The CMA Festival not only provides a forum for fans to hear longtime favorites and household names. It's frequently a showcase and launching pad for rising stars and fresh faces like indie Texas vocalist Susan Hickman, who will be making her first festival appearance Friday at Cadillac Ranch.
Hickman, whose sultry, rangy and powerful voice and authoritative style have previously earned her solid reviews when sharing the stage with the likes of Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Phil Vassar and Gretchen Wilson, has spent much of the past year performing in Europe. There she's had five singles from her self-titled CD released, and made a strong showing at concerts in Germany, Holland and Switzerland.
"We wanted to get a good feel for what's popular over there (Europe) in terms of country and really get ourselves established and build some momentum before we began focusing on the American market," Hickman says. "It's been a wonderful experience because European audiences don't get as much exposure to country music on radio like the fans over here. There's only a handful of songs that get airplay and when American country artists appear over there, they really go crazy. They're very supportive and knowledgeable about the history of country and anxious to hear it, and they let you know quickly when they enjoy your music."
Now Hickman's accelerating the pace on these shores. Her CMA festival appearance precedes the July 20 American release of Susan Hickman, and she's particulary happy about coming this year because of a last-minute decision not to appear at the 2009 event.
"I was really hoping to be at the festival last year but we just didn't have everything in place," Hickman says. "Playing anywhere in Nashville is always exciting, but the festival is truly something special. It really is one of those dream-come-true type of things, and I'm just thrilled that we could do it now. I hope we'll do a lot of Nashville shows in the future, and the CMA was one of those events growing up that you circle and consider playing there as a career highlight."
While the sound, production and tone of Susan Hickman smartly blends modern and traditional country touches, Hickman's at home with several different vocal styles.
"I grew up loving a lot of bluegrass as well as country and classic rock," Hickman says. "Once I really became serious about music I knew country was going to be my preference, because I felt I could spotlight all my influences there and be true to myself in terms of storytelling and singing.
"I heard a lot of Rolling Stones and Aerosmith growing up, but the person that I was most strongly influenced by is Dolly Parton. She's such a strong and exciting singer, and someone who could sing any type of song and still always have a commanding presence and you knew instantly who was singing."
As with many other performers across the board, singing in the church choir was a major part of Susan Hickman's musical training. But she's also a versatile musician, having learned both piano and fiddle as a child and later teaching herself the guitar. That adaptability is reflected in the consistency and variety of the songs on Susan Hickman.
Her narrative flair is revealed in exuberant tunes like "Red" and "Hell Still Ain't Frozen Over," the first single chosen for the American radio market. But she's just as animated and expressive on the flashy "Friday at the Latest." Producer Doug Deforest enlisted tunes from several top writers like Brett James, Mila Mason, Bobby Pinson and Melissa Pierce. The session's musical menu also includes a reworked cover of Gregg Allman's "Whipping Post," with stirring contributions from the instrumental contingent known as the Cuttin' Crew: Tim Crouch (acoustic guitar/fiddle), Mike Kennedy (drums), Robby Springfield (electric and acoustic guitar) and R.P. Harrell (piano/Hammond B-3 organ).
"That ('Whipping Post') was one that Doug kind of sneaked onto the list of demos we were listening to when thinking about songs for the CD," Hickman says. "He asked me about doing that one and I was up for it, but we wanted to give it a country flavor without taking anything away from the original, because I really loved that one too. It worked out really well, and it fit in with everything else on the disc. We had so many good songs that we ended up with a strong and varied selection, songs that we felt fully gave the audience a complete feel for my music."
Hickman, who now resides in Houston, will return to Europe later this summer for several dates, most notably the 23rd annual Country Rendezevous Festival in France next month. She also hopes to make a return to Music City later in the year. Right now, though, her interest and attention are focused on the CMA Festival.
"It's an awesome event to be a part of and you get a bit nervous thinking about it," Hickman concluded. "But you also can't wait to get out there."
Reissues of the Week
Various artists, Remember Me Baby — Cameo Parkway Vocal Groups, Vol. 1
Chubby Checker, It's Pony Time/Let's Twist Again
The Orlons, The Wah-Watusi/South Street
Clint Eastwood, Cowboy Favorites (all ABKCO)
If you didn't purchase either the massive Cameo/Parkway boxed set or the companion series of individual discs that came out several years ago, here's the chance to pick up some new reissues from the Philly company who cranked out lots of teen pop and novelty hits in the '50s and '60s, but also had solid efforts in other areas. The vocal group anthology blends selections from dynamic, soulful doo-wop ensembles (Turbans, Tymes, Spaniels, Skyliners) with tunes from their well produced but less essential peers (Roommates, Dovells, Gleems, Defenders, Expressions).
Chubby Checker got his second number one single with "Pony Time," one of several dance hits on this two-for-one CD. Though he'll always be remembered for "The Twist," Checker covers nearly every '60s dance here, including "The Watusi," "The Mashed Potatoes," "The Shimmy," "The Hully Gully" and "The Continental Walk" — plus some that came decades before, such as "The Charleston" and "Takes Two To Tango."
The Orlons enjoyed one huge hit ("The Wah-Watusi"), but these two early '60s albums cover a lot more territory. The pieces include an occasional jazz piece and excursions into doo-wop, blues, vintage pop and novelty fare. "Don't Hang Up" and "South Street" were other excellent Orlons pieces, but their main attraction came via the balancing of Stephen Caldwell's deep, growling voice with the lighter, smoother ones of female vocalists Shirley Brickley, Marlena Davis and Rosetta Hightower.
Jazz has always been a major love of Clint Eastwood, followed closely by country. But the 1963 Cowboy Favorites was designed to piggyback off his star status in Rawhide, then in its peak as a TV western. He offers competently sung versions of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Don't Fence Me In," "San Antonio Rose" and "Bouquet of Roses" among others, crafting an LP that's neither a classic nor an embarrassment. Though he'd later achieve greater success as a director, Cowboy Favorites is a welcome throwback to the time when Clint Eastwood was seeking wider fame and exposure.
