Owen reprises hits; devine Reba pleases
By Cathalena E. Burch
Arizona Daily Star
FLORENCE -- On Friday night, just as the evening was settling into its chill at Canyon Moon Ranch, Randy Owen played his first-ever solo show.
It was the first time we heard him step outside his role as lead singer of the legendary pop-country quartet Alabama.
The first time he did not have Teddy Gentry, Jeff Cook and Mark Herndon nearby to pick up the harmonies, blast out the melodies and share a wink, a smile and an attaboy pat on the back.
But Owen did not step far from his musical roots. He drew from the band's 70-plus charted singles for a 90-minute show that felt oddly yet comfortably like watching Alabama in all its glory.
The band has not been on the road since it retired from touring in 2003 with a spectacular, yet humble, farewell tour. Alabama bowed out gracefully, acknowledging that it had done all it could do -- sold 73 million records, landed 42 singles at No. 1, scored a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and won so many awards that those doling them out would have been wise to just engrave the band's name in advance.
While the band has seemed content in its decision, Owen has kept his hand in the game, working tirelessly on the band's newly released disc of inspirational songs and keeping its music from getting dusty on the record racks.
So it was not entirely surprising that in his first-ever solo turn, Owen dipped back into that well. His show was a 90-minute rewind of Alabama's greatest hits -- "Tennessee River," "40 Hour Week," "Love In The First Degree," "Down Home," "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," "Mountain Music" and the band's redneck anthem "Song of the South."
Owen sang those songs with conviction, a steady baritone that has weathered time's often cruel wear and a renewed energy that brought them back to the life they had a quarter century ago.
Owen, perhaps fueled by the crowd, did not let his 57 years interrupt his footwork. He danced -- as much as you could call his two-stepping, strutting and sliding dancing -- and strolled the lengthy catwalk out into the crowd of outstretched hands. He touched each of those hands, squeezing a few, slapping high fives with a few more. He confessed he was a bit winded.
But he reminded us of a golden era in modern country music and of a band that has forever informed the genre, allowing it to express itself in an ever-changing landscape of styles and ideals.
Owen was in good company Friday night. He opened for the divine Reba McEntire, who no doubt was the reason 35,000 people made the journey to the sprawling Canyon Moon Ranch.
McEntire, 52, returned to Country Thunder after a two-year absence, but her show seemed to pick up where she left off. Like Owen, she returned to the well of her string of hits -- "Fancy," "Whoever's In New England," "Is There Life Out There," "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter," "Can't Even Get The Blues," "Why Haven't I Heard From You" -- and sang them with renewed intensity. She also threw in a few newer songs, including the ode to her two sisters "My Sister" and the triumphant "I'm A Survivor," the theme song for her recently ended namesake TV sitcom.
But unlike two years ago, McEntire seemed comfortably at ease. She dressed comfortably in faded blue jeans and a long-sleeved print shirt and carried herself with confidence that was gracious and a subtle elegance that was endearing.
Friday's concert was her second of 2007 and the kickoff of her "Key To The Heart" summer tour, which goes through August.
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
Arizona Daily Star
FLORENCE -- On Friday night, just as the evening was settling into its chill at Canyon Moon Ranch, Randy Owen played his first-ever solo show.
It was the first time we heard him step outside his role as lead singer of the legendary pop-country quartet Alabama.
The first time he did not have Teddy Gentry, Jeff Cook and Mark Herndon nearby to pick up the harmonies, blast out the melodies and share a wink, a smile and an attaboy pat on the back.
But Owen did not step far from his musical roots. He drew from the band's 70-plus charted singles for a 90-minute show that felt oddly yet comfortably like watching Alabama in all its glory.
The band has not been on the road since it retired from touring in 2003 with a spectacular, yet humble, farewell tour. Alabama bowed out gracefully, acknowledging that it had done all it could do -- sold 73 million records, landed 42 singles at No. 1, scored a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and won so many awards that those doling them out would have been wise to just engrave the band's name in advance.
While the band has seemed content in its decision, Owen has kept his hand in the game, working tirelessly on the band's newly released disc of inspirational songs and keeping its music from getting dusty on the record racks.
So it was not entirely surprising that in his first-ever solo turn, Owen dipped back into that well. His show was a 90-minute rewind of Alabama's greatest hits -- "Tennessee River," "40 Hour Week," "Love In The First Degree," "Down Home," "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," "Mountain Music" and the band's redneck anthem "Song of the South."
Owen sang those songs with conviction, a steady baritone that has weathered time's often cruel wear and a renewed energy that brought them back to the life they had a quarter century ago.
Owen, perhaps fueled by the crowd, did not let his 57 years interrupt his footwork. He danced -- as much as you could call his two-stepping, strutting and sliding dancing -- and strolled the lengthy catwalk out into the crowd of outstretched hands. He touched each of those hands, squeezing a few, slapping high fives with a few more. He confessed he was a bit winded.
But he reminded us of a golden era in modern country music and of a band that has forever informed the genre, allowing it to express itself in an ever-changing landscape of styles and ideals.
Owen was in good company Friday night. He opened for the divine Reba McEntire, who no doubt was the reason 35,000 people made the journey to the sprawling Canyon Moon Ranch.
McEntire, 52, returned to Country Thunder after a two-year absence, but her show seemed to pick up where she left off. Like Owen, she returned to the well of her string of hits -- "Fancy," "Whoever's In New England," "Is There Life Out There," "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter," "Can't Even Get The Blues," "Why Haven't I Heard From You" -- and sang them with renewed intensity. She also threw in a few newer songs, including the ode to her two sisters "My Sister" and the triumphant "I'm A Survivor," the theme song for her recently ended namesake TV sitcom.
But unlike two years ago, McEntire seemed comfortably at ease. She dressed comfortably in faded blue jeans and a long-sleeved print shirt and carried herself with confidence that was gracious and a subtle elegance that was endearing.
Friday's concert was her second of 2007 and the kickoff of her "Key To The Heart" summer tour, which goes through August.
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
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