Above: Country singer/songwriter Sarah Buxton, a Lawrence native, put on a major-league performance at the Power & Light District last week. Photo by Timothy Finn/The Star
The response this town gave David Cook this year was almost mind-blowing. It rivaled the reaction to KU's national championship and the mania Garth Brooks whipped up when he hijacked the Sprint Center for 10 days. (I'm not exaggerating; I was in the middle of all three.) We are starved for attention, it seems, even if it's by association.
Last Thursday night, country singer Sarah Buxton headlined the final show in the free "Hot Country Nights" series in the Power & Light District. Dierks Bentley filled the place when he opened that series early this summer. Buxton, a Lawrence native, drew about 400 people or so -- a decent turnout for a gal who hasn't quite cracked into the big-time.
Above: Sarah Buxton's appearance on the "Today" show this year.
We wrote about Buxton in late July, before a homecoming show at the Bottleneck. She has been in Nashville for 10 years, and her claims to near-fame are impressive. Foremost, she co-wrote "Stupid Boy," which became a hit for country superstar Keith Urban. She has also done plenty of background work with other stars, including Urban and Bentley, who brought her along for a recent performance on the "Today" show.
Buxton plays that role well and she could probably make a decent living at it, but she doesn't have the personality of a background singer. Thursday night, with the spotlight on her, she impressed at very level. Her songwriting is strong, especially "The Kind of Girl I Am" and "So Over the Rainbow," two songs waiting to be hits. And her presentation is winning. At times she conveyed the mood and attitude of the Dixie Chicks on their first album: a mix of contemporary and traditional country with some pop toppings. A few times, she also reminded me of Maria McKee. Some of the Bloodshot/No Depression crowd would warm up to her sound.
Her stage manner was just as appealing: unrehearsed but relaxed with some girlish charm. When she muffed the lyric to a song, she shrugged, laughed and started the verse all over. When the band behind her took over for a few measures, she danced unselfconsciously, like a teenager bouncing to in her bedroom to the Beatles. I'd intended to stay for only two or three songs. I ended up watching her entire set.
Buxton is working on her second full-length album. Her label, Lyric Street, shelved the first one, for typically nebulous label reasons. (She released some tracks digitally.) Too bad for that, but she's also lucky they've given her a rare second chance.
Wouldn't it be nice of one of the local stations stepped up and helped out -- took ownership of a local talent before she broke into the bigs? I saw a van for radio station Q-104 in the street outside the P&L district, but I didn't see much explicit representing going on inside. Maybe I missed it.
Buxton has been at this a lot longer than David Cook (more than 10 years), and she brings everything he does to the stage. It took a TV show with an audience of 30 million to turn him into a star. Buxton doesn't have that so she's going to need more hard work and some luck -- like the break she deserves.
| Timothy Finn, The Star
Tim...EXCELLENT comparison to Maria McKee. Sad that the crowd was so small for such a talented artist. Even though the show was free the P&L is probably not the best venue for her. Then again it was a Thursday. Mega Props to Sarah for chasing the dream for more than a decade. I hope that mainstream success is just around the corner for her.
Posted by: smartman | September 09, 2008 at 08:04 AM