Houston Press inaugural web awards

“Houston is the best city on Earth, if you know what you’re doing. ”

-Jay Rascoe (@gunsandtacos), awarded Best Tweet of the Year. Why? “The taco enthusiast and budding beer connoisseur hit to the heart of why we love Houston. It’s true, Houston really is the greatest city on Earth, if you play your cards right. We have art, food, music, beautiful people, mega amounts of international culture — now if we can just find a way to air-condition the damned thing.”

Love it. Check out the rest of the awards – great stuff:

Look Who’s Talking: Ryan Donowho

Last month I had the opportunity to interview 30-year-old actor-musician Ryan Donowho, a Houston native who’s managed to keep his laid back Texas charm despite having rubbed shoulders with the likes of Christian Slater. Read more about him in my “Look Who’s Talking” profile in the June issue of Houston magazine.

Country Universe: 30 day song challenge

We’re almost halfway through the 30 Day Song Challenge over at Country Universe, and to keep things interesting, we’ve put our own spin on it. In true country style, today’s category is “A Leaving Song” – check out our staff picks and share your favorites.

CultureMap: "American Idol" blogging

For the past two months, I’ve been blogging the highs, lows and in-betweens of the pivotal tenth season of “American Idol” for CultureMap, a new Houston digital magazine. It’s been a treat (and surprisingly challenging) to write about the show that’s captured my attention, energy and –yes– emotion for so many years.

Now that the finals have kicked off, I’m especially excited to continue my “Idol” coverage. You can read my weekly recaps here, and check out my run-down of the Top 13 contestants here:

Nashville Scene’s Country Music Critics’ Poll

I’m thrilled to be a part of Nashville Scene’s 11th annual Country Music Critics’ Poll, published today. I voted and submitted commentary for the first time, joining 76 other writers from all over North America – some of whom I’m lucky enough to call colleagues. I have a special admiration and respect for these country music writers, so it’s humbling to see one of my comments published right alongside theirs. Check out all the coverage below.
 

What the Country Music Critics Poll — and winners Jamey Johnson, Taylor Swift and Dierks Bentley — say about country’s future (by Geoffrey Himes)

Poll Results

Critics’ Comments

Charts vs. Critics

Poll Voters

Friday flashback: Best singles of the 90s

Slant Magazine recently published a monster list of the best 100 singles of the 90s- with commentary that’s made me think, reminisce and, quite frankly, wish I were a better writer.

About six months ago, over at Country Universe, we similarly counted down thebest 400 country singles of the 90s. It’s a decade we hold close to our heart as a staff, so it was a rewarding experience to compile and explore our list, which ended with this (unembeddable) gem. Here’s an excerpt from Kevin Coyne’s excellentwrite-up for the song:

“It’s a record that could’ve only existed in the nineties, when country music was broad enough to allow outside influences, but self-confident enough to incorporate them without sacrificing its own identity and integrity. “Maybe it Was Memphis” defines an era of country music that approached meritocracy, an era where genuine talent paired with a worthy song was regularly rewarded. An era where a young artist’s debut single could become a classic as easily as the latest from a veteran superstar.”