bboat Reviews Modern Country Radio

[bboat11]

"Worst Way" - Riley Green

"Worst Way" was the next highest debut on HCS this week. Not that that's a huge accomplishment; I'm pretty sure Shaboozey was in the top 6, and this next highest was like bottom 5, lol. Honestly, I can't even tell you why this one would be popular enough to chart, but here we are.

This song is supposed to be a classic celebration of lovemaking. In this song, our narrator and their romantic partner are ready to get it on! While they love to wine and dine and build up the romantic tension, right now the tension is about to boil over... So they're skipping the flowers and the conversation, and getting directly down to business... It is definitely steamy, and one that I am sure many will find relatable if they're in a passionate relationship.

But like, it's also soooo bland. Every criticism I had for "Damn Good Day To Leave", crank it up to 11 for this song. The instrumental arrangment has literally no identity, and Riley's vocals have not even a fraction of the personality needed to turn this from steamy to sexy. And where DGDTL had a catchy melody, this one really does not. I do like it overall, but I have no idea why this is randomly popular enough to make the HCS chart.

With that, I am caught up on Riley Green's output on the modern country charts! Between these two and "Different 'Round Here", he has proven to be pretty polarizing thusfar. That one got a D (66.88%), while this one got a C, and "Damn Good" got a B+.

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[.indulgecountry]

"Damn Good Day to Leave" is exceptional. I find myself enjoying male country hits few and far between, but Riley's definitely picked a great one this time around. "Different 'Round Here" was mid and forgettable af, but "Damn Good" is a total melodic earworm and so fun. He's a polarizing artist for me as well in that he has just as many misses as hits, but when he's on, he's definitely got the potential to be great (loved "I Wish Grandpas Never Died" i.e.).

[bboat11]

"Devil You Know" - Tyler Braden

"Devil You Know" is the new song on the HCS chart by Tyler Braden. I don't know a lot about him other than I enjoyed "Try Losing One", which charted in 2023 just before I started doing this series (I'll try to go back and catch up with the first few months of 2023 someday!)

Overall "Devil You Know" is not as immediate of a standout for me as "Try Losing One" was, but I do like it! This song has a dark, almost Southern-Gothic vibe to it, especially with the "oh oh oh"s in the intro melody. In this song, Tyler puts himself in the shoes of someone who is underappreciated and underestimated, and points out that he should be taken seriously. It's kinda like President Theodore Roosevelt's "speak softly and carry a big stick" quote. Like, just because I am kind does not mean you should try to take advantage of me. I have no problem standing up for myself if I need to! And that's really all there is to this. It's a simple song, that at its heart seeks to remind us that everyone is going through their own struggles and deserves to be respected for where they are at. Although, it also has a swagger and machismo to it that makes it a lot less "Don't Laugh At Me" than it sounded when I just wrote it out, lol.

The fiddle and the steel guitar are very nice, and I like Tyler's swagger and the dark vibes! Definitely not one that I will seek out a lot on my own, but I would probably support it if it went to radio.

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[bboat11]

"Hangin' On" - ERNEST ft. Morgan Wallen

"Hangin' On" debuted on the HCS chart last week, probably thanks to it being a new collaboration with Morgan Wallen. ERNEST has built quite a partnership with Wallen so far, with "Flower Shops" being a HUGE hit recently, and "Cowgirls" climbing the airplay charts now. "Hangin' On" is from his new album that just dropped on April 12th, causing this song to debut on the HCS chart within one week of "Cowgirls" hitting the airplay charts. And with "Cowgirls" being a Wallen-led song and this one being ERNEST-led, I would not be surprised to see this one potentially take off and start climbing simultaneously. For now it's just on HCS, but we'll see!

"Hangin' On" is a song about heartbreak, depicting a narrator who is unfortunately barely hanging on by a thread in the wake of a breakup. He goes to a bar, and in the glow of the dimly lit lights, the sound of the clinking of glasses, and the smell of whiskey in the air, he seeks solace and distraction from his troubles. But he finds it incredibly hard to do, because the memories just keep hanging on, causing him to keep hanging on. It's a very typical country theme, handled in a very typical way.

The best thing this song has going for it is ERNEST's desire to position himself as a bit of a traditionalist! At this point my assessment of him is that he's no Alan Jackson, but he's also definitely no HARDY either, and after a decade of artists like Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean and FGL pushing their arrangements in an increasingly vanilla direction, ERNEST feels like a little bit of a nice pivot back towards fiddle and steel. That being said, melodically this is nothing special. It's catchy in the way that some of Morgan's recent releases are catchy. Like, it feels like it's almost designed to go viral, rather than being something that you genuinely would crank up and belt along to. I should probably check out ERNEST's album, because he talked a big game on Sara Evans' podcast recently about his desire to keep it country and focus on good songs! This song isn't bad, but it falls pretty short of that promise, imo. If he's trying to be an innovator, this is a pretty average effort.

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[bboat11]

"Cowgirls" - Morgan Wallen ft. ERNEST

Well speaking of Morgan Wallen and ERNEST collaborations, I figured I may as well tackle "Cowgirls" next. And yeah... Same old complaint I feel like I have been making a lot lately. This feels like it is designed specifically to go viral rather than being genuinely catchy. And that may feel like a silly thing for me to say. But I consider something that's genuinely catchy to be something like "Blue Clear Sky" or "Check Yes Or No". There's something a lot less organic about the catchiness of "Cowgirls", "Thinkin' 'Bout Me", "You Proof", etc.

Topically, this is a song about yearning, using cowgirls as a backdrop. In this song, "cowgirls" represent women who are free-spirited, strong-willed, independent, unpredictable, and a little bit dangerous. Man, do these women have a certain allure to them that you simply can't deny! And yet, relationships with them are fundamentally bittersweet because it's impossible for you to settle down with an adventurous spirit who would rather tear up the desert than stay in one place with you.

It's a tried and true theme for country music. When listening to it, I can't help but compare it to "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" by King George, for obvious reasons. But by comparison, this song just feels like it gives the women less agency and less credit. In "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls", George mentions several aspects of the "cowgirl" personality, but I want to focus specifically on how each singer describes her approach to relationships.

George makes her feel realistic and complex yet attainable and worthy of love. "She don't need you and she don't need me. She can do just fine on her own two feet. But she wants a man who wants her to be herself. And she'll never change. Don't know how to hide her stubborn will or her fightin' side. But you treat her right and she'll love you like no one else." Compare that with Morgan's lyrics, which contain lines like, "Long live cowgirls, never gonna settle on down girls. Leave you in a lonely ghost town world where the sun don't shine. Rodeo for one night, love you like a mustang," etc. While both songs obviously come from a place of admiration for the women, the reason for that admiration is different. In George's song, they are real women who are valued for their independence and their strength, and the value that they can bring to a relationship. In Morgan's song, they are an unattainable ideal that is impossible to tie down and therefore fundamentally incompatible with relationships. And the latter example is focused almost exclusively on sex appeal as well, with references to loving you for one night like she's riding a mustang in the rodeo. I mean, the bridge literally goes, "Come on, cowgirls. Don't you wanna take me away? Lay me on down, girl, with the wild kind of lovin' you make, for God's sake." Jesus, could this narrator be any more of a simp?!!!?!!

Of course there is a time and a place for each perspective, and I'm definitely not saying that "Cowgirls" is one of George's best songs (in fact, I've always found it to be one of his most substance-less hits.) But if you are wanting your kids to grow up hearing about strong family values and respecting women, the choice is obvious. Morgan's song is basically one step away from being an incel anthem, treating women like they're not worthy of having or capable of sustaining loving relationships because they are strong-willed and independent.

Oh, and sonically it's a mess. Easy D-.

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[bboat11]

"Pride" - Sara Evans

Before I go to bed, I wanted a palate cleanser from "Cowgirls" So let's bring Sara Evans to the front!!!!! Y'all KNOW I've been listening to this song on repeat the last few weeks, since Sara is my second-favorite artist right behind Martina! And "Pride" is freaking haunting, too

First of all, at its core this is a song about empowerment and resilience. As the female artists who I stan for tend to do, Sara absolutely rips open all your wounds, but then turns it around and leaves you with a positive feeling that you can get through whatever it is you are going through.

In this song, what she is going through is the extremely intimate emotional abuse of her own toxic marriage. With it comes heartbreakingly REAL lyrical moments, such as "Nobody saw the other side. You'd turn into Jekyll, and I'd run and hide." Or "Are you insane or are you brilliant? Am I crazy or just resilient?" "You'll take whiskey, you'll take wine. You'll take anything as long as it was mine." Etc. I could literally list every line of this song if we're looking for standout moments.

Through it all, the picture is painted of a relationship in trouble, where one side is giving everything they have and the other side is taking all of it and more, without owning up to or acknowledging their own flaws. This is one of those songs that is just so raw and realistic that it is going to be very hard for some people to listen to. But as I mentioned earlier, Sara turns it around with a message of empowerment. You feel a little triumph start to develop in her voice as she declares in the bridge and the third chorus that she is leaving.

The biggest flaws with this song, imo, lie within the arrangement. This is a veeeeeeery low-key arrangement, to the extent that there literally might as well not even be an arrangement. This could be completely a cappella for all that the arrangement brings to the table. Personally I hear a calm wave of synthetic keyboard noises buried way in the background and a strummed acoustic guitar front-and-center. There is a litle bit of electric guitar in the mix too, of course. But, it quite literally does not matter. None of it is interesting or innovative. The good thing is, it allows the lyrics and vocals to shine!!! The bad thing is, the melody is not quite immediate enough for this song to grip a wide audience from the lyrics alone. This is going to be a polarizing song as a result.

Nevertheless, I think this song is AMAZING, and I am SO EXCITED for Sara's triumphant return <3 Based on this song and "21 Days", I can tell already that this is going to be an incredible album!

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[kluen]

I always assume that Reba is your second-favorite...hhhh

[bboat11]

May 8, 2024 21:21:01 GMT -5 kluen said:

I always assume that Reba is your second-favorite...hhhh

I have a top 5 that is iron-clad and untouchable, and they are all more or less interchangeable at this point, lol. But I think this is how I would rank them if I absolutely had to!

1. Martina McBride

2. Sara Evans

3. George Strait

4. Terri Clark

5. Reba McEntire

These five artists hit home runs with me with nearly everything they touch! The only reason Reba is at the back is because her albums were a lot less consistent in the '80s, while the other four have been consistent for their entire careers. But from 1990-onward, Reba's consistency is right up there with the rest of them <3

[bboat11]

"Wind Up Missin' You" - Tucker Wetmore

Tucker Wetmore has a couple songs getting attention right now. As far as I can tell, he is a new kid on the block, so I know literally nothing about him. But I checked him out for the first time the other night and ranked both of his current songs. First up, "Wind Up Missin' You", which debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart for 4/13.

This is a song about longing, featuring a narrator who has had a history of being a bit of a heartbreaker, and now he is feeling a sense of remorse and a desire for a second chance at love. The hook is telling her all the things she looks like ("you look like waves on a sunset", etc.), followed up by "you look like I'm gonna wind up missin' you", which shows that he is worried he might lose this girl and have to miss her, which makes him a little sad and shows us that he is starting to really like her. It is a fine theme, nothing noteworthy or groundbreaking in the songwriting department, but nothing objectionable either.

One thing that holds it back a little for me is Tucker's vocal. He's not a very good annunciator. There's a spot in the second verse where he actually makes every vowel sound like it has a slight "e", and then doesn't follow them with any consonants "I bet you heard the stories, en can't say I'm prou o theeea, but I've turned the page on the ol me, and now I ain't lookin' beeeeaa cau..."

The song is just fine, definitely no worse than average! But leaves me with plenty to be desired, for sure.

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"Wine Into Whiskey" - Tucker Wetmore

The second Tucker Wetmore song debuted on the 5/4 Airplay chart, and is called "Wine Into Whiskey". It is another song about a heartbreaker, although while the protagonist of "Wind Up Missin' You" is already moving onto somebody else and trying to make up for his sordid past, the narrator of "Wine Into Whiskey" is actively reeling from the aftermath of hurting his latest victim. He is regretting it, and has not yet started to move on.

Due to that slight difference in positioning of the narrator relative to a major heartbreak, in my opinion "Wine Into Whiskey" is a MUCH more interesting song lyrically. The hook of "I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey" is particularly cool to me! It speaks to the depth of despair that he put this woman through. Not only did he turn love into pain, but he completely changed her habits! Where she would usually prefer white wine on a relaxing evening at home, now he has "dipped her wings into Tennessee Brown" and caused her to start preferring whiskey because it helps her numb the pain. To make it worse, he mentions throughout the song how much faith she used to have in him, no matter how much he used to warn her about his demons. The fact that she tried so hard to help him and he still chewed her up and spit her out is just devastating imo.

As strong as the lyrics are, the arrangement is quite a bit less country than "Wind Up", and those few extra credit points for country instruments helped push "Wind Up" like one percentage point higher, even though I would say I enjoy "Wine"'s melody and lyrics a lot more. Both songs are C+ efforts though. He seems to be a pretty average artist so far!

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[.indulgecountry]

The name Tucker Wetmore has me every time I see it. Both songs are decent, though I prefer "Wind Up Missin' You" of the two. He definitely fits right into the comfortable groove established by Morgan Wallen and seems to already be reaping the rewards of that given his streaming numbers thus far. Wouldn't be surprised if one of these or something else blows up into a big smash sooner rather than later given the way he's already moving the needle in such a big way.

[bboat11]

"Use Me" - Dallas Smith

Towards the end of April, Dallas Smith entered the Canadian charts with a new song. "Use Me" is a song about a man who is willing to be a comforting shoulder for his female friend who is going through a difficult period in her relationship. The title is exactly what he is telling her! "If you want to use somebody, use me." He knows that she is struggling and going off the rails, so he would rather be used than have her out brokenhearted in the world where she might make some other bad decisions. At least he can keep her safe and loved while she's going through this, even though he knows that she ultimately might go running right back to her ex once the dust has settled.

It's a song about offering selfless support, and Dallas sells the theme well vocally. This song is pretty catchy too! I particularly like the verses, as the way Dallas delivers the rather quick lyrics just has a really nonchalant and warm vibe to it, like "no big deal, you know I've got your back girl. Come on over!" The big blemish on this song, imo, is the production. While the verses are pretty well-mixed, the entire production job goes off the rails with the chorus. Wall-of-sound on steroids, complete with unnecessary vocal processing and a swing towards slightly more generic lyrics. With this production job it is really difficult to pick out individual instruments, but I do think there is a piano buried in the background at least. It is a catchy listen, that is held back by its production job and would have ultimately done a lot better with more of a focus on an engaging arrangement rather than an ambiguous wall-of-sound.

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[bboat11]

"Love You, Miss You, Mean It" - Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan's newest song debuted the same week in America that Dallas' did in Canada. Let me tell you, I am quite impressed with this one! This is definitely in the top tier of Luke's career! It's nowhere near the highs of "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", "Play It Again", "Drink A Beer", etc., but it is WAY closer to those than it is to the lows of "Kick the Dust Up", etc.

This is a classic 3-part story song that is such a fundamental part of the country storytelling tradition. It is a song about small-town childhood sweethearts. In the beginning, they are falling in love in high school, proclaiming their undying love. Part 2, they go off to college, the calls slow down and Luke wonders what happens to the promises they made. Part 3, years later, she calls him up and admits that the feelings never went away, ultimately wrapping the song up with a happy ending!

The only flaw with this song is that the story is a little clunky. Sometimes these 3-part stories feel pretty organic (like George's "Love Without End, Amen", Patty's "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye", etc.) but in this instance the plot feels a little forced. Or maybe it's just rushed? Idk, I'm not a big fan of "the years went by" being used as a throwaway storytelling device. It's essentially like, "I wondered where our love went. But then the years went by and she called me up again!" There's just not much payoff when the tension is resolved with a simple "the years went by and our lives changed".

That's a minor flaw though, in a song that is otherwise quite a refreshing take from the artist in question! Luke, as always, sounds perpetually unengaged, but this song is not as noticeable as some of his more boring recent singles. The melody is catchy, the message is sweet, and the blatant steel guitar and piano are awesome! Solid B+!

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[bboat11]

"Fixer Upper" - Dallas Smith

I decided to look back at any Dallas Smith songs that are on my list, and I noticed that I missed his last song, "Fixer Upper" in the second half of 2023. This song is from the same album, and honestly it suffers from the same problems. A charming vocal in the verses, and then the whole atmosphere is interrupted by massive overproduction in the chorus.

"Fixer Upper" is similar to "Use Me" in that it is about a vulnerable man. Where "Use Me" is about a man offering to be used by a woman that he loves, however, "Fixer Upper" features a man who is in a happy relationship even though he doesn't really feel like he always deserves it. In this song, he admits to being a fixer upper and mentions a lot of his flaws, and expresses gratitude and admiration towards his partner for choosing him and loving him anyway. She is gradually transforming his imperfections into something beautiful with her love and acceptance.

Unfortunately, the melody is completely at odds with the message. This melody feels more like a stereotypical bro country melody to me. I'm not totally sure why, but for some reason the melody is just annoying to me. It is a little catchy, but not in a way that makes me want to keep revisiting it. In the end the steel guitar and Dallas' charm are just enough to carry this into the C-range, but that's about all it's worth imo.

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[bboat11]

"Cowboys and Plowboys" - Jon Pardi ft. Luke Bryan

Since I cleared out my Dallas Smith backlog, I figured I may as well do the same for Luke Bryan! "Cowboys and Plowboys" was one that came out last fall riiiight about the time I got busy and stopped reviewing for awhile. It was one of the oldest songs right at the top of my list.

What a straight-up country JAM! This is Jon Pardi's song, of course, featuring Luke, and similar to "Love You, Miss You, Mean It", this is easily one of the best things Luke Bryan has ever attached his name to. The fiddle and steel are both iconic and standing out in a big way in this song! It could have been taken directly out of the '90s or '00s country industry.

The lyrics are simple. The two singers take on two personas, Jon being a cowboy, and Luke being a plowboy. They point out the differences in their lives (one rides a horse, one rides a tractor, one takes his girl dancing, the other takes his girl out into the fields to watch the sunset, one drinks whiskey and the other drinks beer, etc.) But what quickly emerges through all these comparisons is the fact that both men share the same respect for the country way of life! While their professions might be different, their rural hearts are the same, their nostalgia is the same, their love of the countryside is the same....

It's a very basic theme, but it's also a good one. Tied together with a catchy melody and the perfect instrumentation to make such a song feel authentic, this was an easy B+! The only thing keeping it from the A-list is that it's just kinda hokey, and wears on me kinda like a novelty song.

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[bboat11]

"Country Back" - Randy Houser

"Country Back" recently entered the charts, getting Randy Houser yet another charting song LONG after we all thought his radio career was over. "Country Back" is a celebration of authenticity, especially with regards to country music. This is a classic theme for the genre, with a hook suggesting that they are taking country back to the hollers and hills, which is a metaphor representing that he is also seeking to take control of the genre out of the cities and putting it back into the hands of the common man.

And of course there's the potential for "taking our country back" to feel like a MAGA rallying cry... The lyrics of the song do not go in that direction of course, but that doesn't mean the hook won't be taken that way in isolation by people who are tired of our modern social setting. Normally that wouldn't bother me much since the content of the song is definitely country-music-specific, but....coming as a followup to "Cancel", it really feels to me like Randy is trying to subtly cater to a very specific crowd right now... A crowd that doesn't really need any encouragement, tbh.

Anyway, this is a LOT better than "Cancel", but I still don't really feel like I need to root for it. The country elements are nice, and the melody is pretty catchy, but the whole thing is overall quite basic. I give it a C+ for catchiness, but that's about all it has going for it imo.

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[bboat11]

"Cancel" - Randy Houser

Let's clean Randy Houser out of my queue! I missed "Cancel" during my hiatus, so here's a review for it. Honestly, I will never be able to explain my thoughts on this song better than I did in the single thread:

Sept 30, 2023 22:16:14 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

The message is a good one, if you take it completely at face value and don't think about it at all. Like raising your kids with strong family values, teaching them that they aren't any better than any one else, they should be thankful for what they have been blessed with, etc. is objectively a good thing! As is you and your spouse holding each other tighter as you navigate hard times.

But my problem with songs like this one is the blatant attempt to "otherize" people who think differently from the narrator. Like, "right is right, and God is the answer" has got to be THE most self-righteous and tone-deaf way that you could possibly have gotten this point across... And because of lines like that, statements like "The Devil's on the move working out a plan" start to feel a bit more...suspicious. Like, at this point Randy COULD be lamenting all the genuine hatred and bigotry that is making this world a scary place to live these days. Oooooor he could be flirting with the people who think that God not being worshiped in public school is the #1 problem in our country these days, or think that the death penalty should be handed out for kneeling for the national anthem

That is a potentially WIDE swath of people that this song might appeal to.....and the ones who miss the wholesome parts of the message and bend it in support of their crazy narratives are the ones who are going to get the most mileage out of it 😬

Yeah, I'd stay that still sums it up perfectly! But since then I have also decided that I absolutely hate Randy's vocal here. It's so over-the-top. He's trying to sound both tough and tortured, and in the end just sounds like he's taking himself waaaaaay too seriously.

As ChatGPT summed it up above, part of the intent of this song is to highlight the importance of moral integrity in navigating the complicated changes of the world. But yet it is obviously directed towards the MAGA crowd, ("Cancel" is in and of itself a MAGA buzz-word for the big bad wokes trying to tread on and vilify their way of life,) and they all rally around a leader whose lack of moral integrity is his biggest badge of honor. So yeah, while the message is a good one when taken entirely at face value, there is no societal context that can be added in which the whole thing does not become horribly convoluted and hypocritical.

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[.indulgecountry]

Yeah, "Cancel" is absolute dogshit. I'm glad it flopped, and "Country Back" is only moderately better. His vocal performance on most of his songs is ear-splittingly annoying.

[castleoblivion26]

I've liked Randy Houser on occasion but both those songs are terrible, especially "Cancel". I love his Magnolia record but since then he's gone downhill.

[bboat11]

"Things I Take For Granted" - Larry Fleet

Now this is what I'm talking about!! I have heard of Larry Fleet, of course, but I don't know much about him. He's just a name who has kinda been on the fringes for a few years now.

But listening to this song, I'm rooting for a breakthrough ASAP! "Things I Take For Granted" is a beautiful song about expressing gratitude for all the blessings in life. And it manages to do so without coming across as preachy or basic! Sure, there are some cheesy lines about needing more deer meat in the freezer, go-to mentions of wanting a new truck, etc. But the spirit of appreciation rings genuine, and I really appreciate the sincerity in Larry's performance.

On top of that, this song is LITTERED with fiddle and steel, plus a little bit of mandolin in the background, and it is all mixed so beautifully. The arrangement is very tasteful and refreshing, and actually enhances the song, like it's taken straight out of the same country radio that gave us "She Didn't Have Time", "Remember When", etc.

It debuted on the Airplay chart last week alongside Randy Houser's "Country Back." Let's make this one a hit, country radio!

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[bboat11]

"Friends Like That" - John Morgan ft. Jason Aldean

Damn, two new A-list songs in a row!!!! John Morgan is making his country radio debut with this song, and lemme just say WELCOME After the past decade of new bland, faceless country men who may as well be interchangeable and immediately forgettable (Russell Dickerson, Dylan Scott, Jordan Davis, Chris Lane, etc.) making their debuts, John Morgan's sound leaves a huge impression on me right away. Which is ironic because he has the most bland, forgettable name I have ever heard in my life!

But sonically, he's immediately got a solid voice, a neo-traditional flair, a care for lyrical quality, and an ear for melodies. "Friends Like That" is a classic theme about a man who is broken up with and torn apart, but rather than give his ex the satisfaction of being right, he tells her about how much solace he is finding in all his friends. And in pure "Jim and Jack and Hank" style, his "friends" are Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Jack Daniels, metaphorically representing coping mechanisms that are helping him get over his heartbreak. The hook is well-written and comes across with the perfect mix of self-deprecating wit and genuine desire to heal.

On top of that, this melody is catchy af! The more I listen to it, the more it gets stuck in my head... Jason Aldean's inclusion is 100% unnecessary, but to his credit he manages to be a non-factor rather than a detractor, so if his presence winds up getting John his first hit on the charts, then bring it on! This song doesn't have nearly as many country elements in the arrangement as some of John's other songs I have heard, but it does have some steel guitar, and still has a nice neo-trad vibe, and knowing what else I have heard from him, I have a lot of hope for his career.

So yeah, with Larry and John both hitting us last week with two of the best songs that are on the charts right now, I am pretty excited. If these can both become hits, I will be really excited for what that means for mainstream country radio!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[bboat11]

"Let Your Boys Be Country" - Jason Aldean

Since Jason Aldean's name came up, may as well clear him out of the queue next. "Let Your Boys Be Country" is his current hit on country radio at the moment, taking the place of "Try That In A Small Town", which got an F shortly after I started this series.

Overall, I've gotta call this one a significant improvement! "Let Your Boys Be Country" continues the small-town rural pride of its predecessor, but in a welcome twist, it does so without being political and polarizing. This song emphasizes things like the fact that bucking hay in the summer for a little bit of extra cash is a great life lesson for young men to learn, and hanging out in small towns they will learn good manners such as saying "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am", they will learn to appreciate what they have, and overall have a level of life satisfaction that sets them up for success in the future. "If you want him to grow up to be someone he's damn proud to be, mama's, let your boys be country." And tying it all together is the wholesome twist that the whole song is dedicated to mothers who are raising sons!

To that latter point, I can't help but feel that this is a bit of a modern response to "Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys". While that song denounced the rambling lifestyle and warned mothers that their sons would live hard, rough, nomadic lives and ultimately break the hearts of everyone who loves them if they are allowed to become cowboys, this one does the opposite and emphasizes the positives of a rural upbringing. Of course becoming a cowboy and embracing rural values are two entirely different things, so it's not a perfect comparison, but the structuring of the song around giving parenting advice to mothers who are raising their kids in a rural setting feels like it can't be an arbitrary coincidence. Even if it's just paying homage in a modern context.

Overall, Jason does an effective job conveying this theme, even if it is a little bit tired coming from him. While the wall of electric guitars are a bit loud from literally the moment the song starts, it still has some undeniably country elements that tie the whole thing together, like that absolutely beautiful steel guitar solo! I'm happy to give it a B, and place it probably in the upper 1/3 of his catalog.

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[bboat11]

"Your Mama Would Hate Me" - Dean Brody ft. James Barker Band

While John Morgan, Larry Fleet, and Randy Houser debuted in the U.S. last week, there were also three songs that entered the Canadian charts for the first time! The highest of which belonged to Canadian staples Dean Brody and James Barker Band. And.......all I can say about this one is LOL.

This is atrocious! The chorus starting off with the title being repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over is God-awful, to the point where once the normal parts to the chorus show up, one will have already completely tuned it out.

This song does have a pretty strong underlying theme, exploring the tension between the expectations of family and the personal flaws of a significant other, regardless of how strong the love between the couple seems to be. A song that seriously tackled those themes would have a lot of potential for solid songwriting and emotional resonance. The problem is that this one hints that it's about such serious themes, but then makes it all sound like a big "your mom" joke. But it's not at all funny like it would be if it was intended to be taken as a joke. Idk, something major is off with this whole thing.

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

I am a big Dallas Smith fan, but neither "Fixer Upper" or "Use Me" was nowhere close to his best.
I do like the melody of Fixer Upper, but the chorus production is overdone, almost to imitate the production of his label mate Morgan Wallen's pop songs, but in a bad way.
Use Me, on the other hand, has a decent production, but the melody did not click with me.
Also interesting to note that he has not been able to reach #1 recently, while he never missed #1 with any of his solo singles since 2016.

Dean Brody & JBB's song was... I do like the melody, but the lyrics are just bad and repetitive. I can tell that none of these songs would be making it to the YE game.

[bboat11]

"Last Time Last" - Tenille Arts ft. Maddie & Tae

Alongside Dean Brody and James Barker Band, Tenille Arts made her way onto the Canadian charts with a feature of her own! She chose to enlist the help of Maddie & Tae in making the harmonies to "Last Time Last", and this song appears to be the one that radio is latching onto in the wake of her new album dropping (even though this one is a few months old by now).

This is a song that laments the passage of time, and emphasizes the importance of cherishing every moment. It is definitely not a new theme for country music, but I think this is a nice take on an old theme! The nostalgia that I felt the first time I heard that line about "the class of 2000-whatever [being all together] in the same room" for the last time. Throughout your life, you experience so many lasts, and the thing is, you never know WHEN the last time is going to happen... Kissing your first significant other, hanging out with your friends in the student section at football games, hell, even something as simple as walking through the front doors of your school for the last time! So many moments can be taken for granted without even realizing it, and you don't even necessarily know when they are happening for the last time until one day you look back and realize that nothing is the same.

Maybe it's just the maudlin millennial in me, but I have genuinely started feeling wistful every time I have listened to this. It's just a shame that the production is so bad! There are some great lyrics and vocals here, as well as some cool instrumental work, and it all tries its best to hide in the background beneath a wall of ambiguous sound. Still, it's a great song! Worthy of a B+, imo.

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[bboat11]

"Dontcha" - Kalsey Kulyk

The third song to debut on Canadian Country Charts last week was the next song by Kalsey Kulyk! A name that is nearly impossible to spell correctly on the first try, but one that I have been EXTREMELY impressed with so far!

🌺CountryLineDancer, is this her second song? Was "Love Me Like An Outlaw" her debut? I'll post a review for "Outlaw" soon, because I missed it during my hiatus, but it was one where the moment I first heard it I just KNEW that this was a girl that I wanted to succeed.

Now as for her next release, "Dontcha", this is a fun, upbeat, flirtatious jam! Our narrator is approaching a man who seems to be very shy, and doing her best to rizz him up! They seem to have some history, as she suggests that she has been on his mind for a long time. She is confident and forward and flirtatious, and it just makes for an all-around fun listen. I think part of what makes it funny is because so many men are shy like this, and they usually don't have women coming up to them like this, so the whole interaction would be so awkward and wholesome in real life. And I feel like it's portrayed pretty accurately here, how he's like "I think I need to go home now" and she's like "I think that's a maybe!"

As for the vocal, Kalsey has a country core through and through, and it is immediately apparent through her sound. I actually couldn't believe that the only country instrument I could pick out was a teensy bit of dobro buried in the chorus, because right off the bat this feels like a neo-traditional-country earworm! I could hear Kellie Pickler having a huge hit with this back in the day, so for those who are fans of her, this feels like one that you would love. I give it an A-, and I am very excited to hear more from Kalsey's career!

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castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

^ Yes, Dontcha is the second single from the album her third charting song in her career. She charted with Who I Was back in 2020, and came back with Outlaw last year. I regret not including her song in the 2023 YE RD, as response to her music has not been too bad, as far as I am aware. She is not backed by a strong label, so unfortunate that she is unlikely to be scoring a bigger hit, but I still appreciate her neo-traditional style, which is different from other female hitmakers (I guess a little similar to Meghan Patrick, but definitely different from Madeline or Jess, who are usually more poppy). 

[nuggie99]

Whew, I didn't care for the Yo Mama song and was just afraid I was too old.

[bboat11]

Well maybe "Dontcha" or whatever comes next will be good enough to put into 2024's list! I bet she'd do well, just based on what I've heard so far :) (Slash, I wouldn't even complain about "Outlaw" sneaking in, although idk exactly when it went recurrent.)

[bboat11]

May 21, 2024 21:37:12 GMT -5 nuggie99 said:

Whew, I didn't care for the Yo Mama song and was just afraid I was too old.

My youthfulness is definitely more debatable than it used to be, but I feel like this is just a case of your taste being spot-on ;)

[taylor is terrified]

May 21, 2024 21:43:47 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

May 21, 2024 21:37:12 GMT -5 nuggie99 said:

Whew, I didn't care for the Yo Mama song and was just afraid I was too old.

My youthfulness is definitely more debatable than it used to be, but I feel like this is just a case of your taste being spot-on ;)

I’m 23, always hated those jokes, and hated that song before he opened his mouth, and it was all downhill from there. Listened to 30 seconds and I regret that I will never get those 30 seconds back.