could not be in attendance because Karen Fairchild is with child and due to have the baby any day. To substitute, the music video for the new single “Little White Church” opened the show, followed by music videos from The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lady Antebellum. Emily West appeared in person. She is an energetic little firecracker with looks and pipes reminiscent of Faith Hill. Her current single is “Blue Sky,” which she sang so powerfully, it’s a good thing that the luncheon plates were shatter-proof plastic.

Following Emily was Eric Church, who brought a little bit of his road show to the convention center. In a cleverly-put-together production, Eric presented an interactive documentary. Interspersed with his live performance on stage, video packages of his life on the road were shown on the large side screens. Plus, to spice up the standard live feed of video from the stage on those large screens, much of the time, that live video was faded into video of real live crowds. The whole presentation felt much more connected to a true concert experience, rather than just a bunch of jaded radio people eating lunch and listening to yet another artist. And this from the same guy who three years ago did the same luncheon and spent his allotted 20 minutes doing a continuous medley of all his music rather than breaking it up with a bunch of talking between songs. Eric is a unique and entertaining character. Although, he beats his chest a lot when he sings. That’s got to hurt after a while.

CRS wraps up with The New Faces Class of 2010. Each act begins with a short video that some use as a career-highlight reel, some use as a thank-you video, and some use to be cute and funny through contrived skits. Once onstage, each act has enough time for about 4 songs. Most do their current and/or most famous hits that radio will recognize, plus something of their choosing. First up was Love and Theft - young, fresh, and energetic. The three-part harmonies or “Runaway” really keep your attention moving across the stage. They will be opening for Tim McGraw this year. Randy Houser was quite humbled by the honor of being voted on to the New Faces show. To him, performing at his current level is a dream he’s had since he was about 5 years old. He rocked out on Drake’s viral video hit, “Boots On,” and sent his vocals soaring on the song that let his mama hear her son on the radio for the first time, “Anything Goes.” Chris Young got directly to the business at hand by delivering “Gettin’ You Home” to the radio programmers who made it his first number one song. He also slipped in “Voices,” “The Man I Want To Be,” and one of his personal favorites, “Rainy Night In Georgia,” the latter a sultry song that fits his charismatic voice like a soft pair of fresh socks. The fast-rising foursome of Gloriana stepped out to own the stage with a sampling of their music including their first hit “Wild At Heart,” and the current single which they recorded for the US Olympic Team soundtrack “The World Is Ours Tonight.” Each member seemed to have their own style and unique contribution to the group, but as a whole they are a full plate of audio and visual tastiness. Lastly, Justin Moore took to the stage, complete with a 4-wheel ATV on his set. Unlike Bucky Covington, who rode his dirt bike onto stage two years ago, Justin used his vehicle only for continuity from his hunting-themed video introduction. The video ended with the ATV headlights coming at the camera; the curtain came up to those headlights glaring into the audience. From there, it was game on! With the exception of a touching tribute song for his grandpa, Justin rocked out and owned that stage. This is a guy to be excited about. He is an all-purpose package and a bright light to country’s future. His music is country, but it’s rockin’. He can touch your heart with a ballad, or he can kick your a$$ with an attitude song. He’s got the tunes that'll relate to the guys; he’s got the sexy swagger of Tim McGraw to swoon the women. It looks like country music is in good hands with the Class of 2010. Another successful CRS in the can. You've been seeing the pictures. Watch for video.