SingleTree - Is It Really Over Now?
By: Allen Jacobs
Last Updated: August 17, 2008 12:00 AM
Arkansas' SingleTree presents themselves to the marketplace with a questioning over closure. "Is It Really Over Now?" reveals the pains of a not-so-mutual breakup. The lyrics of the song deepen as it plays out, with a chorus asking the questions that many lovers do, searching for closure. Presenting Jason Campbell's verses under minimal guitar add to the gravity of the song, also yielding for a meaningful chorus that brings in the rest of the bad. This is hardly happy music, but a tangible issue presented in traditional form, from a younger group on the rise, adds dimension to an always-relevant issue. Sadly, the song answers itself, but serves as a guiding light in the quest to truly let go.
You can listen to the song on their myspace page.
READER'S COMMENTS
musicfreak says:
Posted: Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hey Im loving this song!! Wish I could see this group live, and close to Tulsa! They have great sound so far but all I've heard is whats on their myspace page! Wish we had a choice to buy Talent like this and maybe country music sales would be up again!!
singletreefan4life says:
Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008
congrats!!! to this band they took on the eli young band and kid rock "all summer long" last night on the kssn new country challenge and defeated both by more than 98% of votes way to go singletree!!!
singletreefan4life says:
Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008
congrats!!! to this band they took on the eli young band and kid rock "all summer long" last night on the kssn new country challenge and defeated both by more than 98% of votes way to go singletree!!!
singletreefan4life says:
Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I would first like to say rick that you make it sound like your not sold on the bands talent so you think they should turn to a better song to make up for what they are lacking and that may not be what your tring to say it just sounds that way, my point is you should hear this band live they sound the exact same live as they do on radio and that is somthing a lot of artist can't say about there self ( rodney atkins ) lol so I think that a great talent and a great song are going to show good things for this band but I've loved them from the get go!! and If you have never seen them in concert than you've missed a hell of a show full of energy and a playlist of many originals!! anyway ya'll have a good day!!
Rick says:
Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Faron, by "The Heartland Strategy" I just meant using a sappy wedding song as a pry bar to open the door at country radio. Once that door has been cracked open its up to the artists and labels to have great back-up songs ready to maintain the momentum, unlike Heartland and Lofton Creek. When Heartland performed live on the Grand Ole Opry the first time they sounded like a second rate bar band and I knew they were one hit wonders that stumbled across a great song. When I read in Country Weekly about how numerous big name artists had passed on the song I was shocked! Now back to SingleTree: I check the country singles charts weekly and the new artists and songs I tend to like often stall out in the 30's through the 60's, which means a small number of reporting stations are playing the good stuff. The big corporate owned stations are less flexible and tend to play follow the leader focusing on the big name regulars as a safe, simple cop-out. I talked to a DJ at L.A.'s FM country station KKGO and he said they usually add ONE new song to their playlist each week unless the program director Tonya Campos takes a fancy to an extra song or two. When "Go Country" chose not to play Ashton Shepherd's debut single I just quit listening out of disgust. I'd much rather listen to WSM Nashville online anyhow.......PS - Good luck with SingleTree and this new single. I'd recommend adding more songs to their MySpace page so they appear to have a deeper catalog than just this one song! (lol)
radiohead says:
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Rick, I understand your point and couldn't agree more! My only problem with the "Heartland Strategy" is that they have had no success since ILHF. We as a label have a strategy to brand artists, not just try to cash in on a single and then get out before any real investment is required. I don't think that approach is fair to the loyal country base or the radio programmers we fight for airplay from. I think radio is down on "New" artists because they are getting tired of getting duped by labels coming with a great song, then having nothing to follow it up with. They get their listeners invested in these new artists, they spend the time and valuable airplay slots because of promises by the label that they are fully committed to the artists. Then the artist has a hit record, the label cashes in and then the artist is stuck with putting out a far lesser product as a follow up, that is really not worth the airplay. I can't blame radio for sticking to a proven method and proven artists, we as labels have to a better job of signing great artists and putting the necessary time investment in them in order to gain the trust of the radio programmers. I still believe a GREAT SONG will see it's way thru the red tape of corporate radio. There are some stations who will never have an open mind to anything unless it comes from a major label or a one of the formats mainstays. I think this is sad because there is some great music out here that the fans will never hear. Thank God for those programmers, who are increasing in numbers, who are fans of this format and want to see it grow with new artists and fresh music. I have to agree with your comment about the direction of this format. I LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC, and I hate to see what has always been an ADULT (25-54) format start to turn to grabbing the Disney Channel audience. Why is this happening you ask, one reason, even in economic hard times, parents will do anything to please their kids. They may not buy a album for themselves, but they will not let their child go without the latest album from some of the artists you mentioned above. I never thought I would see the day when you could be listening to your favorite country station, turn the dial to a POP station and hear the same song you were just listening to on the country station, then turn the dial again and land on Radio Disney and hear the same song again. Let's face it, Country ain't country anymore! -Faron
Rick says:
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Faron, I really wasn't expecting a label rep to drop in, but I'm really glad you did. You offer an industry insider perspective that we radio listeners just don't grasp as we don't know what's going on behind the scenes. What really kills me these days is that new, younger artists with a traditional sound really have nowhere to go as far as mainstream radio outlets are concerned. Top 40 AirHead Country Radio isn't interested and the Americana realm is dominated by roots rock artists and the Americana radio network doesn't have major market impact in most cases. So called "Classic Country" stations feature non-current songs and don't often open the door to new acts with a traditional sound. I hope your predicition about programmers starting to care about the quality of the music is true, but the corporate control of so many Top 40 stations doessn't bode well for such a change. Sadly I think the future of Top 40 country radio is Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, and Colbie Caillat...... (PS - I'd still recommend SingleTree try "The Heartland Strategy"....lol)
singletreefan4life says:
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I am anxious to hear more from these guys, maybe something up tempo next time around. I'll be watching the charts. Reading some of the posts, I have to say, I don't think the label matters anymore. I think it comes down to how much $ you spend in promotions and what kind of relationships the label has with radio. There used to be a huge difference between the quality of a major label act and the product of an independent, this is not the case anymore. Quite frankly, the majors are putting out fluff, the indies know they have to come with a great song and they are doing it. I think that is why CD sales are so horrible. There is no music out there that people want to buy, just music they will settle to hear on the radio because they know it will get played over and over and over again anyway, why spend the money?
radiohead says:
Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008
I think this record and this group have a real shot. If early reports are an indicator, radio is taking to this new group. I wouldn't say they are like Diamond Rio, but more like a Restless Heart. The single has picked up adds at R&R and Mediabase before the official ad date and picked up 4 today on add day at R&R and Mediabase. This week alone the single has made R&R's Most Added List and Mediabases' Top Gainers Chart. The single was released thru PlayMpe and CDX. All of the majors still use CDX as well, I don't think that is a negative thing. All of the value in country radio is placed on the monitored reporters, but make no mistake, there are a ton of records sold in the secondary markets. Wal-Mart owns an 86% share in the country music market. 90% of Wal-Mart stores are located in Secondary markets. We are in the business of selling records, not having charted singles. Yes, the two go hand in hand, however look at artists like Craig Morgan and others who can top the charts and only sell 200,000 units over the span of a year and a half. To be successful we need the support of all radio markets. Yes, we are a small label, because we choose to be. We have charted singles on Billboard and R&R and have released 2 nationally distributed albums. We have albums on the shelves at Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and other retailers. Our Job is to give the listener something worth buying. We have no problem with access to radio, as we have a full radio promotion staff consisting of 4 regional and 2 national radio promo reps, there again, it is our job to give radio something worth playing, sometimes they play along, sometimes they don't. We see more and more everyday where programmers are returning to caring about the music and not the size of the label or what the label can do for them. It should be about the music. I appreciate the opinion Rick, just sit back and watch the charts. Faron Smith West Coast Regional SSMACK Nashville
Rick says:
Posted: Sunday, August 17, 2008
This is actually a decent song with okay lyrics and a nice vocal but sadly it lacks the airhead appeal factor that would make Top 40 radio interested. This group sounds like a lower rent version of Diamond Rio and I mean that as a compliment, but since the AHC establishment has turned its back on Diamond Rio this group doesn't have a prayer. Also the fact this group is on a tiny Nashville label with the artist roster of Jason Matthews, Keith Bryant, and Mark Ham, who aren't exactly household names, doesn't bode well for radio access. For new unknown groups on small labels to break through the radio barrier requires what I term "The Heartland Strategy"! They need to locate or write an overly sweet and sappy sentimental wedding themed song as the female listeners to mainstream country radio can never get enough of such sonic treacle. It worked for Heartland and Chuck Wicks and gave Big and Rich (the Jackass) their first number one. SingleTree is likely destined to wind up as another unknown act with their radio singles distributed to radio on CDX CDs which only get spins in smaller markets. I do think that they will do well in the Arkansas market out of home state pride......