bboat Reviews Modern Country Radio

[bboat11]

"Tucson Too Late" - Jordan Davis

Jordan Davis' new song has had quite a loud and passionate following on Pulse so far, so I was excited to check it out! Ultimately I am slightly underwhelmed, but only relative to the hype. But then again, I'm not sure that Jordan Davis has ever created an A-list song for me, so a nice solid B grade is still pretty good coming from me!

I really like the title, and the imagery of him frantically hurrying to the airport through the Arizona deserts trying to catch her before her plane departs. The fact that he misses the plane just makes this song even more effective imo, and the mentions of her being on a 747 imply to me that she is going somewhere FAR away. Possibly even international, since the bigger planes tend to be used for long-distance trips. So the stakes were pretty high, only to not work out! This is one of his stronger lyrical efforts. But melodically, instrumentally, and vocally, this is pretty much just mainstream-average.

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka

[bboat11]

"Good With Me" - Walker Hayes

Yeah, I shouldn't have had any hope for this since it's Walker Hayes. But some of the reception in the single thread gave me a liiiiittle bit of hope! But no. This is exactly what you would expect.

The #1 reason this song has as high of a grade as it does is because some of the lyrics are genuinely funny! Like, the juxtaposition between the couplet of "Rob thinks Bud Light makes you gay. Shane thinks Rob is cute." is actually hilarious lmao. There is also a little bit of steel guitar buried deep down in the arrangement making a few cameo appearances, which I was pleasantly surprised by.

But otherwise, this is just Walker Hayes doing what Walker Hayes does best. Putting out absolutely terrible music. His Valley-Girl accent has calmed down slightly in this release, but the vocals are still annoying as hell, and the ad-libs from the background singers in the chorus are so stupid. And the songwriting in the chorus is so contrived (This leads to this leads to this leads to this leads to this...). I can't do it!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka

[countryfan43]

If you could add me to the tags that would be great.

[bboat11]

Sept 11, 2023 20:29:05 GMT -5 countryfan43 said:

If you could add me to the tags that would be great.

Sorry I disappeared right when you asked for this! Hahaha but you'd better believe I have been keeping up with making my list of songs that need to be reviewed ;) I'll definitely tag you from now on!

[bboat11]

"Wine Country" - Hannah Ellis

Let's get back into this! I've fallen so far behind, but I have also been keeping up with making the list of songs that I need to review, so it's still potentially within the realm of possibility for me to get caught back up someday! I might start fresh with the 2024 releases and then just work on the backlog from the last few months as I get time, but stay tuned and we'll see. I love doing this, so I do hope to continue, even if you can't tell from my silence the last few months

The next new U.S. release to chart after Walker Hayes' latest was Hannah Ellis' "Wine Country". I have liked Hannah's output quite a bit so far, but I've gotta say "Wine Country" is not really doing it for me... I know that I am usually a champion of the female artists, and that Hannah is in an extra unique situation as the first female that Curb Records has been able to have even a tiny bit of success with since I was basically prepubescent. But the overall melody and vibe of this one just kinda rubs me the wrong way. I think it's because sonically, there is very little separating this from the kind of rousing anthems that dominated the bro country movement. To Hannah's credit, there is a nice double-entendre in the the hook, in that she likes wine country (the beautiful orchards and sprawling hills where wine is grown), while she ALSO likes the country lifestyle. She is the kind of girl who adds a bit of extra class to the country world, and the whole thing comes across as rather charming if you just focus specifically on the lyrical purpose.

But lyrics aside, the melody is very bro-ey, the arrangement has next to zero country elements, and Hannah herself seems to be adopting an affected accent that imo makes her delivery feel a little bit unnatural. So despite the effective songwriting, I had to give this one a D. Definitely hope to see Hannah continue her streak of small successes though! Lord knows we need more ladies to consistently show up on the charts!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Brokenhearted" - Joe Nichols

The next one to chart after Hannah was Joe Nichols' latest single, "Brokenhearted". While this title is dangerously close to his career-making smash hit "Brokenheartsville", I promise that this one manages to stand up on its own!

"Brokenhearted" is a clever song in that it laments the state of modern country radio, without coming across as too "old-man-yells-at-a-cloud". He frames it around the fact that country music doesn't really touch on "real" emotions anymore. Everyone's always hooking up, riding around, going to the beach, going to parties, and all around doing fun things. Which is great, but the point of country music is to make you feel connected to something regardless of what you are going through in life at any given moment. Modern country radio seems to only cater towards celebratory occasions, parties, happy people, etc.

Joe is absolutely correct when he points out that the "real life" relatability is what has historically made country music such a popular genre. While I don't think it's accurate to say that heartbreak is completely gone from the genre, there is no denying that the loss of topical diversity is one of the biggest diseases of the bro country era, and it lingers to this day. And honestly, this song's observation that every song tends to lean into a more happy direction right now is quite fascinating! I have actually noticed something similar while doing this review series. Sitting down with the lyrics and analyzing whether the overall vibe is more happy or sad is something that I have been trying to do with every song, and honestly the VAST majority of songs from 2023 have been more "happy". In that sense, this song actually offers a much more targeted and specific critique of modern country radio than most people would even think to give it credit for!

Lyrics aside, this is an absolute earworm! The melody is FIRE, and while Joe's voice is showing some signs of age, his performance here still effectively draws you into this song and plants it in your brain. Where this song lost points was because of the obviously-lower production budget and whatever weird processing was put on Joe's vocals, but this is still an easy addition to the A-list! I'm so happy to see Joe still hanging in there and charting and releasing songs to radio!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[kluen]

Aug 15, 2023 23:32:47 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

 Like, if Kelsea Ballerini sang this it would probably be cute, but coming from Megan Moroney it just sounds kinda lazy and disengaged to me. I mean, I totally feel that she emotionally connects with it, she just has a very lazy-sounding singing style, lol. I also think that the melody is rather clunky in the chorus, but a large part of that is her delivery making it sound that way.

LOL I gotta agree with you 
Love your description of ''kinda lazy and disengaged,very lazy-sounding singing style''
But I just love this style of her
There's something in the style of her making me feel her genuine emotion,so raw which I guess it is the power of being as less intended as possible

Yeah if Kelsea sang this,it would absolutely be cute and she could totally pull off the high school girl vibe but there is no or should I say limited mean girl vibe
Kelsea is a sweetheart,a blonde with a brain but with no edges.It's hard to imagine that she would bitch slap with any girls or be involved in any hair-pulling incidents.
But Moroney could be.She's got that kind of vibe,that kind of fire and drive.
She could be sarcastic and got some vibe from Kacey Musgraves but different

And totaly agree with the clunky chorus,it should have been shorter and this song is not half catchy as ''I Love Me''

[bboat11]

"I Remember Everything" - Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves

Right after I disappeared, Zach Bryan became the next country artist to have a viral moment this year! For some reason he has become the chosen heartthrob of Gen Z and Millennial women everywhere in the last year or two, so when his new album dropped, he had a pretty clear path to #1 on the Hot 100. I've gotta say, I do not understand the appeal AT ALL...but it is at least really cool that Kacey Musgraves got to have an unexpected Hot 100 #1 out of all this!

I have not been one to mince words about Zach Bryan, so I'll just sum it all up by saying that he is the worst vocalist I have ever heard in my life. At least as far as people who have attempted to make it in the country sphere are concerned. Kacey Musgraves boosts this one a LOT (which is honestly quite embarrassing for Mr. Bryan, considering that she herself is not exactly noteworthy for her vocals... )

But all shade aside, this is exactly the type of song that plays to both of their strengths! There is a really melancholic and nostalgic vibe to this song, and they both have the ability to deliver a wistful line just right in a way that very few can! If you already love Zach Bryan, it is no wonder that this is going to quickly become one of his definitive efforts. On top of that, the lyrics are really great at using abstract descriptions to paint a relatable picture.

Overall I would love to see more country elements in this song (there is literally nothing aside from some acoustic guitars. I gave it a "fiddle" point for the violins buried deep in the orchestra, but that is just a technicality lmao). The end result is a C grade from me, because of the lyrics and overall vibes and delivery. As someone who has literally never heard a Zach Bryan song that wasn't immediately sent to the F-tier, he can sleep well knowing this was a job well done!

Now if he would just stop releasing music for 2-3 years like a normal artist instead of releasing new albums every 2-3 months

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Back Then Right Now" - Tyler Hubbard

Tyler Hubbard continues his streak of releasing solo material that is stronger on average than Florida Georgia Line, which is nice to see! "Back Then Right Now" piqued my interest from the first couple opening measures, thanks to the blatant steel guitar in the intro. As anyone who knows me could tell you, I think steel guitar is so awesome Especially when a modern artist uses it prominently!

That said, this song is catchy yet vapid. The whole point of the message is celebrating the simple things in life and being nostalgic for simpler times. It is very common ground for country music, and this one offers nothing new to the theme. It gets the message across effectively, with a chorus that will easily get stuck in some people's heads. It is also a little bit too simple, which might rub people the wrong way. Plus Tyler's vocals, which are always polarizing, are given a weird production mix that will undoubtedly just emphasize the polarizing nature of his voice. I almost liked it enough to sneak it into the B-range, but unfortunately the lack of substance held it back from earning a few more points. Nevertheless, this is a really strong C+!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[.indulgecountry]

Glad to see bboat11 continue to be one of the few reasonable ones who think Zach Bryan's voice is putrid. I, too, think IRE is a cut above most of his material I've heard, but man... I just continue to be mystified that so many people like this man's voice enough to actively seek it out the way they do...

[bboat11]

Dec 26, 2023 21:36:59 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Glad to see bboat11 continue to be one of the few reasonable ones who think Zach Bryan's voice is putrid. I, too, think IRE is a cut above most of his material I've heard, but man... I just continue to be mystified that so many people like this man's voice enough to actively seek it out the way they do...

Especially because a noteworthy portion of his fanbase is people who otherwise pay no attention at all to country music, or even actively dislike it, but then THIS is the voice that they choose to make an exception for!!!! Like, how are you going to turn your nose at all of this genre's amazing talents, just to suddenly be okay with the one who has the most trouble finding a pitch?!

[bboat11]

We're going to go ahead and jump ahead to this current week, so that I'm not reviewing the Christmas songs in like March, lmao. So far we have had six new Christmas songs charting on the Canadian charts this year. None have showed up on American charts yet, but there are still some American artists in the mix. We'll start with the first three tonight, and do the next three tomorrow!

"Beer For Santa" - Jon Pardi

This is a fun song, as you might expect from both the title and the artist! Jon Pardi has a knack for giving things a humorous twist. In this case, he takes the iconic action of leaving milk and cookies for Santa and turns it into a more "adult" tradition. After all, Santa's been working his ass off! He's going to be ready for a cool drink! Hell, if it's okay, Jon's even going to stand there and join him!

The neo-trad arrangement features the holy trifecta of fiddle, steel, and piano, which is absolutely awesome! Where this song falters is the fact that the production sounds rather cheap. Everything is processed through some kind of weird filter that just makes the whole thing sound rather unnatural, and you can barely pick individual instruments out of the wall of noise. Jon's vocals are also super weird here. They're not bad! If anything he finds a guttural edge that you might be more accustomed to hearing from the likes of Luke Combs. His delivery is charismatic, but doesn't quite sound like Jon Pardi!

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"Feel Like The Holidays" - Scotty McCreery

BARI SAX ALERT!!!! I have a whole category for the instrument, and I almost never get to give people credit for using it! The simple fact of the matter is, bari sax automatically makes a song better, and this song puts it to very good use!

Unfortunately for Scotty, that's about the only thing that this song has going for it... The instrumentation is killer, between all the bari sax and steel guitar that pretty much take turns dominating the instrumental arrangement! The clarinet sections are really cool as well. Lol you can tell I'm an unapologetic band geek...

But the melody is a major snoozer for me... This song is pretty much just a laundry list designed to evoke feelings of Christmas all over the world, while being incredibly forgettable. So final assessment: I love the arrangement, and Scotty's performance, but the song itself is not one I will even remember next week.

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"All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Tim & the Glory Boys

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" is one of those Christmas songs that should probably be considered "untouchable" at least for another 10 years or so... Mariah's version is still SO popular that probably 50% of holiday listeners cannot stand it, with the unescapably iconic melody being both its biggest draw and its biggest Achilles heel. To cover it now is to open yourself to a world of scrutiny that is entirely preventable!!! It's almost a no-win situation, as fans of the Mariah version are sure to say it doesn't stack up favorably to the original, while those who hate the Mariah version are also going to hate it.

All that general editorializing aside, I actually dig this! This cover definitely has its quirks, like the fact that the tempo is slowed down so much, or the odd octave-lower chorus after the bridge. But there is something inherently charming in this melody, and Tim & the Glory Boys definitely portrayed that. The melody is of course as iconic as ever, but what this cover brings to this song that nobody else has ever done as far as I know is the infectious groovy interplay between the steel guitar and the banjo! Those two instruments are not frequently paired with each other in this manner! The steel guitar is usually more of a slide instrument while the banjo is more of a plucked instrument, but here they are both played in a similar fashion, being plucked alongside each other, creating an incessant groove that just does. not. stop! That groove helps this version to get stuck in my head waaaay too easily. I'm probably more likely to revisit this in the future than I am with either Jon or Scotty's songs!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

And here are the next three Christmas songs! I gotta say, I am shocked how strong this second set is! We have TWO new songs to add to my A list!

As of this moment, this concludes the Christmas songs that have charted this year. However, we will see if any more chart in the next couple weeks! I'm not entirely sure what the chart situation will be like during the chart freeze. If anyone has the ability to access the charts, even though they are not typically published, I will be sure to review whichever songs debut, on either the U.S. or Canadian charts.

"Run Outta Mistletoe" - High Valley

Oh my gosh, this is SO good!!!! I didn't know High Valley had this in them! I don't mean to throw shade at them, as I have definitely liked some of their stuff. But they do have a tendency to be rather predictable sometimes. The one thing I usually associate with them is the kind of uptempo pop-country boot-stomping stomp-clamp hootenany revival stuff that always draws the disdain of LBTrocks.

But that is nowhere to be found here. This song features just about every country instrument possible, and gives them all a chance to shine, and uses them all in such a tasteful and engaging manner. The melody is fast; honestly the perfect tempo to worm its way into your memory for good. The vocals are delivered with a delicate and tasteful lilt. The whole thing just comes together to form such a perfect package, and this is probably the easiest A+ I have ever given out at this point!

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"Joy To The World" - Jade Eagleson

Jade Eagleson has a great voice, and "Joy To The World" is one of the best Christmas classics. And similar to the High Valley song, he goes out of his way to cram just about every country instrument he possibly can into this song. The whole thing has such an infectious and well-done country arrangement! The biggest flaw with this one is that Jade has a tendency to insert some weird pronunciations in the spirit of twang. (We're talking "Let earth receive her kaaang" levels here, lmao.) So that admittedly takes me out of the song enough to lose out on the A-list. That, plus the fact that it is such a common and popular classic that it doesn't quite hit as hard as an original Christmas song. I LOVE the arrangement overall though!

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"Freeze" - Hailey Benedict

Hailey Benedict is serving up some ice cold chills here, with a side of warm, buttery nostalgia! The whole idea of this song is the importance of cherishing family and friends; after all, the holidays are always such a special time for togetherness. On the other hand, time is constantly pressing on and threatening to change everything. Hailey sets the scene here, where her grandpa is telling stories about the past, and her mom is standing there smiling, and Hailey is just taking it all in and realizing how much she'd like to just freeze the moment and let it linger forever.

This sentiment hits especially hard for me, as somebody who no longer has a grandpa to tell stories about the past or a mother to welcome me home and fill my holidays with warmth. Man, if I could go back and soak up some of those old moments all over again... Despite the undercurrent of melancholy related to the passage of time, however, this song is overall a celebration of how wonderful the season can be, and all the happy memories you can make with the people you love. So even though I made it sound sad, this is definitely overall a happy tune. It's just an important reminder not to take it all for granted!

Hailey Benedict sings the hell out of this too. This song has a bit of a haunting vibe to it. The whole thing just has a chilling vibe that makes "freeze" feel like the perfect title, even if the song isn't about cold things whatsoever! I'm a huge fan of this one, and honestly a lot more interested in Hailey Benedict now than I used to be!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Nice to see High Valley getting A+ rating here, I also love Run Outta Mistletoe. I do enjoy these fast tempo songs, and the lyrics flow well. I might keep playing this outside of the holiday season, like the narrator of the song keeps mistletoe after Christmas lol. Also reminds me of one of my fav album tracks from them Be That For You, in terms of the melody and tempo.



Also, two Christmas songs debuted on the Canadian chart this week, and since my update may be delayed for a few days, I am just sending you those two here. These are both originals!

[bboat11]

"Light On In The Kitchen" - Ashley McBryde

A little over a month ago, there were two significant American hits that FINALLY debuted at Canadian radio despite being quite long in the tooth on the American charts by then. Since they debuted somewhere while I was doing this series, I decided to review them here, although theoretically they should have been covered long before I even started this series when they first debuted on Billboard. So they're kinda just being grandfathered into my reviews, lol.

The first of these songs is Ashley McBryde's latest. "Light On In The Kitchen" is a celebration of so many positive things in life! It champions self acceptance, self love, body positivity, forgiveness, having a sense of humor, etc. It feels like it's wrapping you in grandmotherly love and telling you everything is going to be okay. Ashley's vocals are lovely, and she carries the message well!

For me the biggest flaws with this song revolve around the fact that it is just kinda boring... The melody is a 6.5/10 at best, and the production pretty much goes nowhere. If you like mandolin and acoustic guitars, this is your song, but it's like an attempt was not even made to make this an engaging listen. Giving credit where it's due, the sparse production does allow Ashley's vocal to take center stage! Buuuuut it's not an engaging enough melody for that to help it much...

It's an enjoyable listen, and I haven't been skipping it! But this is kinda like her "Mama's Song" when we know she's capable of a "Wasted"...

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Stars Like Confetti" - Dustin Lynch

The next American hit that FINALLY debuted on Canadian radio despite being old af on the U.S. charts was Dustin Lynch's latest. "Stars Like Confetti" is a celebration of a special night shared between lovers! Sure, it's filled with bro-ey stereotypes and tropes. It's a Dustin Lynch song. But I've gotta say, I was kinda impressed with his use of similes and other such literary devices here! Take the whole image of the title: "Stars like confetti". This romantic evening is so powerful that even the night sky is helping them celebrate! Idk, you may or may not like it, but you cannot deny that this is quite a bit more advanced imagery than you have ever gotten from a Dustin Lynch song before!

I was not that big on this song from the snippets I had heard for much of the year, but finally sitting down and listening to the whole thing from beginning to end just now I was actually pleasantly surprised. This melody, the chorus melody in particular, is SO catchy! Much catchier when taken as a whole than it is in small snippets. I dig the melody. I DIG the steel guitar solo. And I even dig Dustin's delivery. He is a great vocalist for this type of song.

What I don't dig is the insanely bombastic production that makes everything sound like an indistinguishable wall of sound while also hiding everything (including Dustin's vocals) really low in the mix. Like, this is the kind of song where you could turn your headphones up all the way and it would still sound a little too quiet, and yet by the end of the song your ears would be stressed out as if they were exposed to too many loud sounds even though none of them actually seemed loud individually. It's a very weird problem to have, lmao. Plus Dustin has always had a tendency to run his voice through filters until he sounds like an extremely generic pop star, so you can always count on some weird vocal production from him.

But that melody is sure going to be stuck in my head all night! This melody paired with certain vocalists and certain production jobs could have been an A-list melody! And climbing into the C+ range, Dustin gave it a bit better try than I would have expected him to!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

Dec 28, 2023 15:03:29 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

Nice to see High Valley getting A+ rating here, I also love Run Outta Mistletoe. I do enjoy these fast tempo songs, and the lyrics flow well. I might keep playing this outside of the holiday season, like the narrator of the song keeps mistletoe after Christmas lol. Also reminds me of one of my fav album tracks from them Be That For You, in terms of the melody and tempo.



Also, two Christmas songs debuted on the Canadian chart this week, and since my update may be delayed for a few days, I am just sending you those two here. These are both originals!

Thanks for this info! I will get to them soon I figure I'll wait and see if any debut on the American charts too, and then do another big Christmas push with all of them.

[castleoblivion26]

I love Ashley's "Light On In The Kitchen" and am sad to see such a low rating for it. I think the melody, tempo, and vocals come together great and have enjoyed this one everytime I've listened to it

[bboat11]

"Young Love & Saturday Nights" - Chris Young

Just enough time for one review tonight. Chris Young's latest is one of my favorite things I have heard from him in awhile! "Young Love & Saturday Nights" is an infectious up-tempo jam celebrating exactly what you would expect from the title: the magic of falling in love for the first time, and the nostalgia of growing up with weekends in a small town. I get major "Bigger Than The Beatles" vibes from the overall premise. Of course Joe Diffie's song spends a lot more time developing the characters, but the overall gist is similar! The bad boy regularly performs at a hole-in-the-wall joint, and the girl can't stop herself from falling for him even though her daddy would not approve.

This one has a spark to it that I have not heard from Chris Young for awhile! The entire arrangement supports the feelings of nostalgia that this song is trying to give off. Something about the lyrics, Chris' delivery, the resonant electric guitars, and the uptempo groove works together to give off a feeling of nostalgic joy. Even if you can't relate to this song, you can still feel the sense of nostalgia that it offers, which is a great return to form for Chris Young, who used to have such a knack for nailing emotions.

Unfortunately, this song's weak points are very predictable for anyone who knows anything about modern Chris Young... The whole production job is just sooooo weak! You can barely pick individual instruments out of this mix. I do think there is a steel guitar buried in there, but otherwise this may as well just be a wall of electric guitars. Don't get me wrong, the electric guitars kick ass! But the whole thing has no real depth to it. OLD Chris Young would have found a way to beef up the steel guitar parts, and add some or all of fiddle/piano/mandolin/dobro to go with it, with a neo-traditional country arrangement worthy of George Strait. Why he hasn't realized that THAT'S what people want from him again, I have no idea. But that being said, YL&SN is a pretty big step in the right direction imo!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

Dec 29, 2023 19:34:05 GMT -5 castleoblivion26 said:

I love Ashley's "Light On In The Kitchen" and am sad to see such a low rating for it. I think the melody, tempo, and vocals come together great and have enjoyed this one everytime I've listened to it

I will say, I was a little shocked at first to see my ranking come in in the C range! I expected it to be more of a B-. But I have been trying to just go with my first instincts in every category and then trusting the final result, rather than going back and "fixing" certain categories to try to help a song do better or worse once the calculations have already been made. I feel like that's the fairest way to go about things.

More often than not, the final result turns out exactly as I'd expect! So when a song like this comes in a little bit lower than I expected, I can sorta trust that maybe I was approaching the song with some potential biases that have been eliminated by the rating system. I feel like this particular system does a pretty good job of helping me remove bias, so I'm not just like "oh this gets a higher grade simply because the artist has a great voice."

Also, this is totally a case where a song could have been elevated like half a letter grade if they'd bothered to include a couple of country instruments!

[castleoblivion26]

Dec 30, 2023 7:08:12 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Dec 29, 2023 19:34:05 GMT -5 castleoblivion26 said:

I love Ashley's "Light On In The Kitchen" and am sad to see such a low rating for it. I think the melody, tempo, and vocals come together great and have enjoyed this one everytime I've listened to it

I will say, I was a little shocked at first to see my ranking come in in the C range! I expected it to be more of a B-. But I have been trying to just go with my first instincts in every category and then trusting the final result, rather than going back and "fixing" certain categories to try to help a song do better or worse once the calculations have already been made. I feel like that's the fairest way to go about things.

More often than not, the final result turns out exactly as I'd expect! So when a song like this comes in a little bit lower than I expected, I can sorta trust that maybe I was approaching the song with some potential biases that have been eliminated by the rating system. I feel like this particular system does a pretty good job of helping me remove bias, so I'm not just like "oh this gets a higher grade simply because the artist has a great voice."

Also, this is totally a case where a song could have been elevated like half a letter grade if they'd bothered to include a couple of country instruments!

That's fair, and I agree with your process. Plus more country instruments could always be used.

[.indulgecountry]

"Light on in the Kitchen" is also the definition of a grower. When I first heard it, I was hella underwhelmed considering how much I love Ashley McBryde. By the time it had been on the charts for a few months though, I'd eventually come around to loving it because the chorus melody really got stuck in my head. I came to enjoy the stripped back nature of the song, but my initial reaction was similar to bboat11's take, and I did also think that it would be a hindrance at country radio... and then it took off like a rocket initially so I thought "oh? maybe not!"... but then it brickwalled once it made the 30s and then spent forever laboring through the 20s, so I guess I had it pegged correctly from the jump. 🥴

[bboat11]

"Fire It Up" - Gord Bamford

So I have been focusing pretty hard lately on the American releases that I have missed, as well as the new Christmas releases from the past week. But I do still have quite a backlog of Canadian acts I need to check out too! I may as well pepper those ones in here and there too! Tonight I will post a Canadian song, and then two American ones.

Gord Bamford's "Fire It Up" was the first Canadian song to chart right at the beginning of my hiatus, so we're jumping back a ways for this one. Ultimately though, we have not been missing out... This song is...not that good...

This song celebrates partying and sharing fun experiences with people. That's all there is to it! The lyrics are no more advanced than that, and are in fact filled with all the common tropes of drinking and partying in the back forty, with the moon as a disco ball and the Little Dipper watching you skinny dip for good measure! It was only able to score a 1.5 in the lyrics department, which is honestly sad considering that I am very generous with that one. Like, I give songs a 3 for their lyrics simply being bland. A 1.5 has to actively TRY to be bad...

On top of the vapid lyrics, Gord's vocal is absolutely horrible here. I personally can barely understand some of the words he is singing, and the cheap production makes it that much harder. The final nail in the coffin is the lack of country instruments. Seriously not a single one. The groove of the electric guitars plus Gord's vocal make it clear that this is a country song, but it sounds like the cheapest, least-inspired country song someone could ever come up with.

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"I Can Feel It" - Kane Brown

HELLO FIDDLE!!!! Nobody is doing as much to keep the fiddle alive in modern country music as Kane Brown is, and I have to give him props for that! Even a song like "Cab In a Solo", where Scotty McCreery does his best imitation of George Strait, inexplicably has NO fiddle. It honestly makes no sense! So thank you, Kane, for keeping the fiddle alive!

This song does not just have the fiddle, as it also has steel guitar and lots of banjo. The thing about Kane is, he has a knack for pushing a really modern sound, with classic country instruments integrated in cool ways! Like, my grandpa would probably listen to this and say "Why can't anyone just make a decent song anymore", but I listen to it and hear the best of both worlds! The '90s child within me loves the instrumentation, while the modern music consumer in me loves how fresh and innovative this sounds.

There is nothing special about this song from a thematic standpoint. It highlights the interaction between two people who meet in a bar/party/nightclub/concert/gathering, and is about the electric buzz/chemistry/attraction/tension that naturally builds between them. The song does a solid job of describing and escalating the tension though, even if the whole theme is not all that unique.

From a production standpoint, this sounds fresh. I love the fact that the majority of the Phil Collins inspiration in this song is the EPIC drum fill from "In the Air Tonight" taking the driver seat for this whole arrangement! It's not quite A-list material, but definitely another solid hit for Kane in a string of rather solid hits!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Spirits and Demons" - Michael Ray ft. Meghan Patrick

I'll go ahead and tag LBTrocks so he can see Michael Ray earn a spot on the A-list He has long told me that Michael Ray has a knack for the neo-traditional country sound that nobody would quite expect after the way that his debut stuff sounded, and this song is the most solid proof of that claim yet!

I am enthralled with the way Michael's vocals sound in the opening verse of this song. He can truly be an A+ vocalist when the material is right! I honestly find myself wishing that Meghan Patrick was not on this song more often than not, because her contribution takes away from what a fantastic job Michael was doing... And I feel absolutely insane for saying that, because normally I love the ladies and especially love a good male/female duet! Their harmonies are good, but, idk. Her parts just do not have the same shine that Michael's do, at least to me.

The steel guitar and piano are both exquisite on this song, but again, this is one that has no fiddle for basically no reason whatsoever. Seriously, why is the recent movement back to neo-trad so averse to using the fiddle?!?!!!!?

Minor gripes aside, I would be remiss if I didn't mention just how clever this whole hook is. "Spirits and demons" definitely invokes imagery of ghosts and stuff on its own. And this song is definitely worthy of such a title, seeing as it is essentially about battling the ghosts of your past. But in the context of this song, "Spirits" takes on a double-entendre for alcohol, while "demons" are of course the dark thoughts within you, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot fight your demons with spirits. No matter how drunk our narrator gets in his efforts to forget, him getting over his lost lover is taking way longer than anything else in their relationship ever did. Such great song writing, paired with amazing vocals and an engaging country ballad melody make this an easy addition to the A-list!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[.indulgecountry]

Kane and Michael's songs are indeed fabulous. Great to see all the praise lobbied at them here!

I don't believe I've heard that particular Gord song in question, but I do know that he's one of the absolute WORST vocalists I've ever heard in my life, so I will continue to ignore it, lol.

[bboat11]

"Livin' In A Country Song" - Five Roses

I don't know anything about Five Roses, as I had never heard anything about them before this, but this song is such an earworm! At first I thought it was pretty basic, but something about the melody and the way that the leading lady delivers it has really worked its way into my brain lately! I can't get it out of my head, so it's definitely got a hook to it.

Conceptually, this is yet another celebration of the simplicity of the country lifestyle as well as the pleasures of being in love. But it combines those two themes well, masterfully evoking the feelings of a picturesque country lifestyle that I think we can all connect to thanks to our love of country music. It's kinda got flavors of "Paint Me a Birmingham" in the imagery. At least both do a fantastic job of using a country backdrop to explain the context of a relationship. And while this isn't a neo-trad country song by any means, it does have a very blatant and catchy steel guitar riff throughout the chorus, which I always have to give kudos for.

Definitely interested in hearing more from this duo!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

Also, Jukebox Vibrations is a really cool album title!

[bboat11]

"Can't Break Up Now" - Old Dominion ft. Megan Moroney

"Can't Break Up Now" was a little bit of a tricky one to rate. At first glance, this could totally have been C-list material. And I am sure there are plenty of people who would have ranked it that low or worse if given the opportunity. For me personally though, this song has already turned out to be a substantial grower. And while I have tried to balance my rankings to where first impression and lasting impression have an equal impact with each other, the fact that it has grown on me quite a bit undoubtedly played a role in helping it sneak into the B- tier.

I think one of the main strengths of this song is that Old Dominion and Megan Moroney have strong vocal chemistry. In fact, while Megan's vocals are on the "rougher" side of country's female vocalists, this is probably the song where she has sounded the best to my ears so far! The melody is very simple, with the catchiness of the song title being sung very very slowly being the main hook that is supposed to sell us on this composition... Which, let's just say, is NOT going to work for everyone. Personally I think it works for me though because there is a nice juxtaposition between the energy level of the song as it builds in the verses and then when it strips down to the repeated-title in the chorus. It's subtle, but it works for my musician brain, lol.

I think this is potentially a big risk/big reward scenario. Megan Moroney might just have the budding star power to turn this song into a career explosion moment, which would definitely be a game changer for Old Dominion at this stage in their career as well! Oooor this could come and go quietly. If that's the case, I suspect that Old Dominion will continue to fade gradually as well. Megan seems to have a healthy career growing so far though, and I don't think that she will be negatively impacted by this song in any way regardless of how it ends up performing.

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Take My Name" - Nate Haller

Our next Canadian release was from Nate Haller, another artist who I know absolutely nothing about. This one didn't impress me though. His vocals were not really my cup of tea. I mean, they weren't Warren Zeiders-levels of bad, but they were very basic, with a thin timbre that I don't really like. On top of that, the melody was incredibly basic as well, and all the imagery was rather predictable.

I did like the lyrics a little bit though. The overall premise is that he is going through a breakup, even though he and his former partner had a whole future planned together. Instead of wallowing in it though, his main takeaway is that he is a winner, because imagine how much worse it would have been if she hadn't shown her true colors when she did?! She wasted part of his youth (his 18th summer), she ruined several of his good memories (ripped the pictures off the walls), took his old guitar and his favorite bar... But in the end, she will NEVER take his name, and that is a net win for our narrator! It is kind of a clever turn of phrase, tbh. It also feels a little bit like revenge, because you get the sense that she wanted to get a ring from him at some point, and now he is using that saved up ring money to fund his beer nights instead!

I don't have much of an opinion towards Nate Haller at this stage in the game, so I guess we'll see how I feel next time he charts. It's kinda nice that this series is helping me to feel more well-versed in the Canadian artists!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43