Your Take: Reinventions
One of my earliest memories of CMT is watching Shenandoah’s “Next to You, Next to Me” video at my grandparents’ house after faking (cough, cough) sick to get out of what I’m sure was a particularly grueling day of elementary school.
The band remains one of my favorites, due in no small part to lead singer Marty Raybon’s catchy twang. After he left in 1996, the band faded from radio prominence, and I was left wondering what happened to Raybon after “Butterfly Kisses” came and went in 1997. Lucky for me, Craig Shelburne brought him back to my attention over on the CMT blog this week:
If you like bluegrass music, I have a couple of recommendations for you. The first is Marty Raybon & Full Circle’s This That and the Other. You may recognize Raybon as the engaging lead singer of Shenandoah, who had a batch of popular country singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These days he’s pursuing bluegrass music full time yet the new material doesn’t stray far from Shenandoah hits like “Next to You, Next to Me” or “If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too).” If you like those tunes, try “Everybody’s Reaching (Out for Someone)” and “Luzianna Man.” You’ll be pleased to discover that his voice still sparkles.
Raybon isn’t the first or last singer to change his tune, so to speak, after an initial brush with success. John Rich was part of Lonestar from 1992 to 1998 as a bass guitarist and vocalist, but went on to arguably even more success as one half of Big & Rich. And while music is always looking for the new and the next, listeners don’t always buy in: Other reinventions–such as LeAnn Rimes’ sexy pop crossover and Garth Brooks’ alter-ego Chris Gaines–have failed to entice fans to embrace the changes.
Give us your take: Who is your most or least favorite country music “reinvention”?
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