Two For Tuesday: Memory Of A Past Love 8/27/13

If you're looking for a simple sad song about getting over a memory of someone, you won't find it easily in today's country. When sad songs do come around today a lot of the time they spend so much time trying to make it catchy and radio friendly that they forget the purpose of it in the first place; to ease the pain for someone else, and the writer. Sad love songs written in big Nashville office buildings just aren't the same.


"Outta My Head" - Craig Campbell
This song tries to sound serious, yet to the casual listener who isn't paying much attention it sounds no different than the happy love songs. The chorus has so many "Yeahs" and "Girls" you probably wouldn't know the difference. This song sounds like sing-along pop, which is probably why it's big right now. I just don't get it. If you're gonna write a sad song the very least you could do is make it sound like you wrote with actual feeling. If the only reason you have a depressing song out is because you did too many happy songs in a row, just go ahead and keep making happy stuff because a sad song with no feeling is just pointless.



"Sweet Savannah" - Shooter Jennings
This song tells a story. If I was a guy who couldn't get over a long hard relationship, I would want to listen to this. You could tell that the listener would pay attention because real thought and feelings were put into here and it seems real. The first song just used a gimmicky hook to make people listen. I don't get why songs like this can't be on the radio. I can't believe a song needs to have a certain amount of happiness to be accepted as a sad song these days.

Single Review: "I Hold On" by Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley is a name most mainstream country fans are familiar with. With songs like "5150" and "What Was I Thinkin'" a traditionalist would be quick to roll their eyes and put him in the pop country throw away genre like many others. If you dig deep enough you would discover that he is a lot more than what meets the eye. Compared to Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and others, he is usually one we never have to point a finger at. Considering the fact he had a bluegrass album back in 2010 and some great releases off his new record, I think Dierks is one of the few mainstream stars who is on the right path.

"Bourbon In Kentucky" was originally going to be the lead single off of his soon to be released album Riser. I thought it was a very good song, but the record label pulled it at the last minute despite the fact that it got great reviews. It was most likely due to the fact that you can't release a heavy depressing love ballad in the summertime. *Rolls eyes* Summer is a time all the bandwagon "country fans" jump on in because of the songs about beer and sun and fun yay. *Rolls eyes again* It would have been refreshing to hear a song like that on the radio next to all the summer garbage. It got pulled anyway, and now since summer is almost over people can start releasing sad songs again. His new lead single is "I Hold On" and I think it was a just as great, if not better choice as the first.

I first heard this song when he sang it live at the 'Locked And Reloaded' tour which he co-headlined with Miranda Lambert. He really didn't have to say much to introduce it, you can just tell he meant every word he was singing. When you listen to this song there isn't a doubt in your mind that he took part in writing it. I can actually justify singing about a truck in a song if it's done this way. The first verse talks about how even though he has the money to buy a new one, he still keeps his truck he had practically his whole life. He holds on to it because of the memories it has, like how his dad, who passed away recently, and him drove it to Nashville when he was 19 to start his new life. And that guitar with holes and dents in it, he always keeps it because it reminds him of all the old bars he payed his dues in. I can relate to this song a lot because I do hold on to things a whole lot. Not even big things, just little things that bring back good memories, like my big cup of old concert tickets. I think other people will relate to it as well.

The instrumentation is country rock with a big bass lead. Overall it still sounds like a Dierks song. With everyone changing themselves to fit into the what's hot at the moment category it's cool to see artists still be who they are. To keep the sound you want and to write meaningful songs from the heart is very rare in mainstream music. It might not get you all the money or fame, but 20 years from now it will get you remembered as an artist. As long as Dierks keeps on the road he's on now, and doesn't try to rap about trucks or whatever the sellouts are doing these days, I think he can do a lot of good in country music. I'm looking forward to see what's in store for his new record.

Rating: A

Two For Tuesday: Name Dropping Legends 8/20/13

Name dropping classic country singers in mainstream country songs is always something I hate. It's never saying what an impact the singer had on their life, it's almost always just a way to make a rhyme work, and of course to sound cool and make your music "countrier." Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of songs out there that do talk about a country legend in a way that shows the importance of them in that singer's life, usually not in mainstream though. They usually just use it to make George Strait rhyme with tailgate, or (in the case of Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem") George Jones rhyme with dirt road! Okay so if you are going to use a legend's name in a fun way how should it be done? Funny you should ask.


"Johnny Cash"- Jason Aldean
It should not be done like this. This song is about a guy who loses his job so he picks up his girl (in a sundress of course) and they go rocking down the highway listening to Johnny Cash. Okay, but why though? Is it really necessary to name drop Johnny Cash? The reason is because by saying "Johnny Cash" or any other country legend's name in a pop country song it fools the listener into thinking they are badass. No really, I think people like to hear a legends name in a song because it paints some illusion that the song has something to do with them. So they think they are cool for listening to a song about a legend. In reality it's just a way to get a good rhyme and cover up the suckiness of a stupid cliche pop country song.


"Hank William's Records"- Hellbound Glory
This song is one of the first songs that turned me onto this band. Besides the fact that this does in fact sound like a real country song, the name drop is very well done. It's about a drinking away a past love in an apartment whilst blasting some old Hank, with some very choice words to the landlord who doesn't like it. This song is fun, upbeat, and hilarious. It's what we need more of these days, just a good ole country song.

Girls Are Taking Over Country In 2013

It seems like all the guys in mainstream country are off in truck land. They may think they're "outlaws" with their ripped jeans and wallet chains but it seems like the ladies of country are the ones keeping the traditional country sound alive. Here are some of the top female artists to watch out for, all of them have new records out this year.

Holly Williams-
Just because she is the granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr. doesn't mean she will make super twangy honky tonk music to follow in his footsteps. I think she is receiving the amount of success she is because she just does her own thing. She has a very soft Americana sound with many country elements, vivid story-like lyrics and a beautiful voice. Her album The Highway was one of the best albums of the year so far.


Kacey Musgraves-
Kacey is unquestionably one of the best things mainstream country has got going for it. Same Trailer Different Park was one of, if not the best mainstream country album of the year. It seems like every hit country song today is about fun times and partying. Kacey sings songs that are darker and a whole lot deeper than the country pop stars. I'm pleasantly surprised that the mainstream country fan base likes her as much as they do. 




Ashley Monroe & The Pistol Annies-
Ashley's album Like A Rose and the Pistol Annies' Annie Up all sold a decent amount of copies, nothing groundbreaking, but still good. The reason is because people know Miranda Lambert, so they support the Annies as well, and guess what? Both albums were country, really good country, and get this, people bought it, and they liked it! Ashley, Miranda, and Angaleena are an example of how accepting country fans would be of a change. There were rumors this year of a Pistol Annies break up because of cancelled tour dates. I think they are all just busy doing their own thing right now. Ashley just recorded an album, Miranda is working on a new one, and Angaleena is working on hers too, which according to her Twitter will be "some good old fashioned country music." Together or apart, the girls can each bring a lot of good into country today.


Amanda Shires-
You can call her Americana, rock, folk, country, whatever, Amanda is the perfect example of someone who doesn't need to be labeled. I don't care how country it is as long as it's good. That is how I feel towards most things. Days when music is becoming so repetitive and unoriginal, music like hers really stops you in your tracks. Her songs are like dark poetry and her voice perfectly fits it. Her album Down Fell The Doves is another one of the best things I've heard this year. It's not country in a traditional sense like Ashley Monroe's is, but it is so good. Her incredible fiddle playing and other country elements always push her music into the country genre, and I will gladly accept that.

Album Review: "Crash My Party" by Luke Bryan

Well I will start by saying this wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It wasn't good by any means but if you survive the first two songs then you're set because that's as bad as it gets. After hearing his new single "That's My Kinda Night" I was expecting this to be painful to listen to, it really wasn't. I guess what I'm getting at here is the fact that this album sounds exactly like every other mainstream pop country album out there. I hated listening to it because every single song sounds the same. The instrumentation is barely country and the lyrics are just childish. That's the problem, it's just blah, pointless, meaningless music that's just wasting space. It's a shame that this album already sold half a million copies, there's no soul, no depth, it's not even fun to listen to. I hope people will start to get sick of stuff like this soon.

"That's My Kinda Night" is one of those cliche party in the pasture songs, but it is one of the most over the top ridiculous things I have ever heard. It starts off with him saying little fake rapper sounds like "Uh uh" over a hip hop beat. With lines like "Catch us up a little Catfish dinner, gonna sound like a winner winner" and "Put in my country, rock, hip-hop mixtape. Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain" it really makes you wonder what these songwriters are on when they are writing this trash. How could anyone be okay with destroying a genre purely because they're a greedy asshole? I would be embarrassed and ashamed to have my name on something like this, I just don't get how people are okay with it. This very well could be the worst "country" song that has ever existed. 

When you look past that vile piece of garbage the rest is like I said, blah. Ultimately out of 17 tracks there are two different topics the song could be about. The first theme is the good time "country kinda crazy" (Yes a quote from one of the songs, *rolls eyes*) loving out in a field in the mud with a girl and a truck and some beers, yeah I'm sure you heard the story. "That's My Kinda Night" "Play It Again" "Out Like That" "Shut It Down" and others are all about getting frisky with some chick in a field. The other cliche theme is I was so happy with this girl during the summer. We were drunk and crazy and in love, then she left now I'm sad. "Roller Coaster" "Goodbye Girl" "Sunburnt Lips" "Better Than My Heart" "I See You" "Your Mama Should Have Named You Whiskey" are all about driving or sitting on a tractor being like aw shit I miss this girl. That is honestly what all the songs are about except two.

"Drink A Beer" is unquestionably the best song on the album. Don't let the name fool you because it isn't a dumb getting drunk in a truck song, it's actually a song about someone who died too young. It's a little cliche the whole good ole boy didn't deserve to go so soon but God's got a plan for us both deal. I've heard it a bunch of times but that's okay. It's acoustic with get this, a steel guitar! (Holy shit I know) It really isn't that bad, I wouldn't mind listening to it. It just shows he is capable of putting out decent music. On the flip side of that the other different song is called "Blood Brothers." Of course it's a song about a group of guy friends who would do anything for each other. They do typical "bad boy" stuff like smoke, drink, and drive big trucks. It's a song that's not even worth mentioning until the line "It was one for all and all for one, a bunch of outlaws without a gun." The fake outlaw shit has to stop, it has to die a long painful death because I'm sick of it. I know all the mainstream singers think they are changing what outlaw means. They try to tell you they aren't talking about the "Waylon kind of outlaw" they mean the "bad boy outlaw." I'm sorry but there's no way around it, in country music "outlaw" means one thing, and one thing only. It doesn't mean rowdy asshole, it means someone who works their ass off to make the music they believe in, well knowing that they may never get anywhere with it because it doesn't follow "the rules" or the latest "musical trends." What it comes down to is it's just downright disrespectful to the actual outlaws who paved the way for country music today. All these singers like Justin Moore, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and such try to "rebrand" what outlaw means but even if they are talking about the "bad boy outlaw" these pretty boys in skinny jeans sure ain't no outlaws, and all their dumb fans are like "we like beer and trucks and boobs yay were outlaws!" No, you're not. You're not outlaws, just douchebags. 

Now we have to look a little deeper at the songwriting on this album. I mean a drunk 5 year old could have written more mature sounding songs, seriously! Some of these lines are just atrocious. "I wanna feel your heart go tick tock, while the rain from your hair goes drip drop." "If you want to know the real me, just turn the page in my dirt road diary." Or my personal favorite from a song titled "Beer In The Headlights" I thought the line was "You got the beautiful, I got the coolifull." I couldn't believe anyone could have written something so dumb so I listened to it again and the line is "cooler full" not "cooliful" which is a little better but still ridiculous. Besides the fact that all the songs are about the same thing, they all sound the same too. The melodies and instrumentation are all very similar. Some have hip hop/R&B beats, some actually do have prominent steel guitar and banjo parts so that shows some country effort. Overall they all sound like bad non creative pop songs about beer and girls. I'll admit some of his songs aren't as bad as others but they aren't anything special. If he wasn't a hot guy with a nice ass no one would care about him. That goes for a lot of the pretty boys in country music. That's all it is, a big modeling show. You can make completely unoriginal music that people will forget in a couple months, but as long as you're hot, you're in! Meanwhile the people making timeless music from their heart don't receive any attention because they aren't pretty enough and they don't sing about trucks. That's the way the world works folks!

Cliche Countryisms Count:

Truck: 8

Beer: 19

Tractor: 3

Tanline: 4

Tailgate: 3

Dirt Road: 7

Semi-decent Songs:  "Drink A Beer" "Crash My Party"

Rating: F+

Two For Tuesday: The Devolution of Brad Paisley 8/13/13

In 2001 Brad Paisley released this song called "Too Country" with Buck Owens, George Jones, and Bill Anderson. It pretty much makes fun of the people who claim old country music is "too country."  "Is the message too real, too close to the bone? Do the fiddle and steel remind you too much of home? Is honest and true just not in demand? Too country? I don't understand."



 Mainstream country in the early 2000's was starting to get more pop influences mixed in since it was coming off of the 90's when artists like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain ruled the charts. That was the first time country music really took off. Its mainstream appeal got bigger and bigger, and country became less and less country. I wouldn't deny Brad's true love for country music. He learned guitar from his Grandpa and he grew up playing and singing old country songs. He has done a lot over the past years to prove that he is a vital contender in country music. This really sucks because up until the past few years he used to be one of the good guys. It saddens me to see him sing such low level meaningless songs like his single "Beat This Summer" for a hit. Brad, like many others are capable of doing great things with their musical talents, I don't know why they are content with wasting it. "Times are different" I suppose, this sure is a crappy "evolution."

 

CMA Fest: The Good And The Bad

Tonight was the annual "Country's Night To Rock" on ABC which is just footage from the CMA Fest in June. It always lives by its name too. When they say "Night To Rock" they literally mean let's try to find all the washed up rock stars we can in order to make this as "uncountry" as possible. Besides a few exceptions that was exactly what it was. Instead of giving country music a night to make country music on national television they have to make it a rock star extravaganza, to appeal to the masses probably.  In case you missed it or more likely chose not to watch here's the rundown. Oh and if any mainstream rock singers want a night to "country" let me know because I would totally be interested in watching that.


The Bad:

- Carrie Underwood opened with A Guns N Roses song
Yes, that really happened.




- "Cruise" 
was performed

- The reigning "Entertainer Of The Year" sang a rap song
It saddens me what Blake Shelton has turned into. He claims he's a huge "Traditional Country fan" yet he has no problem with ruining the genre he says he loves.

- "1994" 
was still relevant when this was shot.

- Taylor Swift sang 3 songs
Everyone claims she's "not country anymore" but "Red" sounds as "uncountry" as everything else out there.
She sang her first hit "Tim Mcgraw" to try to prove the fact that she used to be country back in the day. I mean of course she "used to be country" she name dropped Tim Mcgraw, a huge classic country singer.
Then she sang "Highway Don't Care" with you guessed it, Tim Mcgraw. Hashtag snoozefest.
Oh yeah why does she get 3 songs again?

- Lenny Kravitz 
 was there.
(They didn't show the part at the end of this clip where he flipped off the audience for not knowing his songs though. Darn)




- Kid Rock
was also there.

- Lady Antebellum
sang "Downtown." I'm guessing it was bad. I missed most of the performance because I had to explain to my Dad that this was shot 2 months ago and Hillary Scott was not "repregnant."

- Kelly Clarkson sang her new song
Apparently she thinks she's a country singer now.  

- Sheryl Crow
also thinks she's a country singer now.
She sang "Soak Up The Sun" her old pop/rock song and "Easy" her new "country" song. There was no difference in the sound, and that's a problem. Don't give me the country music is evolving crap because it isn't. It's 90's pop.

- Luke Bryan
sang twice

- Jake Owen continues to sing barefoot
He is just waiting for Kenny Chesney to retire so he can be the new king of "beach country music."

- "Pontoon" came back
That was so last year people. *Shakes head in disgust*


The Good:

-Miranda Lambert 
Was her good usual badass self.

-Kacey Musgraves
delivers the best performance of the night with "Blowin Smoke." I like that song a lot but if she releases "Silver Lining" "It Is What It Is" or "Follow Your Arrow" especially, I think she would finally get the recognition she deserves.



- Eric Church stays true to who he is
Even if who he is is an asshole.

- Little Big Town's "Your Side Of The Bed"
was good but was later ruined by the singing of "Pontoon."

- I saw a couple banjos
that's always good

- There were no actual rappers there
which was also very good, and a little surprising.

- Since this was shot before the release date, Luke Bryan didn't sing his new single "That's My Kinda Night" 
I think that was the best part of all.