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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2012 11:17:52 GMT -5
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Post by singingsparrow on Jan 19, 2012 12:56:45 GMT -5
DeMarcus appears glum at the realization that he has "changed"! ;) Joe Don Rooney looks like he's having the time of his life, at least! Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS
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.indulgecountry
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"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jan 19, 2012 16:05:34 GMT -5
I love the new album cover! Which surprises me, since they've been giving us rather abysmal ones as of late.
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Post by singingsparrow on Jan 19, 2012 17:21:43 GMT -5
I love the new album cover! Which surprises me, since they've been giving us rather abysmal ones as of late. At least they weren't terribly awkward or difficult to look at. That says something, given how so many recent country album covers are painfully awkward looking at, whether it be "Take A Back Road" depicting Rodney Atkins appearing as though he's trying to "hold it in" until after the shoot, or in terms of single covers, the awkward group photo of Lady Antebellum on "We Owned The Night". The main fault I find with Rascal Flatts album photographs are how detached they appear in relation to their core audience. Take "Unstoppable", for instance. Are they trying to depict themselves as a pop-country act or a Burt Bacharach Tribute Band? Then, when I look at the cover of "Still Feels Good", I instantly get that "Under My Skin"-era Avril Lavigne impression every time (i.e. a grittier, angrier touch to their proven sound). "Feels Like Today" is the last Rascal Flatts album cover that actually mirrors their core audience visually, to me. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS
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Post by lesingleton on Jan 19, 2012 19:14:14 GMT -5
It does, however, stick with their standard of one or two of them looking at the camera while the other one or two look away from it. I've always found their photo shoots to be very similar to one another, just with different wardrobe and backgrounds.
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on Jan 19, 2012 21:13:10 GMT -5
And speaking of their wardrobe, WHAT is Joe Don wearing?
I'm not nearly as sold on this album cover as everybody else seems to be, but then again, I am highly unlikely to spend money on the album anyway, so ... it really doesn't matter. ;)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2012 21:53:32 GMT -5
I love the new album cover! Which surprises me, since they've been giving us rather abysmal ones as of late. At least they weren't terribly awkward or difficult to look at. That says something, given how so many recent country album covers are painfully awkward looking at, whether it be "Take A Back Road" depicting Rodney Atkins appearing as though he's trying to "hold it in" until after the shoot, or in terms of single covers, the awkward group photo of Lady Antebellum on "We Owned The Night". The main fault I find with Rascal Flatts album photographs are how detached they appear in relation to their core audience. Take "Unstoppable", for instance. Are they trying to depict themselves as a pop-country act or a Burt Bacharach Tribute Band? Then, when I look at the cover of "Still Feels Good", I instantly get that "Under My Skin"-era Avril Lavigne impression every time (i.e. a grittier, angrier touch to their proven sound). "Feels Like Today" is the last Rascal Flatts album cover that actually mirrors their core audience visually, to me. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS That's a really interesting observation; I never thought of album covers being attached to an artist's audience. To be fair though, "Unstoppable" was made by a fan (and voted on by fans) in a contest through the People's Choice Awards. I thought the album covered mirrored the sound of the album; dull, dark, and kinda boring. The last album cover I really liked was "Still Feels Good," and "Changed" is probably my favorite of all. They look great, and something about the colors is pleasant to look at, IMO. The clothing, the colors and the layout go well together. And the only other cover where one of them has been looking away from the camera was "Nothing Like This," I think. I don't really like how all three guys are always "posed" differently on their covers, for some reason; it looks disconnected, as if they are not a band, but three guys posing separately, and then the photographer decided to take a picture. I'm also really glad Gary actually looks like himself this time around. . I think this may be the most realistic album cover they've had, as far as visuals go.
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Post by lesingleton on Jan 20, 2012 1:26:29 GMT -5
And the only other cover where one of them has been looking away from the camera was "Nothing Like This," I think. The covers for Rascal Flatts, Me And My Gang, Feels Like Today, Still Feels Good, Nothing Like This, and now Changed ALL have at least one of the guys looking away from the camera. The only covers where they're all looking at the camera are Melt and Unstoppable. Doesn't really matter, I just find it odd. And part of the reason all their photo shoots look the same to me. Like their photographer said, "Okay everyone look different directions and don't smile. Great!"
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2012 2:06:15 GMT -5
And the only other cover where one of them has been looking away from the camera was "Nothing Like This," I think. The covers for Rascal Flatts, Me And My Gang, Feels Like Today, Still Feels Good, Nothing Like This, and now Changed ALL have at least one of the guys looking away from the camera. The only covers where they're all looking at the camera are Melt and Unstoppable.Doesn't really matter, I just find it odd. And part of the reason all their photo shoots look the same to me. Like their photographer said, "Okay everyone look different directions and don't smile. Great!" I completely missed the mark on that; you're right. I haven't been keen on any of their album covers, but this one looks more mature and polished than their others, which is a good sign. Just a random side-note, but since the topic of album booklets was mentioned....Gary, Jay, and Joe Don are all going to have individual photos in the album booklet this time around; Jay and Joe Don have used theirs on Twitter. From a recent interview, it sounds like they recorded a cover of "Church On the Cumberland Road" for this album; it gives me hope there are some positive "changes" in store, come April. :)
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Post by singingsparrow on Jan 20, 2012 2:22:20 GMT -5
www.countryuniverse.net/2012/01/19/single-review-rascal-flatts-banjo/Apologies in advance for the shameless plug, but I have just published a review for this single on Country Universe (it marks my debut individual review for the site) I actually enmeshed some of the points I brought up here and incorporated them into the review and fleshed it out a bit to make it more complete. I initially gave the single a B- upon first listen, but after further contemplation and concluding that the song is rather jumbled in some respects, I felt a C+ was actually a more accurate mean grade. Needless to say, I can still tolerate this single in a way I haven't been able to tolerate virtually any other Huff-era rocker of theirs. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS
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Post by lesingleton on Jan 20, 2012 2:43:47 GMT -5
The covers for Rascal Flatts, Me And My Gang, Feels Like Today, Still Feels Good, Nothing Like This, and now Changed ALL have at least one of the guys looking away from the camera. The only covers where they're all looking at the camera are Melt and Unstoppable.Doesn't really matter, I just find it odd. And part of the reason all their photo shoots look the same to me. Like their photographer said, "Okay everyone look different directions and don't smile. Great!" I completely missed the mark on that; you're right. I haven't been keen on any of their album covers, but this one looks more mature and polished than their others, which is a good sign. Just a random side-note, but since the topic of album booklets was mentioned....Gary, Jay, and Joe Don are all going to have individual photos in the album booklet this time around; Jay and Joe Don have used theirs on Twitter. From a recent interview, it sounds like they recorded a cover of "Church On the Cumberland Road" for this album; it gives me hope there are some positive "changes" in store, come April. :) I've never really loved any of their covers either. But that hasn't stopped me from buying them all. ;) I'm really excited to hear this new album. I missed the info about "Church On The Cumberland Road", I'm kind of excited about that, I've heard them sing it before.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2012 3:12:22 GMT -5
Hey Noah!
Congrats on becoming a staff writer at Country Universe, I'm a loyal reader. I really enjoyed your in depth- review as well. I'm Karly, I noticed you replied with a great comments, thanks so much. ;).
Lesingleton,
I absolutely agree with you about the album covers...none of them have stopped me from buying the music either. :).
And yes, Joe Don mentioned in a recent interview they plan on including a cover of "Church On The Cumberland Road; I know they have a special connection with that song, because it was the first song they ever sang together as a trio. They've also performed it live many times, and Gary mentions Marty Raybon as one of his biggest influences.
From the sound of the interview, it sounds as if "She's Leavin'" was a contender to be the first single from the album, but we now know it was rejected in favor of "Banjo." Having heard a clip of the former, I should add choosing the latter was a wise move, considering the horrendous response they received from fans and radio with "Bob That Head."
If this one is released, I will NOT defend them against this one, which I (shamefully) did with BTH.
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Post by singingsparrow on Jan 20, 2012 16:23:13 GMT -5
Hey Noah! Congrats on becoming a staff writer at Country Universe, I'm a loyal reader. I really enjoyed your in depth- review as well. I'm Karly, I noticed you replied with a great comments, thanks so much. ;). Lesingleton, I absolutely agree with you about the album covers...none of them have stopped me from buying the music either. :). And yes, Joe Don mentioned in a recent interview they plan on including a cover of "Church On The Cumberland Road; I know they have a special connection with that song, because it was the first song they ever sang together as a trio. They've also performed it live many times, and Gary mentions Marty Raybon as one of his biggest influences. From the sound of the interview, it sounds as if "She's Leavin'" was a contender to be the first single from the album, but we now know it was rejected in favor of "Banjo." Having heard a clip of the former, I should add choosing the latter was a wise move, considering the horrendous response they received from fans and radio with "Bob That Head." If this one is released, I will NOT defend them against this one, which I (shamefully) did with BTH. Awwwwwwwww, once again thanks! I was part of the staff of American Twang/Noise prior to this stint, but as of April 2011 the site has been inactive, and I have never received an explanation with regards to the freeze-out. At any rate, nothing changes the fact that I believe Malec has some tremendous gifts and did enjoy collaborating with him, and I certainly wish him well and hope he's okay. Then late last year, Country Universe embraced me with open arms, and now I'm right at home there. =) * History has shown when the trio co-produces, they actually turn out superior material overall. And "Changed" doesn't necessarily always have to mean moving ever further from one's roots. Sometimes it is as much about re-assessing one's musical heritage, harnessing it, and fusing it into something new and fresh. It seems to me that's exactly what they're doing with this cover of "Church On The Cumberland Road". It sounds to me like the fact Rascal Flatts and Dan Huff are co-opting production duties this time around is a compromise of sorts. The group is certainly comfortable where they're at now (where prior to the release of "Nothing Like This" they weren't) and find Dan Huff a reliable force to be reckoned with in sinewing their brand............but it also appears they're willing to step out of their comfort zone a little more now than they have been doing on their previous five albums and remind listeners the world doesn't revolve entirely around a sole set of hands over a solitary soundboard. I like the sound of that. It remains quite possible when I hear "Changed" that there may still be much left to be desired and that we'll conclude they can STILL go much further in terms of musical maturity............but at the very least I feel they deserve some credit for realizing they were going stale during the "Still Feels Good" and "Unstoppable" cycles, were literally on the verge of sliding into irrelevance on country airwaves due to the emergence of rivaling groups (it still feels like yesterday when many of us were predicting or were close to predicting the trio were about to burn out the way of Lonestar) and their own weaker chart showings............and so swallowed their pride and demonstrated specks of effort in refreshing their sound. "Nothing Like This" still consisted of familiar long-standing annoyances including overproduced pop standards, lame songwriting and some oversold ballads............but it was still very much a step in the right direction for them in that it at least didn't sound entirely boring and lugubrious a listening experience. The group actually sounded like they enjoyed making music again on most tracks. That's a start. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS
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Post by StrongerThanTheTruth on Jan 21, 2012 0:53:58 GMT -5
So I was just looking at the radio cd and was surprised that there is 3 different versions of this song. The link on the first page is streaming the first radio edit.
Here is the track listing for the Radio CD. 1. Banjo (Radio Edit #1) [3:43] 2. Banjo (Radio Edit #2) [3:29] 3. Banjo (Album Version) [4:17]
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2012 1:25:54 GMT -5
So I was just looking at the radio cd and was surprised that there is 3 different versions of this song. The link on the first page is streaming the first radio edit. Here is the track listing for the Radio CD. 1. Banjo (Radio Edit #1) [3:43] 2. Banjo (Radio Edit #2) [3:29] 3. Banjo (Album Version) [4:17] I saw this on Twitter yesterday; someone I follow won the album through her local radio station. She's going to send me the 2nd radio edit of "Banjo," I'll let y'all know what I think when I hear it. I actually prefer the album version of this song over the radio edit for various reasons.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2012 2:41:30 GMT -5
Looks like this one should add ~3 million or so to its Billboard audience total this week, and jump up to ~5.7 million or so. They'll easily cruise by Gloriana, Andy Gibson, Casey James, and Chris Cagle. "Banjo" should also move ahead of Brantley Gilbert, and they could threaten the slow-moving Craig Morgan and the floundering Faith Hill. Right now, though, it looks like RF will remain just a bit below Craig and Faith and have to wait to pass them until next week.
The only recurrent candidate seems to be Jason Aldean's "Tattoos On This Town", as David Nail will get one more week and it looks like Eden's Edge will hang on, too. But RF does look poised to pass 5 songs, and with Jason going recurrent, a +6 would put this at #31. It could be as high as #29 or #30, if "Banjo" is able to get ahead of either Faith Hill or Craig Morgan, or I guess it could even be #28 if they can pass both Faith and Craig AND have Eden's Edge go recurrent, but #31 sounds much more likely as of this point.
I like this song well enough but it's nowhere near as good as my current favorite songs are. At least it's miles better than "Easy" and also the bland, boring "I Won't Let Go". The production to this does sound rather refreshing, but the lyrics are pretty cliche and stale. Oh well, at least I won't be rooting against this...I just can't say I'll be rooting for it, either.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2012 9:29:01 GMT -5
Anyone know how many ads this one got?
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Zazie
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Post by Zazie on Jan 23, 2012 14:00:40 GMT -5
Anyone know how many ads this one got? With only 80 of the 140 MB panel stations reporting, there are 18 adds this week for Banjo. The song has now been added to 89 total stations, and by the time all the stations have reported, that number should be closer to 100.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2012 16:08:41 GMT -5
And now with all 140 stations reporting, "Banjo" was Most Added on Mediabase again this week, pulling in 25 adds, which puts in on 96 stations so far. Look for it to probably land at #27 or #28 on Billboard this evening (higher than what I'd guessed earlier this week), since a strong second half of the week most likely put this ahead of Craig Morgan and Kip Moore, and may have even boosted it past the struggling Faith Hill.
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Post by chrisbanner on Jan 23, 2012 16:40:47 GMT -5
You know what I DO actually like this one! I was disappointed by Why Wait and never would've had it as the lead off for their last album - thought it was banal filler in much the same way as the first track on "Unstoppable" was - Love Who You Love....utterly banal....
I think Banjo is catchy, melodic and well produced - it doesn't push ANY boundaries, but then that's not how RF have ever made their living....
They are the Westlife of country...those Brits among us will know what I mean...!
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on Jan 24, 2012 12:31:51 GMT -5
Easy, Rascal Flatts' previous hit debuts at #29 on the adult contemporary chart.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2012 13:48:24 GMT -5
And now with all 140 stations reporting, "Banjo" was Most Added on Mediabase again this week, pulling in 25 adds, which puts in on 96 stations so far. Look for it to probably land at #27 or #28 on Billboard this evening (higher than what I'd guessed earlier this week), since a strong second half of the week most likely put this ahead of Craig Morgan and Kip Moore, and may have even boosted it past the struggling Faith Hill. Should've stuck with my initial prediction of #31. That's where "Banjo" wound up...it had a good week, but the Mediabase numbers suggested an even better one. Instead, RF remained just behind Kip Moore, Craig Morgan, and Faith Hill, while both Eden's Edge and Sara Evans managed to barely hang on the chart. No worries for RF, though. This song is off to a hot start again this week and will blow right by Craig, Kip, and Faith. It should also pass Billy Currington, and could overtake Miranda and Tim, too. And then Eden's Edge, Sara Evans, and David Nail are all likely to leave (Hunter Hayes is another recurrent possibility). "Banjo" should make a significant jump towards the top 20 this week, aided by a few songs leaving the chart, and a number of others within passing range.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jan 24, 2012 14:28:04 GMT -5
Easy, Rascal Flatts' previous hit debuts at #29 on the adult contemporary chart. Nice. I didn't expect that to happen, but I'll be happy if it proves to be a big hit on that format. Easy is a great song, and the fact that Natasha is on it makes me want it to do as well as possible.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jan 25, 2012 21:45:06 GMT -5
This one sounds great. It's not nearly as slick and calculated as many of their previous "fun" songs ("Summer Nights" was just dreadful, although I consider "Bob That Head" a guilty pleasure — knowing full well I'm alone in that regard).
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2012 21:51:23 GMT -5
This one sounds great. It's not nearly as slick and calculated as many of their previous "fun" songs ("Summer Nights" was just dreadful, although I consider "Bob That Head" a guilty pleasure — knowing full well I'm alone in that regard).[/b] That makes two of us. . I consider "Me And My Gang" to be far worse than BTH, but I'm probably the only one. I don't mind "Summer Nights," but they are so much better than that; I wish they had recorded more uptempos like those found on NLT, rather than picking cheesy songs like the ones in recent years. I'm still a little peeved that RF gave "Summer Job Days" to David Nail, (which Gary co-wrote), while keeping "Summer Nights" for themselves. The former is a GREAT summer song, something they could've really used, especially during the dismal "Unstoppable" era.
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Post by singingsparrow on Jan 27, 2012 18:34:34 GMT -5
This one sounds great. It's not nearly as slick and calculated as many of their previous "fun" songs ("Summer Nights" was just dreadful, although I consider "Bob That Head" a guilty pleasure — knowing full well I'm alone in that regard).[/b] That makes two of us. . I consider "Me And My Gang" to be far worse than BTH, but I'm probably the only one. I don't mind "Summer Nights," but they are so much better than that; I wish they had recorded more uptempos like those found on NLT, rather than picking cheesy songs like the ones in recent years. I'm still a little peeved that RF gave "Summer Job Days" to David Nail, (which Gary co-wrote), while keeping "Summer Nights" for themselves. The former is a GREAT summer song, something they could've really used, especially during the dismal "Unstoppable" era. [/quote] My take: All three are horrible! Simple as that! ;) "Banjo" is their first rocker in what seems like EVER that I can actually tolerate, as flawed as it still is. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jan 29, 2012 1:02:47 GMT -5
They really didn't do any "rockers" before M&MG, did they? I will admit M&MG was kind of silly lyrically, but I really liked how Big & Rich-inspired it was. In fact, it was pretty much the only time anyone really tried a Big & Rich-styled song without John Rich's involvement.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2012 14:23:49 GMT -5
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Post by singingsparrow on Feb 2, 2012 14:43:47 GMT -5
They really didn't do any "rockers" before M&MG, did they? I will admit M&MG was kind of silly lyrically, but I really liked how Big & Rich-inspired it was. In fact, it was pretty much the only time anyone really tried a Big & Rich-styled song without John Rich's involvement. I suppose it depends on what qualifies as a "rocker" to someone. For instance, some metalheads might insist anything more melodic than their choice genre "isn't really rock". Conversely, there's many listeners who consider groups like OneRepublic rock, for who knows what reason (I certainly wouldn't consider OneRepublic rock any further than I can throw them). To my ears, I agree they haven't really delved into that vein much, at least straight-up. Plenty of their songs have retained elements of rock music, but are still arched and anchored by their pop sensibilities, first and foremost. They are most known for their ballads, plain and simple. But from the looks of it, the group seems keen to somewhat break that perception this time around with multiple edgier offerings. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2012 15:09:09 GMT -5
They really didn't do any "rockers" before M&MG, did they? I will admit M&MG was kind of silly lyrically, but I really liked how Big & Rich-inspired it was. In fact, it was pretty much the only time anyone really tried a Big & Rich-styled song without John Rich's involvement. I suppose it depends on what qualifies as a "rocker" to someone. For instance, some metalheads might insist anything more melodic than their choice genre "isn't really rock". Conversely, there's many listeners who consider groups like OneRepublic rock, for who knows what reason (I certainly wouldn't consider OneRepublic rock any further than I can throw them). To my ears, I agree they haven't really delved into that vein much, at least straight-up. Plenty of their songs have retained elements of rock music, but are still arched and anchored by their pop sensibilities, first and foremost. They are most known for their ballads, plain and simple. But from the looks of it, the group seems keen to somewhat break that perception this time around with multiple edgier offerings. Namaste, lisping HIBISCUS Yeah, they never experimented with overproduced, "rocker" songs before Dann Huff took over as their producer. I'd say the closest thing they've had to a "rocker" on an earlier album is "Oklahoma-Texas Line," which still had an obvious pop/country sheen. I've never cared for most of their uptempo material ("Me And My Gang" is my least favorite RF song), but "Nothing Like This" did make up for it, to an extent. "Sunday Afternoon," "Red Camaro," "They Try," "Summer Young," "All Night To Get There" and "Why Wait" were all miles better than any uptempo they've released in the past few years. I'm just hoping they've chosen some stronger material on "Changed." There was nothing truly horriable on "Nothing Like This," but RF has proven they know a quality song when they hear it. Now that they done a makeover with the production I want more of that. :) The new single gives me a hope that they are trying to do things a little bit different this time around, and they've certainly gone through a lot since Lyric Street closed; I can only hope the renewed energy will be channeled into the music itself. Edit: Someone on Twitter tweeted part of the "Banjo" video will be shot on campus of Tennessee State University.
TSUedu: Rascal Flatts was on campus to film part of the music video, "Banjo." ow.ly/i/rpgn Link to the song ow.ly/8Q52Q*According to a tweet from a band member's wife it sounds like this will NOT be a live video, because none of their band will be in it, according to her info.
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