Comments on: Single Review: Brantley Gilbert, “Kick It In the Sticks”

By: Rachael Sarah Williams

Rachael Sarah Williams — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:35:16 +0000

Forgot to add: Kevin, you could have titled this review “Kick It in the [bleeeeeeep].” Sounds as if that’s what most of us would like to do to numbers like this one.

By: Rachael Sarah Williams

Rachael Sarah Williams — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:30:20 +0000

I listened to the 90-second preview of this song on iTunes and flashed back to 1989. This mess sounds like an 8th grade Warrant/Kix/Bon Jovi cover band with an unintentional southern accent.

As others note above, why doesn’t this country song sound country? Is the genre that desperate? Reminds me of the “countrypolitan” sound of the 1950s-1960s, or the country-pop of the 1990s. The name-dropping is meaningless and cynical. “I’ll mention these other established singers & look like I know what I’m doing!” Nope. You can name-drop when you’re well established (see: “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” and “Luckenbach, Texas”).

By: Devin

Devin — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:51:54 +0000

You’re right RJ. Those are two good songs, along with Them Boys, My Kinda Crazy, and from the first album: Modern Day Prodigal Son, Picture on the Dashboard, etc. Point is, he has some legitimately poignant songs that the general country music audience would enjoy. But most people make judgements only on the singles that you release and the image that you portray , and frankly Brantley’s suck right now.

By: RJ

RJ — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:19:14 +0000

Brantley Gilbert – “Saving Amy” and “Halfway To Heaven” Doesn’t release the right songs, those who think this guy sucks need to listen to those songs. Seriously, and I don’t even like this song.

By: gloria

gloria — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:45:14 +0000

The country radio I use to know and love is GONE, GONE! It’s a machine run by robots. I use to love my country radio station and now they have gone over to the other side and I fear will never be back. They’ve set it on auto pilot and forgot about it. So sad in Georgia.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:48:18 +0000

Devin: I would like to think you are right about air-play, but I’m willing to bet you that this gets a ton of air-play and will indeed be a huge hit for him based on the fact that he is backed by the Valory/Big Machine Label. The reason he’s become relevant is because he’s written some of Aldean’s biggest hits and he is now finally on a label that is going to force Country radio to play him.

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:29:46 +0000

Sorry but this is not country, and name dropping George Strait? I agree with Motown Mike.

By: Devin

Devin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:53:29 +0000

See, he could totally get away with this when he was a small time “indie” artist. He had that small but passionate group of fans who didn’t care if it was hard rock or pop or country, they just liked him/his sound. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work when you make it big and have to be labeled by a specific genre and judged by those standards. Not that it’s a good song anyway, but still.

I’ll copy what I already wrote at another site:
I just have to laugh. Between all the songs on his first two albums, there is a legitimate (DECENT!) country/country-pop album there. But for some reason they want to push this white trash rock and roll nonsense.

I really don’t think this will get a whole bunch of radio play. Not #1 worth anyway. It’ll offend the sensitivities of too many ol’ ladies and people with taste.

By: Erik North

Erik North — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:08:29 +0000

How country music fans and radio station programmers can keep accepting this faux "keeping it country" tripe, full of the name-dropping and hayseed backwoods cliches, is beyond me. This is the kind of thing that would make non-country fans stay non-country fans forever (IMHO).

By: bob

bob — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:30:52 +0000

It made me wince – couldn’t listen to the end.