Single Review – Rissi Palmer – No Air
Wow. And not the good kind. This single is an embarrassment to country music. No, on second thought, this release might be more embarrassing for R&B and Pop. Because, folks, this is not a country record. I can’t say for sure what it is, other than a really bad cover of a song that was at best medicore in its original form. The song, No Air, went to the top of the Pop Chart for Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. It is not destined for similar success for Miss Palmer. For those of you who’ve been with me for a while now, you may recall that I took issue with the material she chose to record on her debut album as being far too pop. I openly wished for her to record some new material, though this is far from what I had in mind. This is ridiculous. Adding a banjo to a pop record, singing it off beat, and shipping it out to country radio does NOT make it country.
In conclusion, this is the last post that will feature Rissi Palmer on Nashville Now. I did indeed declare that she had the talent to break the barrier and that she could indeed have a career in country. But, I find it now very obvious that she has no interest in being a country musician, so I wish her all the luck with her pop career. You can perhaps follow her career from here on out on a site dedicated to pop, but she is no longer welcome here on Nashville Now. We’ll stick to country, and it’s sad that Rissi Palmer didn’t chose to do likewise.
June 22, 2008 at 2:40 pm
The first time I heard that she was covering the song I thought It might turn out okay. Jordin’s version I always thought sounded like it could be translated nicely into a country song, but Rissi just doesn’t pull it off. This is the third time in about a year that an artist who’s struggling with radio chose to cover a popular pop song. Each time I thought it just seemed desperate like there wasn’t any thought put to the artistic value it would bring. Both Jack Ingram & Rissi Palmer failed to (IMO) put out anything good. Blake Shelton’s cover of Home isn’t better than the original, and I think it suck that he didn’t just pull a new single from his album, but at least it sounds okay.
June 25, 2008 at 2:12 am
I am a big fan of Rissi palmer. I think Am her biggest fan in Africa. The last time i almost lost it with the gentleman who hosts this page bacause of Rissi but now my EQ is in place.
Any way about the song no air……… well i dint like the original so much and in my opininon she tries with this one…though i am not sure about the timing. When you re-do ahit song there is always comparison with the original so i guess the timing was abit wrong. The other thing i may add is that country is not so obvious nowadays. Like
Trace Adkins song of “Swing” I am not sure its country. Actually one wonders what makes a song country nowadays……
June 28, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I think Rissi did a great job. It wasn’t that different than the Jordin Sparks’ version, but then I liked the original too. I think there are is two different kinds of country at this time, country-pop (which explains how Taylor Swift can play so often on the pop stations) and the classic country sound. I think if you like the classic country sound you’re not going to like a lot of today’s country music, it’s just the nature of the beast of change. I don’t think the country-pop is bad, just different, which some people will never like, and that’s okay, it makes debate enjoyable.
July 11, 2008 at 4:10 am
Who are you to “define” what country music is? If everyone thought like you, we would still have the same old country & westrn sound being remade over and over again.
I think they did a great job with this version of this song. I like the original, but I always thought that Jordin Sparks was screaming a bit too much and it made it sound harsh. This version is more relaxed and Rissi Palmer has a more mature richer voice. It is a good arrangement and i think the added “country” instrumentals make it a total winner.
This should be a big country hit. Thankfully, most country music fans are open to a more broad and diverse music style and not stuck in a box like this poster.
July 11, 2008 at 11:21 am
Hi,
There’s no contact link on the home page so I am hoping to reach someone this way. I’m contacting you on behalf of the online marketing division of Shore Fire Media in NYC. We’d love to include Nashville Now in our upcoming campaigns and would greatly appreciate it if you’d forward the site editor’s direct contact details to me at jessica.shorefire@gmail.com
Thanks very much and we look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Jessica
July 18, 2008 at 8:06 am
John,
Where do I begin? I’ll try to make this fairly civil and get to the point. Had you taken a moment to explore this site, you would have known the fight that you’ve just picked. This site is made up of the opinions and thoughts that seem to just fall out of my head. And I bleed old country. I believe that the invasion of pop has worn away at the heart of real country music too long. I believe that it’s folks like you, sir, who have opened their minds too far, allowed too much to flow in, and in essence, filled your minds with so much sub-par, impostering “music”, that you have lost touch with where we began.
You have every right to state your opinions, however misguided, so rest easy. I’ll always be here to defend your right to be wrong.
July 25, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I hate it that this song stinks as badly as it does. I had such hope for her. [sigh] Oh well.
January 6, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Wow, pathetic song. Get out of country music.
January 9, 2009 at 2:49 pm
For: John, if you thought people were going to ’side with you’ on this issue you’re sadly mistaken, because I’m beginning to get the feeling that (at least from what’s being said over various boards) by some people’s standards Rissi (no matter how much she LOVES country music) will never be good or white enough to sing this kind of music (I also wish race didn’t play a part here but if you believe it doesn’t, you’re very sadly mistaken).
Look around you John, how many ‘well-known’ shows (or programs) have you seen her appear on (the morning shows in New York City, ‘The Today Show’, CBS ‘Early Morning Show’, ‘Good Morning America’, etc. have yet to give her even ‘one’ appearance.)?
People have their own freedom of speech, choice, etc., but “listen” very closely to what’s being said, and to who’s saying it. I got to see this extremely talented young woman perform in person (with whites and blacks present mind you, and she made us feel right at home, telling us about how she grew up listening to country music that she came to LOVE.), but the ‘majority’ of the put-downs are coming from those southerners who seem to be filled with hatred against a woman they know nothing about.
Lastly, I personally wish Ms. Palmer nothing but the BEST that God has to offer her, and hope and pray that one day soon she will get the recognition that she’s been seeking for the music that’s close to her heart. Thanks once again for your insightful comments.
Pray for her and others who speak against her because God ultimately has the ‘last’ say for ALL of us.
July 22, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Mike,
I agree with you 100%, how much do we let Country music change, before we can’t even remember what what it used to sound like. I started a website for those of you who still like to hear a nice blend of today’s Music, along with Classic Country. RadiofreeCountry.com is where you go to find this music.