Comments on: Flavorless Producers

By: Erik North

Erik North — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:45:44 +0000

Maybe people have begun to catch onto the notion that he’s nothing more than a big shot who wants to throw his weight around. But good producers, and indeed great producers, don’t do that sort of thing if they have any common sense.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:13:01 +0000

The interesting thing about John Rich is that he mostly carries the perception of being a sure thing, but really hasn’t proven to be one. If you think about the artists that he’s produced lately (John Anderson, Shannon Brown, Jewel, James Otto…), for the most part, their albums haven’t been especially successful. Likewise, the shows that he’s participated in (Nashville Star, Gone Country…) haven’t produced successful artists. So, since he inserts himself into everything, he has been mostly successful in billing himself as a sure thing more than actually being one. Of course, I’m generalizing, since I know he has had success with Gretchen Wilson in the past and his own duo at one point, but even his duo’s success has dissopated quite a bit.

By: Erik North

Erik North — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:54:12 +0000

Jake:

I think the reason a lot of artists want to work with John RIch is that he’s one of those “sure things” to them. But anything that looks like a sure thing almost invariably leads to blandness. And as the late, great film director Stanley Kubrick once said, “Nothing is as dangerous as a sure thing.”

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:19:24 +0000

I’ll give Huff credit on Rimes’ album, though a little less in some places would have been alright with me. I also don’t mind what he does with Urban, though I could have more impressed with his last album.

By: Jake

Jake — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:16:41 +0000

Cory, I at first though Fundis produced Jasper Country but I decided to look on Wikipedia really quick and it said Reynolds, so another bad on my part.

On the Brown thing, I have mixed feelings about him aswell, he seems to have made some great hits but when it comes to albums, they are very lackluster IMHO.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:10:39 +0000

I’d have to agree that Huff’s production is pretty predictable and way too slick. I was disappointed to hear he was producing Martina McBride’s new album. Although I will say I don’t mind his work with Keith Urban and I think he did a good job “staying out of the way” on LeAnn Rimes’ last album, which I think is a great record.

By: Cory DeStein

Cory DeStein — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:40:49 +0000

I just dont know how creative Brown is…..all of it just seems like radio candy to me. Of course he has great tracks with Reba their work together is some of my favorite of her’s but lately its just like Straits….nothing sticks with me. His work with Vince though….excellent.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:20:02 +0000

I can handle Tony Brown, since he’s produced most of Vince Gill’s stuff. I liked his work with The Notorious Cherry Bombs too. I believe my favorite Reba tracks were produced by Tony. I agree that Strait could use a bit more flavor at times though.

By: Cory DeStein

Cory DeStein — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:01:59 +0000

Jake, I think you mean Garth Fundis produced “Jasper County” not Allen Reynolds. Reynolds is ok but I am kinda curious to see what would have been done with the Yearwood/Brooks duets if Fundis was behind the board instead of Reynolds…..

But yea Dan Huff, Paul Worley for his work with Martina McBride. And Tony Brown, I know he produces chart gold with Reba, and George but how safe can you play it? He just dosent do it for me….Plus he produced the weakest album of Yearwood’s career.

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:11:39 +0000

Haha, there’s an embarrasing way to start off the comments. I guess that’s what you get when multitasking homework with commenting on a topic.

Anyway, I agree with you guys about John Rich, his style of producing music has become bland to me. I would just like to know why some of these artists think that they need him to help produce their albums, especially the established ones, as IMHO John Rich doesn’t seem like a great producer to me.