AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aaron Lewis

Artist:Aaron Lewis

Song:Granddaddy's Gun

Album:The Road

Fans of the hard rock band Staind may be surprised to learn that Staind's screaming lead singer Aaron Lewis has been a country music singer songwriter since 2011. His songs are patriotic so that can be polarizing. I guess he's trying to be the new Lee Greenwood. He has had modest success on the country charts. Staind is active again. So it looks like Lewis is going to split his time between the two. He was born Apr. 13, 1972 in Rutland, VT. His family lived in a log cabin. When his parents split up, he moved with his father to Longmeadow, MA and attended high school there. He helped form Staind in 1995 and I guess his screaming lead vocals distinguish them from similar hard rock bands. While Staind was touring with Kid Rock in 1999, Lewis reignited his love for country music that he listened to as a child spending summers with his grandparents. He released the 2011 EP Town Line on James Stroud's Stroudavarious label and the single Country Boy featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels charted in Country and was certified Platinum. He followed this with the 2012 album The Road also produced by Stroud. Lewis wrote all the songs except his cover of the Rhett Akins song Granddaddy's Gun. The album is available as a digital download. The success of the album led him to signing with Big Machine. His patriotic tone in the Granddaddy's Gun video convinced Lewis to continue that tone in subsequent albums. Is the patriotism real or a gimmick? Probably both as it distinguishes Lewis from other country artists. It also divides Staind fans as some of them like it and some don't. Lewis released his most recent country album in 2024. Meanwhile, Staind has reformed. They are currently touring and will release a new album in 2027. At first, Lewis said he would record with Staind but not tour. So now he is doing both. How long before Aaron Lewis burns out? Here's the video for Granddaddy's Gun by Aaron Lewis. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tad

Artist:Tad

Song:Throat Locust

Album:Inhaler

The band Tad were pioneers of the Seattle grunge scene of the 90s. They were popular locally. But unlike some of the other bands of that era, Tad was unable to attain a level of fame. The 1993 album Inhaler was on a major label. They tried to tone Tad down. But it didn't work and they split up. Tad was formed in 1988 by Tad Doyle who was formerly a drummer with the band H-Hour. His full name is Thomas Andrew Doyle. Tad is his nickname. Doyle recorded a demo and played all the instruments. When the demo got him a deal with the indie label Sub Pop, Doyle realized he needed a band for live shows. So he brought in bassist Gary Danielson from the band Bundle of Hiss, drummer Steve Weid from the band Skin Yard and guitarist Gary Thorstenson from the band The Tree Climbers. Doyle was lead singer and played guitar. Tad released their 1989 debut album God's Balls and opened for Nirvana on a European tour. They released the album 8-Way Santa in 1991 and the single Jack Pepsi. They were sued over the album and single cover and Sub Pop had to change them. Then Tad got a big break. They appeared in Cameron Crowe's 1992 film Singles about the Seattle grunge scene and that got them a record deal with Irving Azoff's Giant Records with Warner Bros. distribution. Weid was replaced by Josh Sinder. The 1993 album Inhaler was released to positive reviews and Tad opened for Soundgarden's 1994 tour. The album was produced by J Macsis AKA Dinosaur Jr. After Inhaler failed to catch on, Azoff dropped Tad. The album is available on CD. They released a live album and then they signed with Warner's Elektra label. They released the album Infrared Riding Hood. Thorstenson left and was replaced on the album by Doyle. Mike Mongrain of Foil was brought in to play drums on the tour. Unfortunately, Tad's A&R rep was fired and all the bands he signed were dropped. Tad continued to tour and released one more single before splitting up in 1999. Doyle led several bands after that. But none of them were successful. There was a Tad reunion at the Sub Pop Records 25th Anniversary show in 2013 in Seattle. These days Doyle owns his own studio and released a solo album in 2023. His music these days is electronic music suitable for films. There are no plans for a Tad reunion. Here's Tad performing Throat Locust on The Spud Goodman Show. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ricardo Montaner

Artist:Ricardo Montaner

Song:Si Tuviera Que Elegir

Album:20 Grandes Exitos

Singer songwriter Ricardo Montaner has had success in his home country of Venezuela and other Latin American countries since the 90s. He records mostly love songs like Si Tuviera Que Elegir. It was a top ten hit in 2002. He was born Hector Eduardo Regiero Montaner Sept. 8, 1957 in Valentin Alsina, Argentina. His family moved to Maracaibo, Venezuela when he was six years old. He sang in the church choir and performed at a festival in Peru. He chose his maternal family name Ricardo as his stage name. I guess Ricardo sounds more romantic than Hector. Montaner first recorded in 1976 produced by Venezuelan singer Roberto Luti. Most of Montaner's early records were on the Venezuelan label Rodven. When he started to have success, he signed with EMI. Probably his biggest hit of that time was Un Mundo Ideal which was the song A Whole New World from the film Aladdin in Spanish. He also performed at Madison Square Gardens in New York City and was nominated for three Lo Nuestro Latin Music Awards in 1993. When things slowed down at EMI, Montaner switched to Warner Music in 1997. He had a lot of success with a 1999 album he recorded with the London Metropolitan Orchestra. Si Tuivera Que Elegir is from Montaner's 2002 album Suma. It reached #8 on the Latin charts. Montaner wrote that song for his daughter with Yasmil Marrufo. The album was produced by Argentine Bebu Silvetti who also plays piano on most of the album. You can get Si Tuivera Que Elegir on this comp which is available on 2CDs. Montaner switched to Sony in 2012. He last released a an album of new music in 2022. He has been busy recording new versions of his old albums. And of course, Montaner is always on tour. Here's the video for Si Tuivera Que Elegir by Ricardo Montaner.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cerrone

Artist:Cerrone

Song:Supernature

Album:Culture: Best of Cerrone

French drummer Marc Cerrone was probably the most popular disco artist in Europe in the 70s. For the most part, his music did not cross the pond except when the 1977 single Supernature topped the Dance chart. And dance clubs is where you would normally find Cerrone's music. He was born May 24, 1972 in the Paris suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine, France. His parents were Italian immigrants. Cerrone started playing drums at age 12 and listened to Otis Redding and other soul singers. Then he got interested in Jimi Hendrix and other psychedelic music. Cerrone convinced the owner of Club Med to hire rock bands for their tours. He became their A&R director at age 17. He joined the band Kongas in 1972. They were on Barclay Records and Atlantic's Cotillion label in the US. After the 1974 hit single Boom Cerrone started recording for his own label while still in Kongas. But he decided to leave Kongas after Barclay's continued attempts to get them to be more commercial. And that's when he recorded his 1977 album Supernature. It was his third album. The big difference with Supernature from his first two albums was the addition of electronics. The single Supernature was a hit across Europe. It reached #8 on the British Singles chart. It also topped the US Dance chart. There aren't any credits on the album. But we do know that Cerrone wrote and produced the album with film and TV composer Alain Wisniak and disco producer Don Ray. The lyrics for Supernature were written by British singer songwriter Lene Lovich who would soon have success with her brand of New Wave music. The vocals are by session singer Kay Garner. Supernature is still Cerrone's biggest hit and you can get it on this comp which is available as a digital download. Cerrone has continued to record. He last released an album in 2020. He just hasn't had the same success that he had in the 70s. He even tried to sing in the 80s but that didn't help. Here's the video for Supernature by Cerrone. This video is NSFW.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kellie Coffey

Artist:Kellie Coffey

Song:When You Lie Next to Me

Album:When You Lie Next to Me

Country singer songwriter Kellie Coffey scored a top ten Country hit with the 2001 single When You Lie Next to Me. And it crossed over to pop. The album did well. And she won Best New Female Artist at the 2003 Academy of Country Music Awards. She was on RCA's BNA label. So she seemed to have a bright future. She recorded a second album but it was never released and BNA dropped her. Kellie last recorded in 2009 and I don't think she tours anymore. She was born Apr. 22, 1971 in Moore, OK. She started performing as a child and performed in musicals while attending the University of Oklahoma. Kellie moved to Los Angeles and sang demos and backed up Barbra Streisand in Las Vegas. Then she appeared for a few years at Disney theme parks. After a Los Angeles showcase, Kellie signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music. Then she moved to Nashville and signed with RCA's country label BNA. Her 2001 debut single When You Lie Next to Me reached #8 on the Country Singles chart and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album When You Lie Next to Me reached #5 on the Country Albums chart. Plus Kellie won Top New Female Vocalist on the 2003 Academy of Country Music Awards. The album was produced by veteran Nashville producer Dann Huff and he also played guitar on the album. Kellie wrote seven songs with co-writers including When You Lie Next to Me. Her co-writers were veteran Nashville songwriter J.D. Martin and Trina Harmon who seems to specialize in writing for female pop vocalists. This album is available as a budget CD. Kellie was touring with Kenny Chesney and George Strait. So she seemed to be on her way. She recorded the 2004 album A Little More Me. Two singles were released and both charted. But then BNA pulled them and dropped Kellie from the label. The album has never been released. We don't know why BNA dropped Kellie. I saw a 2018 interview with Kellie and she still doesn't discuss it. So that tells me that there is a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and she can't discuss it. So we will never know or hear the unreleased album. Since then Kellie self released a 2007 album and a 2009 EP. She seems to be retired but she hasn't said anything. She does have a family. Here's the video for When You Lie Next to Me by Kellie Coffey. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-hellogoodbye

Artist:hellogoodbye

Song:Here (In Your Arms)

Album:Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! and More

The 2006 single Here (In Your Arms) was a top twenty hit and was the only chart single for the band hellogoodbye. Their music is pop with electronic elements. I would also say that they are a one man band and the rest of the band is disposable. Forrest Kline leads hellogoodbye. He's lead singer and writes all the songs. He attended high school in Huntington Beach, CA with Jesse Kurvink and they decided to start a band mostly to entertain their friends. After recording some songs on Kline's home computer, Kline decided to call the band hellogoodbye after a line from Screech on Saved by the Bell about how fast life moves. A band was assembled to play local clubs and they toured with the band Peachcake. After sending out demos, hellogoodbye signed with the indie label Drive-Thru Records and released a 2004 EP. They toured until they released the 2007 album Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!. The big surprise was when the single Here (In Your Arms) reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Why was it a hit? I think in this case, Kline deserves much of the credit as he promoted the band on the internet and that got them a grass roots following that bombarded radio stations with requests. Normally, a band would need to be on a major label to chart that high. But Kline was a very good self promoter. The problem was Kline couldn't keep hellogoodbye together. By 2008, Kurvink was the only remaining original member and he left to return to school. I think the instability prevented hellogoodbye from getting a major label record deal. In 2008, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! was re-released with bonus demos and a live DVD. This is available. hellogoodbye last released a new album in 2018 and a couple of singles since then. They are touring England in October and plan to tour Australia in 2027. Here's the video for Here (In Your Arms) by hellogoodbye. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris Tomlin

Artist:Chris Tomlin

Song:Holy Forever

Album:Always

In the music business, if an artist is going to remain relevant for a long time, the artist has to keep an eye on musical trends and change things if necessary. Chris Tomlin has been a popular CCM singer songwriter since 2004. When his record sales started to decrease, he decided to incorporate Praise & Worship (P&W) into his music. And he's working with some of the popular P&W artists. This started when he led a tour called Worship Night in America in 2015. When the 2015 single Good Good Father topped the CCM charts, he knew he was going in the right direction. For the 2022 album Always, he went even farther in the P&W direction featuring appearances by Elevation Worship, Steffany Gretzinger of Bethel Music and Brandon Lake of Maverick City Music. Though veteran producer Ben Glover produced most of the album, Jonathan Smith produced a couple of songs including Holy Forever. He has worked with P&W artists like Elevation Worship. Tomlin wrote Holy Forever with Brian and Jenn Johnson of Bethel Music, veteran CCM songwriter Jason Ingram and Phil Wickham who is probably the most popular P&W artist right now. And you'll notice that Wickham appears in the video clip. So for me, it looks like Tomlin is aiming some of his songs at the P&W crowd. Of course Tomlin won't admit to this. But Holy Forever topped the Christian charts and that and the album were nominated for Grammys. Always is available on CD. His 2025 album The King Is Still the King was very similar. Jonathan Smith produced and Wickham and Ben Fielding of Hillsong made guest appearances. I don't think he will alienate his existing fanbase because he hasn't changed his music that much. But it is a significant shift though he will never admit it was done for commercial reasons. Here's Chris Tomlin featuring Phil Wickham performing Holy Forever live in Nashville.