zaclord π
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Post by zaclord π on Dec 17, 2014 23:49:22 GMT -5
"Leave the Night On" was easily one of my favorite singles of 2014 and I am so glad that Sam is finding success with this one too. "Montevallo" was also one of my favorite records on the year; every single song is great in my opinion. "Single For The Summer", "Break Up In A Small Town", "House Party", and "Make You Miss Me" should all be big hits if released. I don't think "Raised on It" will get a release since it was kind of unofficially the first single (On SiriusXM at least) and obviously "Cop Car" won't get a release. "Speakers" is the weakest song on the album, imo.
Anyway, I've grown to like this one more and more over the past few weeks so I'm glad to see it doing well. I'd bet this becomes another #1 for Sam in early 2014.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2014 23:53:42 GMT -5
You know i feel as if i've been too harsh on this guy. I gave this song another listen and honestly its not as bad as i first thought. Verses aside, it doesn't seem all that different from the norm of country radio IMO. I hate to admit it but this song is growing on me
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hosssulpizio
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Post by hosssulpizio on Dec 19, 2014 23:59:23 GMT -5
I agree too. When I heard his EP, I thought it was one of the worst things I've ever heard but his sound grew on me after I heard Montevallo". This guy is awesome!! Now I'm wondering when there will be a music video released.
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rjz
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Post by rjz on Dec 20, 2014 8:44:19 GMT -5
I love the whole album, but still don't think this belongs in country (although honestly, if it wasn't I wouldn't have been tempted to sample and buy).
Sure Cop Car fits country and there is at times a hint of Fiddle in amongst all the noise, but the majority of the album's rapping and electronic elements go way beyond the Country norm (even Country these days)~IMO it is about 5-10% country.
But the writing is very good, singing the same and no gratuitous female objectification which is refreshing so I'm not complaining.
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rsmatto
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Post by rsmatto on Dec 20, 2014 13:45:49 GMT -5
I love the whole album, but still don't think this belongs in country (although honestly, if it wasn't I wouldn't have been tempted to sample and buy). Sure Cop Car fits country and there is at times a hint of Fiddle in amongst all the noise, but the majority of the album's rapping and electronic elements go way beyond the Country norm (even Country these days)~IMO it is about 5-10% country. But the writing is very good, singing the same and no gratuitous female objectification which is refreshing so I'm not complaining. You think what Sam Hunt does here is "rapping"? That's not rapping? That's talking. What Colt Ford does, that's rapping. "Dirt Road Anthem" was rapping. "Take Your Time"'s verses are talking (as are the verses in "Breakup In A Small Town"). Call him pop, call him EDM-influenced but don't call him a rapper. That's a big misnomer.
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kml567
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Post by kml567 on Dec 20, 2014 14:38:30 GMT -5
I'm happy to see "Take Your Time" is doing well so far even though the recurrent airplay for LTNO is still super-high (would be #12 without recurrent rule!). Also a happy surprise to see "House Party" already charting. I guess radio can't wait to play the summer smash of 2015. The entire album is fantastic! There's at least 3-4 more radio smashes on the album as zaclord mentioned. Sam blends country and other genres so incredibly well. I'm glad he is getting the critical acclaim with "Montevallo". I saw on NY Times that the Associated Press has named "Montevallo" top 10 best albums of 2014 all-genre. www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/12/19/arts/ap-us-ye-music-albums.html?_r=0"8. "Montevallo," Sam Hunt: Props to singer-songwriter Sam Hunt for blending country music with elements of R&B, electronica and hip-hop. It might sound wild, but it works on his debut album, mainly thanks to Hunt's swagger and sexy sing-talk vocal delivery. Sam Smith isn't the only Sam stealing hearts." As for crossing over to Pop, I wonder if any of Sam's songs would really get airplay from Top 40 radio. I find it interesting that no country song has successfully crossed over to Pop ever since "Cruise" (and they needed a rap remix to do it). The most recent litmus test for crossover airplay is "Bartender", which is equally as pop-friendly as "Leave The Night On" but currently flopping even on Hot AC. From a Top 40 PD's perspective, songs like LTNO or Bartender are way too country-sounding and will require a rap remix from Nelly or EDM-remix from Calvin Harris to get any pop airplay. I'm probably in the minority, but I think Sam has more potential staying within Country radio. I see him with higher potential as the next Luke Bryan (who has never released a song to Pop or HotAC) rather than the male Taylor Swift. Getting one crossover smash is a great goal, but I think Country fans/radio would not be happy if you crossover too many times. UMG will have an interesting decision to make in 2015. Curious if they aim for the Luke Bryan career path or the Taylor Swift career path.
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rjz
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Post by rjz on Dec 20, 2014 16:24:22 GMT -5
I love the whole album, but still don't think this belongs in country (although honestly, if it wasn't I wouldn't have been tempted to sample and buy). Sure Cop Car fits country and there is at times a hint of Fiddle in amongst all the noise, but the majority of the album's rapping and electronic elements go way beyond the Country norm (even Country these days)~IMO it is about 5-10% country. But the writing is very good, singing the same and no gratuitous female objectification which is refreshing so I'm not complaining. You think what Sam Hunt does here is "rapping"? That's not rapping? That's talking. What Colt Ford does, that's rapping. "Dirt Road Anthem" was rapping. "Take Your Time"'s verses are talking (as are the verses in "Breakup In A Small Town"). Call him pop, call him EDM-influenced but don't call him a rapper. That's a big misnomer. Ok, my bad, I stand corrected since obviously the parameters for Rap are much stricter than I realized- way more than the parameters for Country My daughter danced on an urban Hip-Hop/Rap competitive dance team for 3 years and the line seems fine at times to me after that (admittedly not comprehensive) sampling. I should have substituted 'slow or rapid talking against a musical, sometimes electronic beat background' for Rapping. To clarify, I didn't and am not calling him a 'Rapper' as an identifier just because I think some of his moments are quite similar; any more than I call David Nail an Adult Contemporary Singer even though many of his songs qualify as such.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2014 16:34:41 GMT -5
Country radio wants artists who push the boundaries of what's "country" to draw in larger audiences. As long as Sam Hunt continues releasing his music to country radio they'll play him. I agree that "Take Your Time" sounds less country than just about anything else on country radio (and so does most of Sam Hunt's album, particularly "Break Up in a Small Town" and "Speakers"), but Sam Hunt's already established a country presence by writing #1 country hits and he seems to prefer country than any other format, so I don't see Sam going anywhere anytime soon.
I'll echo how amazing it is that "Take Your Time" is climbing so steadily even though "Leave the Night On" is still getting high levels of recurrent airplay. I'll be shocked if this doesn't go to #1 and this definitely looks like a future Platinum single and cross-format release.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Dec 20, 2014 16:36:03 GMT -5
You think what Sam Hunt does here is "rapping"? That's not rapping? That's talking. What Colt Ford does, that's rapping. "Dirt Road Anthem" was rapping. "Take Your Time"'s verses are talking (as are the verses in "Breakup In A Small Town"). Call him pop, call him EDM-influenced but don't call him a rapper. That's a big misnomer. Weren't you one of the ones who use to push the idea that "Dirt Road Anthem" wasn't rapping? Anyways, he may not be a rapper (we all know he isn't), but you can still have moments of 'rapping' in a song. Ke$ha is a pop artist, not a rapper, but on many of her songs the delivery of her verses are basically rapped. The verses of "Take Your Time" flirt on the boundary of rap and talk depending on the line, but when he speeds up a little bit and gets kind of wordy at the beginning of some of his phrases, those parts have a flow like rap to me. All of that aside, I do like this song. It belongs on the CHR/Pop stations though, because there's nothing country about it, and it would sound much more natural on CHR imo.
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Markus Meyer
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Post by Markus Meyer on Dec 21, 2014 13:54:11 GMT -5
I definitely see this as spoken word as opposed to rap. Still, this song has no place on country radio, even though I do enjoy it.
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nick64
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Post by nick64 on Dec 21, 2014 14:39:39 GMT -5
I absolutely love Sam's album. It's one of my favorites of the year from all genres. But I disagree about him being more pop than country. I've been a pop fan for a long time, and while Sam obviously has clear pop influences, I wouldn't call it pop music. If Sam never promoted to country and went straight for pop, pop radio PD's probably wouldn't jump on him. People would claim he's too country. And that's because of the lyrics. I haven't been a country fan for more than a few years, but I've always been under the impression that the lyrics are the most defining part of a country song. Sam's lyrics are clearly country. He plays with other genres, but it's all rooted in country.
If Sam establishes himself as a mainstay, which I definitely see happening, I'm sure he'll start promoting to pop as well. In particular, I could see "Leave The Night On" (maybe with a remix), "Make You Miss Me", and "Ex To See" doing fairly well on pop. But they'd all need to do well on country first before pop would give him a shot.
And with that said, I think remixing "LTNO" for pop is a smart idea, and they should do that soon. But it wouldn't have stood a chance without country backing it first.
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someguy
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Post by someguy on Dec 21, 2014 15:22:58 GMT -5
I agree that his lyrics are the countriest elements of his songs. He's a tough artist to categorize (and really, if it weren't for radio, we wouldn't really have to). His sound really does push the envelope of what is 'country', and I completely understand why that upsets some people. On the other hand, I agree with nick64 that his music is still too 'country' to be marketed exclusively as pop (listen to this and "Blank Space" back to back, and there are definitely major differences sonically). He could be the next big crossover country artist, like Faith and Shania back in the day, but I don't see him being just 'pop'. All that being said, his album is easily one of my favourites of the year, especially when you just listen to it as a good piece of music, rather than trying to apply genre rules/conventions to it (which is, in a lot of ways, how we're conditioned to listen to music, so it's hard to break out of that mentality).
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Uncle Lumpy
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Post by Uncle Lumpy on Dec 22, 2014 8:55:38 GMT -5
Ah, the ole "that's not rap ,its spoken word" argument again. That one is a personal favorite of mine. How dare my lying ears hear that he is clearly rapping but its considered "spoken word" because hes being marketed as "country".
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Dec 22, 2014 11:00:28 GMT -5
Ah, the ole "that's not rap ,its spoken word" argument again. That one is a personal favorite of mine. How dare my lying ears hear that he is clearly rapping but its considered "spoken word" because hes being marketed as "country". While I do think that the term rap has some vagueness to it, I also think there is a significant difference between rappers like Yelawolf and Twista and what Sam is doing here. He shouldn't be placed in the same category as Rap music per se, so that's why many don't agree with the rap label about him, because it doesn't come off as accurate as other descriptions can be.
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rsmatto
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Post by rsmatto on Dec 22, 2014 11:01:48 GMT -5
Ah, the ole "that's not rap ,its spoken word" argument again. That one is a personal favorite of mine. How dare my lying ears hear that he is clearly rapping but its considered "spoken word" because hes being marketed as "country". No, this wouldn't be rap even if it were in a pop market and ESPECIALLY if it were trying for a rap/hiphop market. It's just not that. What he's doing here is no different than songs like "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," the old recitations or talking songs that have always been there throughout country music history.
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sbp17
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Post by sbp17 on Dec 22, 2014 11:07:44 GMT -5
Yeah, perspective is key. To a country fan, it would seem like rap but to a rap fan, it's far from it. I don't think of it as rap (but I also don't think of it as country). And just because a song would not see pop airplay does not make it 'not pop' in the same way that there's plenty of country music being made that hardly gets any spins on country radio. I agree with those that say his lyrics are the most country elements of his music. That's probably why I enjoy We Are Tonight and Cop Car, both of which Sam had a hand in writing.
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rsmatto
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Post by rsmatto on Dec 22, 2014 11:23:06 GMT -5
Yeah, perspective is key. To a country fan, it would seem like rap but to a rap fan, it's far from it. I don't think of it as rap (but I also don't think of it as country). And just because a song would not see pop airplay does not make it 'not pop' in the same way that there's plenty of country music being made that hardly gets any spins on country radio. I agree with those that say his lyrics are the most country elements of his music. That's probably why I enjoy We Are Tonight and Cop Car, both of which Sam had a hand in writing. Right, that's basically my whole point. That it's clearly not a rap song. I never said anything about airplay, only that it'd not be considered rap by pop or hiphop markets.
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sbp17
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Post by sbp17 on Dec 22, 2014 11:28:56 GMT -5
Yeah, I got distracted and hadn't yet submitted my response so I had not seen your post. It was a general response to the conversation between dm2081, lumpy, someguy and nick.
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Uncle Lumpy
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Post by Uncle Lumpy on Dec 22, 2014 11:30:54 GMT -5
Ah, the ole "that's not rap ,its spoken word" argument again. That one is a personal favorite of mine. How dare my lying ears hear that he is clearly rapping but its considered "spoken word" because hes being marketed as "country". No, this wouldn't be rap even if it were in a pop market and ESPECIALLY if it were trying for a rap/hiphop market. It's just not that. What he's doing here is no different than songs like "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," the old recitations or talking songs that have always been there throughout country music history. Yes Matt, because clearly Sam Hunt was heavily influenced by Charlie Danials. What I find so disingenuous & frankly hypocritical about that argument coming from you in particular is you seem to have this anything goes approach to country as a genre but rap is this genre of rigorous rules where you can pinpoint what is and isn't rap. I get it, you run a popular website & I'm guessing you have to stay on good terms with the artists you feature. But I'm sorry if it walks like a duck & talks like a duck , I'm gonna go ahead & call it a duck. Feel free to call it a chicken , but you do your credibility no favors.
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rsmatto
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Post by rsmatto on Dec 22, 2014 11:36:59 GMT -5
No, this wouldn't be rap even if it were in a pop market and ESPECIALLY if it were trying for a rap/hiphop market. It's just not that. What he's doing here is no different than songs like "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," the old recitations or talking songs that have always been there throughout country music history. Yes Matt, because clearly Sam Hunt was heavily influenced by Charlie Danials. What I find so disingenuous & frankly hypocritical about that argument coming from you in particular is you seem to have this anything goes approach to country as a genre but rap is this genre of rigorous rules where you can pinpoint what is and isn't rap. I get it, you run a popular website & I'm guessing you have to stay on good terms with the artists you feature. But I'm sorry if it walks like a duck & talks like a duck , I'm gonna go ahead & call it a duck. Feel free to call it a chicken , but you do your credibility no favors. I didn't say ANYTHING about this song being a "Country song" only that it's NOT a "rap song." That is literally all I said. But if you think it's rap, feel free to continue to do so. But please don't put words into my mouth that I didn't say (at least in this instance) and don't call me hypocritical about the argument, all I stated was this song was not a rap song, especially if you were to ask rap/hiphop heads about it.
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Uncle Lumpy
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Post by Uncle Lumpy on Dec 22, 2014 11:53:06 GMT -5
Yes Matt, because clearly Sam Hunt was heavily influenced by Charlie Danials. What I find so disingenuous & frankly hypocritical about that argument coming from you in particular is you seem to have this anything goes approach to country as a genre but rap is this genre of rigorous rules where you can pinpoint what is and isn't rap. I get it, you run a popular website & I'm guessing you have to stay on good terms with the artists you feature. But I'm sorry if it walks like a duck & talks like a duck , I'm gonna go ahead & call it a duck. Feel free to call it a chicken , but you do your credibility no favors. I didn't say ANYTHING about this song being a "Country song" only that it's NOT a "rap song." That is literally all I said. But if you think it's rap, feel free to continue to do so. But please don't put words into my mouth that I didn't say (at least in this instance) and don't call me hypocritical about the argument, all I stated was this song was not a rap song, especially if you were to ask rap/hiphop heads about it. I wasn't saying you called this particular song country. I was talking about the general consensus that you seem to hold that if its being marketed from a Nashville label , that it must be country. But to be fair , you were still comparing Sam's "spoken word" style to Charlie Danials which still seems to be a stretch of epic proportions , but as you said you are free to continue to do so as well.
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rsmatto
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Post by rsmatto on Dec 22, 2014 11:59:40 GMT -5
I didn't say ANYTHING about this song being a "Country song" only that it's NOT a "rap song." That is literally all I said. But if you think it's rap, feel free to continue to do so. But please don't put words into my mouth that I didn't say (at least in this instance) and don't call me hypocritical about the argument, all I stated was this song was not a rap song, especially if you were to ask rap/hiphop heads about it. I wasn't saying you called this particular song country. I was talking about the general consensus that you seem to hold that if its being marketed from a Nashville label , that it must be country. For the mainstream country radio format (which is what is mostly discussed here)? Yes, if it's sent to country radio, I do. But given what many of those songs sound like (and that includes this one), I think others could even be marketed as "country" as we know the mainstream to be now but aren't because the mainstream radio folks seem to only want artists that 'start' there or whose 'heart is in it' (Darius Rucker, Sheryl Crow, etc.). But I also still really like and/or love stuff that's considered outside the mainstream like the Lee Ann Womack record, Adam Hood's records, Brandy Clark, Angaleena Presley, Don Williams, the Sturgill Simpson album, stuff from the Texas-based artists, etc.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2014 12:41:42 GMT -5
^ Normally i'd say this is derailing the thread but since rsmatto and Uncle Lumpy are fighting about Sam Hunt, i guess you two can "Take Your Time" and "Leave The Fight On"
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Dec 22, 2014 12:42:00 GMT -5
We are well aware this is not a rap song, but like I said before, that doesn't mean he ISN'T rapping. What Ke$ha does in her pop songs that are not marketed or accepted under any circumstances as 'rap/hip-hop' music still features elements in her delivery that are basically rap. Sam Hunt is essentially flirting with the same kind of thing here. The 'spoken word' in country song doesn't sound like what he's doing here. Aside from "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," most every other older talking song I've heard is not like that one at all.
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rjz
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Post by rjz on Dec 22, 2014 12:54:15 GMT -5
Ah, the ole "that's not rap ,its spoken word" argument again. That one is a personal favorite of mine. How dare my lying ears hear that he is clearly rapping but its considered "spoken word" because hes being marketed as "country". While I do think that the term rap has some vagueness to it, I also think there is a significant difference between rappers like Yelawolf and Twista and what Sam is doing here. He shouldn't be placed in the same category as Rap music per se, so that's why many don't agree with the rap label about him, because it doesn't come off as accurate as other descriptions can be. I would definitely agree that this is not a Rap song by definition nor is Sam Hunt's primary identity seemingly rap-I don't 'think' anyone here is saying he is putting out 'Rap Music' or would get play on Rap stations-only that he has pushed the definition of Country Music to the far edge (or off it). But to me this has Rap elements at times and I don't find it similar to Charlie Daniel's talk/singing "Devil Went Down to Georgia" or Josh Gracin's 'Nothing to Lose' because I feel they are talking more in the 'auctioneer' type style with most importantly, an overall country sound. Whereas Sam has more of a smooth like R&B or Hip Hop intonation and the backing seems to have more of a beat (plus the electronic additions) instead of fiddles, rock/country guitar, etc. Agreed. Just as there is a significant difference between a Country singer like Randy Travis or Kellie Pickler and a 'Country Singer' like Sam Hunt. I bought the album, love it-just saying (as even some critics are) it is questionable whether it should be classified as Country as far as sales, awards, radio, etc. I personally usually enjoy 'modern country' more than classic, but I completely empathize and understand the distress of traditionalists.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Dec 22, 2014 13:12:35 GMT -5
Okay, flame me all you want, but I really like this...
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sbp17
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Post by sbp17 on Dec 22, 2014 13:13:43 GMT -5
Okay, flame me all you want, but I really like this... Well, you hate I Hope You Dance so your tastes have always been questionable to me.
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Uncle Lumpy
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Post by Uncle Lumpy on Dec 22, 2014 13:46:17 GMT -5
To be clear , I even like a little Rap. Okay a minuscule amount of Rap ...but still. I own a good portion of Kid Rocks catalog and enjoyed a handful of his older songs with rap elements. (Completely unrelated , but my 75 year old mother LOVES Kid Rock. Go ahead, let that digest.) I could even probably enjoy this song on some level if I were to allow myself to do so (unlike "Leave The Light On"). I just find it grossly mis-categorized. Its not a bad song by any means , & if I were to have heard this on a pop station , I could even see myself possibly downloading it. It just scares me how much the bar keeps getting moved as to what is acceptable as country music. And if it keeps getting moved at the rate that we have seen in the last few years , with virtually nothing to anchor the genre to its roots , how long will it be until there's no need for the country genre at all? This guy is obviously going to be a big star and out of the gate , he has an album that even has hardcore pop country fans struggling to find anything remotely country about Sam's music. If hes this far removed from the genre now , what happens when he inevitably "pushes the boundaries" of country music?
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kw9461
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Post by kw9461 on Dec 22, 2014 20:50:40 GMT -5
But to me this has Rap elements at times and I don't find it similar to Charlie Daniel's talk/singing "Devil Went Down to Georgia" or Josh Gracin's 'Nothing to Lose' because I feel they are talking more in the 'auctioneer' type style with most importantly, an overall country sound. Whereas Sam has more of a smooth like R&B or Hip Hop intonation and the backing seems to have more of a beat (plus the electronic additions) instead of fiddles, rock/country guitar, etc.. Well said. Songs like Devil Went Down to Georgia and Nothing To Lose may have had rapid-fire deliveries, but it fell within the melodic structure of the song. Those songs have more in common with Alan Jackson's "I'll Go On Loving You" or Collin Raye's "Couldn't Last A Moment" than this song, the only real difference being the speed of the delivery. Sam's verses on the other hand are completely rhythmic and it's quite clear that's the intent. There's simply no parallel to anything else ever released to country radio.
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rsmatto
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Post by rsmatto on Dec 22, 2014 22:10:10 GMT -5
I'd STILL argue that "Devil Went Down To Georgia" and "Sold," "Nothing To Lose" and any other talking song are about as much rap as this is but It's probably best we just agree to disagree on that point.
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