VOA标准英语2011--Brad Paisley Pays Tribute to Country Mus

Brad Paisley Pays Tribute to Country Music

"Entertainment Weekly's" review of Brad Paisley's new album, "This Is Country Music," reads, "The whole record plays like a best-of sampler - not just for Paisley, but for the history of the art form."
Brad Paisley feels the title track of his new album sets the tone for the entire collection. He says, "The song itself is what inspired the album, which is the best way to have an album come about. From then on, all the songs on the album fill certain slots and paint the rest of the picture."
Paisley is known for his musical diversity that shows all sides of his personality. His hits include ballads¹, up-tempo songs and humorous novelty tunes². He says, "I'm really lucky that radio has allowed me to be myself, because that's not always something that people get to do. I've been allowed to straddle that fence all the way throughout my career."
Paisley co-wrote 12 of the 15 tracks on "This Is Country Music." Guests include Carrie Underwood, Don Henley, Blake Shelton, actor Clint Eastwood and legendary³ Country band Alabama, which joins Paisley on his Number One hit, "Old Alabama." "Remind Me," the new single from the album, features Carrie Underwood.
Brad Paisley is the reigning⁴ Country Music Association (CMA) Entertainer of the Year. To date, he's won a total of 14 CMA Awards, three Grammys and 14 Academy of Country Music Awards.
"This Is Country Music" debuted⁵ at Number One on Billboard's Country Albums chart. This is Paisley's sixth consecutive⁶ album to enter that list in the top spot.
Paisley recently kicked off his "H2O II Wetter and Wilder" tour. The 35-city trek⁷ includes five stadium concerts and eight European dates. Later this year, he will have his first book published. "Diary of a Player" tells the story of his journey to becoming a Country music star. In it, Paisley also shares his memories about the musicians in Country, blues⁸ and rock-and-roll who have inspired him throughout his life.

1 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

2 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

4 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

5 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

6 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

7 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

8 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。