CMT Cross Roads Review

Overall 5.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

MikeMaroon
Chattanooga, TN

CMT Cross Roads and Cross Country. Making music really SING

Open-minded, Loves ALL kinds of music, a music lover

Pros

Great music, Two, two, two concerts in one!, Educational!

Cons

Not a single Con

MAY

2008

CMT Cross Roads —

Nothing makes me happier than watching/listening to good music. At one time, going to live music shows (as opposed to the dead ones some folks attend) was as much a staple of my lifestyle as eating or breathing. Well, maybe not breathing, but you get the idea. For various reasons, I don't go to shows as much as I'd like these days. Country Music Television, however, has given me another venue and reason to smile, a lot.

In 2002, CMT launched a radical new music show, pairing country stars with artists from other genres for a concert in an intimate setting and called it CMT Cross Roads. I think the idea was to draw other fans to country music and get country fans acquainted with artists they my not know. For me, this was simply a dream come true.

My musical tastes can best be summed up by my wife who said, "You like a a little of everything". Nothing will broaden the old musical horizons like a few years dragging DJ equipment and cases full of CDs around, playing events for varying groups of people. I played everything from corporate Christmas parties at the top of the National Press Building in Washington, D.C, to a biker bar in Beltsville, MD. To say I've had some experience with about every genre of music is an understatement, and, one thing disturbs me. That's the surprising number of people who will only listen to one genre of music and won't even give the others a try. Well, CMT is doing what they can to break down that barrier with Cross Roads and it's newer cousin Cross Country. While Cross Roads mixes genres, Cross Country brings two similar country artists together on the same stage. Often, the results are nothing less than scintillating.
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CMT CROSS ROADS- CRANKIN' UP THE COUNTRY ROCK

It works like this, for an hour (probably much more, but an hour is all we get of the finished product), two artists or groups, one country and one, well, something else, sing their own and each other's songs in front of a small audience. Interspersed are snippets of those artists before the show, chatting about the experience and generally fawning over each other. Surprisingly, these segues are often quite revealing and entertaining, like the one with Lindsay Buckingham telling the members of Little Big Town he likes the way they seem to always be on the same page and admonishing them to stay that way. He tells them the members of Fleetwood Mac had a dynamic that brought constant strife making their situation stressful and no fun a lot of the time.

Even more fun is watching the newer artists treat the more established ones with such reverence they do everything but kiss their jewelry. Like the episode with Brooks and Dunn and ZZ Top. Ronnie Dunn, one of the best singers of our time, practically begs Billy Gibbons, when they get ready to perform the band's signature song, "La Grange", to let him do the "A-Haw-Haw-Haw" part. Makes me realize these people are just as much fans as I am, the only difference is they have fans, too. The only fans I have are the two I bought from KMart to keep the house cool when the AC goes out.

In the 6 years since its inception, CMT Cross Roads has paired such artists as:

Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello

Hank Williams Jr and Kid Rock

Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow

The Dixie Chicks and James Taylor

Sugarland and Bon Jovi (Obviously a PR move after the success of the single, "Who Says You Can't Go Home". And it worked.)
Kenny Rogers and Lionel Richie

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

Trisha Yearwood and Babyface

And my favorite, Travis Tritt and Ray Charles (What a natural pairing this was and the bluesy honky-tonk flew!)

Most recently Maroon 5 and Sara Evans took the stage, and after a little open flirting, we got to hear them sing Evan's hit, "A Real Fine Place to Start", a choice showcasing their vocal similarities. They harmonized perfectly. Then Adam Levine revealed one of the reasons he chose singing was to prove all kids in school wrong for making fun of his high voice. I think he's made his point. The two had an obvious easy chemistry serving to make the hour that much more enjoyable. They traded lead on each other's songs the rest of the set, with the exception of a well-rendered duet of a Stevie Nicks chestnut, "Leather & Lace".
They ended the night with Maroon 5's last single, "Won't Go Home Without You".

Cross Roads serves up country, pop and rock familiar, yet new. We get hear old favorites interpreted by other artists and what often emerges is vibrant and exhilarating.

CROSS COUNTRY- PUTTING SOME DRIVE IN YOUR COUNTRY

More recently, CMT spun off Cross Country into another show with the idea of putting two similar country acts together to, as described by CMT, "share their music and discover the country roots they have in common". There have only been 4 episodes to date: Randy Travis/Josh Turner, Vince Gill/Alison Krauss, John Anderson/Big and Rich, and Miranda Lambert and Jack Ingram.

I've seen only one, with John Anderson and Big & Rich. On the surface these artists might not seem to have much in common, Anderson being one of the godfathers of honky-tonk and Big & Rich being a little more rock and roll, with some rap thrown in. I quickly learned however that Big Kenny and John Rich (former lead singer and bass player for Lonestar), are a two man Anderson fan club. People in the business and true fans know what an underrated legend John Anderson is, and it appears this little party might have been thrown together by Big & Rich to showcase that fact. It worked. These guys are having all the hits right now, but they made Anderson the center of attention, as they blew through standards like "Seminole Wind", "Money in the Bank", and "Swingin". Allowing John to take lead on their songs, I was treated to that Anderson deep twang on fine Big & Rich tunes like, "Wild West Show", "This Moment With You', "Holy Water", and topped off with the horse what brung 'em, "Save a Horse. Ride a Cowboy", in a complete rock out session that brought the house down. This was such a fun, natural pairing, I can best describe the concert with a line from John Anderson's biggest hit, "..She's as purty as the angels when they sang". I'll be watching this one again. And again.

Cross Country has already provided at least one pristine coupling of country music stars. The potential is there for many more.

MY BOTTOM LINE

In a television era with few innovations, Cross Roads and Cross Country qualify. These are mini-concerts with the opening act taking stage the same time as the main attraction, mashing up their set lists, and entertaining us with something unique and wonderful. Someone, I think it was Ray Charles, once said there are only two kinds of music, the good kind and the bad kind. And, man, this is the good kind. Is it ever. GRADE: A+

Last edited on Jun 02, 2008