'Fearless' picks for tonight's CMA Awards

 

If Taylor Swift doesn't win Entertainer of the Year at tonight's CMAs (ABC, 8 p.m.), I'll streak the Dallas Bull. AVERT YOUR EYES!

Scary Underwood: Miranda Lambert Interview

 

In Sunday's Pop Life column, I had a fun interview with pistol-packin' country spitfire Miranda Lambert. After her answers, you'll find my asides -- hence, the "A.D.D." portion. Also, I compared Ran to the cheerleader on Heroes -- hence, the seemingly random shot of Hayden Panettiere. Anyway, HERE YOU GO.

Wolfmother, Weezer and a Whole Lotta Lambert: 10 cool fall album releases

As well as being Jerry Lee Lewis’ 74th birthday — go get ’em, Killer! — next Tuesday kickstarts what could be a very cha-chingy season of music sales. Mariah Carey, Madonna and Barbra Streisand all have new platters out on the same day, and much hullabaloo will be made about that. (Look for Mimi’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel to top Madge’s Celebration and Babs’ Love Is the Answer at the cash registers.)

I’m much more excited about other goodies on the fall schedule. So here you go, SD's Ten Most Intriguing Autumn Albums:

Miranda Lambert, Revolution (Sept. 29) First single Dead Flowers is way too tame for this crossbow-totin’ country gal. But here’s hoping Ran terrorizes a couple of exes before she’s done.

Karen O and the Kids, Where the Wild Things Are (Sept. 29) I have squishy feelings about Spike Jonze’s big-screen take on Sendak’s classic. But having the Yeah Yeah Yeahs bizarress — and Jonze’s gal pal — do the soundtrack is daring. “Let the wild rumpus start!”

Bob Dylan, Christmas in the Heart (Oct. 13) Zimmy’s late-career Bing Crosby fetish reaches its peak. Positively 34th Street?

Daryl Hall & John Oates, Do What You Want, Be What You Are (Oct. 13)  A 4CD set of Philly soul, FM bliss and final proof that Oates never should have shaved the ’stache.

Weezer, Raditude (Oct. 27) With the help of unlikely hip-hop pals Jermaine Dupri and Dr. Luke, awesomely unstable Rivers Cuomo continues his search for the perfect power-pop formula.

Wolfmother, Cosmic Egg (Oct. 27) After shedding his old mates, Aussie hairball Andrew Stockdale forges on with three dudes well-versed in heavy metal, Led Zep and puffy unicorn stickers.

Various Artists, Glee: The Music (Nov. 3) From Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ to Kanye West’s Gold Digger, Fox’s hit show about losers in tune takes pop hits and reinvents them with robust choral cheek. In a related note: Isn’t it time the great Jane Lynch won an Emmy?

Carrie Underwood, Play On (Nov. 3) True confession: I gave Underwood’s 2007 album Carnival Ride a D grade. Two years later, I have four songs from that disc on my iPod. I will never underestimate the Nashville nymph’s seductive powers again.

Norah Jones, The Fall (Nov. 17) With her opium-haze voice and toasty piano style, Miss Jones walks that tricky tightrope between lulling and numbing. The good news — well, for us at least — is that this one is a break-up special with angry guitar.

Adam Lambert, TBD (Nov. 24) In the new ish of Rolling Stone, there’s a wicked shot of  last year’s AI runner-up howling in the recording studio. Sweet! We want our Lamby to raise a hellhound ruckus on his debut disc. Bring the noise, baby!

The Lovemakers, Allison Iraheta, Miranda Lambert to release new albums

Here's some cheap, quickie, topless album news for you...

* Oakland electropoppers the Lovemakers -- aka former paramours Scott Blonde and Lisa Light fighting and [bleeping] in catchy, clashy dance-floor fashion -- will release sophomore album Let's Be Friends (yeah, right) on Sept. 1. Love these guys. Here's my REVIEW from 2005.

* American Idol fourth-placer Allison Iraheta -- she of the raspy voice and underage driver's license -- has signed to 19 Recordings, with a licensing deal through Jive Records. This is the same group that Idol champ Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert signed to earlier. No set release date for her new album, but should be in the fall. The new "Red Rocker" (so sorry, Sammy) will perform at the St. Pete Times Forum July 28 as part of the American Idols Live tour (TICKETS). 

* Miranda Lambert's new song Dead Flowers might stink, but she's still the top female star in Nashville right now. Her third album, Revolution, will be released Sept. 29. Her first two albums, Kerosene and the downright brilliant Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, were sexy quasi-psychotic smashes. Here's a badass interview I did with the crossbow-totin' Lambert back in 2007. I thought we were in love, but she soon left me for Blake Shelton. But hey, that's another blog...

Miranda's not-so-fresh "Dead Flowers"

A coupla things bother me about Dead Flowers, Miranda Lambert's new single. First of all, it drives me batty when artists, naming a new song, use a title that's already been classically, famously taken. I dig "Muffin Top" Miranda a lot, but c'mon, there's only one Dead Flowers, and that's Mick and Keith's. Rihanna's post-Winehouse song Rehab is another blatant case. Really? You couldn't name your song anything else? You were totally out of frickiin' words? Or maybe you were hoping to fool folks on iTunes? Like my Aunt Shirley? Is that it? Or maybe you think your song is better than the first one?

Also, when I interviewed Lambert a few years ago (READ), I liked her because she was a crossbow-totin', fire-startin', boyfriend-scarin' crazy gal who didn't play by Nashville's rules. She was tough, ballsy, take-no-prisoners. This song seems way too safe and staid for her, plus she's playing down her reckless twang.

Oh well. Lambert's third album is scheduled for a September release; the single hits radio May 5, iTunes May 12. 

HERE'S DEAD FLOWERS. Whattaya think?

[Publicity photo]