Country Mike Blog

Brad Paisley videos and more

Mike Sudhalter  |  May 21, 2007

In a recent entry, I told you folks how much I enjoyed listening to the early music of Brad Paisley.

This morning, I watched the video for "I'm Gonna Miss Her", and I was reminded of how funny and creative those BP videos are.

Paisley has been able to walk the tightrope that's traditional country and contemporary country. He hasn't crossed over, but he's been able to draw in new listeners with videos that have included Dan Patrick, Jason Alexander and Jerry Springer. Hardly regulars in country music videos.

When he first released "Who Needs Pictures", Paisley was just a fresh-faced kid who had little to set him apart from the pack besides some sentimenal ballads like "Who Needs Pictures" and "We Danced" and humor-filled tunes like "Sleepin' On The Foldout" and "It Never Woulda Worked Out Anyway".

Another thing that sets Paisley apart is his awesome musician-ship. I've seen him perform at three stages in his career and have been impressed with all of them. In October 2000, he played the American Royal Rodeo in Kansas City and showed off his talents with the songs from his new album.

He had a much shorter set when he was part of the George Strait Country Music Festival at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium in May 2001.

By May 2006 when I saw him headline an arena tour in California, Paisley had truly grown into his own as an entertainer.

Few artists can be everything to everybody. They're too country. Not country enough. Too outdated. Paisley keeps the traditional country influence in his music with a contemporary spin, and an infecting sense of humor.

Remember when new country artists released their albums instead of singles? It's easy for country fans to get frustrated with record labels who delay and re-delay the release of their artists' albums. Don't get me wrong. I understand the record folks and know that they're in business to make money.

But the fans really lose when they hear a song or two from an artist and then don't hear from them again for a while. I have a few examples of artists I've enjoyed who haven't released a full album yet - Trini Triggs, Amy Dalley, Megan Mullins, and Sarah Buxton

I bought Triggs' CD single (Straight Tequila/Horse to Mexico) in the fall of 1998 and have been patiently waiting for almost nine years to hear a full album.

Dalley is similar to Paisley in that she has a traditional sound mixed in with a contemporary flair.

Speaking of new album, Great American Country will go over the new music that will be released each Tuesday at 1:30 and 10 p.m. eastern time. I also check ITunes weekly to see what singles and new albums have been added to the site.