Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » Whitney Houston

Keepin’ It Country Presents: Sarah Davidson

Jennifer Swirsky — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 01:59:44 +0000

Sarah Davidson, a Georgia native, grew up as one of six kids. So, naturally, Sarah had to find some way to stand out in her crowded Valdosta home. Fortunately, the solution came easily: the natural entertainer simply had to open her mouth and sing. Fast forward years later and Sarah is ready to share that fresh, powerful voice with the world and reenergize country music with a rare woman’s take on lighthearted, good-time music. Sarah’s next stop on her path to sharing her talents with country music? That would be our Keepin’ It Country Presents Stageit Stage on March 21st at 9:00 p.m. EST, and we could not be more honored to have her join us!

We just know you will love Sarah, especially all you female country music lovers out there! Sarah takes pride in her ability to reach her fans — especially the country girls. “There are so many women out there who love country music and are responding to what artists like Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean are doing. Those guys are all about living life, and I feel like that’s missing on the female side,” says Sarah, ready and willing to fill that void. “When girls hear my music, I want them to think, ‘Wow, she is just like me.’”

Sarah is always refining her craft, writing regularly with her husband and creative partner, award-winning songwriter Dallas Davidson. The pair met at a songwriters’ festival in Key West. “I’ve been writing since I was 12, so Dallas and I really connected,” Sarah says. “We work well together.” Some of the pair’s collaborations appear on Sarah’s upcoming debut album, including “Don’t Kiss Me like That,” a playful warning to a lover about what comes after that first smooch. Equally upbeat are “Crazy Good,” written by Luke Bryan, and “No Sad Songs,” a track Sarah wrote with pal Kelly Archer that sums up the unfailingly optimistic singer’s worldview: Sweep aside the negative and embrace the positive.

Sarah’s desire to pursue country music was only reinforced when she discovered the music of Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks, and even Whitney Houston, whose interpretation of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” struck a chord with Sarah. “I was captivated by the emotion of those artists,” she recalls. “And the stories really attracted me.”

Now, Sarah is eager to share her own story, in songs that will resonate not only with lovers of country, but lovers of life. “I hope people feel good when they hear my songs, because that’s how I feel when I’m singing them,” she says, a brilliant smile on her face. “And that’s a wonderful thing to share.”

We are THRILLED to introduce you all to an incredible artist with an undoubtedly bright future! Please join us on Thursday, March 21st, at 9:00 p.m. EST as Sarah shares her talents with the Keepin’ It Country family! Click HERE to get your tickets for Sarah’s show!

And make sure to check out Sarah’s website, Facebook, and Twitter!

Review: Duets – Episode 5: Cinemeh – Duets Gets 2 Thumbs Down

Nicole Piering — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Grab you popcorn, boys and girls, “Duets” is off to the movies!

After a brief recap of last week’s “dramatic” show that sent Meleana packing, our very monochromatic host, Quackerjack, tells us, “Tonight, it’s about to go down.” Um, okay. Basically that means this show will be more of the same, with mediocre performances, glimmers of greatness and the worst scoring system since the figure skating event at the 2002 winter Olympics (2 gold medals!). It’s worth noting is that this is the last week of the ominous sing-off and starting next week, America will decide who stays and who goes. Ya know, if anyone is still watching this show by next week…

Anywho, first out of the gate are Jennifer Nettles and John Glosson. Jennifer casually mentions that “aesthetic-wise,” John doesn’t “speak to one of the judges.” I’m not positive, but I think she just called him fugly. They are going to be tackling Celine Dion’s overwrought and overplayed ”My Heart Will Go On.” This song still gets on my nerves, ever since a local radio station would play it for every spot on their nightly countdown when I was in about 7th grade. Shut up Celine, shut up Jack and just let go already. Gosh. Jennifer feels that John should just accept the fromage factor, and he is like a can of Cheeze Whiz squirted atop a log of Velveeta on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Also, can someone please explain to me why Jennifer is wearing a burgundy velvet pantsuit over a shirt made of tin foil. Tin foil shirts and queso aside, he gets a standing ovation, the judges praise the vocals, and he takes first place.

Jordan’s parents show up to rehearsal, as do Kelly Clarkson‘s curtains in the form of a dress. Her dad tells us that “Since U Been Away” was a very popular song amongst his family. Oh Daddy Pink-Hair, you just butchered the song worse than Meleana did last week. They’ll be tackling the typical-80s power ballad “Take My Breath Away.” I’m immediately hoping we stay true to the original rather than Jessica Simpson’s painfully breathy cover that hit radio in the early-2000′s. The performance is lacking any real oomph and the song doesn’t play well as a duet. Kelly occasionally tossed in some harmonies, but she clearly tries to let Jordan shine, but unfortunately, our pink-haired heroine falls short and barely glistens. Frankly, I’m bored and only find myself wondering how Kelly appears to lose about 10 pounds per episode of this show. Whatever diet she’s on, sign me up! The judges are lukewarm on the performance, and Jordan falls behind John.

Olivia Chisholm faced elimination last week, so Robin and his punny self chose “Stayin’ Alive” for this week’s performance. I immediately find myself praying for irony with this song. Has Robin’s wedding ring always been so giant? Are Olivia’s bangs real? Do the dancers on this show actually enjoy backing up Robin Thicke and his creepy falsetto? All questions aside, for the first time ever, his John Travolta hair makes sense. Despite giving “WTF?” faces throughout the performance, all of the judges give rave reviews and Olivia jumps ahead of Jordan. Frankly, if THAT was Staying Alive, I want to die.

Next up is Mr. Muppet Mumbler, John Legend, and Madame Hoop Earrings, Bridget Carrington, with the Tina Turner classic “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” It’s the best song choice of the night so far, but something about Bridget screams “backup singer” and not “superstar.” I just don’t think she connects well with the audience. She and John have decent chemistry, but if John was Zack Morris, she’d be his Stacey Carosi in comparison Alicia Keys’ Kelly Kapowski. Also, there is something extremely awkward about her pronunciation of “love” in this song. It actually sounds like she’s saying “What’s loaves got to do with it?” The answer to that just might be everything if you’re Katniss and Peeta. The judges all like the performance…blah, blah, blah…She’s in second place.

Man, this show is not holding my attention tonight. I’m honestly more entertained by the commercials, but they bring up SO many questions and feelings. Is Brave about a Scottish Reba McEntire in the Hunger Games?! Who will Emily pick on The Bachelorette and what the heck is The Glass House about?! I wish my name was Sade Baderinwa. Should I be embarrassed by how badly I want to see Magic Mike? Is it really going to be 100 degrees tomorrow? Gosh, I think I have A.D.D.

Oooh shiny object! Oh it’s Jennifer Nettles and her metallic shirt! J. Rome and Jennifer are tackling “I Will Always Love You” by the late, great Whitney Houston. Moment of silence, por favor. Their rehearsal clip is hilarious and my bff, J. Net, offers to help the always apathetic John Legend find some empathy before singing her advice for J. Rome in some weird country-meets-Broadway-meets-cartoon-character voice. I’ve always wondered what a Whitney-Dolly version of this song would sound like, and this is it! All kidding aside, J. Rome knocks this song out of the park. Maybe we should just end the show now, crown him winner and put us all out of our misery. The camera cuts to Kelly, who clearly gives J. Rome the highest score possible on her judging tablet of doom. She may be able to sing, but methinks her generous scoring is unintentionally sabotaging her own contestants. She raises her hand to speak first except she speaks so fast that I have no idea what she says aside from something about her heels, “pffft,” and “I love you.” The other judges praise him as well, and John Legend fake cries, but surprise, surprise, J. Rome is in first place.

My adorable teenybopper crush, Jason is up next. Kelly says what I’ve been saying all along and that’s that if he makes it to the live shows, America will love him. I agree. He’s got something that most of the other contestants (See: Bridget) lack. It’s almost a Bieber-lite vibe. Go Jason go! They’ll be taking on “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge, which is a movie I have never seen. Kelly, on the other hand, admits that she’s seen it 13.5 times, which has clearly affected her brain, as she tells the camera she hopes Jason impresses “Jennifer, John and Paul.” Clearly, she doesn’t know where she is or how she ended up on this train wreck of a show either. I’m glad they chose this song instead of “Lady Marmalade,” because despite his cuteness, I doubt Jason can rock a garter and bustier. They sound good together, but the clear issue is that Kelly overpowers Jason once again. The judges give him a tepid response and he tumbles down the leader board to last place.

Unfortunately, tonight’s acapella showdown is now an awkward civil war between Team Kelly, as Jason and Jordan face off, with one of them advancing to the live shows and the other clamoring to extend their 15 seconds of fame on Twitter. Jason is singing a song called “Momma Knows Best” that I’m unfamiliar with, but for the first time, I agree with Fozzie Legend on Jason’s pronunciation. He’s got a cool tone and rasp, but I cannot understand a dang word he is saying. Jordan then tackles “I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,” which is gutsy due to the grandiosity of the song, but I can respect her telling the judges that she ain’t leaving…If only it were that easy.

Kelly is speechless for the first time ever on this show and practically twitching over the prospect of sending one of her kids home. The other judges praise them both with lots of cheese and clichés before we learn that they have booted our favorite pink-haired contestant. Robin Thicke has a major case of the sadz over this elimination, and Jordan makes the faces of someone I would not want to meet in a dark alley.

Thinking of great movie songs, I just realized I’m disappointed that no one sang “Somewhere Out There” from the Fievel movie. Le sigh. Next week, we’re taking on the songs of the past decade, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for some decent music. However, this is “Duets,” so I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Going into the live shows, J. Rome is clearly the “I’ll Have Another” of this competition. It’s his contest to lose. We shall see…

American Idol: Skylar Laine

Jeanna D. — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:08:36 +0000

American Idol Season 11 is well underway. As you probably already know, this season’s resident country girl is Skylar Laine and she is definitely one to watch. With a great set of country pipes and stellar performance skills, Skylar is going to be a serious contender for the Idol crown this year. She has “it” as they say.

Skylar has continued to impress me each week, and nails her performance every time she hits the stage. She is one of the most consistent contestants and her stage presence is second to none this season. Her country mixed with rock sound definitely suites her well, and fits in perfectly on current country radio.

Tonight on Idol, we will lose another contestant giving us the Top 9. I would be shocked if Skylar is in jeopardy after her fantastic rendition of Billy Joel’s “Shameless” last night.

Continue reading to catch up on Skylar’s performances from the last three weeks…

Top 10 – Billy Joel Night: “Shameless”

Top 11 – Songs From the Year You Were Born – Bonnie Raitt: “Love Sneakin’ Up On You”

Top 13 – Whitney Houston Night: “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”

Watch American Idol on Wednesdays at 8/7c and tune in for the results on Thursdays at 8/7c.