Sugar Sugar

I was a little "off my game" tonight at Remington's, a tad stiff and self-conscious for some reason, but I had a good time anyway, all in all. Everyone there on Monday nights is unbelievably friendly and helpful (and forgiving).

I just now took a listen online to my current fave "country" song -- "Who Says You Can't Go Home," the duet between (yes) Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles. Her day job is lead singer of the country band Sugarland, whose CD, Twice the Speed of Life, I've been listening to a lot lately. She has an awesome voice. (Perhaps you've heard Sugarland's biggest hit, "Baby Girl"?)

I think the duet, though, is only on Bon Jovi's new CD, which I will never buy. Not that I have anything against Jon Bon Jovi. In fact, in a weird way I've always kind of liked his "persona," and I see that the band is performing at a free screening of An Inconvenient Truth in LA later this month, so he can't be all bad. I've just never given his music a second glance -- until this very atypical song.

It's a great one to two-step to, or to watch a dancefloor of guys two-stepping to. (It's also the number-one song on Billboard's "Hot Country Recurrents" chart, whatever that is.) The tempo is pretty fast, and if you have a leader who is good and who times the corner spins just right at the guitar moments (sorry to get all technical on you with terms like "guitar moments"), it can be as near to a transcendent experience as you can have in a gay country-western bar.

Anyway, I didn't dance to it tonight -- they didn't even play it -- but like I said, I gave it a listen just now to lift my spirits. For some reason, I'm ending the day today feeling a little eh. But I feel better already.

Why do I like this look so much?

This is Kristian Bush, another member of Sugarland. I've been seeing a lot of this kind of cowboy hat lately, turned up on the sides.