The banjo, fiddle and steel in modern country

[carriekins]

I actually credit Country Girl SIFM as where all that started, particularly the rather derogatory use of "girl."

Cruise was just the like giant mess that drove the point home.

And then TMKON kept things rolling along.

[Deleted]

Dec 17, 2015 19:10:59 GMT -5 carriekins said:

I actually credit Country Girl SIFM as where all that started, particularly the rather derogatory use of "girl."

Cruise was just the like giant mess that drove the point home.

And then TMKON kept things rolling along.

I'd credit CGSIFM for Luke's meteoric rise rather than bro-country considering that song didn't spawn many more songs (from other stars) like it (at least not for awhile).

[bksouthga]

While "Cruise" may have sparked the term, I wouldn't say it started the bro country movement. When it was released in 2012, Luke was already on Spring Break EP number 4!

[.indulgecountry]

Yeah, Luke Bryan started to devolve musically before FGL hit the scene. He got worse as the bro-country trend hit its stride but "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)" coming pre-"Cruise" kinda says it all.

[Deleted]

Luke's best album is his first. His second album was good but trended a little more commercial. Tailgates was just as country as the first two in it's second half. First half was commercial. Crash My Party was worse than Kill the Lights, in my opinion. But he's picked garbage singles. It just really blows my mind how much his instrumentation has changed :(

[jenglisbe]

I wonder what a lot of current acts even consider to be country elements. Traditionally we think of banjo, fiddle, and steel as mentioned in the topic title. I'd throw in mandolin and dobro, too. The instruments tend to be picked more than strummed, too. There is then the storytelling aspect of the lyrics, too. A song doesn't need to have all of those elements to be "country," but in general it should prominently feature at least 1 of them (but really, more than 1).

A lot of current 'country' songs don't feature any of these elements. What would those artists say is "country" about their music? I really wonder and don't know.

[Deleted]

Jason Aldean, you're next!

ITALICS = banjo, BOLD = fiddle/violin, UNDERLINE = slide

JASON ALDEAN, 2005
1. Hicktown
2. Amarillo Sky
3. Why
4. Even if I Wanted To
5. Lonesome USA
6. Asphalt Cowboy
7. I'm Just a Man
8. You're the Love I Wanna Be In
9. Good to Go
10. I Believe in Ghosts
11. She Loved Me

Banjo = 0/11
Fiddle/Violin = 5/11
Slide = 8/11


OLD BOOTS NEW DIRT, 2014
1. Just Gettin' Started
2. Show You Off
3. Burnin' it Down
4. Tryin' to Love Me
5. Sweet Little Somethin'
6. Laid Back
7. Tonight Looks Good on You
8. Too Fast
9. If My Truck Could Talk
10. Old Boots, New Dirt
11. I Took it With Me
12. Don't Change Gone
13. Miss That Girl
14. Gonna Know We Were Here
15. Two Night Town

Banjo = 1/15
Fiddle/Violin = 0/15
Slide = 10/15

[bksouthga]

^In Jason's case, I think we would be crazy to expect that his music wouldn't change over a 10 year period. Very title of his most recent album leads me to believe that he is making no secret of the fact that he is exploring new sonic territory.

For both Luke and Jason, I wonder if they had to make traditional albums to start with, and then have gone different directions as they were allowed more creative freedom that came along with superstar status. Thoughts?

[Deleted]

Dec 18, 2015 17:57:07 GMT -5 bksouthga said:

^In Jason's case, I think we would be crazy to expect that his music wouldn't change over a 10 year period. Very title of his most recent album leads me to believe that he is making no secret of the fact that he is exploring new sonic territory.

For both Luke and Jason, I wonder if they had to make traditional albums to start with, and then have gone different directions as they were allowed more creative freedom that came along with superstar status. Thoughts?

It definitely makes a lot of sense. I think newer artists try to be "safer" to an extent. They arrived back when the prevailing sounds were those of Alan Jackson and George Strait. So naturally, to fit in they used tons of fiddle and country/bluegrass structure. Once they were "allowed" to be more creative, they found their own sound. I think in the case of Jason, his desired sound is what we heard on My Kinda Party--really rock driven but also keeps that twang and steel slide. We probably saw more commercial influence than anything with songs like "Burnin' it Down" and "Tonight Looks Good on You".

Luke is still in the commercial phase, although Jason has said the next album will be more rock-driven.

[.indulgecountry]

Jason Aldean's production has gotten away from having as much token country instrumentation on it, but he's still basically been recording the same types of songs all his career. Aside from using less fiddle and such, Aldean's had one of the most glaring lack of artistic growth and evolution of about any artist I can think of. His latest album (and its single selections outside of "Burnin' It Down") is the closest thing to musical autopilot of an artist I've seen. The guy goes into the studio and comes out with the same album every time, just with a different picture on the cover. "Burnin' It Down" bucked the trend of being a sound-alike of every lead single he's ever released, but then it was as if after that he went right back to autopilot (and even though for a lead single BID wasn't his typical rocker, the only thing that was really "new" about it was just the drum loop).

[Deleted]

I completely disagree. I thought his most recent album lacked any notable direction and it seemed it was released solely to commercialize his name and continue giving his hardcore fans something to listen to. But go back and give his debut album a listen. "Amarillo Sky" with the blazing fiddles and the big chorus? That's a sound we've never heard again from him. Listen to "Lonesome USA" and try not being amazed that that's Jason Aldean lol.

[Deleted]

I think Jason Aldean is an artist that when he's on he can really deliver (The Truth, Relentless, Amarillo Sky, Laughed Until We Cried). But when Jason Aldean is off he delivers garbage (She's Country, Burning It Down, 1994, Take A Little Ride) I do think his album cuts show sometimes he's better than the singles suggest but since he never releases them as singles he gets ridiculed.

[sabre14]

Dec 19, 2015 7:19:30 GMT -5 @nickv1025 said:

 Listen to "Lonesome USA" and try not being amazed that that's Jason Aldean lol.

Definitely one of his album tracks I play the most often. I know that "You're The Love I Wanna Be In" (my favorite album track off his debut) was scheduled to be the fourth single if they went that deep but it would have been nice to see "Lonesome USA" see radio, too.

[bksouthga]

Dec 19, 2015 8:03:34 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

I think Jason Aldean is an artist that when he's on he can really deliver (The Truth, Relentless, Amarillo Sky, Laughed Until We Cried). But when Jason Aldean is off he delivers garbage (She's Country, Burning It Down, 1994, Take A Little Ride) I do think his album cuts show sometimes he's better than the singles suggest but since he never releases them as singles he gets ridiculed.

I thought it was great when he released "Tattoos on this Town" and "Flyover States" off My Kind of Party. Those are both songs that are non-bro, much more about the craft of songwriting. Heck, "Dirt Road Anthem" is the only other single besides the title track that could be bro. And I love that one, btw. It was groundbreaking, and very unique in its sound and groove. So he can select singles. I think he could have done better on his last two in this current era, but say what you want, "Burnin It Down" is groundbreaking.

[Uncle Lumpy]

Groundbreaking? Umm. No. I would go as far to say a generic pop melody , a ridiculous drum loop & cringe worthy, gag inducing, sexy time lyrics were the very opposite of "groundbreaking" in this day & age. As far as the original context of this thread , most contemporary country artists (and ESPECIALLY the likes of Aldean , Bryan & FGL) get zero credit for using fiddle & steel in their most recent recordings. If I have to strain to hear a steel guitar buried at the bottom of the mix and covered up by loud electric rock oriented guitars. Then why even bother?

[bksouthga]

Dec 23, 2015 9:41:23 GMT -5 Uncle Lumpy said:

Groundbreaking? Umm. No. I would go as far to say a generic pop melody , a ridiculous drum loop & cringe worthy, gag inducing, sexy time lyrics were the very opposite of "groundbreaking" in this day & age. As far as the original context of this thread , most contemporary country artists (and ESPECIALLY the likes of Aldean , Bryan & FGL) get zero credit for using fiddle & steel in their most recent recordings. If I have to strain to hear a steel guitar buried at the bottom of the mix and covered up by loud electric rock oriented guitars. Then why even bother?

Tell me how you really feel about it. Don't hold back!

I'm not saying that it's a great song. Or that I like it, or that there's anything groundbreaking about the music itself. What was groundbreaking about it was its release to country radio with the overt inclusion of all of those elements that you mentioned, cringe worthy or not.

[Deleted]

Carrie Underwood time. It's not just the boys!

ITALICS = banjo, BOLD = fiddle/violin, UNDERLINE = slide

CARNIVAL RIDE, 2007
1. Flat on the Floor
2. All-American Girl
3. So Small
4. Just a Dream
5. Get Out of This Town
6. Crazy Dreams
7. I Know You Won't
8. Last Name
9. You Won't Find This
10. I Told You So
11. The More Boys I Meet
12. Twisted
13. Wheel of the World

Banjo = 3/13
Fiddle/Violin = 12/13
Slide = 12/13


STORYTELLER, 2015
1. Renegade Runaway
2. Dirty Laundry
3. Church Bells
4. Heartbeat
5. Smoke Break
6. Choctaw County Affair
7. Like I'll Never Love You Again
8. Chaser
9. Relapse
10. Clock Don't Stop
11. The Girl You Think I Am
12. Mexico
13. What I Never Knew I Always Wanted

Banjo = 1/13
Fiddle/Violin = 0/13
Slide = 3/13

[bboat11]

Just curious, was there a reason you did Carnival Ride and not Some Hearts?

[Deleted]

Dec 24, 2015 14:55:19 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Just curious, was there a reason you did Carnival Ride and not Some Hearts?

When I did Jason, I picked his first album which was in 2005 and got a comment that we were crazy to think his music wouldn't change in a 10 year period. Carrie's first was also in 2005 so I figured I'd pick a more recent one.

For reference, here's Some Hearts:
Banjo = 0/14
Fiddle/Violin = 11/14
Slide = 11/14

Is anybody starting to notice a trend? I wonder how many unemployed studio fiddlers there are kicking cans around Music City these days.

[Deleted]

Dec 24, 2015 15:03:38 GMT -5 @nickv1025 said:

Dec 24, 2015 14:55:19 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Just curious, was there a reason you did Carnival Ride and not Some Hearts?

When I did Jason, I picked his first album which was in 2005 and got a comment that we were crazy to think his music wouldn't change in a 10 year period. Carrie's first was also in 2005 so I figured I'd pick a more recent one.

For reference, here's Some Hearts:
Banjo = 0/14
Fiddle/Violin = 11/14
Slide = 11/14

Is anybody starting to notice a trend? I wonder how many unemployed studio fiddlers there are kicking cans around Music City these days.

If you're needing some fiddle just listen to the Turnpike Troubadours. I've never heard a band that implements it more than they do.

[Deleted]

If there is a mainstream act that uses the fiddle I think Maddie & Tae and Kacey Musgraves use it. Also Dierks Bentley I think still does.

[Deleted]

Dec 24, 2015 15:21:47 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

If there is a mainstream act that uses the fiddle I think Maddie & Tae and Kacey Musgraves use it. Also Dierks Bentley I think still does.

Only mainstreams that use it consistently are Maddie & Tae and Brad Paisley. Blake Shelton throws it in now and then. Far cry from how it was 5 years ago, sadly.

[bboat11]

Numerous artists have been utilizing more orchestras for the past decade or two too (especially the females who were really popular in the '90s and early 2000s, such as Reba and Martina and Faith). So while fiddle is declining, I think there has been a rise in the amount of violins that have been used. It is definitely not the same though...

[carriekins]

Dec 24, 2015 15:21:47 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

If there is a mainstream act that uses the fiddle I think Maddie & Tae and Kacey Musgraves use it. Also Dierks Bentley I think still does.

Dierks uses fiddle primarily live. His live show has more fiddle and steel than his albums do (aside from Up on the Ridge).

[.indulgecountry]

Sara Evans has a fiddle player in her live band as well and she always emphasizes that she "still has one" when she performs, lol.

Also, I think the use of Carnival Ride is interesting because sonically that is definitely Carrie's most country-leaning record. Some Hearts would've been closer to Storyteller, bar a few exceptions (like the singles and "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore"). Still, the bulk of Storyteller still sounds very country though without using much of that instrument trifecta.

[carriekins]

Dec 24, 2015 18:21:32 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Sara Evans has a fiddle player in her live band as well and she always emphasizes that she "still has one" when she performs, lol.

Also, I think the use of Carnival Ride is interesting because sonically that is definitely Carrie's most country-leaning record. Some Hearts would've been closer to Storyteller, bar a few exceptions (like the singles and "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore"). Still, the bulk of Storyteller still sounds very country though without using much of that instrument trifecta.

Dierks does that, too. Also with his banjo and steel. LOL

[bboat11]

George Strait time!!!!! I hope you don't mind, @nickv1025 !

ITALICS = piano, BOLD = fiddle/violin, UNDERLINE = slide
*Note: I kept track of piano rather than banjo. George basically never uses banjo. Both of these albums have zero banjo.

STRAIT COUNTRY (1981)
1) Unwound
2) Honky Tonk Downstairs
3) Blame It On Mexico
4) I You're Thinking You Want A Stranger (There's One Coming Home)
5) I Get Along With You
6) Down And Out
7) Friday Night Fever
8) Every Time You Throw Dirt On Her (You Lose A Little Ground)
9) She's Playing Hell Trying To Get Me To Heaven
10) Her Goodbye Hit Me In The Heart

Piano = 2/10 (20%)
Fiddle/Violin = 5/10 (50%)
Slide = 10/10 (100%)



COLD BEER CONVERSATION (2015)
1) It Was Love
2) Cold Beer Conversation
3) Let It Go
4) Goin' Goin' Gone
5) Something Going Down
6) Take Me To Texas
7) It Takes All Kinds
8) Stop And Drink
9) Everything I See
10) Rock Paper Scissors
11) Wish You Well
12) Cheaper Than A Shrink (dobro really fills the role that steel would have played in this song though)
13) Even When I Can't Feel It

Piano = 7/13 (54%)
Fiddle/Violin = 12/13 (92%)
Slide = 12/13 (92%)


Wow! Look at that! 34 years later, basically all of his numbers are up! The only one that had no possible range for improvement (steel) is still more or less the same, and fiddle/piano are both WAY up.

And people say that a 10 year span is too large to expect an artist not to change significantly... George is living proof that that is not necessarily true! (Granted, he is most definitely an exception to the rule...) Anyway, it is very refreshing to see an artist actually using MORE country instruments now than when they started out :)

[Deleted]

That's wonderful! Thanks! (For the record, I count the dobro as a slide instrument like the steel)

It's also fairly amazing that George was able to see so much success without a so-called "evolution" (read: make music that pop fans like and fire your fiddler).

[bksouthga]

George has been remarkably consistent, although he has varied somewhat at certain times. For example, he went through a period right around Carrying Your Love With Me that was very heavy on classical guitar.

[bboat11]

Dec 31, 2015 6:58:49 GMT -5 @nickv1025 said:

(For the record, I count the dobro as a slide instrument like the steel)

Well then, it looks like he gets 100% for slide on both albums :) What a champ! Nashville, take notes!

Dec 31, 2015 21:30:27 GMT -5 bksouthga said:

George has been remarkably consistent, although he has varied somewhat at certain times. For example, he went through a period right around Carrying Your Love With Me that was very heavy on classical guitar.

You're right, there have been slight variations periodically throughout his career. One of the things that is so intriguing about his music though is that when he mixes it up it STILL feels like Genuine George, so it is easy to miss the changes.

For example, he started experimenting with a saxophone in the backings to some of the songs on his Beyond The Blue Neon album, but to me it still sounds like '80s George despite the majority of his '80s work not having any saxophone whatsoever. His newer stuff also has a lot more prevalent orchestra-work than the majority of his earlier catalog. I mean, it has shown up here and there throughout his career, but in the 2000's there have been a couple songs where the orchestra is so important that it gets the meaning of the song across much more effectively than traditional country instruments ever could (such as "You'll Be There").

And occasionally he will even use the traditional instruments in ways that I have never heard before, like the epic wavy steel guitar intro to "Run", or the pairing of dobro and mandolin on the melody in "Let It Go" (the part that made it sound Christmas-y to some people). And then he'll completely surprise you with screaming electric guitar, like the solo in the middle of "The Road Less Traveled", or the entirety of "Rock Paper Scissors"... Or rocking bayou-flavored piano, like the intro to "Hot Grease and Zydeco".

Yes, suffice it to say, even though George has had unprecedented consistency, he has always changed his sound up just enough to keep me interested. I totally "get" the people who feel that he has not changed up his sound enough too, but as a musician I always find new things to be enthralled by in his music :)