And so we come to the end. The top of our list includes a wide range of artists singing a wide range of country music styles. Thematically, these entries are diverse, but what they all have in common is what has always made for great country music. They are all perfectly-written songs delivered with sincerity by the artists who brought them to life.
400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #25-#1
#25
Smoke Rings in the Dark Gary Allan
1999 | Peak: #12
Being deeply enamored of someone can make it easy – even appealing – to forfeit your own well-being. This single’s sunny tone reflects the persistent affection running through its protagonist, but its story demonstrates the heartbreak to which such unmeasured selflessness leads. – DM (more…)
I’m getting tired of the dime store theology in country music today. It’s officially reached pandemic proportions.
Up for airplay are two new singles in which religion is just a decorative prop used to elevate a human role to something divine. Instead of achieving that impossible goal, all they do is cheapen the divine into something that is only human.
I must admit, I was excited by the title “Soldiers and Jesus.” Fan of “He’s Alive” that I am, I assumed this song had something to do with the final days of Christ before the death and resurrection.
Wrong. It’s about how soldier and Jesus both die for us, so they’re basically the same. It’s a false equation that manages to minimize both of them. It cheapens the unique singularity of Christ’s sacrifice, along with His commitment to nonviolence in the face of violence being used against him by…soldiers. See the problem here?
American soldiers are not Roman soldiers. Most of them sign up voluntarily and with the admirable goal of protecting our country’s freedom and liberty. But they’re not doing the same thing Christ did. Not by any stretch of the imagination. And it trivializes their very different, very human sacrifices to blur the line between them and the divine.
So “Soldiers and Jesus” is a failure, but not nearly as spectacular a failure as the Due West release, “The Bible and the Belt.” This time, I knew what I was getting before I heard the song, but even the title couldn’t prepare me for just how clumsy and intelligence insulting this comparison would be.
Here, mom and the preacher use scripture to teach a young man right from wrong, but it’s dad beating him with a belt that really keeps him on track. All I can say is that anybody who accepts this song’s message as valid should not be allowed near children.
Country is the genre of music that produced “Why Me”, “Three Wooden Crosses”, and “You Can’t Be a Beacon (If Your Light Don’t Shine.)” I suggest that country songwriters looking to tread down the same thematic path use those classics as their road map, or they’ll keep producing dead-ends like these two duds.
Grade: Soldiers and Jesus: C | The Bible and the Belt: F
The latest single from Carrie Underwood knows and embraces this. I can’t remember another wedding song that is so understated in its declarations. As she prepares to marry, she reassures her mother that this man is good. That’s pretty much it.
Pretty much it on paper, at least. But notice how the term is repeated – “He is good, so good.” Underwood chooses to emphasize those five words more than any others in the song, singing them as if just being good is enough to qualm a worried mother’s fears for her daughter’s future.
But it is enough. Loyalty, respect, and faithfulness are the only virtues she’s proclaiming, and in truth, that’s setting the bar pretty high. No doubt this will be a successful marriage if he clears it.
That being said, the tenderness of the lyric and Underwood’s typically stellar vocal delivery cannot fully mask that the song’s structure isn’t as tight as it should be, with a reference to “this crazy thing called life” detracting from the actual subject matter of the song. The sentiments get a bit jumbled, with the focus not being entirely clear.
“Mama’s Song” attempts to be a song about three things at once: a daughter helping her mother let go, thanking her mother for what she’s done, and praising the man she’s marrying to her mother. By trying to get all three accomplished in one song, each individual purpose is shortchanged. It succeeds in getting the praising done, but falls a little short on the other two.
And as is often the case with Underwood singles, there is one component too many in the production. The song glides along so peacefully that the strings that surface toward the end of song kick the whole thing up a notch, but the sudden appearance of backing vocalists are an unwelcome intrusion, undermining the mood that the song had successfully established. These missteps gum up the works enough to keep the song from reaching its full potential.
So it’s good, so good. But it isn’t great.
Written by Kara Dioguardi, Marti Frederiksen, Luke Laird, and Carrie Underwood
Most of us can admit that Toby Keith is a premier balladeer. Something that has been largely forgotten about him in the last few years, however, is that he’s also rather good at having good fun too. Lately, he’s mostly associated with swagger and subpar music (with the exception of some decent ballads here and there), but “Trailerhood” is here to remind us of how jovial Keith can sound when he lets his boisterous guard down and just allows himself to have some fun.
In the most organic production of an up-tempo single that we’ve heard from Toby in a very long time, “Trailerhood” vividly paints a picture of a happily redneck community of trailer dwellers. He humorously describes the characters of the trailerhood with affection and counts himself among them, as he says “It takes one to know one.”
The song follows the “look how country I am” theme of late, but also veers from it a bit by avoiding indictments of those who aren’t. Likewise, it’s all done in good humor (, which can be heard in Keith’s affable performance and accompanying cheerful production.
This fall, there seems to be as many new albums from significant country artists as I can remember. Just look at Roughstock’s indispensable Fall 2010 Releases list.
New releases are on the way from no less than eight past CMA Entertainer of the Year nominees and winners, along with current top sellers Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington, Jamey Johnson, and Montgomery Gentry.
So head on over to see that list, then come back to answer this question:
What Fall 2010 CD Release are you most excited for?
For me, it’s no contest. I can’t wait to hear Sugarland’s The Incredible Machine. Their last studio set, Love On the Inside, is my favorite mainstream country album of the past five years, and I still haven’t gotten tired of the covers they included in their stopgap set Live On the Inside.
Plus, “Stuck Like Glue” is my favorite lead single from any of their albums so far, no small feat given my deep affection for “Want To.” Given that a new Dixie Chicks album comes along about as quickly as a Senator goes up for re-election, I need a fix of music from a really great country band, stat.
The themes of love and loss have permeated country music for as long as it’s been in existence. This second-to-last batch of great nineties hits contains songs that are direct descendants of well-known classics like “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, along with a Shania Twain hit that would have made Roba Stanley smile.
400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #50-#26
#50
Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares) Travis Tritt
1991 | Peak: #2
From the first forceful guitar strum on, this kiss-off number somehow manages to seem unusually cool and collected in its own aggression. You get the impression that Tritt’s character has been anticipating this moment, and has already made up his mind that he’s going to relish every second of it. – Dan Milliken
#49
I’ve Come to Expect it From You George Strait
1990 | Peak: #1
The country boy as fish out of the water in Los Angeles. Or New York. Or Detroit. It’s a pretty common theme in country music. Jamey Johnson does his own spin on this theme with his new single, “Playing the Part.” It’s not terribly bad, but it’s not terribly good, either. “Big City” certainly doesn’t have to worry about losing its slot on the Waffle House Jukebox.
Despite a busy little beat, Johnson remains only a step above lethargic. His “Randy Travis 45 on 33 1/3 speed” vocal delivery worked for the slowly revealing lyrics of “In Color” and “High Cost of Living.” But it lets him down here. Even the addiction reference feels obligatory, with Johnson repeating the “pills’ and “Hollywood hills” rhyme that worked much better on Faith Hill’s “When the Lights Go Down.”
That record worked because Hill actually sounded like someone who could have known someone in L.A. who’d gone down that road. Johnson’s got a gold album under his belt and has won a few awards, but it’s a stretch to picture him as a country boy who went chasing fame and fortune in California and is now collapsing under the weight of his success.
It was a stroke of marketing brilliance for Johnson to package himself as a modern-day Outlaw, making it far easier for him to reach a targeted demographic that would eagerly embrace him. Lord knows they’re going to eat these limited editions up like Taylor Swift fans blew their Sweet Sixteen money on this.
But he’s yet to really demonstrate that he could be the second coming of Waylon Jennings or Willie Nelson. Right now, he’s got a shot at being a modern-day Gary Stewart or Mel Street, but he’s going to need better material than this to get there.
Like so much of country music today, and pop for that matter, the marketing and media campaigns are dramatically outpacing the development of the music. Artists who have an album or two under their belt are being heralded as the new incarnation of legends with thirty-year careers. It’s an insult to the legends and an unfair burden to place on artists that are still honing their craft.
Because in the end, the hype will die down and the music is all we’ll be left with. I’d love to see Johnson become the traditional country legend that he’s been prematurely ordained, but he’s barely out of the starting gate, and I don’t see him getting much further down the road with material like this.
As might be expected, the subject matters are getting more intense as we edge closer to the top. But there’s still room for some carefree moments here, thanks to the Dixie Chicks and Jo Dee Messina.
400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #75-#51
#75
When You Say Nothing at All Alison Krauss & Union Station
1995 | Peak: #3
This Keith Whitley classic was recorded as part of a tribute album to the late country star. It became a hit all over again, perhaps because Krauss performed it in a near-whisper. The quiet arrangement matches the sentiment beautifully. – Kevin Coyne
Lawrence dishes on his ex’s cheating ways to her new potential lover. How did she get that way? He reveals that he’s the one who taught her everything she knows from the cheater’s playbook. Moreover, he seems regretful of her corruption. – Leeann Ward
#73
Cowboy Take Me Away Dixie Chicks
1999 | Peak: #1
In a modern world where life can so easily feel cold and mechanical, love remains earthy and exciting and mysterious. It’s a window into a different world, one where we’re not defined by the predictables of our routine – the same stresses, the same cars and buildings – but by our core nature as people, our place in the greater fabric of Earth and, perhaps, heaven. On the surface, “Cowboy Take Me Away” sounds like just a sugar-sweet love song – I’ve even heard it called “pre-feminist” – but there’s something else going on here: a plea for life to have meaning again. – Dan Milliken (more…)
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent Marty Stuart giveaway. It’s heartening that such a strong response was received for an artist who is no longer in the mainstream. I hope our five winners will enjoy Stuart’s fine new album.
Now, we are pleased to announce that courtesy of Show Dog-Universal, Country Universe is giving away two (2) autographed copies of Trace Adkins’ brand new album, Cowboy’s Back in Town, which was released last Tuesday, August 17.
As his first record on the Toby Keith owned record company, one can’t help but be curious to hear what the transition will mean for Adkins. With a big helping of raucous tunes and a handful of softer melodies, Adkins begins the new chapter in his career with a bang.
To enter the random drawing for one of the copies of Adkins autographed albums, leave a comment that tells us your favorite Trace Adkins song(s). The contest will be closed Thursday August 26 at midnight.
In the Entertainer and Male Vocalist races, I’ve been making the case for fresh blood. In those categories, the routine nominees are mostly past their peaks, and there’s room to let some rising stars in on the action.
Oh, to be able to make the same case for the Female Vocalist race. Let’s take a look at last year’s nominees:
2009
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
For the first time in this category’s history, I believe voters are facing a dilemma that plagued the Vocal Duo category for most of the nineties: there just aren’t enough worthy nominees to finish out the category.
Even earlier in this decade, when radio was barely playing any women at all, there were women like Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, and Patty Loveless who earned nominations for their critically acclaimed roots records. Krauss was even a regular in this category for a good chunk of the decade, and despite being largely absent from radio, she sold more records than some of her fellow nominees.
This year, there isn’t even a woman who could step forward and claim that mantle. So my picks don’t bring anything new to the table. Maybe some of you can make the case that I’m unable to, and suggest new blood in the comments.
Picks for Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
She deserves her fourth consecutive nomination, and on the strength of Revolution and its hit single “The House That Built Me”, I think that she deserves the win this year.
Martina McBride
In any other year, this would be the slot that should be up for grabs. McBride didn’t release a new album, and while she had some success at radio with “Wrong Baby Wrong”, it didn’t crack the top ten or reignite album sales. Still, who is standing in her way? Kellie Pickler? Gretchen Wilson? Laura Bell Bundy? I fully expect her to earn her thirteenth consecutive nomination, matching Reba McEntire’s record run from 1983-1995.
Reba McEntire
Speaking of McEntire, she’s been popping up in this category again in recent years. After those thirteen consecutive nominations ended in 1995, the race was far too competitive for a good while. She’s earned three nominations since then, in 2004, 2006, and 2009. Her massive hit “Consider Me Gone” and surprisingly strong record sales mean that this won’t be a filler nomination. She’s earned it.
Taylor Swift
Yes, I know the idea of her winning vocalist awards makes many wince, but c’mon now. There’s no denying she’s one of the top female artists today. Until Eminem’s recent comeback, she was the biggest star in all of music, period. And she’s got a shot at reclaiming that title with her third album, if initial reaction to “Mine” is any indication.
Carrie Underwood
The three-time winner is radio’s favorite artist and her album sales have remained strong. If Lambert hadn’t surged with “The House That Built Me”, I think that Underwood would be ahead in the race this year. If she makes the final ballot for Entertainer, I suspect that voters will reward her in that category and give Female Vocalist to Lambert. There’s good precedent for this, as Dolly Parton (1978), Barbara Mandrell (1980), and Shania Twain (1999) won Entertainer without winning Female Vocalist that night. It’s happened even more in the Entertainer/Male races, given that the big prize has gone to men far more frequently.
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