Author Archives: HaleighT

About HaleighT

HaleighT grew up in rural Sallisaw, Oklahoma, completely immersed in the country music lifestyle. She works with CMNB as our field assignment journalist, gathering concert reviews and exclusive interviews from every artist she can. When she's not out on the road, she's in our web studio filming "Takin' a Break With HaleighT" a short weekly opinion and news segment that launched in 2011.

Casey Donahew Band Stand Off-New Album

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The Casey Donahew Band Released Their New Album, Stand Off. The Casey Donahew Band has released their new album, Stand Off. The album has 11 tracks, including their current single “Whiskey Baby.” The guys have a pretty busy week of shows, but Saturday they will be in my part of the woods where they will play at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville. Be sure and check tour dates to catch them play some of your CDB favorites, plus songs from the new album! Also keep your eyes open for the official music video for “Whiskey Baby” coming soon! Stand Off Track Listing: 1. Lovin Out of Control 2. Whiskey Baby 3. Pretending She’s You 4. Not Ready to Say Goodnight 5. Small Town Love 6. Sorry 7. Homecoming Queen 8. Missing You 9. Loser 10. Put the Bottle Down 11. Go to Hell

George Strait Gives It All He’s Got

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George Strait Wows HaleighT With His Final Tour. In January, I got to witness the opening weekend of George Strait’s Cowboy Rides Away Tour. It was an over-the-top weekend that will forever be burned into my memory. For starters, It was my birthday weekend. Who wouldn’t love to see King George for their birthday? I don’t know of a single soul who would pass that opportunity up! I went with some of my best friends and we loved every second of it. The fact that we were in the nose bleed section didn’t bother us at all. They’ve got a great sound system at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Martina McBride was the opening act and boy did she entertain. Yes, we were anything but close to the stage, but thankfully our ears work just fine. That woman is talented! She gave me goosebumps. I know that isn’t a shock, she’s amazingly talented. But hearing “Broken Wing” live…that damn near changed my life! George took the stage and you would have thought there were 1 million people in the arena. Everyone went nuts, obviously. It was basically like when Dusty took the stage in Pure Country, only 10 times more intense. Now I’ve been to a George Strait concert before, so I recognized the differences in his normal show and his Cowboy Rides Away show. This time George did a whole lot more talking. He told stories, almost before every song he would tell the audience who wrote it and why. He performed his hits in chronological order, almost as if going back in time. It was amazing. Even though the show was almost three months ago, it seems like it was yesterday. What blows my mind even more is the fact that this Friday, April 12, I will be seeing George again! Yes, you read that right. In a few days I will be sitting in the Verizon Arena in Little Rock (better seats this time) watching history…for the second time. What makes it that more special is that I’ll be sitting next to my Mama! The woman who helped mold my obsession, will be singing along with me as George gives it all he’s got.

Wade Bowen At The Longhorn Saloon-Show Review

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Wade Bowen Makes His Way To Fort Smith, Ark. Last Thursday (April 4) Wade Bowen made a stop at the Longhorn Saloon in Fort Smith, Ark. Being so close, I obviously made a little trip down I 540 to catch his show. The night began with Hellcat Susie and their high-energy set. I had never seen these boys before, but I was impressed. The mixture of songs was money, with classics and some of their originals thrown in. They announced that their new album would be available soon and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. When it was time for Bowen to take the stage, everyone was pumped and ready to listen. He played music from his album The Given that was released last spring (“A Battle Won,” “Say Anything,” “Before These Walls,” “Saturday Night” and more) and some of his earlier hits. Although I enjoyed the show as a whole, my favorite moments were when Bowen played “Mood Ring” and his version of “Please Come To Boston.” Looking ahead, Bowen will be playing Red Rocks Amphitheater May 26 with Randy Rogers Band, Stoney LaRue and Casey Donahew Band. More dates for the annual “Hold My Beer & Watch This” tour with Randy Rogers are in the process of being confirmed. The annual “Bowen Classic” will be June 2 and 3 in Waco, Texas, with all proceeds going to “The Bowen Family Foundation.” On top of his busy schedule, Bowen is getting ready to start on a new album! So y’all catch a show near you and keep your ears open for talk about new music!

2013 ACM Awards Recap

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A Quick Look At Last Night’s ACM Awards From HaleighT’s Eyes. Last night was the 48th Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas. This year Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan hosted the event and for their first time together, I’d say it went pretty smooth. The night started with a performance of Shelton’s new single, “Boys Round Here.” Sheryl Crow, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and The Pistol Annies joined Shelton, making it the first of many collaboration performances of the night. Like I said, there was a number of collaborations and something most had in common was the horrible sound coming over my TV speakers. Being that the majority of the performances sounded “off,” I’m going to say that it was an issue with the sound techs and hope that I’m right. Easily my favorite performance of the night was Eric Church singing “Like Jesus Does.” He sounded spot on, just like he does on his albums and just like he does every time I see him live. It wasn’t flashy, just simple and enjoyable. I think he made a lot of people proud. I was super pumped to watch George Strait and Garth Brooks perform together (like they kept announcing), but that wasn’t quite what happened. The piano began to play and I immediately screamed because I knew I was about to hear “The Dance.” When Brooks didn’t sing the entire song and the music faded into Strait’s “The Cowboy Rides Away,” I thought, Oh this is going to be awesome! They are singing a part of both songs and then they’ll sing one together! But that didn’t happen. Prior to their performance, the academy kept saying that the two would be performing together for the first time ever and I just think that was a little bit of a let-down. Either way, it was great to see them both on the stage performing at all and especially in tribute to Dick Clark. The segments of the show, where we were taken to the Fan Jam were definitely the times to refill my drink. Again, the sound was just awful. I could barely hear Jana Kramer over her backup singers during her song “Whiskey” and I don’t know what was going on during Paisley’s performance with John Mayer. Let’s just hope they work the issue out for next year. The grand finale, the Entertainer of the Year award went to Luke Bryan. It was a wonderful moment, where it seemed like everyone was standing and cheering for him and numerous people were very emotional as he accepted his award. It was really something special to see his fellow artists and friends genuinely happy for him. The award was definitely deserved. Below are a list of side notes from the show, the winners and a list of performers. Some Side Notes: – Taylor Swift really needs to work on her dance moves or just stop. – The Pistol Annies are even cooler for being so supportive of the winners (they kept Continue reading 2013 ACM Awards Recap→

Darius Rucker Wagon Wheel-Video

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The Official Music Video For Darius Rucker’s Single, “Wagon Wheel.” Below is the official music video for Darius Rucker’s latest single, “Wagon Wheel.” The song can be found on his album True Believers. I personally don’t rush to turn the volume up when the song starts to play on my local radio stations, but I don’t hate it either. I can’t really put my finger on my issue with Rucker’s version, but something is off for me. It might be that I think this version is a little too soft. If anything that is a compliment to Rucker and his ability to record such an easy listen. Like I said, I’m just not sure. But…whether you like or don’t like Rucker’s version of the hit song, I bet you will enjoy the video! It has several cameos and is just altogether fun! My favorite part is hands down Jase portraying the club’s doorman. Watch “Wagon Wheel” below and tell us what you think!

Northwest Arkansas On Bizarre Foods America

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HaleighT Makes A Special Announcement, Urging CMNB Readers To Watch Bizarre Foods America! I just wanted to make a special announcement, some of my family will be featured on one of the Travel Channel’s hit shows. Tonight’s episode of Bizarre Foods America will take a look at Northwest Arkansas and some of the traditions that The Ozarks are known for. In particular, pay attention to the segment on the Squirrel Cook-Off. Below is a video for you to preview. Hope y’all will watch and enjoy! =) Monday, April 1 at 9/8C on the Travel Channel.

JB and the Moonshine Band The Only Drug-Music Video

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The Official Music Video For JB & The Moonshine Band’s Single, “The Only Drug.” JB and the Moonshine Band’s current single, “The Only Drug,” has been on a steady rotation in my head since their sophomore album, Beer For Breakfast, was released in 2012. The song is an easy listen with JB’s voice and the strong instrumentals behind it. The video is an emotional one and had me on the edge of my seat until the very end! I’m not really sure if the boyfriend actually did something wrong or if the three guys in the truck are just thugs. I do know that the guy playing the boyfriend is quite attractive… Watch the video below and request “The Only Drug” at your local radio stations.

The Voice Season Four Night Two

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The Voice Season 4 Premiere Week Comes To An End. Tonight was the second night of season four of The Voice, ending the premiere week of the NBC hit show. Unfortunately, our favorite coach, Blake Shelton, didn’t gain any team members tonight. But there is always next week and I’m not worried. Even though, Shelton didn’t add to his team, there were more than a couple moments on tonight’s episode that made me excited. Shakira gained two females contenders, both of whom surprised me with their performances. The first was Tawnya Reynolds who sang “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” The second was Cathia, who gave me chills when she sang “No Me Doy por Vencido.” Shakira also gave me a good chuckle when she pulled out her “English to Country” dictionary. The book ended up being one of her secret weapons in locking down Reynolds over Shelton. Adam Levine also grabbed a talented duo with, Midas Whale. They gave a great performance with their version of “Folsom Prison Blues.” Levine added one other member to his team in addition to the duo and Usher also snatched up one member. All-in-all it was a great first week of season four. Be sure to watch next week when The Voice returns on Monday and Tuesday. Don’t forget you can get any of the Blind Audition singles on iTunes.

Drake White Releases Debut Single – The Simple Life

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Drake White Has Released His Debut Single, “The Simple Life,” To Radio. Drake White released his debut single, “The Simple Life,” to radio this week tying Justin Moore for the most added song (“Point At You”). “The Simple Life” is co-written by Drake, Jeremy Stover and Brian Dean Maher and will appear on Drake’s upcoming debut album due out late 2013 on MCA. Drake explains what’s behind the debut single saying “There’s a buzz in this world. There’s a distraction and a constant noise. ‘The Simple Life’ is about getting away from that and knowing what is important to you—family, friends, God, whatever and really feeling that you don’t have to be going 90 million miles an hour all the time. You can slow down, live simply and when you let the loose ends drag, they say the stress levels go down, the health goes up. When you’re healthy and stress free, that’s a good life. That’s the simple life.” The Alabama native describes his sound as “country rockin’ freestyle blues” with influences by Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, whom Drake toured with on the Country Throwdown tour. He has also opened for Eric Church, Kid Rock, Alan Jackson, Little Big Town and most recently, Blackberry Smoke. Below is a video of Drake talking about his debut single, enjoy!

The Voice Season 4 Premiere

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Season 4 Of The Voice Has Begun And Blake Shelton Leads With The Biggest Team After Night 1. Tonight was the Season 4 premiere of NBC’s hit show The Voice. Two huge differences in this season and past, are the replacement of two coaches. Christina Aguilera and Cee Loo Green have decided to take a break from the show and Shakira and Usher have been chosen to keep their big, rotating chairs warm. But don’t worry, country’s own Blake Shelton hasn’t gone anywhere and neither has Maroon 5 hunk, Adam Levine. Shelton, being the winning coach for the past two seasons in a row, started the night off right when the first performers to hit the stage chose him. I say “performers” because Shelton picked up a package deal. The Morgan Twins are the first-ever twins The Voice has seen. They sang Alicia Keys‘ “Fallin’.” Shelton also grabbed 16-year-old Texan, Danielle Bradbery, who sang Taylor Swift’s “Mean.” Shelton’s 3rd team member was Christian Porter who sang a unique version of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.” Leah Lewis sang Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away,” but unfortunately wasn’t picked by any of the coaches. I was sad that this one slipped through the cracks because she was just too cute. “It just feels right when I sing country music,” said the 15-year-old singer. The night ended with Judith Hill picking Levine as her coach after bringing the house down with Aguilera’s “What A Girl Wants.” Hill was Levine’s only member for the night and the two newbies, Shakira and Usher, both ended the night with two members each. This was only night one and I can NOT wait for tomorrow’s episode. Hopefully we will get to hear some talented country singers!