American Idol welcomes back Phil Stacey, Bucky Covington
Monday, March 31, 2008 – American Idol season 6 finalist Phil Stacey and season five finalist Bucky Covington will step into the AI spotlight again this week as the subject of a special segment on Fox Television's top-rated show. Fans can tune into American Idol on the Fox network on Wednesday night, April 2, at 9 p.m. eastern.
The Idol crew caught up with Stacey and his family for a shoot earlier this month on a farm outside of Nashville. He updated the show on his life since Idol, his family and talks all about his self-titled debut CD, set for an April 29th release on Lyric Street Records. The segment also features fellow AI Bo Bice.
Covington's current hit is "It's Good To Be Us." His debut came out in April 2007.
Stacey's debut single, "If You Didn't Love Me," is climbing the country charts. Stacey made his Grand Ole Opry debut this past weekend to perform his single and other songs. The CD pairs him with producer Wayne Kirkpatrick, the songwriter best known for material recorded by Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Babyface, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton, whose version of Kirkpatrick's "Change the World" won a Grammy award for Song of The Year. The 11-song CD includes songs by Kirkpatrick, Wendell Mobley ("There Goes My Life," "Take Me There"), Neil Thrasher ("I Melt," "How Forever Feels") and Rivers Rutherford ("Ain't Nothing 'Bout You," "When I Get Where I'm Going").
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CD reviews
Phil Stacey
Phil Stacey has the country music likeability factor sewn up: Family man. Three ministers in the immediate family. He even re-upped with the Navy after his American Idol success in 2007. But is any of this enough to seek out his self-titled debut?
While on Idol (which ended in a modest fifth-place finish), Stacey carved out a niche primarily as a syrupy balladeer. So, the plunge into rock-country (one hears echoes of Bob Seger and even Boston at times) may surprise. But trouble makes itself »»» |
Bucky Covington
Bucky Covington is the latest American Idol alum to dive headlong in the country genre. Covington and fellow Idol Season 5 contestant Kellie Pickler are out to prove you don't have to win the competition to launch a career.
As a top 10 finisher, Covington was a fan favorite because of his vocals and fun-loving personality. The problem with his debut album is that much of that personality is suppressed in favor of broad stroke generic songs. While his vocals sound better than ever, many of »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: Music City goes (Boston) Pop(s) –
On the face of it, the idea of top shelf country songwriters coming up from Nashville to play with the Boston Pops may seem incongruous. The idea of the venerable Boston institution and fixture on the July 4 scene, playing patriotic songs doesn't have all that much to do with country.
The idea isn't without precedent, of course.... »»»
Concert Review: O'Donovan goes home –
Aiofe O'Donovan had plenty of reason to be filled with good cheer. This was a hometown gig, after all, and only three days before the release of her first full-length solo debut, "Fossils."
Joking that the audience was filled with people she knew from high school and her parents' friends, O'Donovan made it clear that Boston... »»»
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Southeastern
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