03 May 2010 - 0 Comments

The finalists for the RIANZ Best Country Music Album 2010 were announced today.

They are The Bads for ‘So Alive’, Tami Neilson for ‘The Kitchen Table Sessions’ and The Topp Twins for ‘Honky Tonk Angel’.

Also announced were the finalists for the APRA Best Country Song for 2010 - Dianne Swann (The Bads) for ‘So Alive, Matt Langley for ‘7:13’ and Jools Topp (The Topp Twins) for ‘Honky Tonk Angel’.

Both awards are to be presented on June 4 at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in Gore.

Dianne Swann and Brett Adams are The Bads and they have worked together since 1992. So Alive is the duo’s 2nd album, four years after ‘Earth From Space’. The title track was the first single from the album and was featured as the theme song for the award winning TV series ‘Hunger For The Wild’.

Canada-raised Tami Neilson features in the RIANZ Best Country Music Album Award category for the second year in a row after taking out the title in 2009 for ‘Red Dirt Angel’.

Neilson now lives in Auckland and tours New Zealand regularly. ‘The Kitchen Table Sessions’ was recorded with various other Neilson family members and features a blue grass version of Dave Dobbyn’s ‘Slice of Heaven’.

Lynda and Jools Topp are New Zealand cultural icons and extremely talented songwriters and recording artists, as critics the world over acknowledge. They have two previous Best Country album wins – for ‘Grass Highway’ in 2001 and‘Flowergirls and Cowgirls’ in 2005. In 2008 they were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

‘Honky Tonk Angel’ was produced by old friend Don McGlashan with his band The Seven Sisters playing on most of the tracks.

Dunedin singer / songwriter Matt Langley has been writing and performing music in bands and as a solo artist for more than a decade. His unique take on blues, folk, country and rock first surfaced on the 2007 E.P. ‘Lost Companions’.

‘7:13’ is a single from his first full length album ‘FEATHERBONES’ which will be released on local indie label Hometown Records NZ this year.

RIANZ CEO Campbell Smith is glad he’s not one of the judges: “This is one of the strongest line-ups in this RIANZ Best Country Album category that I can remember. Two of the finalists have won the award before and the third is one of New Zealand’s most talented duos. It’s going to be very hard to pick a winner.

“I wish all three finalists the best of luck.”

Ant Healey, Director of New Zealand Operations for APRA says: “These are world-class songs from three of New Zealand’s leading songwriters. Over the history of these Awards in Gore, country music has really taken its place in the music world. Long may that continue.”

Attracting more than 5,000 country music fans during the festival, Gore’s Gold Guitar week is in its 36th year. For more information visit: www.goldguitars.co.nz

About RIANZ:  The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Inc (RIANZ) is a non-profit organisation representing major and independent record producers, distributors and recording artists throughout New Zealand. RIANZ works to protect the rights and promote the interests of creative people involved in the New Zealand recording industry.  www.rianz.org.nz

About APRA:The Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA)was established in 1926 and now administers the performing and communication rights of 60,000+ composer, songwriter and music publisher members in New Zealand and Australia. Public performances of music include music used in pubs, clubs, fitness centres, shops, cinemas, festivals, whether performed live, on CDs or played on the radio or television. Communication of music covers music used for music on hold, music accessed over the internet or used by television or radio broadcasters.

APRA’s objective is to ensure composers/songwriters and publishers are rewarded whenever, and wherever, their musical works are played, performed or reproduced and help New Zealand & Australian music consumers get access to the world’s musical repertoire.

www.apra-amcos.co.nz

Thanks to www.goldguitars.co.nz for this story.

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