I don't think there's such thing as a "bad year for music" anymore. There is so much good stuff out there waiting to be found. Of the albums I got a chance to listen to, here are my favorites of 2013.
16) Jason Boland and the Stragglers - Dark and Dirty Mile
Veteran Oklahoma band keeps the country music coming, with great lyrics and a hell of a lead singer in Boland.
15) Mandolin Orange - This Side of Jordan
This Carrboro, North Carolina duo has stellar harmonies and a great country-folk sound.
14) Hog Bucket - Old Mustard
An album of great American music with a sense of humor a mile long and a few resonant moments along the way. (My full review HERE.)
13) Steve Martin and Edie Brickell - Love Has Come For You
Martin's sturdy, non-showy banjo picking and Brickell's strong, unique vocals make for one of the most downright pleasurable listens of the year. Hopefully the beginning of a beautiful partnership.
12) The Proctors - Everlasting Light
Somehow I stumbled on this album and it took me by complete surprise. The absolute definition of beautiful, jangly guitar pop.
11) Steep Canyon Rangers - Tell the Ones I Love
Top notch picking, singing, and songwriting from one of the best bands in bluegrass, not to mention hooks and melodies galore.
10) The Avett Brothers - Magpie and the Dandelion
Despite one or two missteps, the Brothers deliver some of their finest songs in years. (My full [kind of] review HERE.)
9) Widower - Fool Moon
One of the most lyrically rich albums of the year. A pleasure to listen to. (My full review HERE.)
8) Rhye - Woman
Mixes elements of R & B and electronic-pop to deliver hands down the sexiest album of the year. (Sorry, Matt Berninger, I know that's what you were going for.)
7) Guy Clark - My Favorite Picture of You
This album made me view Clark in the same vein as John Prine. They both make songwriting look easy; it is not. I can't wait to go back and listen through Clark's back catalog.
6) The National - Trouble Will Find Me
The album that made me a fan of The National. Great vocals, great musicianship, great songs. Amazing drumming.
5) Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park
It's still baffling that an album released on a major country label sounds this vital and good. With artists like this getting airplay, maybe in the near future country radio will start having something worthwhile to say again. (My full review HERE.)
4) Ashley Monroe - Like A Rose
Unapologetic traditional country music. There's fun, heartbreak, weed, and vocal appearances by co-producer Vince Gill and the boy 'round here himself, Blake Shelton (it's worth mentioning that the Shelton duet is nothing like what he shells out to the masses).
3) Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (part one)
This seventy-minute epic finds Timberlake experimenting with different styles and getting a little bit old school. Each song is about seven minutes long, each one changing into something different about halfway through. I love it all, from the opening funk-soul of "Pusher Love Girl" to the song about a romantic getaway in a spaceship ("Spaceship Coupe").
2) Daniel Romano - Come Cry With Me
By just looking at the album cover, you don't know whether Romano wants to be taken seriously. However, one listen of the album makes it clear that he does. Exquisitely produced with an old school touch and with songs that sound like they were written in another era, this is the best country album of the year and one of my favorite new discoveries. And Romano's album cover get-up is pretty stellar.
1) Futurebirds - Baba Yaga
Having seen this album on only one "best of" list, I will go on record as calling it the most underrated album of 2013. Truly an album for any season, any mood, and any medium, from headphones to open windows. It's psychedelic indie country-rock with an exorbitant amount of pedal steel, which every could use a little more of if you ask me. It's an exciting and wonderful album to get lost in. (My full review HERE.)
Other albums I thoroughly enjoyed but that didn't make the list for one reason or another, most likely because I didn't get a chance to listen to them as much.
15) "Songs About Trucks" - Wade Bowen (Brandy Clark / Shane McAnally) Possibly the best song ever released titled "Songs About Trucks" that is not, in fact, about trucks. Country radio is filled with trite songs about how cool and country trucks and dirt roads are, but sometimes you just want to hear a song about drinking alone. Bowen delivers his statement with mainstream sheen but without managing to come off like a cynical jerk with an axe to grind. The rhyming of all the different kinds of trucks country songs are famous for in the chorus is impressive, and the lyric video is one of the best I've seen.
14) "July in Cheyenne (Song For Lane's Momma)" - Aaron Watson (Watson) Beautiful song and heartbreaking story about a bull rider named Lane Frost who died at the age of 25 doing what he loved in Cheyenne, Wyoming. If you've seen the movie 8 Seconds with Luke Perry (I haven't), it tells Frost's story. The song and music video by Texas country artist Watson is a fitting tribute.
13) "Whiskey" - Jana Kramer (Catt Gravitt / Sam Mizell) Following the number one "Why Ya Wanna," Kramer decided to go with a ballad that draws on a classic country theme and includes audible steel guitar, a gutsy move in today's contemporary country atmosphere. It didn't even crack the top 20.
12) "Give It All We Got Tonight" - George Strait (Mark Bright / Tim James / Phil O'Donnell) Despite some fairly cheesy, digitally distorted background vocals in the chorus, Strait redeems this love song with his confident and passionate vocals. A perfect choice of lead single from his 2013 album Love Is Everything.
11) "Blue Ridge Mountain Song" - Alan Jackson (Jackson) You
really can't make a debut bluegrass album without including a song that
references the Blue Ridge Mountains. This one has the master of
simplicity singing a story about mountain love and loss, and never
sounding more at home.
10) "Like A Rose" - Ashley Monroe (Monroe / Guy Clark / Jon Randall) When you write a song with Guy Clark and invite Vince Gill to sing harmony on it, it would be difficult if not damn near impossible for the end result to be a clunker. A pleasant melody and understated production are buoyed by Monroe's always stunning vocals on this track about emerging on the other side of tough times.
9) "Tonight I'm Playin' Possum" - Randy Travis feat. Joe Nichols (Travis / Keith Gattis) A simple, glorious tribute to the late George Jones. Drop the needle, drink up, and listen.
8) "Stripes" - Brandy Clark (Clark / Matt Jenkins / Shane McAnally) This
might be the cleverest song written this year. It's somewhat in the
vein of the Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" thematically (not
musicallly--"Stripes" is an excellent example of the old school country sound in a modern day song), except the protagonist in "Stripes"
doesn't actually go through with it--you know, killing Dennis Farina and
all. And all because her sense of fashion is too high-fallutin for
prison. "I hate stripes and orange ain't my color/ If I pull that
trigger tonight I'll be wearing one or the other."
7) "Follow Your Arrow" - Kacey Musgraves (Musgraves / Brandy Clark / Shane McAnally) Much has been written about this song's content, which includes lines about smoking a joint and girls kissing "lots of girls, if that's what you're into." That's all well and good, but beyond the social statements, this is simply a great song about something our parents try to instill in us from the day we are born, and something we'd do well to remember over the course of our lives: Don't be afraid to be yourself, regardless of what other people think or say about you.
6) "Tin Star" - Lindi Ortega (Ortega) The
smoky-voiced Canadian songstress' ode to struggling to "make it" as a
country singer. "If the music wasn't runnin' through the blood in my
veins, I might just walk away." Thankfully, her star seems to be rising
by the year, as it should be, so hopefully she won't be walking away any
time soon. Her rich and evocative voice is too much of a gift. And if
you care about such things, she is a delightful follow on Twitter.
5) "Bourbon in Kentucky" - Dierks Bentley feat. Kacey Musgraves (Hilary Lindsey / Gordie Sampson / Ryan Tyndell) Proof
that if you try something remotely different for modern country radio,
modern country radio will say, "No, thank you, please take your artistry
elsewhere and write me something that strippers can dance to and will
make me millions." This only made it to #45, which seems rather shocking
for an established artist like Bentley and a hot newcomer like
Musgraves, until you realize it doesn't sound like anything on mainstream radio.
But this song has me stoked for Bentley's new album release next year. It was
an excellent choice calling up Musgraves for harmonies--their voices
sound really good together. And you've got to love a title as
straightforward as this and that name drops my home state.
4) "What Are You Listening To?" - Chris Stapleton (Stapleton / Lee Thomas Miller) The debut single from the co-songwriter of several past country hits (Kenny Chesney's "Never Wanted Nothing More" and George Strait's "Love's Gonna Make It Alright") and former lead singer of rockin' honky-tonk bluegrass band The Steeldrivers. As usual, Stapleton's voice is the standout here. He was supposed to release a major label album in 2013, but the single's failure to chart may have impacted whether that's still happening or not.. I hope it does, because the sweet, soulful ballad by this Eastern Kentucky native, talented songwriter, and one of the best voices in all of music only makes me want to hear more.
3) "Electric Bill" - Jason Boland and the Stragglers (Boland) An humorous ode to true love that can withstand tough times during a bad economy. This couple even tell federal spies to spy on them if they want to see what real love is all about. I admit to not knowing what "kill" was, though I did have an idea (I'm not a complete idiot), until I looked it up in the urban dictionary. The result is an excellent song with one of the best hooks of the year: "If they take away everything, they won't take us apart/ We'll roll some kill in the electric bill, and smoke it in the dark." Boland is an effortless country singer, and the fiddle and pedal steel laid on by The Stragglers makes for one of the best sounding songs of the year.
2) "It Ain't the Whiskey" - Gary Allan (Greg Barnhill / Jim Daddario / Cole Degges) The standout track from his Set You Free album. I was pretty shocked they released it as a single, because it would be a minor miracle if it made any kind of dent in today's charts. In it, the narrator claims that it's something far more lethal than his love of drink that's killing him. At the risk of hyperbole, Allan gives a powerhouse of a vocal performance on this song. He also killed it when he performed on Leno too.
1) "Sober" - Little Big Town (Hillary Lindsey / Lori McKenna / Liz Rose) One of the finest singles ever released by the best group on country radio. Included on their 2012 album Tornado, it was also one of my favorite songs of that year. Karen Fairchild hands lead vocal reins over to Kimberly Schlapman, whose buoyant and delightful personality absolutely shines through on the track. Where Fairchild sings with a throaty confidence, Schlapman sings with an assured vulnerability, as if even on the happiest of songs she could become overcome with emotion at any moment. It really brings this sweet take on the concept of being "drunk on love" to life. If Schlapman's vocals are the festive and colorful wrapping paper on this Christmas gift, the group's always immaculate harmonies in the chorus are the neatly tied bow on top. After the relative floundering of "Your Side of the Bed" at radio, here's hoping that after the holidays "Sober" can gain the momentum of previous hit singles "Pontoon" and "Tornado." A song this good deserves it. "I love being in love, it's the best kind of drug/ Drunk on the high, leanin' on your shoulder/ Sweet like wine as it gets older/ When I die I don't wanna go sober."
Other Singles I Enjoyed:
"Fuzzy" - Randy Rogers Band (Shane McAnally / Josh Osborne / Trevor Rosen) This
is how write a fun, accessible party song. An example of the ensuing
hilarity: "Who the hell is Heather? And when were we together?/ 'Cause
I've got every letter of her name on my chest."
"All Over the Road" - Easton Corbin (Carson Chamberlain / Ashley Gorley / Wade Kirby) As
far as the men go, he might be the audible steel guitar on the radio's
last great hope. Hopefully he doesn't have an "Aw Naw" somewhere up his
sleeve.
"Another Song Nobody Will Hear" - Will Hoge feat. Wade Bowen (Hoge) The co-writer of Eli Young Band's hit "Even If It Breaks Your Heart"wrote
a song about how honest songs aren't popular anymore. Nobody wants to
hear them. We want nothing but an unhealthy spoon-feeding of escapism.
"I came here to Nashville with a million tales to tell/ The first thing
that I found out is that the truth don't always sell/ They want songs
about the backroads, tractors, trucks, and beers, while I write another
song, another song nobody will hear."
"All Kinds of Kinds" - Miranda Lambert (Philip Coleman / Don Henry) "At
some point the finger let ignorance linger/ if they'd look in a mirror
they'd find/ That ever since the beginning, to keep the world spinning/
It takes all kinds of kinds." Amen, sister.
"Someone Somewhere Tonight" - Kellie Pickler (Davis Raines / Walt Wilkins) Back when she won American Idol, who would have thought Pickler would be one of the good ones? Integrity, in tact.
"Pieces" - Gary Allan (Allan / Odie Blackmon / Sarah Buxton) The kind of rock song country radio should embrace. Great chorus and, as always, great vocal from Allan.
"The Last Goodbye" - Reckless Kelly (Willy Braun) The
Red Dirt veterans are understated in bidding a final farewell to a
fool-makin' woman in this ballad penned by lead singer Willy Braun. But
you know, the last goodbye is a lot like the last one. "Helluva Life" - Frankie Ballard (Rodney Clawson / Chris Tompkins / Josh Kear) Lyrical cliches aside, something about this chorus just does it for me. Gives me a good feeling.
"Wild & Lonesome" - Shooter Jennings feat. Patty Griffin (Jennings) If you want your song to stand out, ask Patty Griffin to sing harmony and throw a heavy dose of steel guitar into the mix.
"The Rose Queen" - William Clark Green (Green) I'm
not very familiar with Green, but if this song is any indication of his
vocal and songwriting talent, I've been missing out. Great country
rock.
"Little Too Late" - Zane Williams (Williams) With vocals reminiscent of Radney Foster, Williams maintains his integrity while aiming for mainstream success. "Days of Gold" - Jake Owen (Jaren Johnston / Neil Mason) Contains
a list of country cliches a mile long but is redeemed by its
ragged and rugged instrumentation, including banjo and harmonica turned up in the mix and not relegated to the background. "Drinks After Work" - Toby Keith (Barry Dean / Natalie Hemby / Luke Laird) Not country at all country and a bit corn-pop in the production department, but highly enjoyable if it strikes you in the right mood.
"Hush Hush" - Pistol Annies (Miranda Lambert / Ashley Monroe / Angaleena Presley) Fun tongue in cheek tale about family secrets nobody wants to talk about. Ashley Monroe's verse, per usual, stands out.
"Speak of the Devil" - Randy Rogers Band (Sarah Burton / Ashley Gorley / Jedd Hughes) A song about exes that everybody can relate to.
"Wagon Wheel" - Darius Rucker (Bob Dylan / Ketch Secor) OCMS's
version is superior in every way, and I feel like it'd already been worn
out by the time Rucker released it, but it's such a classic,
well-written song. Nice to hear fiddle on country radio again too. And
they didn't edit out "toke."
"You Can't Make Old Friends" - Kenny Rogers feat. Dolly Parton (Ryan Hanna King / Don Schlitz / Caitlyn Smith) Grab your tissues, these two still got it. Once you hear it you can't imagine any other two people singing it.
"Back In Your Arms Again" - The Mavericks (Raul Malo / Gary Nicholson / Seth Walker) Nobody makes me want to get up and dance like The Mavericks. Nobody sings like Raul Malo. No other band uses brass instruments so well. "Brand New Me" - Charlie Robison (Bruce Robison) This country rock jam has Robison slyly ruminating on the man now with his former flame. Great chorus on this one.
"How Could I Want More" - Jamie Lynn Spears (Spears / Rivers Rutherford) Yes, this is Britney Spears' sister. Just listen. Then get back to me.
It's the middle of the year, upon us so quickly once again. In the first half of 2013 I've discovered my tastes branching out a little beyond the borders what I usually listen to and enjoy most, namely stuff that falls under country, americana, or folk umbrellas (and the rock variations on each of those). I consider that a good thing. Good music is good music. A good song is a good song. Good music and good songs make you feel something. And so without further ado, in no particular order, here are a few of my favorite songs from 2013. These songs make me feel something.
Daft Punk feat. Pharrell - "Get Lucky"
Undeniably fun and danceable (even if you don't dance), this is the catchiest mainstream pop song in years. I defy you to sit still and do anything less than love it.
The National - "Sea of Love"
I used to hate this band, but when I heard their song "About Today" at the end of the movie Warrior, that all changed. The brilliant musicianship (their drummer is especially awesome) and the unusual yet emotive baritone of lead singer Matt Berninger have a way of slowly sneaking up on you. One day you'll just find yourself thinking, "Damn, they're really good." This song employs Berninger's knack for combining abstract lyrics with his unique vocal cadence, making it all the more engaging. (Not to mention the video is awesome.)
Futurebirds - "Heavy Weights"
A passionate indie folk rock song that's part celebration, part meditation on death (it crescendos into a chorus of multiple parts singing the words "when you die"), this is a standout track on one of the best albums of the year. A strummed banjo and reverb were meant for songs like this. Listen to a stream of the song on SoundCloud HERE. Ashley Monroe - "The Morning After"
She unsurprisingly struck out at mainstream country radio play for being too country, but this Pistol Annie is too good for them anyway. With the honey-sweet sadness of her vocal and a steel guitar that weeps at all the right moments, I knew this song was an instant classic the first time I heard it. God knows I'm not the only one. (In addition to the live from the Grand Old Opry video below [with co-producer Vince Gill backing her up], HERE is a wonderful stripped-down version of the tune with just Monroe and her guitar.)
Kacey Musgraves - "Silver Lining"
I will admit to getting chills the first time I heard this song. It's the lead track on Same Trailer Different Park, Musgraves' major label debut that was released earlier this year. It treads familiar territory (you have to mine through the rough to get to the good) with simple poetry and instrumentation that leans more toward americana than mainstream country. It may be the only mainstream country album released this year that starts with a beautiful whimper rather than a homogenized bang.
Daniel Romano - "He Lets Her Memory Go"
Romano is one the best contemporary songwriters writing in the vein of traditional country music that I've heard. This song is a perfect example of his ability to sound vintage in the best possible way yet maintain a modern sensibility. The shimmering, patient electric guitar sounds wonderful here.
Justin Timberlake - "Mirrors"
Sure, the first five minutes of this song is really well done, better-than-most, mainstream pop, but what Timberlake and Timbaland do with the last three minutes of this song, in this music fan's humble opinion, lifts it into the realm of high art. It might be my favorite three minutes in music this year.
Dawes - "Something In Common"
I feel like this song encapsulates just about everything Dawes have proven themselves to be as a band. Poetic lyrics; tight, uncluttered musicianship; epic build-ups; raw honesty; and unabashed earnestness. People have been much abuzz about this group for the last couple years, and it's because of songs like this. "I feel like a man behind a camera, who waits patiently for something he won't see."
The Steeldrivers - "Lonesome Goodbye"
When I recently saw The Steeldrivers live, fiddler Tammy Rogers said this "love song about being miserable" (my paraphrase) barely made the cut for Hammer Down, their album released in February. But damn, am I glad it did. Written by two former members of the band who departed before this album was recorded, Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson, the group's playing--and ability to hold back--have never sounded better. Watch a live performance of the song HERE.
Kim Richey / Mando Saenz - "Breakaway Speed"
Both songwriters released a version of this song on their respective 2013 albums. I personally prefer Saenz's more rocking version, but it's hard to go wrong with Richey's version too, which is backed by Jason Isbell and Trisha Yearwood on harmony. Listen to Saenz' version HERE.
Sons of Bill - "Bad Dancer"
This is completely different from anything Sons of Bill has done before yet sounds like quintessential Sons of Bill all at the same time. A Record Store Day single vinyl release, it contains the standout lyric, "Once southern boys, they all loved R.E. Lee., once southern girls love R.E.M." Be careful; it has the ability to take you back to high school or make you feel like you're in a John Hughes movie. Listen to the track at Paste Magazine HERE.
I first heard Kacey Musgraves on the 2010 Josh Abbott Band album She's Like Texas. When my uncle gave me a copy of it, he specifically highlighted a song called "Oh, Tonight," -- on which Musgraves duets with Abbott -- as a standout track. It was.
Then somehow or another I ran across this video of her on YouTube singing about her frustrations with Bible Belt religion, ultimately concluding that her "idea of heaven is to burn one with John Prine." A true girl after my own heart.
Her debut album Same Trailer Different Park, released on March 15th, is a collection of the simple and the understated, flying in the face of popular current mainstream trends and all the phony chest-thumping braggadocio. Musgraves' songs contain more authenticity than all of those current chart-topping male country singers supposedly singing about it, put together. This ain't pandering. It can't be when the album boasts more banjos and steels and acoustic instruments than hard rock guitars and faux hip-hop verses and auto-tuned choruses. For a mainstream release, Musgraves seems conspicuously beholden to no one but herself. She's literally doing her thing. And we'll see if that's enough perhaps to change the game a little bit in a genre obsessed with mediocrity (and far worse) and terrified of change.
I'm certainly not saying this is a perfect album. It's a major label debut by a young twenty-four year old; if she released a perfect album on her first try they should go ahead and burn the mold to ashes before they throw it in the dump. I will admit that on the first listen I wasn't quite sure what to think; it wasn't quite what I expected; I'm not sure what I expected. But subsequent spins have proven this album is, of all things, a grower. The songwriting is strong, the album flows like a river and contains no clunkers, and it displays the undeniable potential Musgraves has to have a meaningful, long-lasting career, creating poignant art that doesn't sacrifice her heart and her integrity. This debut release has certainly captured my attention. The hype is deserved. I am itching to see what kind of impact she has on the mainstream airwaves, and I am already itching to see what she does next.
Track by track: 1) Silver Lining (Musgraves/Josh Osborne/Shane McAnally) -This is my favorite track. The production sounds wonderful, the melodies effective, and the emotion hopeful yet tinged with an almost nostalgic sadness. I can't think of a better way to kick off an album. (If you're ever gonna find a silver lining, it's gotta be a cloudy day)
2) My House (Musgraves/Osborne/McAnally) - Sweet, fun, and not overdone, this ode to mobile homes and mobile love you'll not be able to get out of your head. We even get a taste of Musgraves' harmonica chops. And can you believe there are no drums? (If I can't bring you to my house I'll bring my house to you)
3) Merry Go 'Round (Musgraves/Osborne/McAnally) - The little single that could still stands out over the course of the album. Musgraves shatters small-town romanticism by speaking the truth in love -- country music, folks. The album also gets its title from this song, which Musgraves says is another way of saying "same shit, different day." (It don't matter if you don't believe, come Sunday morning you best be there on the front row like you're supposed to) (More on "Merry Go 'Round" can be found here.)
4) Dandelion (Musgraves/Brandy Clark/McAnally) - A delicate song about love lost, comparing a former lover to a dandelion, a weed that always makes her cry. Good lyrics on this one. (I sense you dancing on the breeze, and like a stupid little girl, I spent my wishes on a weed, thinking it could change my world) 5) Blowin' Smoke (Musgraves/Luke Laird/McAnally) - The second single to be released from the album is much different than Merry Go 'Round -- a little more fun, a little more rockin'. This tale of diner waitresses who always talk about leaving and getting the hell out of dodge to really live their lives is super catchy, thanks to a sweet bluesy electric guitar riff. The Prine influence is heavy on this one as humor abounds. Hopefully radio catches on. (We all say that we'll quit some day, when our nerves ain't shot and our hands don't shake)
6) I Miss You (Musgraves/Osborne/Laird) - Another example of the understated production of the album. I am still amazed this is a mainstream release. In a way, thematically this song somewhat reminds me of George Jones' classic "She Thinks I Still Care" in that there is the quintessential unreliable narrator trying to convince the listener he's over a former flame. I'm not saying this song is on the same level, but that's pretty good company to keep. (Been kissed by lady luck, the stars are all lined up, every arrow that I aim is true, but I miss you)
7) Step Off (Musgraves/Laird/McAnally) - A heavy dose of banjo flavors this fairly standard up-tempo kiss-off song. To me this would be the only somewhat forgettable song on the album if the chorus wasn't so damn catchy. To be honest, and I hate to say this, it's just got a little too much of a Swiftian vibe. There, I said it. (Just keep climbin' that mountain of dirty tricks, and when you get to the top, step off)
8) Back On The Map (Musgraves/Laird) - This was an early favorite of mine along with "Silver Lining." It's atmospheric and moody and probably the "least country" song on the album, but it totally works. Really good stuff. (Gotten too far off the map, not so sure I can get back)
9) Keep It To Yourself (Musgraves/Laird/McAnally) - Musgraves has a really nice flow to her vocals on the verses here, while the chorus is simple and gets the point across. One aspect of said point is essentially "Stop drunk dialing me." It all sounds relatively unoffensive and pleasant enough to the naked ear, but the lyrics really give this song its bite. (You're thinking that maybe you made a mistake, and you want me to know, but I don't wanna know how you're feeling)
10) Stupid (Musgraves/Osborne/McAnally) - This song might be the most fun on the record (also the shortest). It's about the frustrating-as-hell nature of love when it fails and how we feel about it when that happens: stupid. There are some "oh-oh-ohs" placed perfectly in the pre-chorus that add a lot to this one. I guarantee it's a blast to see played live. (Plays you like a fiddle, shakes you like a rattle, takes away your gun and sends you into battle)
11) Follow Your Arrow (Musgraves/Clark/McAnally) - Here Musgraves again channels John Prine's humor and disregard for the powers that be trying to set limits on art. Already in danger of being labelled the "gay pot" song, in reality this is just a simple, poetic song about not being afraid to be yourself. In no way is the song preachy; the opposite, in fact. It's so giddy and good-natured that you might miss the "controversial" elements the first few times around. If this song is ever released as a single and actually does well, I don't know exactly what that would mean, but it'd shock the hell out of me. It'd be a good thing. (You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't, so might as well just do whatever you want)
12) It Is What It Is (Musgraves/Laird/Clark) - In style and structure, this is the most traditional sounding cut on Same Trailer Different Park. Vocally Musgraves truly shines on this one, especially during the chorus. It's a song about "friends with benefits" (I've read elsewhere that this is a song for the "hook-up generation"), so lyrically it's probably the least traditional cut on the album, and that makes for an interesting dichotomy. But merely calling this a song for the hook-up generation is simplistic and does a huge disservice to it. Musgraves sounds vulnerable and desperate, sad and yearning, giving the song complexity, tinging it with a bit of guilt and regret. It's a real zinger of a closing track. Well done. (Maybe I love you, maybe I'm just bored. It is what it is, 'til it ain't anymore)
10) Shooter Jennings - "The Real Me"(released in May, did not chart) From the album Family Man Songwriter: Shooter Jennings
His calling out of John Mayer this past year on Twitter was rather pointless, and came off as someone who thinks they should be more popular whining about people who actually are. But Shooter Jennings is not some talentless guy trying to ride his father Waylon's coattails. You cannot listen to one of his albums with realizing the amount of raw and eclectic talent that was obviously passed along from his father to him; quite literally, it's in his blood, and "The Real Me" is proof positive of this. It is a song with a great sense of humor, tongue planted firmly in cheek, about whiskey and the devil and the transformation that happens when they take over. It is 100% traditional country but is still different in enough ways that modernize it and make it appealing to an audience for today. There are hard rock elements, southern rock elements, massive changes in tempo. After the first chorus--a chorus that is frenetic both musically an lyrically--when he settles back into the verse with the sweet ring of a steel guitar, it's a thing of a beauty, and it was the point I realized this song was something special. Read the lyrics of the chorus and tell me you don't want to hear how he fits all these words into a couple bars of music:
And I'm a double-talkin', chicken lickin' Meaner than the dickens, sick and wicked Hole-diggin', pickin', son of a gun And I'll love you like the devil Bite you like a snake and then forsake And break everything I don't take before I am done
The pre-chorus is just as good, but I will spare you those lyrics and just let you listen for yourself. Lastly, I can't help but love a song that begins with the line, "I wake up with my children, right around the crack of noon."
9) Zac Brown Band - "The Wind"(released in June, peaked at #11 in September) From the album Uncaged
Songwriters: Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowery
It is no surprise that "The Wind" was Zac Brown Band's first single not to crack the top ten on the Billboard Country charts. With its ferocious picking, breakneck lyrical delivery, and a sound unabashedly and heavily influenced by bluegrass music, it's a small wonder that it reached number 11. The song moves so fast that it's over before you know it, like a gust of wind that blows your hat off or your skirt up before you know what happened. The bizarre animated music video made by Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge is also worth a watch.
8) Kacey Musgraves - "Merry Go 'Round"(released in September, currently at #20 Airplay and climbing) From a hopefully soon-to-be-released album Songwriters: Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally
Who would have thought a song that is the antithesis of small-town romanticism would be one of the most talked about singles of the year, and would actually wind up being a mild success (a huge success actually, for a song like this; it's #20 and still climbing) on mainstream country radio? I certainly didn't think so. Musgraves' voice is often compared to Miranda Lambert's, but I don't think such comparisons give enough credit to Musgraves. Not to say her voice is definitively better than Lambert's, but on "Merry Go 'Round" she's able to vocally conjure up frailty and jadedness in a way I've yet to hear from Lambert. Which is a good thing, especially when you have cynical--what some would call "downer"--lyrics such as:
If you ain't got two kids by twenty-one You're probably gonna die alone At least that's what tradition told you
And...
Mary, Mary quite contrary We get bored so we get married And just like dust we settle in this town
And...
Mama's hooked on Mary Kay Brother's hooked on Mary Jane Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down
It takes a truly talented singer to sell such lyrics, not merely as bleak, but as realistic and heartfelt, painful though it may be for Musgraves and her co-writers to hold up such a broken mirror. The wonderfully understated production (softly plucked banjo, weeping steel guitar, simple percussion) compliments such lyrics perfectly (Nashville producers would do well to learn that even lyrically mediocre songs become instantly better when they're not loud wall-of-sound monstrosities). I look forward to the full-length album from Musgraves that hopefully releases sooner rather than later.
7) Kellie Pickler - "100 Proof"(released in April, peaked at #50 in May) From the album 100 Proof Songwriters: James T. Slater, Leslie Satcher
A song about 100 Proof love, not liquor, the title track from Kellie Picker's 2012 album seems to me a good representation of what the young stars of today could do to "update" traditional country music for today's mainstream market. Not that traditional country music needs that, but let's be honest: Country radio programmers are most assuredly not going to play songs that sound like "Mama Tried" or "Stand By Your Man" in today's market. Well... umm... it turns out they aren't going to play songs like "100 Proof" either. The mix of traditional instrumentation and lyricism with classic vocals and pop sensibility (in terms of it being immediately catchy), this song still wasn't enough to impress programmers and listeners. It starts out with a killer first line (of which, if you've read this blog more than once, you know I am a huge fan of): "Ain't no rain as cold as the look she just gave him." A melody plucked on an acoustic guitar guides the verses to a soaring steel guitar-soaked chorus ending with, "We got love, 100 Proof." Essentially, it's a song about two different kinds of relationships. One is where the couple likes to go out and party and have a good time very, very often, the night usually leading to drunken fights, the man usually the arbiter of wanting to stay out later and later and get drunker and drunker, the woman begrudgingly staying by his side. The other, of which the narrator is proponent and part of, is the kind where the love is built on a more solid foundation; it's a relationship that's strong, solid, and healthy, a "beautiful truth" they get to wake up with every morning. It's a love that "ain't in no shot glass, no bottle." The song is a nice twist on what the title makes you think it's going to be about.
To give you hope about the state of mainstream country music: Pickler was dropped from her label after dismal sales of the traditional-leaning album 100 Proof and the disappointing radio performance of its subsequent singles. That pretty much sums up where we are. Pickler, an American Idol alum of all things, has proven herself in 2012 to have more balls than the hyper-masculinity of Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan (well, let's not get crazy labeling his schtick "masculine"), Brantley Gilbert, and "Truck Yeah" combined, which honestly isn't surprising seeing as Pickler was all but made a commercial outcast for doing her part in trying to bring integrity back to the airwaves.
6) Kix Brooks - "Bring It On Home"(released in September, peaked at #39 & #44 Airplay in October) From the album New To This Town Songwriters: Rhett Akins, Kix Brooks, Dallas Davidson
While Ronnie Dunn was getting nominated for Grammy awards, Kix Brooks somewhat quietly released a few singles that are much better than I expected, especially this one. It shouldn't have been surprising though, with one of my favorite Brooks and Dunn songs being "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone," one of the few on which Brooks assumes lead vocal duties (and absolutely kills it, by the way). In this video, Kix calls "Bring It On Home" a tribute to his wife. It tells the oft-told story of a traveling musician who misses home, but Brooks so nails this particular version of that tale that originality simply does not matter. I heard this song on the radio about five times within the span of a week driving around in a box truck. I had no idea who it was singing the first time, I just knew that it stuck out like that guy at the party you remember was drunker than everybody else. A healthy does of steel guitar, a few splashes of mandolin here and there, and an emotionally invested yet fun vocal by Brooks truly make "Bring It On Home," and it is immensely re-listenable. The deal-sealer for me is when the "All my life" part kicks the chorus off. Great stuff.
5) Tim McGraw - "Better Than I Used To Be"(released December 2011, peaked at #5 in June) From the album Emotional Traffic Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Bryan Simpson
Despite
releasing in late 2011, I first heard "Better Than I Used To Be" some
time in May, and I honestly could not believe it was Tim McGraw. Even more surprising is that it's a track of his last and seemingly infinitely-delayed album for Curb Records, Emotional Traffic, which was released after many public scuffles with the label over artistic freedom and their releasing of countless "greatest hits" packages that were not McGraw-approved. Perhaps yet more surprising than that is it came after several flat-out bad singles over the course of a few years from the usually solid veteran: "Last Dollar (Fly Away)," "It's A Business Doing Pleasure With You," "Still," and the abysmal "Felt Good On My Lips." McGraw's strength has always been as a ballad singer, and "Better Than I Used To Be" is one of his best. Co-written by progressive bluegrass band Cadillac Sky's former front man Bryan Simpson, and Ashley Gorley, who co-wrote one of Trace Adkins' best singles, "You're Gonna Miss This," this is a song about the lifelong pursuit of trying to become a better person.
From opening lines "I know how to hold a grudge, I can send a bridge up in smoke" to the climax of the chorus, "I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see/ I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm better than I used to be," McGraw gives an effortless vocal performance. These are the kinds of songs he was meant to sing. Here's hoping not only that McGraw chooses to record songs like this more often, but that Gorley and Simpson choose to collaborate as writers more often. Mainstream country music could use a lot more songs like this.
4) Turnpike Troubadours - "Gin, Smoke, Lies"(released in July, did not chart) From the album Goodbye Normal Street Songwriters: Evan Felker
If you like your banjo tunes to rock, then this is the song for you. I already attempted to put into words how much this song kicks ass back in July, so call me lazy if you must, but I'm just going to copy what I wrote back then here:
I hope to write a little more on this here blog about Turnpike
Troubadours, though no amount of praise, written or shared, that I could
heap on the band would do them justice, not to mention that said praise
would often venture into hyperbole, for better or worse. Quickly to the
point, this is one of the best, if not the best, country bands
making music today. The lyrics are sharp: if they aren't making you
chuckle then they're making you cry (or at least feel like you could).
The musicianship is tight, skillful, and nuanced: I challenge you to
find a band of any genre that uses instrumentation so perfectly to the
degree that each song calls for as well as these guys. The vocals are...
well, I'll just say that lead singer and principal songwriter Evan
Felker has quickly become one of my favorite voices; twangy, earnest,
and emotive (some friends I have compare him to Ryan Adams, though I
enjoy Felker quite a bit more). "Gin, Smoke, Lies" is the first single
from their recent May release, Goodbye Normal Street, and it's as
ferocious a first single as you're bound to hear. Banjo, fiddle, and
heavily pounding drums (think "We Will Rock You") round out the
production, and Felker's lyrics are as biting and sharp as ever: "Well a
spade is made for diggin' dirt/ and an ax is made for choppin'/ Darlin'
my heart's hard as nails they hammer/ in a hardwood coffin/ In a
hardwood coffin." The "coffin" line is sung twice to drive home the
starkly bleak imagery, you know, just in case you missed it. In the end,
it's a stone cold country song that flat out rocks, a cheating song the
likes of which you've never heard before. CMT.com somewhat surprisingly
debuted the video (which I believe was the group's first ever) for the
song earlier this week, and if it catches any sort of mainstream
traction, I can honestly say it might be the best thing to happen to
mainstream country music this century. Turnpike Troubadours are simply
too good not to want the rest of the world to hear. (no chart position...yet)
Unfortunately, "Gin, Smoke, Lies" still did not chart in the latter half of the year, but I'd be willing to bet mainstream commercial success isn't high on this group's list of goals. They still had great year, with the album Goodbye Normal Street debuting high on the Billboard 200 back in May, and that collection of songs going on to become album of the year on many year-end lists, including mine.
3) Chris Young - "Neon"(released in March, peaked at #23 in August) From the album Neon Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Trevor Rosen
"Neon"was one of my favorite songs of 2011, contained on his album of the same name and of that same year. Back then I wrote of the song: "If Young's label doesn't release this as a single in 2012, it will be a country music travesty." Well, the label did release it, and the result was probably more of a travesty than it would have otherwise been as an overlooked gem of an album cut. But as it stands, "Neon" is the first single of Young's not to reach number one since "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" hit the top spot back in October of 2009. Hell, it didn't even crack the top twenty. I mean, it had a super cheesy-ass music video and everything (the performance at the Opry embedded below is a much, much better video to watch). The single's commercial failure is pretty historic in my opinion. Young has for years been one of country music's fastest rising stars, but he released a neo-traditional drinking-song classic, and it caused his career's momentum to have the proverbial rug pulled out from under it. "The light at this end of the tunnel is neon," or at least it used to be. Now the light more closely resembles fake tans or bleached teeth or the headlights of a truck driving out to the backroads where they build the campfire and blare Nickelback over the speakers. Boom, boom.
2) Eric Church - "Springsteen"(released in February, peaked at #1 in June) From the album Chief Songwriters: Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell
This is the song that will be looked back on as the one thattook Eric Church to a different level of success. It's not totally country but sounded totally unique on country radio; I mean that in a really good way. I wrote a full review of the song here, and though a bit wordy, it's been the most viewed post at Abundant Ramblings since this blog's inception. Here's an excerpt:
"Springsteen" is a glorious testament to the fact that Eric Church
understands music to be a powerful and emotional force rather than a
commercial and formulaic one. In the musical atmosphere of country
radio, such an understanding feels like a minor miracle. With Church,
music's power is more than just lip service, and with "Springsteen," he
does a service to fans of music everywhere, helping us to understand
that though we are struggling human beings living in an insane and real
world, music has the power to keep us young in spirit and at heart,
which may just--in the long run--not only help us to find our way, but
help us to survive.
1) George Strait - "Drinkin' Man"(released in April, peaked at #37 in July) From the album Here For A Good Time Songwriters: Dean Dillon, Bubba Strait, George Strait
I have hope that George Strait won't go the way of Alan Jackson and fall completely out of the good graces (somehow) of country radio. But if the chart performance of "Drinkin' Man" is any indication, the end is nigh, my friends. It's not a happy song. It's not an upbeat song. There is no silver lining at the end of the song. There is only the silver lining that comes with going through the struggle that this song is about; the silver lining is in the journey of the fighting. Here's what I wrote about the song last summer:
It's nearly unforgivable the way radio has treated what is the best
single of the past five years from country music's elder statesman.
"Drinkin' Man" tells the heartbreaking story of one man's lifelong
struggle with alcohol, starting at the tender age of fourteen. We
sympathize profoundly with the narrator because he talks about how he's
tried to quit and how he knows his reliance on drink is hurting those
closest to him who love him the most. Take, for example, this
chill-inducing line: "Stayed sober once for nine days in a row, I quit
cold turkey/ Damn near almost made it ten/ But that's a hell of a lot to
ask/ of a drinkin' man." In a similar way that Wade Bowen sings a
different tune about Saturday nights, George Strait sings a different
tune about alcohol. Many songs on country radio (and pop radio for that
matter) glorify night after night of drinking to excess, but "Drinkin'
Man" trades glory and good times for something a little more poignant,
dangerous, and real. And it doesn't matter that it's sung and co-written
by King George; radio programmers wouldn't touch something this
authentic with a thirty-seven foot pole. And they didn't.
I still can't get over that "Damn near almost made it to ten" lyric, one of the best lines of the year, to be sure.Strait sings this song not only with the respect it deserves, but with the yearning its narrator feels compelling him toward change. By the end of it the listener realizes that quitting is going to be a lifelong struggle for this person, full of false starts and giving up and pain. And Strait and his co-writers give us no promise at the end that the narrator will ever totally conquer the demon. Perhaps the only appropriate response after hearing this song for the first time is, "Damn." Even if it's something you've never gone through personally, sometimes a song just hits you when it delves into subject matter that's dark and real. As with Kacey Musgraves' "Merry Go 'Round," sometimes it's painful to hold up a broken mirror, but that doesn't mean someone shouldn't still hold it up.
