My top 50 videos of 2011: #20 - #16

Here we go. The top twenty. There's only four more posts left in this countdown, including this one, and then I'll be done and moving on to something else. I think that this part of this countdown was one of the toughest for me to rank. Mainly because a lot of these videos are so close in quality to me. A lot of the others were easier to place, whether they've been in here already or have yet to come. But this batch and the one that'll come right after were probably the hardest ones when it came to deciding what video would go where. And after all that this, this is what I've come up with. So let's get to it.

Kicking off this section at #20 is Steve Holy's video for "Love Don't Run". It seems like it was years before his last video was out, so it was cool to see this one get released. And for a guy who seems to have been missing in action, at least CD and album wise, this was a great way to come back. This was directed by Eric Welch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys1zz0l5zVw

Before getting into the video, I want to say how much I like the opening lines. It's so blunt and matter-of-fact and immediately sets the mood for the rest of the song; a feat that isn't always accomplished in the beginning. The video feels like it's scenes from a movie and I pretty much always love videos like this. I like the decision to have it set in the time period it was set in, adds a nice historical element that suits the songs perfectly. Visually speaking, this is a very pretty video. The parts felt very well cast and this is one video I believed from the beginning to the end. Again, something that doesn't always happen. My favorite part is the mother getting involved and letting her daughter go with the man she loves - leading to the reaction shot from the father at the 3:44 when I can see just a hint of regret. Seems like he didn't exactly think this one out, but frankly, it serves him right. Great video. 

Coming in at #19 I have a video by an artist who has inspired heaven knows how many debates over whether or not she belongs in country music. Even right now I'm sure there's some going on. People tend to have pretty strong opinions about this artist. As for me, I think she's good for the genre, but that's me. I'm talking about Taylor Swift making her first appearance on the countdown. Here is her Yoann Lemoine directed video for "Back To December". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUwxKWT6m7U

You know things are bad when it's snowing inside your house and not outside. That's one of my favorite things about this video. I've seen a handful of videos where it rained inside a house, but this is the first time I've seen it snow. I will say I find the shots of her sitting in the tub to be a little random in a confusing way. But I'm choosing to let that go and focus on the snow again. I just love the visual of it. The whole song is about how she keeps thinking about the night she ended it with the guy; going back to December in her mind. Which equals snow in the house. Did it need the snow? No. But I felt like it was a very unique way to highlight the lyrics of the song and really, in country music it all comes back to the lyric. And unique goes a long way with me which is why I felt that this belonged here.

Moving on to #18, I have one of my personal favorites: Sugarland. I've gotten to see them in concert a good amount of times and I think they put on one of the best shows in music. Not just country, but music in general.  Here's their Marcus Raboy directed video for "Tonight". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNDtN4XM8KA

This was the only Sugarland video that was eligible for this countdown and that's a shame because their videos are always so good. I was actually surprised that they didn't have any other ones released in 2011, but this was it. There are two things that jumped right out at me the first time I saw this video. The first is how beautiful Jennifer Nettles looks in this. This is not to in anyway imply that she doesn't look nice in all of her videos, because she does, just more so in this one. Whoever was in charge of her hair and makeup did such a great job. The other thing that jumped out at me was how painful her initial pose on the couch, when she's in the red dress, looked. I'd love to know just how long she had to stay like that and honestly, I have to give her props for holding it . That could not have been the easiest thing in the world to do. 

I like that the video chose to focus on her and liked all the different sets she was in and how different they were. My favorite shots were the ones around the 2:30 with the moving lights. It just looks so cool to me. Kristian's role in this video is pretty minimal, but they managed to insert the shots of him in a way that worked. I do hope that he's featured more in their next one, whenever that may be. Sugarland is so visual in their approach to this business and this video was a fantastic example of that.

Okay now. This next artist is another one of my favorites and has been for a few years now. It took him a while to really get going in his career and I don't know if I'll ever understand why that is. He's tall, dark, and handsome and has a great voice and terrific songs. I'm talking about Mr. Chris Young. He's making his first appearance on this countdown here at #17 with his video for "You". A song that has just become his 5th consecutive number one. Way to go Chris! And really, in this moment this applies to two people because this video happens to be directed by a guy named Chris, Chris Hicky to be exact. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0EtpEdZWZY

I love the way this song feels - it has a nice little groove to it that does a good job in setting it apart from other songs out right now. A very sweet lyric as well and his voice sounds as smooth as ever. I love the concept of this video, what with Chris playing the part of the cute gas station attendant that all the girls apparently have a thing for. I like the look of it and I think the cars used are pretty dang cool - particularly the truck he drives. But what sets this video apart is the coloring. It seems like a bunch of people were experimenting with different color techniques in 2011 and this is a fine example. Black and white with certain things being in color.  I'd love to know what inspired Chris Hicky to take do it like this, but I'm glad he did. It sets it apart. 

There's so many great moments in this. Chris pulls off his part very well and the girls amuse me. I do find it interesting that the girl in the red comes across as the most shy of the three. And honestly, that thought never occurred to me until now when I've been watching it as I've been typing. You'd think the one in red would be the most bold. But that's totally not a big deal. I think my favorite is the girl in yellow just because she makes me laugh. His reactions to her are pretty priceless too. I feel compelled to point out that I think that Chris is looking pretty good in this video and I feel confident in assuming that I'm not the only female who feels that way. Someone back me here. That said, the best part of this video is the ending though, when he drives past all the girls while they're gushing about him. Talk about priceless reactions. Priceless and perfect. Love this video!

To conclude this portion of the countdown is a husband and wife duo who are pretty much on fire right now. Both in terms of their career and literally - as some of you may have heard, their bus caught on fire a few days ago. Yikes! What is it with bus fires lately? Thankfully it seems like no one was hurt and that's the important thing. Anyway, here's Thompson Square coming in at #16 with "I Got You", which was directed by Wes Edwards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5yNYMp7DPQ

One of my favorite things about Thompson Square is the fact that I seem to like them a little more the more I see them, which is something that doesn't always happen with me. I could say the same for other artists, but those tend to be the exception for me. Either my feeling about an artist won't change all that much or I end up liking them less the more I see them, which is never a good thing. I much prefer cases like this. It's the way it should be, in my opinion.

This is such a fun video. I can't help wondering how long it took for them to film this because, as you may have noticed, they play all the parts in this. And there's a good amount of parts. They have such a great chemistry together, as one might expect, and I think this video does a great job in highlighting that. I love that they chose to parody the Sonny and Cher show for this. This is one of those videos that makes you want to stop and watch it, just because it's so different from what else is out there. I think there's so many great moments, starting off with Keifer the stylist. I always get a chuckle out of Shawna's little dance paired with Keifer just barely tapping the beat beside her. And then you have the whole CD confusion bit with them not knowing what the CD is - first trying to eat it, then using it for a mirror and then reaching the obvious conclusion that it's surely a coaster. I think this video did a great job in showing off their personalities some more. I love when videos can do that. And on a fashion related note, the boots Shawna's wearing when they performing as themselves (i.e. Thompson Square) are kind of awesome. Fun video for a cool song.

So there we go. Five more videos done. 15 left. Some by some pretty heavy hitters who have yet to make an appearance and one that I don't think anyone will see coming. That's all I'm going to say about that. Stay tuned for the next installment and as always, comments are welcome. Thanks!