Carrie Underwood writes more on new album “Play On”
A version of this story appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Carrie Underwood’s got the write stuff for new album
Underwood co-wrote seven of 13 titles on her New album, ‘Play On’
Between the No. 1 hits and the TV appearances, the magazine covers and the red carpet fashions, music fans can be forgiven for forgetting that country superstar Carrie Underwood was once an aspiring journalist.
But the credits for her new album “Play On” serve as a pointed reminder that the Oklahoma native was sharpening her pen long before she won “American Idol” in 2005.
“I got a lot of practice writing in general, especially in college. You know, in high school I wrote for the school paper, in college I wrote for the school paper, and was always busy writing stories,” she said in a September press conference at her Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame induction in Muskogee.
Underwood, 26, co-wrote seven of the 13 songs on “Play On,” her third album. She helped pen four tracks on her second record, 2007’s “Carnival Ride,” and one on her 2005 debut “Some Hearts.”
“This one, I had a lot more time to do a lot more writing, and I feel like I’m a lot more comfortable in myself as a writer. That just happens — the more you do it, the better, the easier it gets, I suppose,” said Underwood, who received her mass communications degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah almost a year after she won the reality TV singing contest.
“Play On,” released Tuesday, has been one of the fall’s most anticipated country albums — for good reason. Since winning the fourth season of “Idol,” Underwood has sold more than 10 million records, notched 10 No. 1 hits from her first two albums and won four Grammy Awards, as well as myriad other industry accolades. On Nov. 11, she will co-host and compete for two honors at the Country Music Association’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards.
While she is best known for belting out feisty breakup songs, uplifting anthems and soaring ballads, Underwood is demonstrating a knack for helping craft her hits. Three songs she co-wrote for “Carnival Ride” — “So Small,” “All-American Girl” and “Last Name” — topped the country charts.
For “Play On,” she set out to stretch her songwriting skills.
“I kind of branched out and wrote with a lot of people that I’ve never even met before — people that weren’t even necessarily involved in country music,” she said. “We’d take like me and a good friend of mine who I’d written with before who is a staple in country music and then kind of bring another element to it, which was a lot of fun.”
For instance, she penned “Cowboy Casanova” with respected Nashville songsmith Brett James, who also co-wrote her Grammy-winning hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and hip-hop writer/producer Mike Elizondo, known for his work with Dr. Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent. The saucy lead-off single zipped into the top five in just seven weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
“This is probably the fifth song I’ve written with Carrie and she’s just delightful. She’s a fantastic person, she’s a fantastic singer, obviously an amazing singer, and she’s a really, really great songwriter,” said James, who grew up in Oklahoma City and Cordell.
The songstress also wrote with rockers Raine Maida of My Lady Peace on the lovely ballad “Unapologize” and Zac Maloy, former frontman of Oklahoma City band The Nixons, on the spiritual tearjerker “Temporary Home.”
“I had to be a fan,” she said of Maloy. “I was like, ‘I saw you when I was in high school.’ So, it was a lot of fun for me to work with him.”
Underwood, who counts fellow Oklahoman Garth Brooks as one of her idols, remains unapologetic for making rock- and pop-flavored country music.
“Right now in country music is a great time for a lot of different kinds of country music,” she said. “If you turn on the radio you can find something you like, whether you like things that are more kind of contemporary country, or you find more things that are traditional country or more kind of rock-influenced.”
But she acknowledged her mix-and-match approach to choosing songwriting partners didn’t always work.
“Sometimes we’d get things that were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is new and fresh and awesome,’ and sometimes it was like, ‘Whoa — what have we done?’ she said. “Most of those you’ll probably never hear — that’s why they were ‘whoa, what have we done moments.’ But it was a great learning experience.”
Among the collaborations that didn’t make it onto the album were songs she co-wrote with fellow Oklahoma native and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill.
“It was still an investment in somebody you like, and a neat kid who’s got her head on straight. And you just root for her,” said Gill, who sings on her new track “Look at Me.”
“She’s all things good.”
Contributing: Assistant Entertainment Editor George Lang.
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Garth Brooks’ Vegas shows sell out
Garth Brooks (Associated Press photo)
After spending most of this decade in retirement, Oklahoma music superstar Garth Brooks is back in demand – big time.
Tickets for Brooks’ first 20 shows at the Wynn Las Vegas resort sold out in less than five hours after going on sale Saturday morning, according to The Associated Press. The resort said Saturday it reached maximum capacity for callers at 141,934, with many getting busy signals.
Officials told the AP that the ticket Web site had more than 5.4 million page views with 40,000 waiting to buy tickets online at one point.
Brooks recently announced that he was coming out of retirement and entering a five-year deal with casino owner Steve Wynn that includes 15 weeks of shows a year in the Encore Theater, which seats about 1,500. Tickets were priced at $125 plus fees.
The Tulsa native, who the RIAA has declared the best-selling solo act in U.S. history, will play Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays select weeks beginning Dec. 11.
Brooks retired in 2001 to devote more time to his family, and he said Wynn was able to draw him out of retirement by catering to his desire to continue to spend time with his wife and children. Brooks lives in Owasso with his wife, fellow country star Trisha Yearwood, and three daughters from his previous marriage.
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Garth Brooks Las Vegas tickets go on sale this morning
Garth Brooks (Associated Press photo)
Tickets to Oklahoma music superstar Garth Brooks’ first concerts at the Wynn Las Vegas casino and resort go on sale at 10 a.m. Oklahoma time (8 a.m. Pacific) this morning, according to CMT.com.
During select weeks, the Owasso resident will perform one show on Fridays and Sundays and two shows on Saturdays. The initial performance dates are Dec. 11-13, Jan. 1-3 and 22-24 and Feb. 12-14 and 26-28.
Tickets may be booked on the Wynn Las Vegas Web site or by phoning (702) 770-7469. Tickets are priced at $125, but total $143 after the addition of a $5 service charge and a $13 tax.
To discourage ticket scalping, there is a six-ticket limit per person or credit card.
Brooks recently announced that he was coming out of his nine-year retirement to become the resident headliner at the casino.
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Vince Gill-Daughtry and Kenny Chesney-Dave Matthews duets planned for CMA Awards
Vince Gill (Photo by Steve Gooch/The Oklahoman Archives)
Chris Daughtry of the band Daughtry (Associated Press photo)
Several additional performers have been announced in the past few days for next month’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards, including big cross-genre duets pairing Oklahoma native Vince Gill and rock band Daughtry and Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews.
In addition, Oklahoma resident Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band are recent additions to the Country Music Association’s awards show lineup.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on Nov. 11 on ABC.
In their debut CMA Awards performance, Grammy-nominated rock band Daughtry joins Country Music Hall of Fame member Gill for a duet of “Tennessee Line,” which the superstars recorded together for Daughtry’s new album, “Leave This Town.” That album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart in July, becoming the group’s second consecutive album to top the charts. Daughtry’s self-titled first album, released in 2006, was the quickest-selling rock debut album in SoundScan history, selling more than five million copies worldwide.
Gill, who was born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, has won 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer (1993, 1994), Male Vocalist (1991-1995), and Album of the Year (1993 for I Still Believe in You; 1994 for Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles). The singer-songwriter, who hosted the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years (1992-2003), was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Chesney and Matthews will perform “I’m Alive,” which they recorded together for Chesney’s “Lucky Old Sun” album. The song was originally recorded by Willie Nelson. The Matthews/Chesney duet is the current single from Chesney’s “Greatest Hits, Vol. 2.”
Chesney, the four-time and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year (2004, 2006-08), is tied with Oklahoman Garth Brooks as the top winner in this category. He has received seven CMA Awards, including Album of the Year in 2004 for When the Sun Goes Down, which he co-produced with Buddy Cannon. This year, he has three nominations: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, and Musical Event with Mac McAnally for “Down the Road.” Chesney has sold more than 25 million albums, achieved 19 No. 1 hits, debuted five albums at No. 1 on the all genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, and for the last eight years has sold more than one million concert tickets annually, making him the biggest ticket seller in any genre in this century.
Matthews will be making his debut appearance on the CMA Awards. The singer/songwriter/actor has sold more than 32 million albums as leader of the acclaimed Dave Matthews Band and won three Grammy Awards. Dave Matthews Band’s current album is the platinum-certified “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in June. This accomplishment ties them with Metallica as the only bands in chart history to debut five consecutive studio albums at No.1. With more than 16 million tickets sold, Dave Matthews Band was named the top-drawing American band in the world by Billboard.
Miranda Lambert
Lambert, a Tishomingo resident, is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year. The fiery performer has a career total of seven CMA nominations. Her new album “Revolution” recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart. This accomplishment established Lambert as the third artist in the SoundScan era to have their first three albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.
McGraw last performed on the CMA Awards stage in 2005, when he joined wife Faith Hill on “Like We Never Loved At All.” His last solo performance on the CMA Awards was in 2004, when he opened the show with “How Bad Do You Want It?” The superstar, who has sold more than 40 million albums and dominated the charts with 30 No. 1 singles, has won 11 CMA Awards, including Entertainer (2001); Male Vocalist (1999, 2000); and Album of the Year (1998 for Everywhere; 1999 for A Place in the Sun). McGraw last received a CMA Award in 2007 for Musical Event of the Year on “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tracy Lawrence and Kenny Chesney. McGraw will release his new album, “Southern Voice,” on Tuesday.
Aldean, who has a career total of two CMA nominations, recently celebrated topping the Billboard Top Country Singles chart for four weeks with his hit “Big Green Tractor.” The song, which is from his album “Wide Open,” also topped the Billboard all-genre ringtone chart, a first for a country artist.
Currington earned two nominations this year, Single and Music Video of the Year, both for “People Are Crazy,” from his album “Little Bit of Everything.” He co-produced the single with Carson Chamberlain, while the video was directed by The Brads. Currington has a career total of three CMA nominations, as he was previously nominated in 2005 for Musical Event of the Year for his duet with Shania Twain on “Party for Two.” The writers of “People Are Crazy,” Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones, are currently nominated for Song of the Year.
Reigning New Artist of the Year Lady Antebellum received two nominations in 2009. The trio is up for Vocal Group and Single of the Year for “I Run to You,” produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley, from their platinum-certified self-titled debut album. Lady Antebellum recently released “Need You Now,” the first single from their upcoming new album of the same name, in stores Jan. 2010.
Zac Brown Band received their debut three nominations in 2009 for New Artist, Vocal Group, and Single of the Year for “Chicken Fried,” from their platinum-certified album “The Foundation.” Lead singer Zac Brown also received a fourth nomination as co-writer of “Chicken Fried” (along with Wyatt Durrette) in the Song of the Year category.
Previously announced performers include Oklahomans Brooks & Dunn (which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, Chockie-raised Reba McEntire and Checotah native Carrie Underwood, along with Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
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Photo gallery: Garth Brooks’ big week
Country music star Garth Brooks appears at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. Brooks announced that he’s coming out of retirement. He retired in 2000 to spend more time with his three children, and since then has appeared occasionally at special events, awards shows, and charity events. (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma superstar Garth Brooks experienced a busy and happy few days last week.
On Thursday, he announced in a Nashville press conference that he was coming out of retirement after nine years of staying mostly off the road and out of the recording studio.
Later that day, he traveled to Las Vegas, where he and casino owner Steve Wynn announced in another press conference that Brooks is becoming the resident performer at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, starting in December.
On Saturday, Brooks, along with football great Barry Sanders and baseball star Robin Ventura, was inducted to the Oklahoma State University Alumni Hall of Fame during OSU’s homecoming festivities.
Here are some memorable moments from Garth’s big week:
Garth Brooks mimics a fiddle player as he answers questions at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. (AP photo)
Garth Brooks appears at a news conference on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. (AP photo)
Garth Brooks and his wife, fellow country star Trisha Yearwood, leave the Grand Ole Opry House after Brooks held a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. (AP photo)
Wynn Resorts Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn, right, and country music star Garth Brooks speak during a news conference in Las Vegas, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. (AP photo)
Garth Brooks smiles as he fields questions about his new Vegas gig during a news conference in Las Vegas, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. (AP photo)
OSU Alumni Hall of Fame 2009 inductees Barry Sanders, Robin Ventura and Garth Brooks wave to the crowd during the walk to the stadium before the college football game between Oklahoma State Universityand the University of Missouri at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (Photo by Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman)
Robin Ventura and Garth Brooks get gifts from fans as they ride to a press conference following their “walk” with the football team OSU-MU game. (Photo by Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman)
Garth Brooks holds up a few of the gifts he received from fans during the homecoming festivities. (Photo by Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman)
Barry Sanders, Garth Brooks and Robin Ventura speak at a press conference before the college football game between Oklahoma State University and the University of Missouri at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (Photo by Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman)
Garth Brooks hoists the Alumni Hall of Fame Plaque during the OSU-MU game at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman)
Barry Sanders, left, Robin Ventura, center, and Garth Brooks, right, walk off the field after being introduced to the crowd during the OSU-MU game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP photo)
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Garth Brooks, Barry Sanders, Robin Ventura inducted into OSU Alumni Hall of Fame
Oklahoma State University celebrities Barry Sanders, Garth Brooks and Robin Ventura speak at a press conference before the college football game between Oklahoma State University and the University of Missouri Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater. (Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman)
Oklahoma State honored three of its greatest graduates Saturday, when Garth Brooks, Barry Sanders and Robin Ventura were added to the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame.
Country music star Brooks is the No. 1-selling solo artist in U.S. history. Sanders is a Heisman Trophy winner who became a premier running back in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. Ventura is a third baseman who became a college hitting-streak record holder and went on to play professional for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and L.A. Dodgers.
My colleague Nathan Poppe covered a press conference Saturday featuring the honorees: He reports that Brooks called himself the “old guy” and recalled memories of seeing Sanders on the football field and Ventura on the baseball diamond. Sanders said he remembered Brooks being a legend in Stillwater before he got to OSU, but Brooks said that he was overwhelmed by being next to Sanders and Ventura.
Brooks also chatted about his decision, announced last week, to come out of retirement after spending nine years out of recording and touring. Fans have a lot to do with him returning to music, he said.
“The sweetest love in the world is somebody that looks at you, doesn’t know you, but believes in you almost as much as your mom did,” Brooks said.
Brooks said his family also is excited about him performing again.
“I’m (bothering them) all the time,” Brooks said. “So, they are going to be happy that I’m out of town.”
Brooks said it’s a challenge keeping up with his three teenage daughters, and he’s looking forward to getting more sleep while he is on the road.
The superstar will begin playing Dec. 11 at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Brooks said he doesn’t know for sure what will happen to his career after playing at the Wynn, where he reportedly has signed a five-year deal.
Click here to read the rest of Nathan’s great story about what the honorees had to say.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Oct. 17, 2009
A float moves through downtown Stillwater as part of the 2007 OSU Homecoming Parade. (Photo by Matt Strasen/The Oklahoman Archives)
Today’s featured event:
STILLWATER – Take in the homecoming festivities at Oklahoma State University, including the Sea of Orange Homecoming Parade at 2 p.m. in downtown.
This year’s OSU Alumni Hall of Fame inductees – country music superstar Garth Brooks, football great Barry Sanders and baseball star Robin Ventura – will be grand marshals for the parade.
For more information, go to www.okstate.edu.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Friday Featured Track for Oct. 16, 2009
Garth Brooks (Associated Press photo)
The song that has been on my brain the most this week:
- “Ain’t Goin’ Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up),” Garth Brooks, from his 1993 album “In Pieces.”
With all the news breaking this week about the Oklahoma superstar, it’s hard to imagine that I wouldn’t have significant portions of his discography running through my head.
Brooks announced Thursday that he is coming out of retirement to become a headline performer in Las Vegas. On Saturday, he will be honored as one of the 2009 inductees into the Oklahoma State University Alumni Hall of Fame. (The other two are Barry Sanders and Robin Ventura.)
This rowdy tribute to teenagers gone wild has always been among my favorites of Brooks’ many hit singles. It seems somehow appropriate as the Owasso resident proves that even after nine years mostly out of the limelight, his music career isn’t riding off into the sunset anytime soon.
Click here to view the video.
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Oklahomans excited about the end of Garth Brooks’ retirement
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (Associated Press photo)
The excitement about Oklahoma music superstar Garth Brooks’ decision to come out of retirement is bubbling over in his home state.
The Owasso resident announced Thursday that he plans to end his nine-year retirement and play a series of special engagements beginning Dec. 11 at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.
Brooks, who was born in Tulsa and raised in Yukon, likened his upcoming solo acoustic shows in Vegas to performances he used to give at Willie’s Saloon, a Stillwater bar where he played often early in his career.
From Willie’s Saloon manager Joe Farmer and Eskimo Joe’s founder Stan Clark to Yukon Mayor Bob Bradway and Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, my colleagues George Lang and Nathan Poppe collected excited reactions from several Oklahomans.
“It’s also exciting news for Oklahoma, a state fortunate enough to have a tremendous and storied musical legacy,” Henry told them. “Garth Brooks has always been a terrific ambassador for his home state, and we look forward to him making music again.”
Brooks’ big announcement has added an extra degree of anticipation to the homecoming festivities this weekend at his alma mater. Brooks, along with Barry Sanders and Robin Ventura, will be added to the Oklahoma State University Alumni Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Brooks retired from recording and touring in 2001, saying he wanted to spend more time in Owasso with his three daughters, now 13, 15 and 17. While he initially planned to stay retired until the youngest turned 18, he said that his children and second wife, country star Trisha Yearwood, support his decision to return to performing.
“We’ve talked about this, they’re excited,” Brooks said. “The girls are excited to see me get out of the house.”
Read more of Nathan and George’s great story by clicking here.
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Garth Brooks taking solo acoustic shows to Las Vegas casino
Garth Brooks (Associated Press photo)
Well, it was no shocker that Oklahoma country superstar Garth Brooks announced today that he is indeed casting off retirement to become the resident performer at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Word of his Vegas deal had leaked far and wide over the Internet and in the music industry in the past few days.
But Brooks and Steve Wynn, chairman of the board and CEO of Wynn Resorts, did offer a surprise during this afternoon’s Vegas press conference officially announcing the Oklahoma native’s new gig.
Brooks, who in the 1990s changed the way country artists played live with his extravagant rock-inspired stadium shows, won’t be bringing Vegas-style glitz to his casino concerts.
Instead, he will be putting on solo acoustic shows, according to CMT.com. And he expects they will take him back to his college days of gigging in venues around his alma mater, Oklahoma State University.
“It’s a one-man show, so there’s going to be a lot of disappointment after that first weekend,” he joked. “Coming out and just playing – just me and a guitar – takes me back to the first days I got to play. I was lucky enough to do a place called Wild Willie’s Saloon in Stillwater, OK, before I moved to Nashville and started touring. That’s what this is going to be for me. It’s a chance to slowly get back into it to see what people like, what they don’t like. It’s going to be very intimate.”
He said the theater also presents his voice to its best advantage.
“I’m always in buildings that are built for sports,” he said. “I love sports, and I feel lucky to have arenas and stadiums. But I’ve never played in a place built for sound like this. When I hear myself, I go, ‘Who the hell is that?’ It’s a beautiful hall.”
Brooks will begin his stint at the Encore Theater Dec. 11. The shows are expected to last 90 minutes, according to CMT.
He will perform one show on Fridays, two on Saturdays and one on Sunday. Tickets are priced at $125 and will go on sale Oct. 24 for the first five weekends. The dates are Dec. 11-13, Jan. 1-3 and 22-24 and Feb. 12-14 and 26-28.
According to CMT, Brooks, who was born in Tulsa and raised in Yukon, inked a five-year deal that allows him to perform only during specific weeks each year to be announced on a quarterly basis.
Brooks said Wynn succeeded in drawing him out of retirement by catering to his desire to continue to spend time with his family. The star announced his retirement about nine years ago, stating then that he planned to delay any further recording and touring until his youngest daughter, Allie, then 4, graduated high school. Allie is now 13; her older sisters Taylor and August are 17 and 15, respectively.
“I am a fortunate guy that has got to live his life playing music for people, and the people have always taken care of me,” CMT quotes Brooks as saying. “In 2001, I announced my retirement to go home and raise our kids in Oklahoma. When Steve Wynn approached me about playing, he did something different than anybody else had. He didn’t throw money at me.”
Wynn is providing Brooks with a private jet so he can commute between Vegas and his Oklahoma home. Brooks, second wife Trisha Yearwood, his daughters and their mother, Sandy Mahl, all make their home in Owasso.
He apparently got a chance to try out that jet today, announcing the end of his retirement at a morning press conference in Nashville and then confirming his Vegas deal with an afternoon presser in Sin City.
According to CMT, the Brooks deal grew out of a series of conversations he had with Wynn. He eventually played an informal concert for some of Wynn’s friends and special guests, including Bette Midler. Brooks joins the ranks of star-level performers like Celine Dion and Prince who have gone the lucrative Vegas headlining route.
And judging from Brooks’ comments today, the deal will make the star significant coin. He said when Wynn first proposed it, he told the casino tycoon he couldn’t afford him.
Brooks then added, “I was wrong.”
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