Sound Bytes
McKim
The Academy of Country Music Awards handed out its annual trophies Wednesday night, with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, country's token loving couple, coming in the big winners.
Hill, wearing a beautifully designed maternity dress and looking fine as usual, and husband McGraw were awarded trophies for Song of the Year, Video of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year (whatever that means).
Other winners included George Strait for Top Male Vocalist and Album of the Year, Trisha Yearwood for Top Female Vocalist and Garth Brooks for Entertainer of the Year. The awards show, unlike most over-hyped, commercially-driven events, featured brilliant performances from top-notch artists: Leann Rimes, Martina McBride, Collin Raye, Deana Carter, George Strait and Garth Brooks.
In rock news, Lenny Kravitz will release his new album, described as a "hybrid of diverse styles," May 12. Titled 5, Kravitz's new collection of tracks was recorded over eight months of sessions and will display his style of hip-hop and techno music. Kravitz also plans a tour to support the album, starting in late summer.
Country-rocker Shania Twain's latest single, "You're Still the One," wasn't the one this week, as it fell short to the popular tune "Too Close" from R&B group Next. Montell Jordan's smash hit single, "Let's Ride," held strong at No. 3 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, as K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life" and Madonna's "Frozen" rounded out the top five. Look for a number of hot releases, including the soundtrack from He Got Game to make noise in the coming weeks.
Hitting the shelves on Tuesday the 28th are a couple of highly anticipated discs. Dave Matthews Band returns to record stores with Before These Crowded Streets. The soundtrack to the upcoming movie Godzilla, which features a collaboration from Jimmy Page and hip-hop extraordinaire Sean "Puffy" Combs, is also scheduled to hit the stores.
Also on tap for next week is a double CD entitled Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music, which includes live cuts from Sarah McLachlan and Paula Cole. And for all of you classic rap fans, Big Daddy Kane releases his newest disc, Veteranz Day.
Drop me a line if you have any hot music gossip or news at Jslim22@aol.com. I'm out.