.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Sept 14, 2015 12:43:48 GMT -5
I completely disagree that the females are indistinguishable from one another. The opposite is definitely true, lmao. There's so many male artists releasing the same sounding material to where I just can't fathom the idea that the small handful of women getting any airplay at all sound the same. Mickey Guyton, Jana Kramer, Kacey Musgraves, RaeLynn, and Cassadee Pope to list a few sound absolutely NOTHING alike. People not being able to tell them apart is because none of them are successful enough to stand out the way Carrie Underwood does so most people in the general public fail to remember all of them or don't even know who some of them are.
Jason Aldean is such a dunderhead. He's like the Chris Brown of country music in terms of just being douchey and ignorant. I wish he'd get a clue and start releasing music that doesn't all sound the same, or else just go away please and thank you.
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Sept 14, 2015 13:03:42 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production).
On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2015 13:41:02 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production). On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. Aldean's voice may be recognizable to some, but I fail to see him as indistinguishable once you put him aside dozens of other male Country artists doing the same "bro Country" theme Jason is. To me, I think calling an artist has to stand out among all other artists, not just when you look at their individual qualities, and I (personally), don't think Aldean stands up to that challenge. While I would agree that a lot of females use similar themes in their music, looking at the broader scheme of things, the females ARE largely making better, more diverse music than almost all of their popular male peers. I guarantee if you put Lambert/Underwood aside Aldean for artistic comparison, you'd find more variety among just these two ladies than what Aldean has delivered in ten years of his career. Put him aside Lambert, Underwood, Monroe, Guyton, Musgraves, Maddie and Tae, etc. and he would be absolutely destroyed in a matter of minutes. It's beyond me how anyone could claim the females of radio are "indistinguishable" when there are exactly TWO superstar females on radio right now receiving airplay, and one is struggling immensely. Jason's comment is just plain insulting when he's willing to tear down women of Country music, just so HE can take the focus off his own faults. I try not to let my distaste of Adean's personality get in the way of judging in his music, but his condescending, arrogant and downright disgusting attitude towards anyone who criticizes him makes it damn near impossible to judge him objectively. If he was making music in the vein of "Flyover States" and "The Truth," that be one thing, but he's making music that hardly qualifies him to criticize others, when he's one of the worst offenders. Artists who make music like Aldean does and then criticize others literally have no room to do so. If he doesn't want to be criticized, perhaps he can start making better music and stop placing the blame on EVERYONE else so he doesn't have to discuss why people are fed up with him. Evading responsibility is one thing, but doing so at the expense of ALL the talented/underrated women in this genre is just disgusting and immature.
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matty005
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Post by matty005 on Sept 14, 2015 13:49:06 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production). On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. Aldean's voice may be recognizable to some, but I fail to see him as indistinguishable once you put him aside dozens of other male Country artists doing the same "bro Country" theme Jason is. To me, I think calling an artist has to stand out among all other artists, not just when you look at their individual qualities, and I (personally), don't think Aldean stands up to that challenge. While I would agree that a lot of females use similar themes in their music, looking at the broader scheme of things, the females ARE largely making better, more diverse music than almost of their popular male peers. I guarantee if you put Lambert/Underwood aside Aldean for artistic comparison, you'd find more variety among the two ladies than what Aldean has delivered in ten years of his career. It's beyond me how anyone could claim the females of radio are "indistinguishable" when there are exactly TWO superstar females on radio right now receiving airplay, and one is struggling immensely. Jason's comment is just plain insulting when he's willing to tear down women of Country music, just so HE can take the focus off his own faults.I try not to let my distaste of Adean's personality get in the way of judging in his music, but his condescending, arrogant and downright disgusting attitude towards anyone who criticizes him makes it damn near impossible to judge him objectively. If he doesn't want to be criticized, perhaps he can start making better music and stop placing the blame on EVERYONE else so he doesn't have to discuss why people are fed up with him. Evading responsibility is one thing, but doing so at the expense of ALL the talented/underrated women in this genre is just disgusting and immature. How in the world did you make that connection? The question he was asked had nothing to do with his own faults. There has to be a reason radio doesn't play females. He is not saying he agrees with it. He is giving a possible reason.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Sept 14, 2015 14:04:07 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production). On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. Five. "Before He Cheats", "Cowboy Casanova", "Undo It", "Good Girl", and "Two Black Cadillacs". All of which are immediately distinguishable from each other and from other songs on the radio. Plus Carrie has had 20+ singles that have nothing to do with cheating or men being bad whatsoever, all of which still sound completely unique and distinguishable, in my opinion. As far as Miranda is concerned, "Kerosine" and "Gunpowder & Lead" are very similar thematically, but once again, that is maybe 5% of her total output... Cassadee's first two singles would sound nothing alike to anyone who actually pays attention to them. At the most basic level, "Wasting All These Tears" is slow, while "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart" is faster. Thematically, they do both deal with breakups; a VERY popular theme throughout the genre. But they offer very different perspectives on that topic, with WATT being about someone who is so miserable they cannot even remember why their former lover was so great to begin with, and IWICBYH about being so anguished by your lover hurting you that you wish you could get them back, but you're too good of a person to hurt anyone the way they hurt you. Again, completely unique perspectives, and impossible to confuse. However, your point remains that Aldean does have a very recognizable voice, and that we should not allow each other to judge his musical output based on a dislike of his personality. I applaud you for not bashing him and trying to see where his statements might have some credence! That is a good stance to take in life, and I am sure speaks a lot about your integrity as a person. I just think that it is exceptionally close-minded of Aldean to criticize women for sounding the same, and pointing out instances where females release similar-themed music does nothing to verify Aldean's statement. The thing about Jason Aldean is, he consistently releases music that is safe and vanilla-sounding. It doesn't matter where they fall on the bro-scale, they usually have the exact same sound. Occasionally he mixes up his production, like with "Burnin' It Down", but that does not mean it is anything but a vanilla song. He seldom pushes the genre in any direction with substantial material. His voice is not necessarily bad, but it's not like he ever does anything to make it sound different on different songs. Carrie Underwood sounds worlds different on songs like "Wasted" and "Good Girl", which are both uptempo but completely different. Jason Aldean mixed his vocals up literally once...by releasing a rap song. Otherwise, he consistently sounds exactly the same, regardless of theme. Maybe he is just not a very good interpreter. Regardless, it is close-minded and hypocritical of him to suggest that women vocalists mostly all sound the same.
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Sept 14, 2015 14:08:22 GMT -5
On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. Carrie Underwood (album singles to date: 20) Cheating/men misbehaving/revenge: 5 ("Before He Cheats," "Cowboy Casanova," "Undo It," "Good Girl," "Two Black Cadillacs") Religious/spiritual: 4 ("Jesus, Take the Wheel," "Temporary Home," "See You Again," "Something in the Water") Child traumatized by family drama: 2 ("Blown Away," "Little Toy Guns") Moving on with life: 2 ("Don't Forget to Remember Me," "Wasted") The relationship between parent and child/parental expectations: 2 ("All-American Girl," "Mama's Song") Tragic death: 1 ("Just a Dream") A drunken night with consequences: 1 ("Last Name") Heartbreak as the guilty party: 1 ("I Told You So") Needing a break from life's responsibilities: 1 ("Smoke Break") Miranda Lambert: (album singles to date: 22) Cheating/men misbehaving/revenge: 6 ("Kerosene," "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Gunpowder & Lead," "White Liar," "Baggage Claim," "Mama's Broken Heart") Roots/nostalgia: 3 ("The House That Built Me," "Automatic," "Smokin' & Drinkin'") Women misbehaving/being sassy: 3 ("Fastest Girl in Town," "Somethin' Bad," "Little Red Wagon") Small town gossip/catty competitiveness: 2 ("Famous in a Small Town," "Only Prettier") Loss: 2 ("Dead Flowers," "Over You") Yearning: 2 ("Me & Charlie Talkin'," "Bring Me Down") Moving on with life: 1 ("New Strings") Jealousy: 1 ("More Like Her") Judgment: 1 ("Heart Like Mine") Variety is the spice of life: 1 "All Kinds of Kinds" Jason Aldean (album singles to date: 24) Country living, country loving: 11 ("Hicktown," "She's Country," "Big Green Tractor," "Amarillo Sky," "My Kinda Party," "Dirt Road Anthem," "Fly Over States," "Take A Little Ride," "The Only Way I Know," "1994," "Just Getting Started") All-consuming love/lust: 7 ("Relentless," "Don't You Wanna Stay," "Burnin' It Down," "Night Train," "When She Says Baby," "Tonight Looks Good On You," "Gonna Know We Were Here") Nashville: 1 ("Crazy Town") Escape: ("Johnny Cash") Heartbreak: 1 ("The Truth") Reminiscing: 2 ("Laughed Until We Cried," "Tattoos On This Town") Regret: 1 ("Why") What this doesn't capture is similarity of sound and lyric - most of the first category of Aldean songs (and some of the second, actually) feature references to moonlight, getting off work and picking up one's baby in some kind of motor vehicle, references to some kind of alcohol, etc. So it's not just about singing about the same thing, it's that Aldean does so via songs that are essentially constructed and written the same way, with little to no variation in imagery (there is nowhere near the same level of repetition of imagery in Carrie and Miranda's singles discography). "1994," to be fair, perhaps earned its own category. I've also possibly been too generous in putting "Tattoos..." and "Gonna Know We Were Here" in different categories. But that's ten or eleven out of twenty-four Aldean singles that are essentially about the same thing: 41-46%, with another Aldean category of songs comprising seven out of his twenty-four singles (29%). That's 70-75% of his singles discography covered by two topics. By comparison, Miranda's most repetitive category (cheating/men misbehaving) comprises six out of her twenty-two singles, or 27%, while the rest of her singles discography is spread out over a pretty wide variety of topics (and this is with me grouping "The House That Built Me," "Automatic," and "Smokin' & Drinkin'" together, when I don't consider these three songs particularly similar at all). Meanwhile, Carrie's most repetitive categories (cheating/men misbehaving and spirituality/faith) comprise 25% and 20% of her singles discography, respectively, while the rest of her singles are spread out over a wider variety of categories than Aldean has managed (and this is by counting "Don't Forget to Remember Me" and "Wasted" in the same category, when they aren't all that similar -- perhaps "Don't Forget to Remember Me" should be the 3rd song in the parent/child relationship category; there is also a pretty big difference between "Two Black Cadillacs" and "Undo It," but they are grouped together, anyway). So the benefit of the doubt given country's current top female artists is backed up by the empirical evidence, as is the criticism of Aldean for his redundancy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2015 14:10:31 GMT -5
Aldean's voice may be recognizable to some, but I fail to see him as indistinguishable once you put him aside dozens of other male Country artists doing the same "bro Country" theme Jason is. To me, I think calling an artist has to stand out among all other artists, not just when you look at their individual qualities, and I (personally), don't think Aldean stands up to that challenge. While I would agree that a lot of females use similar themes in their music, looking at the broader scheme of things, the females ARE largely making better, more diverse music than almost of their popular male peers. I guarantee if you put Lambert/Underwood aside Aldean for artistic comparison, you'd find more variety among the two ladies than what Aldean has delivered in ten years of his career. It's beyond me how anyone could claim the females of radio are "indistinguishable" when there are exactly TWO superstar females on radio right now receiving airplay, and one is struggling immensely. Jason's comment is just plain insulting when he's willing to tear down women of Country music, just so HE can take the focus off his own faults.I try not to let my distaste of Adean's personality get in the way of judging in his music, but his condescending, arrogant and downright disgusting attitude towards anyone who criticizes him makes it damn near impossible to judge him objectively. If he doesn't want to be criticized, perhaps he can start making better music and stop placing the blame on EVERYONE else so he doesn't have to discuss why people are fed up with him. Evading responsibility is one thing, but doing so at the expense of ALL the talented/underrated women in this genre is just disgusting and immature. How in the world did you make that connection? The question he was asked had nothing to do with his own faults. There has to be a reason radio doesn't play females. He is not saying he agrees with it. He is giving a possible reason. Aldean has gotten criticism for releasing the same songs for years now; there's really no need for him to bring up how (he) thinks women are doing the same thing when a) they aren't b) he could've answered the question differently without making himself look like a hypocrite who's willing to criticize other artists. His answer in itself opens up the door for a lot of criticism, and he could've easily avoided it with a better response. Aldean seems to regularly put his foot in his mouth, and this is just another example.
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Sept 14, 2015 15:37:15 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production). On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. Five. "Before He Cheats", "Cowboy Casanova", "Undo It", "Good Girl", and "Two Black Cadillacs". All of which are immediately distinguishable from each other and from other songs on the radio. Plus Carrie has had 20+ singles that have nothing to do with cheating or men being bad whatsoever, all of which still sound completely unique and distinguishable, in my opinion. As far as Miranda is concerned, "Kerosine" and "Gunpowder & Lead" are very similar thematically, but once again, that is maybe 5% of her total output... Cassadee's first two singles would sound nothing alike to anyone who actually pays attention to them. At the most basic level, "Wasting All These Tears" is slow, while "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart" is faster. Thematically, they do both deal with breakups; a VERY popular theme throughout the genre. But they offer very different perspectives on that topic, with WATT being about someone who is so miserable they cannot even remember why their former lover was so great to begin with, and IWICBYH about being so anguished by your lover hurting you that you wish you could get them back, but you're too good of a person to hurt anyone the way they hurt you. Again, completely unique perspectives, and impossible to confuse. However, your point remains that Aldean does have a very recognizable voice, and that we should not allow each other to judge his musical output based on a dislike of his personality. I applaud you for not bashing him and trying to see where his statements might have some credence! That is a good stance to take in life, and I am sure speaks a lot about your integrity as a person. I just think that it is exceptionally close-minded of Aldean to criticize women for sounding the same, and pointing out instances where females release similar-themed music does nothing to verify Aldean's statement. The thing about Jason Aldean is, he consistently releases music that is safe and vanilla-sounding. It doesn't matter where they fall on the bro-scale, they usually have the exact same sound. Occasionally he mixes up his production, like with "Burnin' It Down", but that does not mean it is anything but a vanilla song. He seldom pushes the genre in any direction with substantial material. His voice is not necessarily bad, but it's not like he ever does anything to make it sound different on different songs. Carrie Underwood sounds worlds different on songs like "Wasted" and "Good Girl", which are both uptempo but completely different. Jason Aldean mixed his vocals up literally once...by releasing a rap song. Otherwise, he consistently sounds exactly the same, regardless of theme. Maybe he is just not a very good interpreter. Regardless, it is close-minded and hypocritical of him to suggest that women vocalists mostly all sound the same. First of all, get off your high horse because you have no right to be talking about "my integrity". I've never met you, and you don't know a thing about me except some views I have on music, so you can keep your snarky remarks about my character and overall disrespect towards me to yourself. Thank you. Secondly, I never said anything defending Aldean's comments or even gave much thought about them in my post. I simply said he has one of the most distinguishable voices on radio. I think most avid country music fans could pick his voice out of a lineup. I'm not going to comment much on his quote because what he has to say or think doesn't really mean much in the end. His comments aren't going to hurt or help the female cause in the end, it will be callout scores and radio programmers willing to step up to the plate and give females a shot. And you said it yourself, saying Carrie has 5 songs about one similar topic. Aldean gets bashed for making 5 songs about the same topic. It's that simple and that's all I'm pointing out. This note was not related to the quote brought up, just something I've observed and felt I should discuss. You say Aldean plays it safe and has a vanilla output, but I'd argue the opposite. Sure he does on some singles, but he's also taken some of the biggest risks, and a few those risks were a huge success that did move country music in a new direction, wether you like that direction or not. "Burnin' It Down" was a huge success, and has bridged the genre even more so to R&B and sleek EDM-like production. "Dirt Road Anthem" is one of the biggest hits of the past 10 years in the genre, and adding Ludacris to the remix helped expose millions of listeners who probably never gave the genre a second thought.
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Sept 14, 2015 15:45:07 GMT -5
On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. Carrie Underwood (album singles to date: 20) Cheating/men misbehaving: 5 ("Before He Cheats," "Cowboy Casanova," "Undo It," "Good Girl," "Two Black Cadillacs") Religious/spiritual: 4 ("Jesus, Take the Wheel," "Temporary Home," "See You Again," "Something in the Water") Child traumatized by family drama: 2 ("Blown Away," "Little Toy Guns") Moving on with life: 2 ("Don't Forget to Remember Me," "Wasted") The relationship between parent and child/parental expectations: 2 ("All-American Girl," "Mama's Song") Tragic death: 1 ("Just a Dream") A drunken night with consequences: 1 ("Last Name") Heartbreak as the guilty party: 1 ("I Told You So") Needing a break from life's responsibilities: 1 ("Smoke Break") Miranda Lambert: (album singles to date: 22) Cheating/men misbehaving: 6 ("Kerosene," "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Gunpowder & Lead," "White Liar," "Baggage Claim," "Mama's Broken Heart") Roots/nostalgia: 3 ("The House That Built Me," "Automatic," "Smokin' & Drinkin'") Women misbehaving/being sassy: 3 ("Fastest Girl in Town," "Somethin' Bad," "Little Red Wagon") Small town gossip/catty competitiveness: 2 ("Famous in a Small Town," "Only Prettier") Loss: 2 ("Dead Flowers," "Over You") Yearning: 2 ("Me & Charlie Talkin'," "Bring Me Down") Moving on with life: 1 ("New Strings") Jealousy: 1 ("More Like Her") Judgment: 1 ("Heart Like Mine") Variety is the spice of life: 1 "All Kinds of Kinds" Jason Aldean (album singles to date: 24) Country living, country loving: 11 ("Hicktown," "She's Country," "Big Green Tractor," "Amarillo Sky," "My Kinda Party," "Dirt Road Anthem," "Fly Over States," "Take A Little Ride," "The Only Way I Know," "1994," "Just Getting Started") All-consuming love/lust: 7 ("Relentless," "Don't You Wanna Stay," "Burnin' It Down," "Night Train," "When She Says Baby," "Tonight Looks Good On You," "Gonna Know We Were Here") Nashville: 1 ("Crazy Town") Escape: ("Johnny Cash") Heartbreak: 1 ("The Truth") Reminiscing: 2 ("Laughed Until We Cried," "Tattoos On This Town") Regret: 1 ("Why") What this doesn't capture is similarity of sound and lyric - most of the first category of Aldean songs (and some of the second, actually) feature references to moonlight, getting off work and picking up one's baby in some kind of motor vehicle, references to some kind of alcohol, etc. So it's not just about singing about the same thing, it's that Aldean does so via songs that are essentially constructed and written the same way, with little to no variation in imagery (there is nowhere near the same level of repetition of imagery in Carrie and Miranda's singles discography). "1994," to be fair, perhaps earned its own category. I've also possibly been too generous in putting "Tattoos..." and "Gonna Know We Were Here" in different categories. But that's ten or eleven out of twenty-four Aldean singles that are essentially about the same thing: 41-46%, with another Aldean category of songs comprising seven out of his twenty-four singles (29%). That's 70-75% of his singles discography covered by two topics. By comparison, Miranda's most repetitive category (cheating/men misbehaving) comprises six out of her twenty-two singles, or 27%, while the rest of her singles discography is spread out over a pretty wide variety of topics (and this is with me grouping "The House That Built Me," "Automatic," and "Smokin' & Drinkin'" together, when I don't consider these three songs particularly similar at all). Meanwhile, Carrie's most repetitive categories (cheating/men misbehaving and spirituality/faith) comprise 25% and 20% of her singles discography, respectively, while the rest of her singles are spread out over a wider variety of categories than Aldean has managed (and this is by counting "Don't Forget to Remember Me" and "Wasted" in the same category, when they aren't all that similar; there is also a pretty big difference between "Two Black Cadillacs" and "Undo It," but they are grouped together, anyway). So the benefit of the doubt given country's current top female artists is backed up by the empirical evidence, as is the criticism of Aldean for his redundancy. I think you're missing the point though. Your statistical breakdown shows that both artists have songs with similar overlap. I never argued that Carrie or Miranda have more, I simply said they have traveled down the same path of redundancy as well, but don't garner as much flack about it. If members on this board get upset or frustrated be the alleged rehash of songs Aldean puts out, then why don't we see more of the same frustration shared with their output? I certainly think Aldean's attitude plays a role. If he was seen as sweet or friendly as Carrie, and Carrie was instead considered arrogant and unfriendly, would we see the same responses to both artists? That's essentially what I'm trying to point out.
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Sept 14, 2015 15:51:36 GMT -5
I think you're missing the point though. Your statistical breakdown shows that both artists have songs with similar overlap. I never argued that Carrie or Miranda have more, I simply said they have traveled down the same path of redundancy as well, but don't garner as much flack about it. If members on this board get upset or frustrated be the alleged rehash of songs Aldean puts out, then why don't we see more of the same frustration shared with their output? The point that you're missing is that repetition of topic is not just an either/or proposition, but also a matter of degrees. Jason gets more criticism because, as the numbers show, he is incredibly redundant, not only on topic, but in the sound and especially, the lyrics of the songs he sings (the aforementioned moonlight/alcohol/motor vehicle/getting off work/picking up his baby references). I'm quite sure I read objections to Miranda releasing "Little Red Wagon" on the heels of "Somethin' Bad" earlier this year and hopes, prior to the release of Carrie's current single, that said lead single wouldn't be another boy-basher (this after a fair amount of talk about "Good Girl" being "Cowboy Casanova," part two, etc.). The fact that those complaints haven't been as loud or as vehement as those directed at Jason is a direct reflection of the fact that, as illustrated above, Miranda and Carrie are nowhere close to being as redundant in topic, sound or lyric as Jason (lyrically, Miranda and Carrie really haven't been redundant at all).
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2015 16:43:03 GMT -5
Though I don't wish to join in this brawl, I will say that Aldean's comments are incredibly ignorant. You can't tell me that songs like "Burning House" or "Better Than You Left Me" sound ANYTHING like the current crap at radio.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Sept 14, 2015 18:54:41 GMT -5
Five. "Before He Cheats", "Cowboy Casanova", "Undo It", "Good Girl", and "Two Black Cadillacs". All of which are immediately distinguishable from each other and from other songs on the radio. Plus Carrie has had 20+ singles that have nothing to do with cheating or men being bad whatsoever, all of which still sound completely unique and distinguishable, in my opinion. As far as Miranda is concerned, "Kerosine" and "Gunpowder & Lead" are very similar thematically, but once again, that is maybe 5% of her total output... Cassadee's first two singles would sound nothing alike to anyone who actually pays attention to them. At the most basic level, "Wasting All These Tears" is slow, while "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart" is faster. Thematically, they do both deal with breakups; a VERY popular theme throughout the genre. But they offer very different perspectives on that topic, with WATT being about someone who is so miserable they cannot even remember why their former lover was so great to begin with, and IWICBYH about being so anguished by your lover hurting you that you wish you could get them back, but you're too good of a person to hurt anyone the way they hurt you. Again, completely unique perspectives, and impossible to confuse. However, your point remains that Aldean does have a very recognizable voice, and that we should not allow each other to judge his musical output based on a dislike of his personality. I applaud you for not bashing him and trying to see where his statements might have some credence! That is a good stance to take in life, and I am sure speaks a lot about your integrity as a person. I just think that it is exceptionally close-minded of Aldean to criticize women for sounding the same, and pointing out instances where females release similar-themed music does nothing to verify Aldean's statement. The thing about Jason Aldean is, he consistently releases music that is safe and vanilla-sounding. It doesn't matter where they fall on the bro-scale, they usually have the exact same sound. Occasionally he mixes up his production, like with "Burnin' It Down", but that does not mean it is anything but a vanilla song. He seldom pushes the genre in any direction with substantial material. His voice is not necessarily bad, but it's not like he ever does anything to make it sound different on different songs. Carrie Underwood sounds worlds different on songs like "Wasted" and "Good Girl", which are both uptempo but completely different. Jason Aldean mixed his vocals up literally once...by releasing a rap song. Otherwise, he consistently sounds exactly the same, regardless of theme. Maybe he is just not a very good interpreter. Regardless, it is close-minded and hypocritical of him to suggest that women vocalists mostly all sound the same. First of all, get off your high horse because you have no right to be talking about "my integrity". I've never met you, and you don't know a thing about me except some views I have on music, so you can keep your snarky remarks about my character and overall disrespect towards me to yourself. Thank you. Secondly, I never said anything defending Aldean's comments or even gave much thought about them in my post. I simply said he has one of the most distinguishable voices on radio. I think most avid country music fans could pick his voice out of a lineup. I'm not going to comment much on his quote because what he has to say or think doesn't really mean much in the end. His comments aren't going to hurt or help the female cause in the end, it will be callout scores and radio programmers willing to step up to the plate and give females a shot. And you said it yourself, saying Carrie has 5 songs about one similar topic. Aldean gets bashed for making 5 songs about the same topic. It's that simple and that's all I'm pointing out. This note was not related to the quote brought up, just something I've observed and felt I should discuss. You say Aldean plays it safe and has a vanilla output, but I'd argue the opposite. Sure he does on some singles, but he's also taken some of the biggest risks, and a few those risks were a huge success that did move country music in a new direction, wether you like that direction or not. "Burnin' It Down" was a huge success, and has bridged the genre even more so to R&B and sleek EDM-like production. "Dirt Road Anthem" is one of the biggest hits of the past 10 years in the genre, and adding Ludacris to the remix helped expose millions of listeners who probably never gave the genre a second thought. I actually meant the integrity comment as a legitimate compliment, because I do have a lot of respect for people who stand up for artists who are otherwise being bashed. You were trying to point out that Jason Aldean is given a rougher time around here than other artists, and that that treatment is not necessarily fair. Which I agree with, and I was trying to thank you for pointing that out. I do not have a high horse, but I can see why my comment could be taken that way if my tone for that paragraph were to be misinterpreted as sardonic rather than complimentary, and for that I am sorry. The only thing I didn't agree with is that the redundancy in the ladies' output is anywhere close to as big of a problem for the female stars as it is for Jason. I do not believe it is not simply people giving them a pass because they like their personalities better than Jason's. But 43dudleyvillas summed my thoughts up perfectly with his comments, so I will say nothing more on that.
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Sept 14, 2015 19:05:27 GMT -5
First of all, get off your high horse because you have no right to be talking about "my integrity". I've never met you, and you don't know a thing about me except some views I have on music, so you can keep your snarky remarks about my character and overall disrespect towards me to yourself. Thank you. Secondly, I never said anything defending Aldean's comments or even gave much thought about them in my post. I simply said he has one of the most distinguishable voices on radio. I think most avid country music fans could pick his voice out of a lineup. I'm not going to comment much on his quote because what he has to say or think doesn't really mean much in the end. His comments aren't going to hurt or help the female cause in the end, it will be callout scores and radio programmers willing to step up to the plate and give females a shot. And you said it yourself, saying Carrie has 5 songs about one similar topic. Aldean gets bashed for making 5 songs about the same topic. It's that simple and that's all I'm pointing out. This note was not related to the quote brought up, just something I've observed and felt I should discuss. You say Aldean plays it safe and has a vanilla output, but I'd argue the opposite. Sure he does on some singles, but he's also taken some of the biggest risks, and a few those risks were a huge success that did move country music in a new direction, wether you like that direction or not. "Burnin' It Down" was a huge success, and has bridged the genre even more so to R&B and sleek EDM-like production. "Dirt Road Anthem" is one of the biggest hits of the past 10 years in the genre, and adding Ludacris to the remix helped expose millions of listeners who probably never gave the genre a second thought. I actually meant the integrity comment as a legitimate compliment, because I do have a lot of respect for people who stand up for artists who are otherwise being bashed. You were trying to point out that Jason Aldean is given a rougher time around here than other artists, and that that treatment is not necessarily fair. Which I agree with, and I was trying to thank you for pointing that out. I do not have a high horse, but I can see why my comment could be taken that way if my tone for that paragraph were to be misinterpreted as sardonic rather than complimentary, and for that I am sorry. Alright sorry then, I read it wrong. Sometimes text doesn't read like its supposed to.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Sept 14, 2015 19:17:42 GMT -5
I actually meant the integrity comment as a legitimate compliment, because I do have a lot of respect for people who stand up for artists who are otherwise being bashed. You were trying to point out that Jason Aldean is given a rougher time around here than other artists, and that that treatment is not necessarily fair. Which I agree with, and I was trying to thank you for pointing that out. I do not have a high horse, but I can see why my comment could be taken that way if my tone for that paragraph were to be misinterpreted as sardonic rather than complimentary, and for that I am sorry. Alright sorry then, I read it wrong. Sometimes text doesn't read like its supposed to. Amen to that! I am sorry too :) And going back to topic, I may not agree with Aldean's comments about women, but I will admit that this song is my favorite single from the album so far. And the chorus kinda reminds me of "Night Train" melodically. I also enjoy how he reaches for a high note on "baby" in the bridge. That reminds me more of something Chris Young would do than Jason.
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Post by tim on Sept 14, 2015 23:06:04 GMT -5
I found Jason's comments to be rather ironic considering IMO that his output and the rest of the top tier male vocalists in country music are more or less doing exactly what he's accusing females of. "I'll probably kick myself for saying this," he says. Yea, that and he probably never should've said it to begin with. You can't tell me Cam's "Burning House," Carrie's "Smoke Break," Kacey's "Dime Store Cowgirl," or Mickey's "Better Than You Left Me" are indistinguishable. If he actually believes what he is saying then he probably isn't really expanding his own ear to music outside of mainstream country radio.
Truth be told, I really no longer consider myself a "country music" fan anymore as I find it's no longer a home for me. I'm much more in the "Americana" umbrella of music, and that is where I'm likely to plant my tent going forward. I'm just getting further and further away from what is considered country music these days, and I'm rather sad to say that considering the better part of my childhood and early adulthood grew up right along with country music.
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jenglisbe
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Post by jenglisbe on Sept 16, 2015 16:29:42 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production). On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. A few things here: 1. Just because songs have a general lyrical theme in common does not make them similar. Sugarland's "Stay" and Carrie's "Before He Cheats" are about cheating, but they aren't anything alike. "Gunpowder & Lead" isn't even about cheating, and regardless its song structure and style is different from "Kreosene." How are they similar? "Kerosene" doesn't even really have a chorus. 2. If female singers, especially the younger/newer ones, have similar songs, too, it's because that's all that labels will let them record. We all know country is resistant to female artists right now more than ever, and you know it must be hard for them to break through. Brandy Clark and others release original material, but radio won't play it. 3. What was the point of Aldean's comments? Even if it's what he thinks - and he has a right to that opinion - what does he get out of saying that? Again, it's well-documented that female artists are having trouble in country right now, so why would he add fuel to the fire?
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matty005
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Post by matty005 on Sept 16, 2015 17:42:00 GMT -5
Say what you want about Aldean, but truthfully he does have one of the most recognizable voices in Country music. He has a legitimate southern drawl and twang, and I dare somebody on this board to find another mainstream voice who sounds like him (voice, not production). On a side note, I see Aldean getting ripped in this thread and others for allegedly making "the same song over and over again". While it's true that Tattoos On This Town and Gonna Know We Were Here are quite similar, and so is Take A Little Ride and Just Gettin' Started, I see many female singers getting the benefit of the doubt. How many cheating/men are bad songs have we gotten from Carrie Underwood, yet she is championed greatly on here. Same with Miranda, Gunpowder & Lead and Kerosene are quite similar. Cassadee Pope's first two singles sounded identical and were about the same topic. I feel like many just don't like Jason as a person, so they allow that to interfere with their judgement and criticism of his music. A few things here: 1. Just because songs have a general lyrical theme in common does not make them similar. Sugarland's "Stay" and Carrie's "Before He Cheats" are about cheating, but they aren't anything alike. "Gunpowder & Lead" isn't even about cheating, and regardless its song structure and style is different from "Kreosene." How are they similar? "Kerosene" doesn't even really have a chorus. 2. If female singers, especially the younger/newer ones, have similar songs, too, it's because that's all that labels will let them record. We all know country is resistant to female artists right now more than ever, and you know it must be hard for them to break through. Brandy Clark and others release original material, but radio won't play it. 3. What was the point of Aldean's comments? Even if it's what he thinks - and he has a right to that opinion - what does he get out of saying that? Again, it's well-documented that female artists are having trouble in country right now, so why would he add fuel to the fire? 1. Good point. 2. I hear this around here a lot, but I don't hear the same defense when all the male singers were releasing "bro" songs. 3. He was asked a question and he answered truthfully. I don't think he deserves blame here. Put the blame on radio for not playing the many talented female artists. Not on Jason for giving a possible reason.
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jenglisbe
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Post by jenglisbe on Sept 16, 2015 17:59:15 GMT -5
A few things here: 1. Just because songs have a general lyrical theme in common does not make them similar. Sugarland's "Stay" and Carrie's "Before He Cheats" are about cheating, but they aren't anything alike. "Gunpowder & Lead" isn't even about cheating, and regardless its song structure and style is different from "Kreosene." How are they similar? "Kerosene" doesn't even really have a chorus. 2. If female singers, especially the younger/newer ones, have similar songs, too, it's because that's all that labels will let them record. We all know country is resistant to female artists right now more than ever, and you know it must be hard for them to break through. Brandy Clark and others release original material, but radio won't play it. 3. What was the point of Aldean's comments? Even if it's what he thinks - and he has a right to that opinion - what does he get out of saying that? Again, it's well-documented that female artists are having trouble in country right now, so why would he add fuel to the fire? 1. Good point. 2. I hear this around here a lot, but I don't hear the same defense when all the male singers were releasing "bro" songs. 3. He was asked a question and he answered truthfully. I don't think he deserves blame here. Put the blame on radio for not playing the many talented female artists. Not on Jason for giving a possible reason. 2. Males have more power in the country industry, and in that sense they have more of an ability to branch out, to take the music in another direction, etc. Many of them don't, though. They seem happy to record whatever generic beer and women song is handed to them so that they can score a radio hit. 3. Extending off of that, Aldean taking the bait of that question (and he clearly knew what he was going based on his comment that he'd probably regret it) is exactly part of the problem. The industry needs some of these successful male artists to take a stand and demand that country music broaden itself - both in terms of gender and in terms of the types of songs they record and that get promoted. Aldean could have easily refused to answer the question, or he could have made a point to say "Labels only sign and promote females who sound a certain way" or whatever. There are plenty of quality females with a distinct voice (both style of singing and style of music) making country music right now; Brandy Clark, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Tami Neilson, Lee Ann Womack, even Jennifer Nettles. Aldean acted like they don't exist in saying he thinks female country singers sound alike except for Miranda and Carrie.
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Sept 16, 2015 21:57:47 GMT -5
2. If female singers, especially the younger/newer ones, have similar songs, too, it's because that's all that labels will let them record. We all know country is resistant to female artists right now more than ever, and you know it must be hard for them to break through. Brandy Clark and others release original material, but radio won't play it. This is sort of connected to the point that you're making...here's what Shane McAnally told Billboard about what it takes for a label to greenlight the launch of a new male artist versus a new female artist:Basically, it takes a lot more development for a label to be willing to take a female to country radio. Mickey Guyton is a great illustration of that. She had to wait nearly two years after receiving a standing ovation from country radio programmers at CRS to launch at country radio as her label tried to find the right single. Mickey talked about the frustrations of that process last December:UMG Nashville chairman Mike Dungan echoed her thoughts: And, as Karen Fairchild noted in the same issue, when Mickey Guyton finally did launch, it was with the very single whose performance had earned her that standing ovation (and, of course, that single barely eked out a one chart top-30 peak). I don't especially think that the women that the Music Row labels of consequence have been sending to country radio sound similar (for example, does anyone think that Leah Turner sounded like anyone else who had launched at country radio over the past five years? how about Mickey Guyton?), though I'm not sure I would differentiate between male and female artists on grounds of power per se. The point I want to make is that the industry seems to agree that new female country artists have to jump through much higher hoops to get launched than their male counterparts, and I think that's why new male artists recording misogynistic sound-alike songs about tailgates, trucks, beer and parties get (and deserve to get) less of a pass. Sure, new male artists were probably steered toward formulaic mediocrity during the past few years, but they were still given considerably more room to at least get into the market than new females have been. And, as jenglisbe points out, the failure of most of the male artists in general to leverage their radio advantage into better, more original material that broadens country radio's perspective from its bro narrowness is disappointing, indeed. If anything, it has been the likes of Carrie, Miranda and Little Big Town who have done most of the work trying to broaden country radio over the past few years, with only Eric and Dierks making meaningful contributions from the male point of view.
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Post by tim on Sept 16, 2015 22:23:25 GMT -5
43dudleyvillas nails it on the head and gives a great in-depth analysis and point of view that I myself find hard to get across in my own posts. Always enjoy reading your thoughts.
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Kentucky25
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Post by Kentucky25 on Sept 23, 2015 22:02:20 GMT -5
" jason_Aldean: pretty cool day shooting #gonnaknowwewerehere video at my old school. big thx to Windsor Academy & the City of Macon. t.co/XsqVm6tN4z" They shot the video recently.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Oct 15, 2015 6:14:30 GMT -5
This is easily my favorite off the four singles released off the current album, so that's saying something. While I still miss the Aldean that brought us "Fly Over States" and even "Night Train" (the song, not the album), I'll still take this and it's the closest to sounding like these two songs (IMO).
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Oct 15, 2015 9:34:31 GMT -5
This is selling absolutely horrible. He's totally whiffing on the single choices this era and this is probably the biggest miss yet. Still doing well on radio of course, but he's not doing himself any favors lately.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Oct 15, 2015 12:17:55 GMT -5
Wow, the second Brett Beavers song this year that does nothing for me. Come on, Brett, what's up? Between this and the completely forgettable "Love You Like That", you're losing your touch. Brett James is usually better than this, too. As I said, this is a completely blatant, flavorless rehash of "Tattoos on This Town".
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Post by myeverything on Oct 16, 2015 11:08:56 GMT -5
That's because Brett just put out "Wild Ones"
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hosssulpizio
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Post by hosssulpizio on Oct 16, 2015 13:36:09 GMT -5
This song really isn't bad. I'm just hoping Jason will make a return to Traditional Country on the next record. I'm not liking that he chose Thomas Rhett to tour with him but great decision on A Thousand Horses.
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sabre14
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Post by sabre14 on Oct 16, 2015 14:27:29 GMT -5
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Oct 16, 2015 18:03:09 GMT -5
Solid video. Definitely glad they made a video for this, and hopefully it can help boost this songs sales and performance. This is still probably my favorite single this era, although I've enjoyed all of them.
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Post by myeverything on Oct 16, 2015 21:48:16 GMT -5
^^ I really agree with you. I loved them all but I think this is my favorite too!
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zjames
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Post by zjames on Nov 5, 2015 17:29:20 GMT -5
Jason Aldean's music is back on Spotify.
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