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Tag Archives: Sugarland
Review: Duets Four-Star Premiere
Although some of the show’s details were as well-guarded as Fort Knox (uh, insanely complicated judging system, I’m looking at you), ABC has been hyping its new singing competition “Duets” for weeks. By combining the superstar power of Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland) and Robin Thicke, ABC was attempting to create the musical equivalent of Captain Planet’s Planeteers. With each superstar wearing their unique “ring,” they have the potential to combine to form a musical super force, evidenced by the show’s opening number of “Let Me Entertain You.” Clarkson brings a powerhouse voice and a uniquely unaffected charm, while Robin Thicke is the perfect combination of smug and sexy. Jennifer Nettles seems like the ideal next-door neighbor with her twangy drawl, but she’s a force to be reckoned with on stage, and John Legend mellows out the panel with his cool charm and smooth vocals.
The show quickly launched into the live music, focusing only a bit of time on the audition process, which seemed to be random and at the superstars’ discretion. Team Jennifer hit the stage first and although we may have snarked a bit over her partner J. Rome’s cheesy photo on ABC’s website, the New Jersey native proves to be a vocal powerhouse, shining alongside Nettles on the Sugarland song “Tonight.” The audience and the judges love it (a common theme of the evening) and the show is off with a bang. We’re only one performance in and I’m already convinced that ABC picked the perfect ambassador to make country music shine on this show with Jennifer Nettles.
Cruisin’ With Blake Shelton Playlist
With the days getting warmer and the date getting closer, us here at Keepin’ it Country got together to put together a list of our favorite beach-flavored tunes for the Blake Shelton Cruise. We’ll be aboard the biggest live country music event ever to set sail, and we want to help our fellow country music fans get ready for the party of the year!
The 7-night cruise leaves Miami on October 14th, then returns on October 21st after 7-nights at sea. You’ll visit San Juan, Tortola, Nassau, and St. Thomas over those fantastic seven nights. Not only will we be on-board, but so will some of the biggest stars in country music… Blake Shelton will perform twice during the cruise, and he’s bringing along some friends to perform and party with too. There’s so many great performers announced so far that it would take all day to list them here, so visit blakesheltoncruise.com to book your cabin or for more information on the country music party of the year. If you mention Keepin’ it Country when you book your cabin you’ll receive a free gift from us on-board!
Take a look at our ultimate Blake Shelton Cruise playlist below, which we’ll be playing on our iPods as we board the beautiful Norwegian Pearl in October. Leave us your suggestions and maybe your favorites might make our Cruise playlist part 2 at a later date.
Country Stars Talk About Mother’s Day
Country stars took to Twitter today to express their love and gratitude for all the moms out there, especially their own. See what they had to say below!
@OfficialJackson: Hope all you moms have had a happy Mother’s Day!
@blakeshelton: Happy Mothers Day momma!!!!! I love you…
@CartersChord: Happy Mother’s Day to our lovely mom @carterrobertson! And to all you other mamas out there, hope you feel very celebrated today!
@davidnail: For all of us Mommy Boy’s out there, Happy Mothers Day!
@EliYoungBand: Happy mothers day to our moms and all you great moms out there!
@FrankieBallard: How can you not love my Mom?
@HillaryScottLA: Happy Mother’s Day @lindadavismusic!!! I’m the luckiest daughter in the world to have you as my mama!
@HunterHayes: Happy mothers day to all the moms out there. Especially MY mom, the best AND coolest one. ;)
@kramergirl: The strongest lady I know. If I’m half the mother she is I’ll be okay! Happy mothers day to all the moms out
@katiearmiger: Happy Mother’s Day to all of those amazing moms out there!
@KeithUrban: Happy Mother’s Day!
@kristianbush: Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, without whom we would really be nowhere.
@Lauren_Alaina: Happy mothers day @Kristytara (: tell y’alls momma thanks for everything she does for you and play her my song “like my mother does” (; muah
@martinamcbride: Thanks for all the Mother’s Day wishes! Hope it’s a special day for all you moms!
@reba: Red Velvet cupcakes for Mother’s Day w @Shelbilly.
@taylorswift13: Celebrating this Mother’s Day, reflecting back on past matching velvet holiday ensembles.
@thompsonsquare: happy mothers day!!!!
We here at Keepin’ It Country hope all you moms out there had a great Mother’s Day!
PHOTOS: Sugarland’s Kristian Bush Joins Canaan Smith at Opry
Kristian Bush, one half of country duo Sugarland, joined newcomer Canaan Smith at his Grand Ole Opry performance on Friday night. It was Canaan’s fourth performance at the historic venue, and he invited his friend Kristian on-stage for his single “We Got Us.” It was a big deal for the new singer on the block, who looks up to his label mate.
“Friday night was my fourth performance on the Grand Ole Opry and I gotta say it was the most exciting for me.” Canaan says. “Being on that legendary stage with someone as influential and talented as Kristian Bush was overwhelming. That moment will be hard to top.”
Check out the pictures from their special performance below. Canaan is currently on-tour with Sugarland on the highly interactive “In Your Hands” tour. Their next stop in May 22nd at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
Watershed Festival Coming To The Northwest
The country music festival scene is about to get a new player. The recently announced Watershed Festival is coming to Washington state. The self-proclaimed “Northwest’s Premiere Country Music Festival” will reportedly take place at The Gorge Amphitheatre this August 3-5.
While we know the where and the when of the festival, we’re still waiting on the “who” – as in who will be performing. The festival does have an official website, but for now it is serving as a countdown clock to April 27, which is the date when all of the details will be revealed.
One thing that has been confirmed about the Watershed Festival is that Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell is involved. He’s a five-time winner of the Academy of Country Music Award for Promoter of the Year. He works with names such as Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and Sugarland. Any festival that can bring in any of those acts can call itself “premiere” or anything else it wants!
Earlier this week O’Connell sent out this message on his Twitter account:
Hey guys @WatershedFest is my new baby, at the Gorge outside Seattle, one of the best venues.. 3 days of country music and camping !!!!!!
For those who may have never been there, The Gorge is a stunningly beautiful concert setting located about 150 miles east of Seattle. The amphitheatre is just off of Interstate 90 near the tiny town of George (That’s right – George,Washington!) and offers spectacular views overlooking the Columbia River. (See the below pic that was posted on the Watershed Facebook page.)
Come this August, will the river be rockin’ to a whole lot of Country? It certainly sounds like it. Stay tuned!
*******
Keep up with the Watershed Festival on Facebook and follow it on Twitter @WatershedFest.
ACM Awards: Thompson Square Wins Vocal Duo
Thompson Square received a huge surprise last night after performing at the ‘ACM Salute to the Military’ concert at the ACM Experience in Las Vegas.
After Keifer and Shawna Thompson completed their set, ACM CEO, Bob Romeo, presented them with the award for ‘Vocal Duo of the Year” … a day early!
Thompson Square is the first duo besides Brooks and Dunn or Sugarland to win the ACM for ‘Vocal Duo’ since 1991. Since that time, Brooks & Dunn have won the ‘Vocal Duo’ award 16 times. The reigning duo winners, Sugarland, took home the trophy for 2010 and 2008. (In 1998 and 1999, the Dixie Chicks won the award when the category was combined with both duos and groups.)
While accepting the award, the duo was overcome with emotion:
Keifer : “It’s been a long, long road. This is one of the greatest nights of our lives. It’s hard to talk when you’re crying.”
Shawna: “This is a very bittersweet moment for me. More sweet than bitter. My dad passed away a month ago. This is for my dad.”
You can watch the video below of Shawna and Keifer accepting the award…
POLL: ACM Awards – Vocal Duo Of The Year
We want to hear from all of you country music fans!
Next category up for our ACM Awards‘ polls is Vocal Duo Of The Year…
Who gets your vote: Love & Theft, Montgomery Gentry, Steel Magnolia, Sugarland, or Thompson Square?
ACM Awards: Vocal Duo Of The Year
- Steel Magnolia (49%, 137 Votes)
- Sugarland (31%, 88 Votes)
- Thompson Square (17%, 47 Votes)
- Montgomery Gentry (2%, 6 Votes)
- Love and Theft (1%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 280
Loading ...Yesterday, we posted the New Artist poll! Did you vote?
And stay tuned, more polls will be rolling out soon!
VIDEO: Lauren Alaina Performs “Georgia Peaches” On The Today Show
American Idol’s runner-up from last season Lauren Alaina took some time out of her busy post-Idol schedule to stop by The Today Show on Monday to perform her current hit single, “Georgia Peaches.” The song is the second single off Lauren’s debut album, Wildflower, which made it’s debut at #5 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the Country Album charts.
She just wrapped up the ‘My Kinda Party’ Arena Tour with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, and is prepping for her next tour with Sugarland. Lauren has been chosen as one of the two opening acts for select cities on the “In The Hands Of The Fans” Tour in May. To see the complete list of dates Lauren will be at, please check out Lauren’s official site at laurenalainaofficial.com.
Meanwhile, you can check out the video below of Lauren performing “Georgia Peaches” from The Today Show!
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Video Premiere: “Run” – Matt Nathanson Ft. Sugarland
Singer-songwriter, Matt Nathanson, celebrated the world premiere of the music video for his single, “Run,” yesterday. The track features Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles lending her smooth vocals, and appears on Nathanson’s latest album, Modern Love.
Nathanson is currently on tour opening for Kelly Clarkson on the Stronger Tour, and is also out on the road for his All Night Noise Tour. I had the pleasure of seeing Nathanson perform on the Stronger Tour back in January. He is a very talented artist with excellent stage presence, and he also happens to be extremely funny. If you have seen him live, you probably understand the quick shot of the scrabble board in the new video for “Run.”
Meanwhile, country super duo, Sugarland, will be hitting the road in April for their In Your Hands Tour. In addition, Nettles will be one of the judges/mentors on ABC’s upcoming show, Duets, along with Clarkson, Lionel Richie, and Robin Thicke.
Continue reading to check out the video premiere…
DVR Alert: Sugarland On Dancing With The Stars
Country music super-duo Sugarland will perform two songs tonight on ABC’s new season of “Dancing With The Stars”. The results show airs tonight at 9 pm EST. The pair will first perform their new single “Run” with Matt Nathanson, then will get a second live performance of “Find The Beat Again” from their current album “The Incredible Machine.”
Jennifer and Kristian aren’t planning on slowing down anytime soon. They’ll be kicking off their latest headlining tour “In Your Hands” on April 5th. The interactive tour depends on the fans for the set list of each city – guaranteeing that it won’t ever be the same show twice! What song is number one on your Sugarland request list?
