Change is something you don't really notice until it hits you square in the face. Most of us have noticed the subtle changes taking place in the world around us but have given these changes little thought because such changes don't effect us directly. But as time move on, you start to notice the things you valued aren't the same as they were. This has been going on in country entertainment for the past few years due to the success of artists like Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Reba McEntire. To be honest with you, most of us in the country entertainment industry appreciate the extra exposure to the rest of the world. We would be fools to say we don't like the revenue it generates for Nashville. However, Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time did something a lot of other artists, regardless of musical genre, do not do: they told the truth! Larry has been an excellent songwriter for years in Nashville, best known for writing hits like 'Highway 40 Blues' for Ricky Skaggs and 'Against the Grain' by the Man, Garth Brooks. The media attention given to the song, "Murder On Music Row" is due, not to Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time, but to George Strait and Alan Jackson who heard the song and felt compelled to get this message out to the world. The CD of where the title cut came from also contains some fine bluegrass picking with a little twinge of rockabilly.

Actually, talk of country going soft by becoming more mainstream pop has been going on for years. Even when rock and roll began, some artists didn't see a big difference between what you heard on stations like WSM in Nashville, or on stations like WINS in New York. During the '50s, though, the success of such artists as Elvis, Patsy Cline and Malcolm Yelvington (familiar name, huh;-)) made the rest of the world start to draw a distinction between what was pop and what was not. Record companies started to market heavily toward the younger rock and roll set because it was a growing demographic due to the postwar baby boom. At the beginning of the '60s, there was a gradual movement back to where many believed country needed to be. Artists like George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Marty Robbins gave us classics which will live until ears become outmoded. However, movies and crossover hits that showed what kind of talent Nashville has always attracts more listeners from abroad who inevitably want to put their spin on country. This is a healthy part of the evolution of country music. But the men of Lonesome Standard Time want to make sure the foundation is sturdy while the rest of the world continues to add more to the structure.

Website: www.lonesomestandardtime.com