Song Review – Tim McGraw’s “How I’ll Always Be”
Some question why Saving Country Music expends so much effort on reviewing radio singles. It’s because radio is the last primary holdout in the effort to save country music. Maybe the war hasn’t been won, but significant ground has been re-taken all across the country landscape. And it’s not just about songs or artists that some think are better based on personal taste, but measurable gains in songs and artists universally recognized for being more honest, and more real than what took hold on country music at the height of Bro-Country a couple of years ago.
Yet radio remains the last bastion of the industry’s stranglehold on creativity. Perhaps radio is a lost cause, or eventually will implode to the point where it’s no longer relevant enough to even worry about. Some like to fancy that we’ve reached that point already, but the numbers paint a different story. So until that day radio is deemed irrelevant, it still represents what country music is to millions of people. And under the principle that everyone has a right to good music, it’s worth being concerned about.
An artist like Chris Stapleton may have conquered every other sector of country music, but radio remains elusive to him and others, partly because when Stapleton made his record, he didn’t have radio in mind. Stapleton knows how to win over radio, because he did it with singles he wrote for others that went on to become big radio hits. But once radio programmers have soured on a name, it’s virtually impossible to fall back into favor and find traction on the format. That’s pretty much it for your radio career. Ask Kacey Musgraves.
Yet for Tim McGraw, however he’s managed it, whatever strings Big Machine has pulled, he hasn’t just found some success on radio despite pushing 50 years of age, and his career now spanning a quarter century, he’s downright mastered it. At this point McGraw can release darn near whatever he wants, and despite the worst songs of most mainstream albums constituting its most successful singles, for McGraw, it’s the exact opposite. He’s almost flaunting his radio freedom in people’s faces now. In fact his most commercial-oriented singles, “Truck Yeah” and “Lookin’ for That Girl,” have been his poorest performing. They’re the only two singles he’s released out of the last ten that haven’t cracked the Top 5 at radio.
If “Humble and Kind” had no business on country radio (yet it ended up at #1), then “How I’ll Always Be” is a downright coup d’état. It’s not the lyrics of the song that make it a marvel of modern American country radio. Aside from dropping the name of Hank Williams and referring to the current sound of country as “trendy crap,” the words are just rhyming affirmations of how country someone is, which is a tired approach to songwriting, even if this one is a bit more enhanced by the effervescent appreciation for all things rural instead of chest-thumping attitude-laden blowharding about how badass the country is.
It’s the music of “How I’ll Always Be” that makes it so unique and welcome for mainstream country radio. It’s brushes on snare drum, steel guitar, acoustic guitar, a tasteful guitar solo 3/4’s of the way through (remember those?), and a little melodic run presented at the beginning of the song that’s recalled again at the end like a memory. Now that’s composition. Parts of “How I’ll Always Be” are just snare brushes and the ringing of a bass guitar tone.
READ: Album Review – Tim McGraw’s “Damn Country Music”
There are tons of songs that are better than “How I’ll Always Be,” but none of them are on the radio. Yet “How I’ll Always Be” is, and few, if any songs of the radio are better than it. It will be interesting to see where the song ends up, but it’s another single release with guts, gall, and confidence from Tim McGraw that his track record with recent singles necessitates strong consideration by radio, and that his songs rise above the crappy trends that dictate song rotations.
Who would have thought years ago that Tim McGraw would be a piece, however minor, in the effort to return country music to how it’s always been, and how it always should be?
Paul McGuire
July 5, 2016 @ 8:16 am
And one of the guys responsible for writing it co-wrote Truck Yeah! And now he can buy a BIGGER boat.
Trigger
July 5, 2016 @ 8:33 am
Chris Janson is a very mixed bag. I immediately resorted to vitriol whenever I saw his name for many months. Then I heard “Holdin’ Her.” He’s no John Moreland, but he’s had his hand in numerous songs worthy of attention. I think he’s sort of like Chris Stapleton. He writes what he has to to pay the mortgage, and then he’ll represent some of the best that the mainstream has to offer.
Jamie P
July 6, 2016 @ 2:25 pm
When I was in Nashville a couple of weeks ago, I saw Chris Janson at the Grand Ole Opry. When he came out he was bouncing off the walls and I was thinking “Yikes” this guy is gonna embarrass himself. Once he started singing and telling stories the entire audience, including myself, were won over. Hard to believe that it took “Buy Me a Boat” for a talented guy like this to get to headline at the Opry.
Summer Jam
July 7, 2016 @ 12:45 am
I hated Chris Janson for awhile. Now I think he is awesome. That guy is a real redneck, not a fake ass bitch like Jason Aldean, Chris Lane, Sam Hunt, etc. Janson is one of the guys we NEED on country radio because his music sounds like country from 10 years ago, meaning it is country. Chris Lane is someone who I’m really worried about. Everyone should also be worried about Sam Hunt, that is if he doesnt put out an actual country record next, which he probably wont. All the pop leaning or pop sounding artists are who is keeping the real country guys like Chris Stapleton, Easton Corbin, Chris Janson, Mo Pitney, Josh Turner, Jon Pardi, Joe Nichols, etc… from radio airplay….and when the country sounding dudes get no airplay, all the other artists follow the footsteps of the fake ass bitches that are getting into the top 10 with pop music.
Mike W.
July 5, 2016 @ 8:21 am
I think in many other eras, this song would be considered boring lyrically and rather generic. However, in the era of Thomas Rhett, Chris Lane, Luke Bryan, etc. This song becomes more than it is, more than it should be. Simply put, this song is inoffensive, from the lyrics to the production and considering the state of Country radio, that elevates it to more than it should be. Would I listen to this by choice? Probably not, but if I have to listen to Country radio (which you probably shouldn’t), this is about as good as it can get at modern radio.
Faint praise, I know.
albert
July 5, 2016 @ 8:51 am
EXCELLENT observations here Mike .
Summer Jam
July 7, 2016 @ 12:47 am
Luke Bryan is not bad when you compare him to alot of the artists in the country genre. He actually has pretty country sounding music compared to others. I used to hate Luke Bryan but I don’t anymore after forcing myself to listen to country radio every day for the past 3 years.
Andrew
July 5, 2016 @ 9:52 am
I’m not really a fan of Tim Mcgraw and his music. He jumped on the trends of the 90s to become popular (his music was alright back in the 90s). I do believe he really appreciates real country music and would like to see authentic country music become popular again. I’m sure if that happened he would jump on that “trend” also…
Corncaster
July 5, 2016 @ 10:06 am
“If ‘Humble and Kind’ had no business on country radio”
I’m almost 50, living up here in northern Indiana with a wife and three kids, one of whom just turned sixteen. The world has changed. Last year, my best friend was killed on a highway. I’ve seen my heroes die, too. I’m not getting any younger. So when I heard “Humble and Kind” on the radio this morning on the way to work, I found myself deeply moved and had tears in my eyes at the stoplight.
There has always been a moral strain in country music. It’s the Sunday Morning impulse that drove the Grand Ole Opry. It’s what makes country people cheer on the young Johnny Cash, but love and adore the guy who sang “Jackson” with June Carter. It’s what gives country music its moral bearings, especially as we grow older, confront our mortality in personal terms, and think about the future of our children. And it’s what makes “Humble and Kind” as country as repentance in the dirt.
I have a theory about why McGraw continues to sell: he’s not selling to consumers. He’s tapping the moral vein, which is a deeper thing than the consumerism that drives bro-country. As an Older Person now, I don’t “consume” so much as I support and reward. (I even buy cd’s, probably one of the last ones to do so.) I would guess that a significant percentage of McGraw’s audience do something similar. They don’t care about radio as a consumer habit. They hear a song like “Humble and Kind” and hit the tip jar as if to say “Yes. I believe that, too. I support *that.*” It’s more like a donation to a political campaign, or a charity, then an impulse purchase in a grocery line.
Is McGraw a total cynic, cashing in on what I’ve described above? I don’t know. I’d like to think that he isn’t, that he and Faith are concerned about the moral dimension of life, that he didn’t see his role in “The Blind Side” as mere product placement. He’s putting these songs out there not only because he can, and because it makes money, but because deep down he feels that the moral vein is legitimate, important, and true — though he’ll never preen or make a fuss about it.
Just had to get that off my chest, thanks.
Acca Dacca
July 5, 2016 @ 5:33 pm
Thank you for your observations, they were sobering to read. I also think you very concisely explained, however inadvertently, why an artist’s personal life usually informs at least some of their fandom. There’s a reason there are people who love traditional country but still like Tim McGraw. There’s also a reason that there’s people that love traditional country and can’t stand David Allan Coe. Ideally, music is of and for the soul, and when one end of the spectrum is corrupted it can be a lot harder to swallow.
TheRealBobCephus
July 6, 2016 @ 2:20 pm
I think the “doesn’t belong on the radio” was more speaking to the sentiment that Humble and kind doesn’t fit the type of song that is being put on country radio right now, not that its a bad song or anything. I appreciate your words here but I think you mistook the quote.
Hayley McDaniel
July 13, 2016 @ 7:40 pm
THANK YOU. I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a more accurate description of what keeps the heart of Country Music pumping; Or been so blatantly TERRIFIED to know that there are those who want it dead.
We NEED Country Music. We NEED The Dance… Fancy… Folsom Prison Blues… The House That Built Me… We need reassurance that we aren’t the only ones hurting/addicted/or lost, in this photoshopped-facebook-fake-politically-correct-TO-DEATH, society.
Communication has become nonexistent. Our phones have replaced face to face conversations of any kind. We express our emotions with hashtags and filters, never exceeding 140 characters (less you come across as excessive.) Our entire society has dedicated itself to making sure that we THINK as little as possible…. but herein lies the problem with this scenario… God created us for more.
We NEED to hear a melodies and lyrics so beautiful that it gives us chills… To feel a Memory so precious and vivid that we fight back the tears… To question the status quo… To rally our faith and bolster our pride.
A great country song wont save the world, but it might help to save us from ourselves, 3 minutes at a time.
Tom
July 5, 2016 @ 11:01 am
Still holding out hope that “Damn Country Music” makes its to the radio as a single. This is not a bad selection at all though
Austin Lee
July 5, 2016 @ 2:45 pm
That would be pretty cool to hear on radio!
Brian
July 5, 2016 @ 4:24 pm
I would love that too, but I don’t think it will because he made that official lyric video for it when the album came out that he was actually in and also sang it at a lot of album release appearances on TV, so I think it was kind of like the official unreleased song of the album.
Tom
July 5, 2016 @ 6:49 pm
Yea that would make sense
Nadia Lockheart
July 5, 2016 @ 12:47 pm
Yeah, that’s pretty much how I feel about this song too. Cliched lyrics, but compelling production and instrumentation. I would give it a Strong 7 to Light 8 out of 10.
On a related note, Florida Georgia Line’s next single will apparently be a vocal collaboration with Tim McGraw titled “May We All”. I’ve heard a preview snippet of it; and while the lyrics are backwoods utopia cliches, it sounds strikingly like a Tim McGraw song.
So not only is Tim McGraw himself making radio very slightly more bearable, he’s trying to influence other entertainers to up their game as well. Which we have to admire.
Mike W.
July 5, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
The cynic in me thinks both are just doing it to boost each others careers. McGraw is getting kinda long-in-the-tooth and probably benefits from getting attention from the younger FGL audience. Likewise, FGL is trying like hell to separate themselves from the declining bro-Country audience/fad. Don’t get me wrong, FGL will always be crap, but I think they realize that they can’t have every radio hit be about the same material or sound production or they are going to be screwed in the long run. I don’t think Tyler or Brian are actually talented enough or smart enough to want to actually write or record decent music for the hell of it. It’s all about trying to keep the ship afloat long term.
Nadia Lockheart
July 5, 2016 @ 2:58 pm
Regardless of intent, we should welcome any sign like this as at least a minor step in the right direction.
Self-preservation or not, any time we have something like McGraw persuading Florida Georgia Line to offer something that doesn’t hit you over the head or insult your intelligence, it is akin to one less Old Dominion clone permeating your dial. I for one appreciate that.
Mike W.
July 6, 2016 @ 10:23 am
Perhaps, but by that same token if lyrically the song is just a rewind to 5 years ago when every Country artist was telling us how Country they were, is that really a win for anybody? I haven’t heard the song, so it could be closer to “Dirt” than “Cruise”, but if you what you say is true, that it’s just FGL bragging/telling us how Country they are or how much they appreciate the “backwoods”, I don’t see the upside other than having more Country production at radio.
I’ll have to wait and see how it sounds, but I am suspicious of anything those two bros do. Yeah, it may not be Old Dominion bad, but if we end up going back to the “I’m Country” era I’m gonna vomit a little in my mouth as well.
Six String Richie
July 6, 2016 @ 11:17 am
I remember back to around 2009 when you had all the songs like “Holler Back,” “Where I’m From,” “Small Town USA,” “Backwoods,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll” and so on. I really don’t think returning to that era would be much of an improvement.
Nadia Lockheart
July 9, 2016 @ 2:55 am
For what it’s worth, I’ve heard snippets of several other songs from their forthcoming album, and for the most part I see surefire signs of improvement.
The most glaring example is a track titled “While He’s Still Around”. Brian Kelley sings lead on that and, based on the sample, it sounded strikingly understated, intimate and vulnerable. It seems to be a song about his father. I see that as a good sign.
“Grow Old With Me” also sounded respectable. It has some cliches in the lyrical department, but it nonetheless appears to be a song about Hubbard embracing commitment in a married relationship and also sounding dialed-down instrumentally.
“Music Is Healing” is more tepid based on the sample, and seems like another “We all gotta stop the hate and love one another!” anthem cheesefest. And “Smooth” struck me as another throwaway ditty about how hot Hubbard’s girl is, though it at least had some notable country instrumentation and a vaguely swampy feel to it.
So, yeah. I’m pretty sure the album will still have a few obligatory dumb-as-sand party songs (probably “Island”, “Heat Wave” and “Summerland” if the writing credits are any indication) and other moments where they try way too hard to be taken seriously. But there are signs of promise there, and it does seem Tim McGraw has played a key part in convincing them to move in this direction.
Nadia Lockheart
July 9, 2016 @ 3:02 am
Six String Ritchie: I probably would prefer that era in mainstream country music over this one, if it wasn’t for the outright culture-war sensibilities that were peppering one too many tracks lyrically (i.e. jabs at “city boys”).
Josh Thompson’s “Way Out Here” is a fitting example, as was much of Justin Moore’s debut album. It was rather unpleasant listening to time and again. Contrast that to now, where it is obviously a net minus when countless tracks lack the country instrumentation that was still intact six to eight years ago, but on the other hand it’s a net plus when that undercurrent of rural vs. urban feuding is much less pronounced now than it was then.
It’s quite a trade-off, at least to me. It’s just a shame it seems we have to settle for one or the other! (shrug)
Stephanie
July 5, 2016 @ 1:04 pm
Back in the day, I didn’t really care much for Tim McGraw. Now, I’m not rushing out to buy his albums, but I definitely enjoy most of his songs when they come on the radio and find them refreshing. I don’t know if Its because I’ve changed as I’ve grown up, if his music is better, or if it’s just that it’s elevated by comparison. Probably a combination of the three. But I’m glad he’s finding success with these songs.
Scotty J
July 5, 2016 @ 4:07 pm
I definitely think that a large part of it is that McGraw has stayed the same for the most part while a lot around him has deteriorated. I heard ‘Humble And Kind’ the other day and was thinking while listening that it certainly stands out in today’s environment but really it’s just a glorified greeting card and in another time it wouldn’t praised nearly as much.
Simply said I think that McGraw hasn’t changed much but those around him have.
Acca Dacca
July 8, 2016 @ 7:31 pm
I remember feeling similar back in the day, so it’s definitely the overall environment. Back when country radio was still about 50% good to great, say around 2006 (in my opinion), McGraw’s music often came across as melodramatic and schmaltzy to me. These days every song is a cliche or audible cartoon, mostly both, so some melodrama is welcome. It’s not that McGraw was ever bad, it’s just that his type of music was frequently done better by others (the gut-puncher ballad) with certain exceptions in his repertoire, such as “Live Like You Were Dying” and “Don’t Take the Girl.” It’s probably just nostalgia, but I still freaking love “I Like It, I Love It”, though.
Dogit
July 5, 2016 @ 2:17 pm
Tim McGraw has adapted and survived the country music business very well. I really believe he is cutting what he wants to cut at this point. It is hard to believe he is only relevant 1990’s artist left. Hell, Kenny Chesney is the only other one, and he is struggling mightily. I am no big fan, but I can find one song on every McGraw album that I can stand. He has many songs I really like. I have really enjoyed his last 2 albums. Like Trigg said, “he is as good as it gets on the radio.” I have went through periods of hating him. Then, really liking what he is throwing down. His move from Curb has been great for his music. If you are familiar with his music, you know he has a new energy now. I can’t help but have respect for the guy. Of country artist actually on the radio, I would say he is the best to carry the torch for country music right now (other than Stapleton, Pardi, ect.).
Nadia Lockheart
July 5, 2016 @ 3:13 pm
I wouldn’t consider a string of four consecutive #1 radio hits from his previous album and continuing to regularly sell out large arenas and stadiums “struggling mightily”.
But you’re right for the most part. He is among the last of his generation to continue to remain viable at radio. Toby Keith was once one of his greatest chart rivals, and now his most recent albums have been shunned from radio. Keith Urban has long been another one of his main chart rivals but while he has remained viable at radio, he has shamelessly pandered to trends in order to do so. Rascal Flatts have been relegated to B-list status in terms of radio despite their continuing tour success. And virtually all of the most viable female stars of his generation are all but absent from radio altogether.
McGraw and Chesney are really the only two remaining entertainers who emerged in the early 90s who remain at their A-list game and have retained their signature sound and appeal. And I’d argue McGraw’s is the much more impressive feat between the two of them because while Chesney has sinewed his place through shrewd “Parrothead”-angle marketing and other gimmicks, McGraw has mostly done so solely off of his likeability and song selection. His high-profile marriage has admittedly helped, but certainly not in a way where it distracts from his output.
Acca Dacca
July 8, 2016 @ 7:39 pm
I can’t think of one 1990s female that’s been relevant in at least half a decade, most longer. Martina McBride held on for a bit but even she ran out of steam a while ago.
I don’t know if I agree that McGraw’s marriage has helped him much, at least not lately. Hell, it wouldn’t surprised me if 50% or more of the kids listening to his most recent songs on the radio don’t even know who his wife is, or that she used to make music. Faith hasn’t released an album since 2005 and her last couple of singles evaporated like drops of water on a summer sidewalk. No shocker as to why the corresponding album has never seen the light of day. Sure, she was featured on “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s”, but her part was akin to a set of studio harmonization vocals, not anything substantial.
As for Kenny Chesney, perhaps his commitment to his own style is worthy of some praise but he needs to bring his material in from the beach. It’s long since been overcooked by the sun.
Six String Richie
July 5, 2016 @ 4:14 pm
I thought of this too. With Alan Jackson and George Strait off radio, there are very few elder statesmen left. Even Brad Paisley has really lost relevancy in the past few years. I’m glad that both Chesney and McGraw put out pretty decent singles. They probably realize they wouldn’t be able to pull off the bro thing at their age and in contrast to their previous work.
As a side note, McGraw has collaborated with Big & Rich and FGL on singles now. It seems like he’s getting a little desperate for relevancy even though his own music is doing just fine commercially.
liza
July 5, 2016 @ 6:50 pm
I think the opposite. He’s helping B&R, certainly, and likely FGL, too. I think Tim will work hard to stay relevant in the present, but doubt he’ll ever feel desperate to do so.
Acca Dacca
July 8, 2016 @ 7:55 pm
Big & Rich don’t need any help, or at least not in the manner in which you are implying. Here’s their song “8th of November”, nominated for a Grammy for Best Music Video (an all-genre category, by the way) in 2006, with an introduction by KRIS KRISTOFFERSON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozpdBvB0hek
They also collaborated with Billy Joe Shaver on a cover of his seminal song “Live Forever” that same year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeJ4kp1AwY4
If anything, coming down to McGraw’s AC level is worse than where they were at their best.
liza
July 8, 2016 @ 8:53 pm
They need his help commercially.
Acca Dacca
July 9, 2016 @ 10:39 am
Yeah, they’ve always struggled at radio, but their debut album sold over three million copies alone. Their problem, like Faith Hill, Clint Black and everyone else that has taken a “break” from their career, is that people forgot who they were by the time they decided to return. With B&R it’s perhaps worse as they’ve always had that “party” atmosphere about them, which as we know is not appealing to anyone coming from a couple of middle-aged dudes. They formed their own label to release their most recent album, which dispensed with all of the partying (save for one single song at the end) and pretty much was just a concept album about love. What’s ironic is that their biggest radio hit to date was “Look at You” from that album, but I’m not sure what their prospects are at the moment. They’ve been releasing a new single every January since 2014 and it tends to take the whole year to peak given that they don’t have a major label backing them, but they seem to refuse to let slow chart progress dissuade their plans until the song finally starts falling off.
Acca Dacca
July 8, 2016 @ 7:49 pm
You have that backwards: Big & Rich are getting a little desperate. Their last album was 11 songs worth of Adult Contemporary that McGraw would probably kill to get his hands on. But hey, whatever you think of them, they co-wrote every single song on that album, as they often do.
Lyrics of “That Kind of Town”, written by John Rich and Gerry House, from Big & Rich’s album Gravity (the one with the McGraw collaboration):
“Show me where the Bible says dreaming’s a sin
Round here you’re supposed to die in the town you’re born in
If you cheat if you fight if you get knocked up
Lord they’ll pin you down and never let you back up
Some way we’ll live we’re guys that don’t make the paper
And a baby doctor ain’t the undertaker
Where there’s more to life than a bud light and cruising around
But this ain’t that kind of town
That cop’ll go at you when you ain’t done a thing
And pull the bottle from his pocket and have himself a drink
Sunday morning catching hell from a finger pointing preacher
I bet his misses don’t know about the Sunday school teacher
Some way we’ll live we’re guys that don’t make the paper
And a baby doctor ain’t the undertaker
Where there’s more to life than a bud light and cruising around
But this ain’t that kind of town
Well that road don’t end at the main street bridge
And I won’t stop sighing at the finish line
That’s where it all begins
That cop’ll go at you when you ain’t done a thing
And pull the bottle from his pocket and have himself a drink
Sunday morning catching hell from a finger pointing preacher
I bet his misses don’t know about the Sunday school teacher
I say woah woah woah this ain’t that kind if town”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moakaBA59a4
These guys have a poor reputation based on two or three songs, but that’s a far cry from their entire career output. They opened the George Jones tribute concert a few years back for Pete’s sake, which had nary a FGL or Sam Hunt in sight as I recall.
Nadia Lockheart
July 9, 2016 @ 3:11 am
For what it’s worth, I really enjoy several songs off of their current album including their current single “Lovin’ Lately” (which, incidentally, features McGraw in both vocal and songwriting credits).
Sure, the mandolin is the only instrument that makes it sound remotely country, and the production is certainly pedestrian Adult Top 40 sensibilities. But to my ears, it’s a great example of how small touches can either make or break a song. And from the vocal melody in he verses to the oscillating between the major and minor chords in the chorus, “Lovin’ Lately” just really works to my ears in that it effectively channels that swell of melancholia and longing.
“Thank God For Pain” and, of course, “That Kind of Town” are the other two standouts on the album. Heck, “Gravity” is quite decent too and, as fluffy as it truly was, “Run Away With You” didn’t bother me at all as a radio single. Those five songs alone prove their worth in comparison to most other acts currently impacting the Top 40 of the airplay chart.
Acca Dacca
July 9, 2016 @ 10:54 am
I remember you saying that when it came out, actually. I also recall that we agreed that the rowdier days of Horse of a Different Color were much better than the antiseptic approach of Gravity, even if the latter is more “respectable” and less offensive to traditional country ears. I greatly miss the creativity of their first two albums and have resolved that it will never return.
I actually think “Lovin’ Lately”, despite its implicitly crass treatment of a couple’s sex life, is a decent song as well. There’s an undercurrent of despair there that’s very effective if you can relate to it. McGraw is largely wasted, however — you can barely even hear his vocals and he only appears on the chorus to boot. According to B&R in interviews, he received a songwriting credit because he came up with the idea for the title but Kenny and John wrote the actual song. They’re all friends, though, so B&R gave him credit and brought him in to guest on the track. In the era of a song like “Wagon Wheel” and just the nature of the music business in general, I’d say giving credit where its due is a classy move, not to mention putting Tim on the track to solidify his contribution.
I haven’t listened to Gravity in a hot minute, but I distinctly recall there being some fiddle and steel guitar parts there, as well as at least one fiddle. That the duo has ALWAYS included traditional country instruments on at least 50% of their songs is something I tend to point out as a defense of their artistry, so I was very much listening for it on their most recent album. I recall the instruments appearing here and there (such as the “Thank God for Pain”, where it carries the melody) but being buried in the mix to the point that they might as well have been taken out. Still, I think songs like the ones you’ve pointed out are more country than a majority of the stuff they’re sharing the charts with.
I can appreciate that they wanted to show their softer side after a decade of “bad boy” personas, but they went a little too far in the other direction. Still, I give them (very biased) credit for maintaining their vision in the midst of bro-country, a plague that many would throw B&R into, if not outright lay at their feet, after “Save a Horse” and “Comin’ to Your City”, both of which I still maintain as containing a certain amount of parody. Even Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean don’t brag about handing out $100.00 bills to strangers or parading through a town, not to mention that both Kenny and John were pretty much broke at the time they wrote the song.
mary hayden
July 5, 2016 @ 5:21 pm
Scotty McCreery has a new song out that is getting tremendous view at YouTube. The Opry posted the video. Several Country Music websites have praised it. Don’t know if it will be a single or not, but it is awesome – is it permissible to post a link to the video here? I know there are a couple more songs out with the same name but to me, I prefer Scotty’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb8o8fgMs3A
Convict charlie
July 5, 2016 @ 6:27 pm
He can release it or post it all he wants. It could be the greatest song ever. Unless he’s on a label it won’t do anything. It has to have money behind it. It may be released independently and then someone could pick up distribution for it with some traction. It’s an uphill battle at radio at least.
albert
July 5, 2016 @ 6:40 pm
I’ve been listening to the radio up here in Canada for a couple of days . The radio …not satellite or streaming stuff . Commercial FM country radio . With all of the ‘breakthroughs’ we’ve heard about -the Isbells, the Musgraves , the Stapletons , the ‘Dave Cobb Productions ‘, Brandy Clark , Sturgill etc etc country radio has never been worse up here . God-awful pointless lyrics , cliche-riddled phrasing and production and very very few female artists . Bro-shit , I hate to report , is alive and well in these parts with an awful lot of Canadian acts trying to mimic American Bro to ensure airplay of some measure .I’ve heard some potentially terrific acts come out of the chute with LOTS of originality and character only to turn around next time out and release something so trite and so far from what they obviously had envisioned fro themselves to be initially that it is quite sickening to think that labels and radio have this kind of power over potentially good artists . And this about -face is as blatent as can be. From interesting lyric of substance to absolute shit ( Dierks’ SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH kinda of shit and cow-towing ) . I don’t profess to understand all the workings of the ‘biz’ but I cannot recall ANY genre EVER sounding so desperate and fearful and as lacking in confidence as mainstream country music does right now . At least here in Canada anyway . There is absolutely no room for risk or rocking the boat whatsoever . It is complete pandering to the absolute lowest common denominator with generic grooves and very very poor songwriting reflecting very limited life-experience and little , if any , emotion-based substance or narrative . Its music that’s just about as bad as it gets in every department ..
Harriett
July 6, 2016 @ 1:58 pm
He didn’t get rewarded for Truck Yeah or Looking For That Girl and that’s why he took another approach. Mainstream artists, Tim included, do what works.