End of Decade...Best of and Whats Next?

[bjer127]

I thought this would be an interesting thread to start. Just realized we are nearing the end of a decade, and my first decade-end here on Pulse. Most previous decades in country music had a theme/category. The 60's was Countrypolitan (strings and orchestral arrangements); 70's was the Outlaw movement; 80's was Urban Cowboy followed by the Neo-Trad movement; 90's was Hat Acts and line dancing; 2000's can be summed up as Sappy love songs "Sippy Cup" country (as I've seen it called), followed by the insurgence of fresh young acts such as Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan etc.
To me, the 2010's of country music started without an identity really (especially 2012 as I've seen debated on here before), which led to a boom in the "Bro-Country" format from about 2013-onward, which then morphed into the recent "pop" trend, where drum-loops, hip-hop and pop were all incorporated.
However, this decade should also have an asterisk, because it saw the formation of streaming music/digital sales take over from physical album sales. This means alot of indie acts could promote themselves and release their own music. In essence, you didnt have to hear about an act on radio anymore to know they existed. I, for one, have stayed awake in bed late at night discovering new music on Amazon or Apple music or Spotify, and that's how I have discovered some of my favorite acts. The indie-act with 100,000+ Instagram followers has been outselling acts with a record-label backing and major promotion, which *could see these major acts take a deep look at their output and fan base and make some changes.
All in all, I think the next few years look very promising. I keep a casual eye on country radio, but I am now much more drawn to Indie acts/Red Dirt Texas music/Americana etc as I get older.

In closing, below would be my Best of List for the Decade; 20 Songs and 20 Albums that defined it for me (or best I heard in my opinion). In no particular order...

Albums
Brandy Clark "12 Stories"
Chris Stapleton "Traveller"
Eric Church "Mr. Misunderstood"
Jake Owen "Barefoot Blue Jean Night"
Jamey Johnson "The Guitar Song"
Kacey Musgraves "Same Trailer Different Park"
Kenny Chesney "The Big Revival"
Luke Combs "This One's For You"
Midland "On The Rocks"
Miranda Lambert "Platinum"
Pistol Annies "Hell on Heels"
Brandy Clark "Big Day In A Small Town"
Randy Houser "They Call Me Cadillac"
Whitey Morgan & the 78's "Sonic Ranch"
Aaron Watson "Vaquero"
Mike & The Moonpies "Steak Night at The Prarie Rose"
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers "Sidelong"
Cody Jinks "I'm Not The Devil"
Eric Church "Chief"
Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"

Songs
Ashley Monroe "Has Anybody Ever Told You"
Brandy Clark "Just Like Him"
Cody Jinks "Head Case"
Darius Rucker "Wagon Wheel"
David Nail "Songs for Sale"
Jon Pardi "She Ain't In It"
Kacey Musgraves "Rainbow"
Keith Urban w/ Eric Church "Raise 'em Up"
Lady Antebellum "And The Radio Played"
Lee Brice "Boy"
Little Big Town "Better Man"
Luke Combs "When It Rains It Pours"
Midland "Drinkin Problem"
Miranda Lambert "Holding Onto You"
Zac Brown Band "Colder Weather"
Randy Houser "In God's Time"
Tim McGraw "Humble and Kind"
Tyler Farr "Suffer In Peace"
Wade Bowen "Before These Walls Were Blue"
Jason Isbell "Cover Me Up"


I especially look forward to see how the careers of guys like Aldean, Luke Bryan etc can progress and evolve. And curious to see just how big Luke Combs will become.

What define this decade for some of you guys? Stories attached to certain albums/songs etc?

[phil1996]

Here’s a mix of my top 10 albums and songs, a mix between my favorite and most memorable.

Albums

Charlie Worsham - Rubberband
Chris Stapleton - Traveller
Eric Church - Chief
Eric Church - Mr Misunderstood
Jake Owen - Barefoot Blue Jean Night
Justin Moore - Outlaws Like Me
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Kip Moore - Wild Ones
Lee Brice - Hard To Love
Maren Morris - Hero

Songs

Billy Currington - It Dont Hurt Like It Used To
Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey
Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel
Eric Church - Springsteen
Eric Church - Mr Misunderstood
Jon Pardi - Head Over Boots
Luke Combs - When It Rains It Pours
Maren Morris - My Church
Randy Houser - How Country Feels
Zac Brown Band - Homegrown

[jimmy's carhartt]

This is going to be fun. I’ll have to take some time to figure out my favorites. In the meantime here are my most played of songs from the decade (or at least, going back to 2012 when I started streaming. it skews early in the decade because of accumulation).

Songs:
Zac Brown Band - Natural Disaster
Sam Outlaw - Old Fashioned
Tim McGraw - Diamond Rings and Old Barstools
Tim McGraw - Portland, Maine
George Strait - Sittin’ On the Fence
Connor Christian & Southern Gothic - Sheets Down
George Strait - When Love Comes Around Again
Eric Church - I’m Gettin’ Stoned
Brett Eldredge - Waited Too Long
Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel

Albums:
Tim McGraw - Sundown Heaven Town
Turnpike Troubadours - The Turnpike Troubadours
George Strait - Love Is Everything
Zac Brown Band - Uncaged
Turnpike Troubadours - Diamonds and Gasoline
Sam Outlaw - Angeleno
Tyler Childers - Purgatory
Zac Brown Band - Jekyll + Hyde
Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give
Eric Church - Mr Misunderstood

And while I’m at it here’s my most played artists (though much of these plays were from their back catalogues of previous decades).
George Strait
Blake Shelton
Zac Brown Band
Tim McGraw
Kenny Chesney
Turnpike Troubadours
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Eric Church
Alan Jackson

[dawhite76]

This decade was dominated by the "Worst Of," not the "Best Of," country music:

* Bro-Country. Country has always chased trends - countrypolitan, Urban Cowboy, hat acts, 2000's patriotism, etc. But, there was still some diversity lyrically and musically in the music released and played on radio then. Country truly reached its nadir with this redundant and demeaning trend. That blogger who combined six different bro-country songs by six different artists into one seamless tune best exemplified how indistinguishable the songs were in terms of music, production, lyrics and vocals.
* Tomato-gate. When and why did country stop being a format that appealed to all adults and instead started marketing primarily to 18-29 year-old males who were only interested in driving their pickups to the lake with a six pack and a girl (never a woman) along for their pleasure? Of course, those boy listeners don't want to hear something of greater depth and maturity sung by a woman or, for that matter, an adult male.
* Radio. I enjoy the last page of each weekly Billboard Country Update to reminisce when the country charts were (a) interesting and (b) moved. It should not take nearly a year for a song to climb the charts. All the research radio does now must not be working if it takes this long for any song even by an established artist to catch on. Yes, radio has more to compete with today, but that is no excuse to be so B-O-R-I-N-G.
* Record labels. Labels kept pushing songs to No. 1 and dropping them as soon as they reached the top. How many artists reached No. 1 this way and never achieved Top 10 success again? Can you imagine what a label would do today with someone like Reba who needed four years to finally crack the Top 10? The return on investment labels expect today is too immediate and short-term.
* Hot Country Songs. Who was the genius at Billboard that thought a country chart should monitor pop success? What a disgrace that Billboard considers "Meant To Be," a pop song, the longest running No. 1 "country" song in its history. One could argue that Hot Country Albums has the same issue. Shania ruled for 50 weeks because there were plenty of people that bought "Come On Over" as a pop album. But, with songs, airplay on a country station can clearly define the song as country. If I hear Sam Hunt on a Top 40 or Hot AC station, that airplay should not count toward his country success.

One of the things I used to enjoy most about country music was that I could put on my local radio or online station and keep it on until I turned it off. Even if I did not like the song or the artist being played, it was still listenable. Now, it's rare that I even tune into a country station much less keep it on for more than one song. I once attended the CMA Music Festival, but I have not even watched the ABC telecasts the last two years. If only the new music coming from Nashville was still worth listening to....

[dawhite76]

A few more...

* Aging gracefully. Remember when an artist would just head to the Opry, Branson or the casinos to entertain after his/her/their run at radio ended? Now, artists are trying too desperately to remain relevant. Let's start with Reba who first thought she could cover Beyonce ("If I Were A Boy"), record with electronics ("Going Out Like That") and portray a character on "Malibu Country" that had even younger children than the character she portrayed years earlier on "Reba." Then there's Garth Brooks trying to still have "Fun" (his supposed next album) with his "All Day Long" and "Dive Bar" embarrassments. His photoshopped album covers were frankly hilarious! But, the worst was Ronnie Dunn's Cowboy tattoo...could it have been any larger?!?
* If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. There were too many male artists churning out the same crap as the Bro-country brigade that could and should have used their country voices to keep the format heading in a better direction...Josh Turner, Joe Nichols, even Dustin Lynch. Some were comparing Lynch to Randy Travis after his first single. That didn't last long.

At least Reba, Joe Nichols and Josh Turner have returned to their roots since. You can only wonder whether their careers and the format would have benefited if they had done so sooner.

[matty005]

Oct 14, 2019 10:44:54 GMT -5 dawhite76 said:

A few more...

* Aging gracefully. Remember when an artist would just head to the Opry, Branson or the casinos to entertain after his/her/their run at radio ended? Now, artists are trying too desperately to remain relevant. Let's start with Reba who first thought she could cover Beyonce ("If I Were A Boy"), record with electronics ("Going Out Like That") and portray a character on "Malibu Country" that had even younger children than the character she portrayed years earlier on "Reba." Then there's Garth Brooks trying to still have "Fun" (his supposed next album) with his "All Day Long" and "Dive Bar" embarrassments. His photoshopped album covers were frankly hilarious! But, the worst was Ronnie Dunn's Cowboy tattoo...could it have been any larger?!?
* If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. There were too many male artists churning out the same crap as the Bro-country brigade that could and should have used their country voices to keep the format heading in a better direction...Josh Turner, Joe Nichols, even Dustin Lynch. Some were comparing Lynch to Randy Travis after his first single. That didn't last long.

At least Reba, Joe Nichols and Josh Turner have returned to their roots since. You can only wonder whether their careers and the format would have benefited if they had done so sooner.

Start your own thread then. This thread is talking about the best of the decade. If there is nothing you liked in the last 10 years, then you can say that and move on.