Whiskey and women dominate the 36 new songs on “One Thing at a Time” from the controversial and resiliently popular country star.Morgan Wallen isn’t about to tamper with a winning musical formula. The biggest country star of the 2020s — and one of the biggest stars in pop, period — sticks to exactly what has already worked for him on his new album, “One Thing at a Time.” Its 36 songs — yes, 36 — show abundant craftsmanship and barely a hint of new ambition or risk.The dozens of new songs are variations on scenarios from Wallen’s two previous albums, “If You Know Me” from 2018 and “Dangerous: The Double Album” from 2021. Nearly every song on the album mentions drinking. Plenty of them revolve around breakups: some with regret, some with relief. Pickup trucks and chewing tobacco get name-checked. Life in rural eastern Tennessee — bars, fishing, back roads, moonshine, boots, the Bible — is a point of pride and a yardstick for whether a partner is worth keeping, especially if she’s a city gal.The two years between albums were a roller coaster for Wallen. Soon after “Dangerous” was released, he was caught on video using a racial slur, which caused his label to suspend him (temporarily), some streaming services and the CMT cable channel to drop his music (temporarily) and the Academy of Country Music Awards to remove his name from its 2021 ballot.But it was barely a speed bump. Wallen had an unlikely career path. He grew up in Sneedville, Tenn., outside Knoxville, and in 2014 he lost on “The Voice” but got his chance anyway. He barnstormed his way to recognition. After his racial slur went public, he apologized on social media, calling the incident “hour 72 of a 72-hour bender,” saying that he was meeting with Black organizations and adding, “I’ve got many more things to learn, but I already know that I don’t want to add to any division.”Soon his music was streaming again, and “Dangerous” became one of the best-selling albums of 2021, certified for four million sales in the United States. Late in 2021, Wallen was featured on a hip-hop single by the rapper Lil Durk, “Broadway Girls,” singing about the temptresses of Nashville’s Lower Broadway honky-tonks.In 2022, Wallen toured arenas, and the Academy of Country Music gave “Dangerous” its award as album of the year. His combination of proud rural roots and well-calibrated arena country was unstoppable.So why change what worked? On “One Thing at a Time,” a modern Nashville product with many contributors, Wallen largely collaborates with and draws on songwriters who have supplied him before. He also retains the producer, Joey Moi, who has been with him since his debut album. The songwriting teams with and behind Wallen return to familiar motifs: barroom neon (“Neon Star”), the red letters of the Bible (“I Wrote the Book”), the 865 area code of eastern Tennessee (“Tennessee Numbers”) and specifying just what qualifies as “country” (“Ain’t That Some”).There’s ample skill on display on the new album. Old-school country-music wordplay is at the core of songs like “Days That End in Why” and “You Proof,” both about trying to drink away regrets, and “Wine Into Water,” a ballad that has its narrator proffering some Napa cabernet after a fight, hoping to turn “this wine into water under the bridge.” In “Keith Whitley,” song titles from the country singer who died in 1989 are woven into a whiskey-soaked plaint about lost love. And in “Everything I Love,” set to a clip-clop beat that harks back to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, Wallen shrewdly presents all of his country bona fides while denouncing the ex he showed them to; she was from a “high-rise town” and now “I can’t take my Silverado down them roads we used to ride.”Moi, who previously produced Nickelback, makes every track gleam, using overarching pedal steel guitar and Wallen’s proud Tennessee drawl to mark the music as country while cannily drawing on Eagles, Tom Petty, the arena marches of U2 and even hip-hop. The ticking, twitchy drum-machine sounds of trap and R&B and the cadences of melodic rap show up in songs like “Sunrise” and “180 (Lifestyle),” which credits its hook to the 2014 hip-hop hit “Lifestyle” by Rich Gang featuring Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, while its lyrics refer back to “Broadway Girls.”But over the lengthy course of the album, the songs tend to cycle through just a handful of approaches. Eventually, the nasal grain of Wallen’s singing starts to feel like Auto-Tune or another studio effect.Now and then, a human voice peeks out of the country machine. In the album’s title track, the brisk beat and layered rhythm guitars are pure Fleetwood Mac while Wallen sings, “I’ve got a lot of habits I gotta kick,” but just one at a time; he’s sticking to whiskey, nicotine and amphetamines to get through breaking up. Wallen gets casually surly in “Hope That’s True,” snarling at a Mercedes-driving, city-loving ex-girlfriend who “got drunk one night and told me I was white trash,” a pushback that suggests he knows the power of words.The album takes a turn for the devout as it’s about to end. In “Don’t Think Jesus,” a guy who “starts writing songs ’bout whiskey and women” and falls into “chasing the devil through honky-tonk bars” finds consolation through prayer. In “Outlook,” he’s rescued from “going toe to toe with the devil” by someone “up there” and by “an angel by my side.”The album ends with “Dying Man,” a country power ballad about stardom and a self-destructive streak; although Wallen didn’t write it, it’s tailored to him. The singer compares himself to Elvis Presley and Hank Williams as a “set-on-dying man” who’s saved by the right woman: “I never believed in angels ’til one believed in me,” he sings. But songs about whiskey and women are clearly a habit he’s not about to kick.Morgan Wallen“One Thing at a Time”(Big Loud/Mercury/Republic) More

The two R ‘n’ B stars are up against one another in the category of Song of the Year, Video of the Year, Best Collaboration as well as The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award.

Nov 12, 2020
AceShowbiz – R&B stars H.E.R. and Chris Brown will be the ones to beat at the 2020 Soul Train Awards.
H.E.R. leads all nominees with eight mentions, followed by Brown with seven, and they will face off with one another for the top prizes of Song of the Year, Video of the Year, Best Collaboration and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award – all for their respective hits “Slide”, featuring YG, and “Go Crazy” with Young Thug.
H.E.R. is also up for Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, being pitted against other renowned stars including Alicia Keys, Beyonce Knowles, Brandy, Jhene Aiko and Summer Walker. She doubles her chance to win the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award as her song “I Can’t Breathe” also shows up as a nominee in the category.
Breezy, meanwhile, earned his other nominations for Best R&B/Soul Male Artist, which sees Anderson .Paak, Charlie Wilson, PJ Morton, The Weeknd and Usher as other contenders for the prize. He additionally vies for Best Dance Performance title, once again thanks to his collaboration with Young Thug, “Go Crazy”.
Other multiple nominees include Beyonce and Young Thug with six apiece, and Usher, Chloe x Halle and Summer Walker with five each.
The 2020 Soul Train Awards, which honor the best in soul, R&B and hip-hop, will air on 29 November.
“Martin” co-stars Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold will reunite to host the ceremony for the third consecutive year.
Here is the full list of nominations:
Song of the Year:
Album of the Year:

  See also…

Video of the Year:
Best R&B/Soul Female Artist:
Best R&B/Soul Male Artist:
Best Collaboration:
Best New Artist:
Giveon
Layton Greene
Lonr.
Saint JHN
Snoh Aalegra
Victoria Monet
Rhythm & Bars:
Best Dance Performance:
Best Gospel/Inspirational Award:
Soul Train Certified Award:
The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award:
“Black Parade” – Written By: Akil King, Beyonce Knowles Carter, Brittany Coney, Denisia Andrews, Derek James Dixie, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk, Rickie Caso Tice, Shawn Carter, Stephen Bray (Beyonce Knowles)
“Do It” – Written By: Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Scott Storch, Victoria Monet, Vincent Van Den Ende, Anton Kuhl (Chloe x Halle)
“Go Crazy” – Written By: Cameron Devaun Murphy, Christopher Brown, Dounia Aznou, Jeffrey Lamar Williams, Johnny Kelvin, Kaniel Castaneda, Omari Akinlolu, Orville Hall, Patrizio Pigliapoco, Phillip Price, Said Aznou, Soraya Benjelloun, Tre Samuels, Turrell Sims, Wayne Samuels, Zakaria Kharbouch (Chris Brown & Young Thug)
“I Can’t Breathe” – Written By: H.E.R. (H.E.R.)
“Playing Games” – Written By: Summer Walker, Bryson Tiller, London Holmes, Kendall Roark Bailey, Cameron Griffin, Aubrey Robinson, Beyonce Knowles, Kelendria Rowland, Letoya Luckett, Latavia Roberson, Lashawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins (Summer Walker Feat. Bryson Tiller)
“Slide” – Written By: Charles Carter, Elijah Dias, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, Roger Parker, Ron Latour, Shawn Carter, Steven Arrington, Tiara Thomas, Waung Hankerson (H.E.R. Feat. YG)

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The Jonas Brothers star debuts the clip, which depicts him as a spaceman trying to get home to his wife, ahead of his performance of the song on ‘Saturday Night Live’.

Mar 12, 2021
AceShowbiz – Nick Jonas has released a music video for his new single “Spaceman”. Apt to the song’s title and lyrics, the cinematic visuals depicts him as a spaceman who is stuck in a distant planet with no one but himself.
In the song, the Jonas Brothers star describes the feeling of being alone. “And the numbers are high but we keep goin’ down/ ‘Cause we ain’t supposed to live with nobody around/ I’m a spaceman/ Yeah, I’m a spaceman,” he sings.
Later in the chorus, he sings about missing his loved one as the music video shows him trying to get back home to his wife, portrayed by his real-life spouse Priyanka Chopra. Part of the lyrics goes, “From thе dark side of the moon/ I know that it’s sad but it’s true/ I’m tryna get home, I’m a spaceman/ Yeah, yeah, I’m a spaceman/ Out on my own.”
The “Spaceman” video, directed by Anthony Mandler, comes just hours ahead of the release of Nick’s fourth solo album of the same title. “Spaceman” is the lead single of the album and was released on February 25, followed by the second single “This Is Heaven” on March 4.

  See also…

Nick is also set to perform “Spaceman” for the first time on “Saturday Night Live” on February 27. In the upcoming episode of the NBC sketch series, the “Sucker” singer will take double duty, serving as the host in addition to being the musical guest.
Despite his solo album and his upcoming solo gig, the Jonas Brothers are still very much together. The trio have quashed rumor about their disbandment following the release of Nick’s new song “Spaceman”.
Marking the second anniversary to the day they announced their comeback, they wrote on Twitter on February 24, “That day and every day that followed has meant everything to us Red heart Playing music together, getting back on the road, seeing all of your faces in the crowd, hearing your stories…”
They went on teasing their future projects as a band, adding, “Our 2019 (and even some of 2020!) was so special and it’s all because of how amazing you guys are … We have the best fans in the world and we love you so much! We all have a ton of exciting stuff coming (together and apart Winking face) and we can’t wait for you guys to hear all about it.”

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Jung Kook of BTS’s solo album “Golden” debuts at No. 2 in another dominant week on the charts for Taylor Swift.Taylor Swift holds the top of the Billboard 200 album chart with her latest remake, while Jung Kook of BTS opens at No. 2 and a posthumous release by Jimmy Buffett lands in the Top 10.“1989 (Taylor’s Version),” a rerecording of Swift’s nine-year-old LP, stays at No. 1 for a second time after a huge debut, when the new edition topped the opening-week sales of the original. In its second week out, the remade “1989” had the equivalent of 245,000 sales in the United States, including 160 million streams and 122,000 copies sold as a complete package, according to data from the tracking service Luminate.Jung Kook, the latest member of the K-pop kings BTS to release a solo album during the group’s hiatus, starts at No. 2 with “Golden,” which notched nearly 42 million streams and sold 128,500 copies as a complete album, mostly on CD. Jung Kook — whose name is also sometimes spelled Jungkook — had a No. 1 single this summer with “Seven,” featuring the rapper Latto.Buffett, the “Margaritaville” singer who died of skin cancer in September at age 76, opens at No. 6 with “Equal Strain on All Parts,” which Buffett recorded this year and completed before his death. Featuring guest spots by Emmylou Harris, Angélique Kidjo and others — Paul McCartney plays bass on one song — “Equal Strain” arrived with 51,000 sales.Also this week, Drake’s “For All the Dogs” is No. 3, Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” is No. 4 and Bad Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” is No. 5. More

Wanda, a 15-year-old seasoned performer, is appearing in the company’s beloved and lavish “La Bohème.”Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera, before the curtain rose on Monday on a revival of Puccini’s “La Bohème,” a donkey in a pink jester’s hat waited patiently for her cue.This was Wanda, a 15-year-old, with handsome brown stripes running down her back and onto her tail. Making her Met debut this season, Wanda plays a brief but notable role in this romantic, tragic opera: During the grand Café Momus scene, she pulls a brightly colored cart full of toys, which the peddler Parpignol hands out to excited children.In Franco Zeffirelli’s lavish production, the moment is an awe-inspiring spectacle, evoking the Latin Quarter in Paris and bustling with some 250 people onstage — and a donkey and a horse, who pulls a hansom cab onstage for a dramatic entrance.Wanda backstage with her handler, Martyn Blackmore, left, and behind her, John Allegra and Nancy Novograd, who runs All Tame Animals. (Allegra is the owner and onstage handler of the horse Lord.)Dina Litovsky for The New York TimesWanda has big hooves to fill. For 16 seasons, the role was played by the same donkey, Sir Gabriel, who was adored by cast members and backstage crew. “He was a big presence at the Met, in ‘Barber of Seville,’ in ‘Bohème’; he was really beloved,” said Nancy Novograd, who runs All Tame Animals, the animal agency that works with the Met. (The agency has also represented hissing cockroaches and lion cubs, among others, for film, fashion, theater and more.)Sir Gabriel retired from opera this year to a farm that Novograd owns in Maryland. This is not a dark euphemism: He has begun a second act as a companion donkey to a mare who lost her partner at a farm down the road. At first, the two were aloof toward each other, standing on either side of the paddock, but after a few months they edged closer and closer, until they finally bonded.Wanda making her way through the Met’s corridors to backstage.Dina Litovsky for The New York TimesAnd so Wanda has taken up the mantle in “La Bohème.” She is in her prime — donkeys often live to be 30 to 35 — and has prepared for this moment with a wide variety of roles. She has been in a petting zoo and once stood outside a bar to attract customers. She has starred in commercials. And she is a recurring star of services on Palm Sunday at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, as the donkey that Jesus rides into Jerusalem. This season, though, was her first time on the Met stage — and Novograd said, so far, so good.What makes for a good opera donkey? It’s not so different from what makes for any good opera star. “When it comes to hoofed animals like horses and donkeys, you want one who is bold rather than quiet, which sometimes surprises people,” Novograd said. “There’s a lot going on that might seem frightening or dangerous, and if they’re too timid that will overwhelm them. Confidence is the most important thing, whether it’s a horse or a donkey or a dog.”Every night of the “Bohème” run, Wanda comes in a trailer either from Wallkill, N.Y., or the Bronx, where she stays when she has a steady gig in the city. Novograd and her handlers take Wanda out of her trailer, and head to something called “the horse door,” a large entrance on the street that leads into the labyrinth of hallways in the Met, past costumes in storage, lockers for the cast and stagehands, pieces of the set, and other miscellany behind the curtain. On opening night, Novograd and three men — carrying buckets and shovels in case of an accident — led Wanda and her equine co-star Lord, a dark chestnut horse, to their waiting place backstage, beside Wanda’s colorful cart.Wanda pulling a cart of toys peddled by Parpignol (Gregory Warren).Ken Howard/Metropolitan OperaLord pulls a hansom cab, carrying the character Musetta and her aging, wealthy lover into Café Momus, where they meet Mimì, Rodolfo, and Musetta’s former flame Marcello. It is a dramatic entrance, one that Lord, a 19-year-old former racehorse, has made for years. (He also has a number of other notable roles, including recurring appearances on the television show “The Gilded Age,” and was made up as a zebra in “The Greatest Showman.”) John Allegra, his owner and onstage handler, said, “Anyone, really, could drive this horse.”Allegra owns 45 horses on a farm in Connecticut, many of whom are frequent performers. He had two in a recent revival of “Aida,” whose Triumphal Scene is one of the most animal-centric in opera. “When the horses hear those horns,” Allegra said. “They’re ready.”Backstage at “Bohème,” as Act I got underway, and snatches of arias drifted backstage, the animals and their handlers slowly got their costumes together. Allegra put on his hat and 19th-century period coat for a walk across the stage. Martyn Blackmore, who was leading Wanda, also got into costume. Gregory Warren, who plays Parpignol, appeared in his clown-like makeup and tested out the toys in Wanda’s cart, to see which were attached and which weren’t, so he could distribute them to the children onstage.Donald Maxwell, left, as Alcindoro, with Aleksandra Kurzak as Musetta entering the Café Momus scene.Dina Litovsky for The New York Times“Animals and children,” Warren said. “Having them onstage really changes things up. That’s one of the best things about live performance, that it changes every night.”Wanda’s hat was put on, as was a colorful cloth, blue and gold with purple fringe, that covered her back. Like an experienced starlet, she was unfazed by all the adjusting and fussing. Lord nibbled at her hat, and occasionally the two nuzzled. But Wanda mostly stared into space, her large donkey eyes swiveling.Then everyone sprang into action. “Donkey coming down,” someone yelled, urging people to get out of the way, as the animals were led into the wings. A team of stagehands and handlers attached Lord’s hansom cab, and Musetta and her paramour loaded into it, with their prop shopping packages. A cabby stood on top with a whip, and Allegra, dignified in his period dress, stood at his side.The handler Max Torgovnick, center, with Wanda and, at left, Lord.Dina Litovsky for The New York TimesThe cue finally came, and Wanda led the way out of the wings. She emerged into the commotion of music and crowds, Parpignol peddling his wares, and Mimì and Rodolfo falling in love against the backdrop of the wild, colorful display. It was Wanda’s fleeting moment in the lights.Just as quickly, she ambled across the stage into the wings on the other side, where she was unclipped, undressed, unharnessed, ready to make her way to Wallkill, before she does it all again on Friday.But first: time outside, and hay.“After the show,” Novograd said, “she always gets treats.” More