The Editorials
Top 5 Singles of 1999
Written by Jeff Krasky and Darren O'Neill
In our last editorial we tackled the task of selecting the top 5 albums of 1999. This time around you will find our picks for the top singles of 1999. How does our list compare to yours? Read on and find out!
Jeff Krasky's Top 5 Singles of 1999
When we first thought up the idea of doing these top five editorials I never imagined that it would be such a time consuming task. The question most frequently rose when narrowing down the top five albums list was, are there really albums out there worth such a distinction? I eventually narrowed it down to the five that I felt were the ones worthy of the recognition. Now I get to attempt to do the same thing with the singles released in 1999. Here it is…
1. Kelly Willis “Take Me Down” (From The Album What I Deserve): There is no denying that What I Deserve was hands down the album of the year much like there is no denying “Take Me Down” is easily the single of the year. It’s a shame it didn’t see more commercial success but make no mistake about it, this song will sink it’s teeth into you and not let you go until the last note is played. Exceptional.
2. Dixie Chicks “Ready To Run” (From The Album Fly): I loved this single. The sound was refreshing and different. Which is something that we desperately need. In all honesty I feared the sophomore release from the Dixie Chicks figuring they would bend and make their music more pop sounding in the hopes of picking up a few more record sales. I’m very glad they didn’t. The Dixie Chicks are simply the most promising act out there and this is hands down one of the very best singles of the year.
3. Jo Dee Messina “Lesson In Leavin'” (From The Album I’m Alright): Jo Dee Messina made one of the strongest comebacks I’ve ever seen with her current album. The reason for the success? Incredible songs like “Lesson In Leavin’” sung with Jo Dee’s bubbly personality. I’ve found her music almost impossible not to love. This single is no different.
4. SHeDAISY “Little Goodbyes” (From The Album The Whole SHeBANG): This song is nothing but a lot of fun. Make no mistake about it this trio is good. Really good. They recorded one of the most inventive albums I’ve heard in a long time and this single is a perfect representation of what’s to be found on the album. If you haven’t got this one yet, don’t miss out. It’s incredible.
5. Sherrie Austin “Never Been Kissed” (From The Album Love In The Real World): This single was selling like mad earlier this year and for good reason. The song is fun and it has that classic Austin attitude. No one sings them as good as Sherrie does when she’s paired up with the right material. “Never Been Kissed” is a classic example of that.
The singles released in 1999 were much stronger than the albums. The resemblance to pop music’s business structure is striking. Record a couple of top-notch tunes and then record filler the rest of the way through in the interest of making a quick buck. So while we saw some solid singles and some good chart performance it doesn’t change the fact that the quality level for music coming out of Nashville seems to be at an all time low. Let’s hope that next year continues to turn out solid singles like we saw this year. But let’s also keep our fingers crossed that everyone in Nashville will realize we want solid albums to go along with those hit singles. Only time will tell…
Darren O'Neill's Top 5 Singles of 1999
Ok, let me start by saying that doing any kind of top 5 type of review for me is kind of like pulling teeth. I literally listen to so much music that it’s very hard for me to keep things straight in my head. Trying to remember if a particular song was released in the past year is not one of my strong points!
Also, a top five favorite list is a very personal thing. Just because I liked a certain 5 songs over everything else that was released certainly does not mean that anyone at all will agree with me. Of course, that is not going to stop me from telling you what I think. We all know that will never happen!
1. Kelly Willis “Not Forgotten You” (From The Album What I Deserve): I fully agree with our senior editor that “What I Deserve” is hands down the best country album released this year. I’m going to go a step further and say it’s the best country album released by a woman or a man in the 1990’s. I do disagree with Mr. Krasky when he says that “Take Me Down” is the single of the year, instead I give the nod to “Not Forgotten You.” The song is a great vehicle for Kelly’s style, and it actually got some decent airplay on CMT. As my own statement on the state of country music this year, let me just say that I deeply considered filling my top five list with songs exclusively from this album. And, looking back upon it, it wasn’t as much that country music had that bad of a year, it was just that Kelly Willis was a shining example of just how damn good country music can be.
Martina McBride “I Love You” (From The Album Emotion): Again, let me state that I’m biased, I’m Martina’s webmaster and proud of it. Being in that position, I saw exactly what kind of a fuss that this song created when it was released. And, it was fairly split on whether people thought the song was great or thought it was pure pop music. Now me, personally, I love to see an artist take chances and take their sound to a new level. Martina did that for me with “I Love You.” It’s definitely not a lyrical masterpiece, and it’s not Martina’s most powerful vocal track ever, but it works! It’s a fun song that was released during the summer, a perfect time for this kind of pop magic to occur.
SHeDAISY “Little Goodbyes” (From The Album The Whole SHeBANG): This is the band that surprised me the most with their debut release. These girls have thrown together some of the best harmonies ever to be recorded. Their voices were made for each other, and they use them to their fullest potential. This was the first single released from the cd, and definitely my favorite. It takes a look at a break-up from a slightly different point of view, and it sets the tone that these girls will be a country music force to be reckoned with in the very near future.
Faith Hill “Breathe” (From The Album Breathe): I have a love / hate relationship with Faith Hill’s music. Some songs are such highlights that you can’t deny them, and “Breathe” is one of those for me. It shows how far Faith has come in the past few years vocally. The cuts on Breathe that are the strongest are the one’s where Faith sounds the most like herself, instead of too much like Martina McBride. “Breathe” is a song that soars, and let’s Faith show us how good she really can be. I’d also like to give honorable mention to the song “If I Should Fall Behind» on this disc. It’s one of my favorite recent Bruce Springsteen penned songs, and Faith does a decent cover version here.
Sherrie Austin “That’s No Way To Break A Heart” (From The Album Love In The Real World): Sherrie has released a pretty good disc with Love In The Real World. It’s very solid from start to finish, and there are a lot of songs that are worth listening to over and over. “That’s No Way To Break A Heart” is a great ballad that is a nice balance with the more up tempo songs on the disc. There is something about Sherrie’s voice that has had been hooked since the first time I heard her. Perhaps it’s the twinge of that Australian accent, who knows! I’m sure if Nashville figures out that’s it, we’re in for a bunch of new Australian artists in 2000!
So, looking back, was is a disappointing year for country music? Yes, a little bit. I can’t even say that it is because country music has seemingly taken a turn to the pop music vein. I think it’s mainly because country music to me has always been about heartfelt emotion, about telling a story to the listener. Lately, it’s a hook and a few verses, some of which don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.
There is definitely a market for this new breed of pop-country music that is being released, I only wish that there was another choice out there. I wish there were more artists like Kelly Willis who are willing to follow their artistic vision and release an album like she has. I know there are artists like that out there, I guess the trick is getting a record label to actually release a disc that goes in that direction.
So as we look ahead to the year 2000 (or MM as we call it in Roman Numerials), I hope that the future brings us some more good music. I hope that it brings us a few more unique acts to go along with the me-too crowd that’s ruling Nashville. And, I hope it brings another album from Kelly Willis, although I’m not holding my breath on that one! Happy New Year!
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