The Best Country Songs Of 2013

If you look at Billboard's top country songs of 2013 it would lead you to believe that country music is dead, but it's not, it's far from it. Many people are unaware of the music that's out there because the radio forces the same 20 songs down your throat. Country music can be many different things, from the hard edged honky tonk sound to the soft eerie sound of Americana. This year, especially, showcased a variety of different styles with an immense amount of incredible songwriting and proved one thing for sure, country music is alive and well.


Top 3:

Jason Isbell- "Elephant"



  Sturgill Simpson- "Life Ain't Fair And The World Is Mean"



  John Moreland- "Blacklist"


Other essential songs:

Lindi Ortega- "Tin Star"



Mandolin Orange- "Waltz About Whiskey"



JB Beverley- "Disappear Down The Line"




Austin Lucas- "Splinters"



Wade Bowen- "Songs About Trucks"


My Darling Clementine- "No Heart In This Heartache"



Matt Woods- "Deadman's Blues"



Fifth On The Floor- "What For"



Old 97s/Waylon Jennings- "Iron Road"


Holly Williams- "Drinkin"



Son Volt- "Hearts and Minds"



Jason Boland & The Stragglers- "Dark & Dirty Mile"



Shooter Jennings- "Wild and Lonesome"



Kacey Musgraves- "Follow Your Arrow"



Brandy Clark- "Stripes"



Ashley Monroe- "Like A Rose"



Amanda Shires- "Wasted And Rollin"



Guy Clark- "My Favorite Picture Of You"

Saddest Country Sellouts Of 2013

Selling Out:  "The compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for personal gain, such as money. In terms of music or art, selling out is associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream or commercial audience; for example, a musician who alters his material to encompass a wider audience, and in turn generate greater revenue." 

Chris Young


Maybe Chris Young's musical passion lies in the seams of his cowboy hat, because when he stopped wearing it it seemed as though he lost everything that made him a great artist. His first two albums, although they weren't stop you in your tracks incredible, they were a nice variety of simple pleasing country songs. Even his 2011 album Neon, proved he wasn't the same as those other pop country singers. The title track was especially great. He has such a deep southern voice that sounds so genuine. It is a shame that he wastes it on songs like his most recent single "Aw Naw." His entire album is filled with songs that are so different than what he normally does and so similar to what the mainstream is doing. With a voice like his he can do so much, I don't know why he settles for less than what he is capable of.




David Nail

I always really liked David Nail. He was never super country but his music was so refreshing because it was always so different than what the mainstream was offering. He was sort of like a modern day version of the Countrypolitian era of country music. Because of that, he never hit it big, up until recently. He has only had two albums, but they were two great albums. I remember listening to them while I was on my way back from a trip to New York City. A song of his titled "Mississippi" really stood out for me. The song is about someone who left their life behind to make it big in New York. They thought they'd love it but it turned out it just wasn't the life they were supposed to live. Ironic since I hated the city so much when I really hoped I'd love it. Then there was a song called "The Sound Of A Million Dreams" that was about pouring your heart into your music, and all the pain and struggles you face will be worth it in the end if your one song can evoke a memory or feeling from someone out there somewhere. There was also this line that went "When I hear "Mama Tried" I still break down and cry and pull to the side of the road." It made my heart smile. Those songs just hit me, the way music is supposed to. I saw him last year at this super tiny theatre. There couldn't have been more than 50 people in the room. He became very aware that there were few people in the room that knew who he was before the show, but it didn't stop him. He sang his songs and a couple of covers, some classic Waylon and a few others. It was a good time, but like many others, he deserved more and he wanted more. Fast forward to today and his single "Whatever She Got" is the most cliche pop country song you could imagine. I was so sad, I didn't want to believe it was him singing it, but guess what? It got his name swirling around the mainstream now of course. He has yet to release a new album, but I know what to expect. He does deserve the fame he's getting, but not like this.

Joe Nichols

Interviewer at theboot.com: Do you see anyone else carrying on the outlaw country tradition? 

Merle Haggard: There are a couple young guys who want to. They’re really trying. Joe Nichols, he is sure trying to. 

There was Merle Haggard, yes Merle Haggard talking about how modern day mainstream country singers can't carry on the outlaw legacy, but Joe Nichols is one of the few that may be able to. Calling him an outlaw is pushing it but again like the others, he was always really different. Now he has been around for over a decade and country music in the late 90's early 2000's was actually recognizable as country music, which is very different from today's country. With songs resembling those of Alan Jackson and George Strait, Joe Nichols did prove he can make some real good country music. A new record deal in 2013 came alongside a "new sound" for Joe. This new sound was obviously a combination of beer bottles clanking, hotties trying to get off their skin tight jeans, and money jingling in the pockets of those who thought sending Joe Nichols to cliche pop countryville was a good idea. His single "Sunny & 75" is just everything I thought he defied, it is everything he never was. He did his own thing, he was different, Merle Haggard called him an outlaw for crying out loud, why on earth did he change.


Blake Shelton

The thing about Blake is that he knows better. He isn't some innocent little singer whose label is controlling him, he is choosing to neglect the music he claims to love and the career that built him to judge some dumb TV show. He preaches how much he loves classic country but he doesn't mind ruining it's legacy. I do believe he has knowledge about and genuinely loves country music, which is more than you can say for some, but he has an awful hard time showing it. He straight up said that the old fart's music is out and it's not cool so we have to roll in the new hip country music to keep the kids into it. That's what everyone thinks now I guess. Anything somewhat rootsy or traditional is shunned by country radio. Blake used to be great, yeah he had some dumb songs but it never got as ridiculous as songs like "Boys Round Here." His 2007 album Pure BS I feel is his best. It was right after his divorce, the songs fit his situation and he had a hand at writing some of it and you can tell he actually meant what he was singing. His latest album Based On A True Story is a joke. How ironic it is that it's called based on a true story when all it is is the same beer and truck anthem repeated about 13 times, is that supposed to be an accurate representation of his life? Now he is super famous, fake stories headlining the tabloid magazines famous, and it is all his choice. It's his fault he doesn't have time to write songs or put out a good record. He probably just shows up to a recording studio in between the takes of The Voice and records a bunch of random songs other people wrote. He used to be a good musical artist, but now he's just a TV star. He chose to abandon his music.


Is it worth it? Is all the money and fame worth the fact that you are helping to destroy a genre of music. No, actually it's more than just a genre, country music is real life, a legacy, a family, a beautiful story that some folks have spent decades to create. Who cares about that anymore, they just knock it down because no one cares about anyone but themselves. To be fair the finger should be pointed at the big labels, corporate radio stations, etc. They are pulling the strings for the puppets on Music Row. It isn't just a coincidence that every single mainstream country singer got the idea to change their "artistic development" into another direction. As much as they try to tell you that country music is "evolving" into a new direction, that direction isn't forward. This need to modify your music to fit in with everyone else's is just stupid. An imitation will never create a legend. Everyone has the right to stand up and say no. But you change your sound just once to create one radio friendly song and you get a taste of the money and fame and that's it, you're beat, some can get out but most can't. Well let's say growing up you had this vision of playing in front of thousands of people, being famous and making a ton of money. If that's your dream and you get to live it, why would you go back? You have to keep in mind it's because you fell in love with the music that you can do all those things. You owe it to the music to put out a good song. Something deep inside you told you that you were meant to be a musician. That passion is in there, don't let other people tell you what to play or how you should play it, just do it. Keep in mind there are musicians out there that are barely getting by because they choose to stay true to who they are. It's not worth it. Play your music the way you want to play it, because even if you don't sell out arenas and you don't have your picture in the magazines it will be so much better. You could play imitation music to rile up a drunk crowd of a few thousand or you could play genuine heartfelt music at a little theatre or club and touch the lives of a few hundred. Knowing you could have possibly changed someone's life through music you created is a feeling I can't even find the words to describe. To me that has a lot higher price than any sports car or mansion ever could.

Two For Tuesday 12/3/13 Fighting

Since "bro country" songs are on the rise, along with trucks, beer, and girls, fighting is a big topic that is often sung by the "baddest and toughest" guys in country music to preserve their tough boy image. This Brantley Gilbert song is the epitome of his fan base, a riled up trailer park hillbilly getting ready to fight with a "city yuppie" about who's the "most countriest." Songs like these that promote useless violence are glorified in the mainstream, but a little swear word and they'll send you packing. Oh and this is not a country song, it's a rock song, sort of.



I feel like this Chris Knight song would be sung to a guy like Brantley Gilbert with his wallet chains and earrings as he tries to come across as a stone cold country boy. Now both men may be prepared to fight but instead of fighting meaninglessly they just come to terms with the fact that they hate each other and they'll end it on that, as long as the good guy gets his girl back. It's a country boy fighting song that has purpose and it's country. Look at that mainstream radio it wasn't that hard to find.

Is Eric Church Trying Too Hard To Be A Rebel?

I have said before that Eric Church is one of the best artists in mainstream country, and I'll still stand by it. He always had a rebellious attitude so he fit right in when music row started the new fake "outlaw" bit. I'll admit unlike his friends Jason Aldean and Justin Moore, he does actually make unique, non-safe music that isn't poppy and doesn't talk about trucks. The thing is it isn't always country either. It doesn't have to be super country to be good, but to make music that isn't country at all and get it played on country radio isn't fair. Even the pop country truck songs try to hide a little steel guitar or something to make it somewhat fit the genre it's in. With Eric's new song "The Outsiders" there is little to no effort in trying to make it a country song. It is just a rock song put into country because Eric is known as a country singer. It is probably just to draw attention to him because his new album is coming out and he needed to do something really different to get noticed. He has every right to try new things and experiment with his music, but like in the case of Taylor Swift's music, country isn't the place for it.



It would be one thing if the song itself was great, but it really isn't. It is different, I think that is the word that describes it the best. I would rather listen to it than a lot of things on the radio, but that isn't saying much. I don't hate it but I don't like it either. The thing is, I think he is trying way too hard to be different. He wants to come across as this rebel outlaw badass, I get it. This song is just an anthem for his crazy hardcore fans who need something to fist-bump the air and shout along to. It's like a musical pep rally to get everyone in the crowd riled up. What exactly are they "outsiders" from though? Eric is one of the top 5 male vocalists in country music. He obviously has mainstream appeal and that's because a lot of today's country fanbase is made up of these rebellious, super tough-guy guys that are "tough" just because they drink, smoke, and fight. That's not really an "outsider," just a guy who wants to be "cool." Shooter Jennings (who doesn't even refer to his music as country) made a way more legitimate country sounding song called "The Outsider." The meaning is different but the theme is the same. In Shooter's song, the "outsider" is someone who tries to live as free as they can because they think differently than what others tell them to think. Critical thinkers, protesters, conspiracy theorists, etc. You can compare it to Waylon fighting for creative freedom over his music or Johnny Cash wearing black to remind everyone that the world isn't perfect. Those kind of people who break the rules for a purpose are the real outsiders, not some stoned Eric Church fan.



Then comes this song preview for a new song off Eric's album called "Waiting On Me To Cross That Line." It is so good. It sounds like his older and more country sounding songs. He kept the rebellious theme going but in a way that sounds natural and a lot less forced. See it just proves he can combine all of the aspects of a good country song and tell a story to make something I'd be very interested in listening to. If a single like this could catch onto the radio it would be great. If he can do it right I do think Eric Church can help spin country music in a different direction. Not by songs like "The Outsiders" but by songs like this. Is he trying to hard to be a rebel? Yeah maybe, we will find out when his album is released in February, but he has a vision and he knows what he's doing. If any dominating male in mainstream country can change things, it's him. Not because he has the best voice or wrote the greatest songs, but because he is the only one who is brave enough to do it.

Is Eric Church Trying Too Hard To Be A Rebel?

I have said before that Eric Church is one of the best artists in mainstream country, and I'll still stand by it. He always had a rebellious attitude so he fit right in with music row's new fake "outlaws." I'll admit unlike his friends Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, etc. he does actually make unique, non-safe music that isn't poppy or talk about trucks. The thing is it isn't always country either. It doesn't have to be super country to be good, but to make music that isn't country at all and get it played on country radio isn't fair. Even the pop country truck songs try to hide a little steel guitar or something to make it somewhat fit the genre it's in. With Eric's new song "The Outsiders" there is little to no effort in trying to make it a country song. It is just a rock song put into country because Eric is known as a country singer. He has every right to try new things and experiment with his music, but like in the case of Taylor Swift's music, country isn't the place for it.

The song itself isn't all that great. It is different but

2013 CMA Awards Recap

It was that time of year again. The time when mainstream country fans get all excited to see their favorite stars on tv, and the time independent country fans make the gut wrenching decision on whether or not they want to watch and see just how far gone the music they love has gotten. This year, contrary to my expectation before the show, was actually not quite as bad as one might expect. It had its moments, but overall it seemed to be a step in the right direction. Let's do a run through shall we?


The Bad:

The first song.
 -The night kicked off with Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line singing a mash-up of "That's My Kinda Night" and "Cruise." Filled with plenty of trucks, hot girls, and rapping, both songs probably earned a spot in the 'top 5 worst country songs that ever existed' list, what a great way to start "Country Music's Biggest Night." The sound quality for the performance was awful, it was almost as bad as the amount of skinny jean wearers and pelvic thrusts that happened on that stage. Within two minutes of the show's beginning, the traditionalists watching would be screaming into a pillow waiting for it to end while jabbing forks into their eardrums and eyeball sockets. The good news is that was the worse part of the night.

Bro-hug 
-Hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's monologue was actually quite funny this year. They started with a song about all the recent feuds going on in country music. Of course they mentioned the recent fight between Zac Brown and Luke Bryan. Zac called Luke's new song "The worse song he ever heard" many people agreed with Zac and his opinions on the state of country music, but, both he and Luke bro-hugged it out to show they are still buds. Rays of sunshine darted through the dark storm clouds and the country music land remains feel good, happy and perfect.

Florida Georgia Line win "Single Of The Year" and "Duo Of The Year"
- Fueled by frat boys and Walmart moonshine, it seems like these ultra douchenuggets can not be stopped. However, since "Cruise" is the "most successful country song ever," this was not a surprise.

Kacey Musgraves' "Follow Your Arrow" gets bleeped
-Luke Bryan can say he has "real good feel good stuff" in the back of his truck. Blake Shelton can say "Make-up sex" in "Mine Would Be You," but Kacey can't say "joint?" Puuuuhlease!

Eric Church sings his new song "The Outsiders"
-I don't care how "country" a song is as long as it's good. Rock and country are usually a great combination if it's done well. This song is just a mess. I usually like Eric, and I still do think he is one of the most unique, most promising males in mainstream country music, but this song just doesn't do it for me. It seems like he is trying way too hard to be be a rebel.

Taylor Swift wins Pinnacle Award
-This somewhat new award is given to a singer who has had more success than anyone else in country music and who is currently at the top of the mountain and can not get any more popular. The only other person who won this was Garth Brooks in 2005. Many will say that Garth is the reason country music turned into something other than the music. His stage antics and mainstream appeal led him to receive the amount of popularity he had. Unlike Taylor Swift, his music was still country for his time though. Taylor is a pop singer, no questions asked. Does she really deserve such a huge honor in country music? It's very unlikely any real deserving artist will ever win this award.

P. Diddy was a presenter
-I don't know what was worse, him being there, or me not being slightly surprised.

Kelly Clarkson was nominated for "Best Female Vocalist"
- That just goes to show how few women there are in mainstream country. There are a lot of women out there that actually make country music that deserve it. Why couldn't that nomination have gone to someone like Ashley Monroe or Kellie Pickler?

Blake Shelton wins "Album Of The Year"
-Blake's "people" sent every radio station voter a vinyl copy of his latest album Based On A True Story. The record had a smartphone scan code so you can scan it and a virtual arm would pretend to play the record so you can listen to a vinyl record from your phone. They knew the voters would be intrigued by the new product so they would have to listen to the album. When it came voting time they would remember that Blake sent them a cool vinyl and vote for him. It's been done a lot before, but how sad is it that you need gimmicks to win an award. If you were looking at album substance, concept, originality, or just good music it would be near impossible to say Blake should have won. Based On A True Story definitely is not based on a true story. He didn't write any songs and almost every single song is super pop with cliche country buzzwords. It is his worst album in my opinion. Kacey Musgraves' Same Trailer Different Park should have brought this one home.

Some singers got to sing multiple songs
-There definitely is not a shortage of good country music out there. Why did Carrie Underwood get to sing a long medley? Why did Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line each get to sing twice when Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Hank Jr. and Loretta Lynn are all here. Maybe next time bring one of them in to country up the place a little bit. Or you can use the opportunity to promote some good lesser known artists who are making good music. Really though.

The Good:

Kacey Musgraves
- Just in general, other than the bleeping out, her performance of "Follow Your Arrow" was great, we need more songs like that. The big shocker was when she beat out Florida Georgia Line for "best new artist." It was great to see her nominated 6 times, that was as many times as Taylor Swift. Even though she got snubbed in the other categories it was great to see her win one, I'll keep singing her praises because she deserves it!

Chris Stapleton sings with Luke Bryan
"Drink A Beer" shows that Luke Bryan is in fact capable of making good music. The song was written by Chris Stapleton who was also there to play guitar and sing with him in his performance. Chris has been writing songs for a long time. He was in bluegrass band The SteelDrivers for a couple years but is now signed to a major record label and has a great first single "What Are You Listening To" that is being virtually ignored by mainstream radio. This was great exposure for him.

Vince Gill & Alison Krauss sing "Red" with Taylor Swift
-I'm sure the motive behind this was to prove that Taylor still has some country credibility now that she went total pop. That fact and her horrible vocals aside, this performance was pretty cool. Vince and Alison got to sing a verse alongside mandolin god Sam Bush and other bluegrass players. If there was no Taylor this would've been even more great.

Dave Grohl and Zac Brown collaborate

-Drummer for Nirvana and the founder of The Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl proved my hatred for cross genre collaborations on the CMAs wrong. This wasn't a Ludacris and Jason Aldean type thing. Zac Brown Band debuted a new song while playing with the rock legend. Southern rock at its best. 

Kenny Rogers gets the "Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award"
-Kenny Rogers sat on stage while others sang him his songs. Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker all sang his monumental hits until he joined in for "Islands In The Stream," as did the rest of the audience. The tribute really did a great job showing songs that were milestones in his life.

Country music hall of fame inductees get honored
-Kenny Rogers, Cowboy Jack Clement, and Bobby Bare all recently got inducted into the country music hall of fame. Bobby Bare made a surprising appearance at the CMA's. He probably regretted coming a few minutes in, but hey it was cool. He was a quieter, lesser known outlaw and he deserves to be in the hall of fame. Cowboy Jack Clement passed away in August but he still got recognition. It made me happy to see that.

George Strait wins "Entertainer Of The Year"
-A 60 year old guy beating a bunch of the skinny jean boys was unlikely but George Strait took this one home. This was unquestionably the biggest shock of the night. George is about to start the next leg of his farewell tour. Since it's his last year to be nominated everyone must have agreed to send the country king off right by giving him one of country music's biggest honors. Seeing him up there was one of the greatest moments of the night.

George Strait & Alan Jackson perform a tribute to George Jones
-The best moment of the whole show was during this moving tribute to pay respect to George Jones. I was expecting a medley but a solid cover of "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by the last two pioneers in mainstream country was good enough for me. George Jones was always outspoken about the state of country music up until the day he died. He always said how it lacks heart and it just isn't country music anymore. Seeing George and Alan singing the song that defined who he was with his wife standing in the audience and the crowd singing along, it just seemed right. I think somewhere there is hope. Seeing people react so greatly made me believe that. Just two guys up on stage singing a good country song, nothing fancy just guitars and soul. Why can't it just be like that. George would have wanted it that way. I think we owe it to him.

New Music Off New Albums You Should Buy

Canadian Singer-Songwriter Lindi Ortega just released Tin Star, her fifth full length album this month. She has a voice that mirrors the women pioneers of country music and songs so good that it would make those Nashville office songwriters hang their heads in shame. The title track tells the life of a struggling independent musician trying to survive in the treacherous depths of music row.“Like an old tin star, I’m beat up and rusting lost in the shining stars of Nashville, Tennessee.” This song broke my heart, I hate how it has to be this way. When indie artists write songs like this, the point isn't to make you feel bad for them. Their songs about their struggles trying to find a place to fit all come from the fact that they are slowly accepting the unfortunate truth of the life they are trying to lead. Success should be based on talent and passion for your work, it's just not, but no matter what the world tells you, you just got to keep going. “If the music wasn’t running through the blood in my veins, I might just walk away, but the music keeps on running through the blood in my veins, and it just makes me stay" Talk about passion. 



I'm sure you've heard the song in the Chevy Silverado commercial sometime this year. "Strong" was sung and written by Will Hoge. After the nationwide publicity of that song he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. His most recent album Never Give In was released this month. He is nine studio albums in and just got his first number one hit ("Even If It Breaks Your Heart" recorded by The Eli Young Band) after 15 years in the business. It just goes to show that if you're determined and you stick with it, you never know what can happen. What happened here is great music that is starting to turn some heads around.




After writing for credible country artists today like Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark just released her first album 12 Stories last week. If you like Kacey you will love Brandy Clark. Stylistically, their songwriting is quite similar. The topics tend to lean on the darker side, middle class life, small town lies, addiction, and a whole lot of truth. We need powerful women like her to teach a thing or two to these guys who rule the country charts. 







Punk rock country folk americana, whatever, Austin Lucas defies 
genre lines and does so greatly. This album Stay Reckless is not your typical americana album, even though he is often put into there. It's sad when you need it to be, happy when you want it to be, it's heartbreaking and uplifting, it's country and rock and roll. It's a lot of things and that's why I like it.