Many may be wondering exactly what styles of "Country" music are included under this topic of Americana. While everyone's definition may be different, I'm going to define it generally as traditional forms of the genre. Specifically, besides Bluegrass and Western styles, I'll also cover those mainstream artists that consistently perform Traditional Country music. Some examples of this latter category include not only Mandy Barnett and Brad Paisley, but Hank Williams III and Danni Leigh.
This month we'll take a look at the sites of both a recent IBMA Female award winner as well as one of the associations promoting Western music.
Oh, by the way, if you haven't checked out Patty Loveless' new album, "Mountain Soul," you'll want to. It's gotten wide acclaim as one of the best country albums of the new decade.
Fields of GrassRhonda Vincent
Rhonda Vincent's site leads off with the cover art of her recently released (June 5, 2001) album, "The Storm Still Rages." This is Rhonda's second release on Rounder Records; by all accounts, it should live up to the success of her previous release, "The Dream Still Lives."
The Rhonda Vincent web site contains many of the features found on most artist-related sites. The New CD page provides a listing of the tracks on the album, but sadly, not any sound clips as a preview to the tracks. What is provided are links to a list of reviews and a number of on-line places to order the album. The Discography page describes Rhonda's long career starting in 1967 with an album of the Sally Mountain Singers.
The Tour page not only lists Rhonda's scheduled appearances for the next year, but also a review of where she has appeared during the first part of 2001. The Festivals page describes the Annual Bluegrass Festival that took place in July at the Sally Mountain Park in Queen City, Missouri. Lastly, the Merchandise page allows the purchase of seven recent albums and a limited selection of appearal. Unfortunately, the order form has to be printed and sent in via snail-mail.
While the site has lots of good information on Rhonda Vincent and her career, the overall impression is only so-so. With a lack of state-of-the art features such as sound clips and e-commerce ordering along with a less then spectacular navigation menu (the links from page to page, even though they are consistently presented, are all at the bottom of the pages) weakens the impression that the site gives.
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