A Busy November for the Brooks Household

What originally was intended as a one-night only show to thank the Wal-Mart big wigs at the end of his two-year exclusive partnership with the company turned into a run of nine sold out shows for Garth Brooks. When tickets for the November 14, show at the new Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, sold out in mere minutes, Garth pushed back dates to accommodate the frenzied fan demand to see him back on stage again. More than 140,000 tickets for the nine show series, which began November 5, sold out in just under two hours, much to Garth’s amazement.

The excitement surrounding Garth's return to the stage comes as he is promoting yet another greatest hits package. However, the Ultimate Hits collection, released November 6, is much more than your typical hits compilation disc. In addition to four new songs, a third disc features videos for 33 of the 34 songs included on the two music discs. The videos include a mix of classic Garth videos, concert performance footage and several newly-shot videos. Once the news about this collection was revealed during a press conference back in August, fans have been anxiously waiting to purchase this collection.

Proving Garth still has the magic touch, not to mention millions of loyal fans, the first single, “More Than a Memory,” garnered another record-breaking first for "Garthzilla." The single became the first song to ever debut at number one on the country charts, and it is currently enjoying a strong radio and chart run. And what new Garth single would be complete without a new video to go along with it? The video is perhaps one of the darkest and most powerful videos released by Garth to date.

For the avid Garth fan and collector, three editions of the Ultimate Hits collection have been issued, including the traditional cover and a limited edition cover. However, they will want to pick up an extra copy of the very special “pink” edition of the collection, available only through the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which promotes awareness and raises money for breast cancer research. Garth was inspired by wife Trisha Yearwood’s dedication to the organization and her recent participation in a three-day, 60-mile Walk For the Cure in Chicago. He was quoted in the press as saying, “Of all the things my wife has done, I’ve never been more proud of her. So I started thinking, ‘What can I do to be that cool?'" A whopping $10 of the $15 cost for the pink edition will go directly to the Komen Foundation to help the fight against breast cancer.

As if promoting the new collection and performing the series of dates in Kansas City weren’t enough, Garth has been flying back and forth to his home in Oklahoma each night to be home with his daughters in the morning before jetting back to Kansas City.

Trisha is just as busy as her husband promoting her own new release, “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love,” her first project for new label home Big Machine, which is also distributing Garth’s Ultimate Hits. With a release date of November 13, only one week after the release of her hubby’s collection, Trisha fans everywhere are extremely anxious to pick up a copy of this new music. (Bring on the friendly sales competition!) If early buzz from fans and critics is any indication, this might well be Trisha’s biggest release to date.

In addition to promoting her new release, Trisha was determined to be a part of Garth’s historic nine-show run in Kansas City. Amidst the on-sale frenzy and the addition of eight shows centered around both cd release dates, she signed on to open for all nine shows, much to the delight of their mutual fans. As a result, she also will be racking up the frequent flyer miles between Kansas City, home and the round of media and talk show appearances scheduled to promote her new release (writer’s strike permitting).

In order to bring the show to more fans across the country, the final show on November 14, will be beamed live via satellite to more than 300 theaters nation-wide. As one of those unlucky fans not able to make the trip to Kansas City, I have been living vicariously through various concert reports on fan message boards, and I will definitely be at the theater to witness this historic show. From what I’ve read, Garth still has it, and the show will be well worth driving an hour-and-a-half away on a weeknight to see it. I have never been so psyched for a show, especially since it won’t quite be the same as being there in person!

Whew, just thinking about Garth and Trisha's hectic and insane schedules makes me exhausted for them! But on behalf of fans everywhere, I must thank them for going for it and bringing such enjoyment to their many mutual fans. New music, a series of joint dates and scheduled television appearances, what more could a fan ask for?

Reba Gets By With a Little Help From Her Friends

As one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2007, Reba McEntire’s Duets project had a lot of fan and industry expectations to live up to. Well, Miss Reba and company did not disappoint. The disc, released September 18, garnered Reba the highest chart debut week of her career and landed her on top of the Billboard 200 for the first time.

I purchased this cd the week of its release, and it has been in heavy rotation in the car and at home ever since. This is simply the one cd I can’t stop listening to at the moment. There is not a bad song in the bunch. Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything but the best from the stellar group of guest artists Reba lined up to work with her in the studio.

The one collaboration that really surprised me when I first heard about it, though, was with “Mr. Sexy Back” himself Justin Timberlake. When I learned he also had written a song for the project, I was really anxious to hear what kind of song he would write to sing with Reba. After hearing “The Only Promise That Remains,” I was absolutely floored. It is a beautiful love ballad, not quite what I would expect from J.T. After the mega-success of the CMA-nominated first single released from the cd, “Because of You” with Kelly Clarkson, word is this song will be the next single released to radio.

Of the many standout tracks, “Sleeping with the Telephone” with Faith Hill, “Every Other Weekend” with Kenny Chesney and “She Can’t Save Him” with Trisha Yearwood are among my favorites and really stand out. When listening to the Faith Hill duet, you can’t help but visualize a video playing in your mind as you hear the haunting lyrics about a military wife’s fear of losing her husband who is off at war. The chilling last line of the song, “Something awakes me from where he should be. I reach for him, the telephone rings,” lets the listener imagine their own ending, whether it be happy or tragic. I can absolutely see this song as a potential single with the powerful, signature Reba video to go along with it.

“Every Other Weekend” is a heartbreaking tale of divorced parents who alternate time with their children. Even though they still love each other, neither one tells the other, and they secretly wish they were still together. This track, from what I’ve read, has created a lot of buzz around Nashville and could be a potential hit for Reba and Kenny.

Trisha Yearwood lends her subtle, yet strong vocals to the powerful track, “She Can’t Save Him.” In this song, Reba and Trisha sing as old friends sharing their concerns about a mutual friend’s troubled relationship. I also see this as a possible choice for release as a single.

Reba and Ronnie Dunn, her good friend and fellow Okie, co-wrote the track “Does the Wind Still Blow in Oklahoma” for the project; and no Reba duets record would be complete without an appearance by her old pal Vince Gill. Their duet, “These Broken Hearts,” is perhaps their best collaboration to date.

The rest of the tracks, with friends LeAnn Rimes, Don Henley, Carole King and Rascal Flatts, are also great and stand up well against the others. Reba has said on numerous occasions that she had a great time working with her friends in the studio for this special project, and that atmosphere of fun and friendship shines through in every song on the album. I highly recommend picking this one up. Reba Duets is, hands down, one of the best releases of the year.