Chase Rice’s New Lead Single “Whisper” Takes a Flop. Big Time.
The lead single to Chase Rice’s new record is done, finished, finito, dead, and game over according to radio insiders. And the results do not paint a very pretty picture at all for the performer. After a big promotional push by Rice’s label Columbia Nashville, all that his song “Whisper” could muster on the radio charts was a whimper before limping off into the night virtually unnoticed. The single stalled out at a terrible #56 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, and now who knows what is in store for the Bro-Country artist.
The controversial song with questionable lines even for today’s country like “What if I shut ya up with my lips on your lips” was preceded by a strange apology in letter form by Chase to his fans basically saying he knew “Whisper” was completely self-absorbed and shallow, but oh boy wait until his entire album came out, and then you would hear all this great music of substance.
“I’m not ignorant, there are a lot of people out there waiting for country music to find a little more depth and meaning,” Chase said in the letter. “Well, I agree with you. Country music deserves that. This first song may not be what you’re looking for yet, but that’s ok, because music was not meant to be heard in singles, but in Albums.”
The problem is, Chase Rice was already talking out of both sides of his mouth when he posted his letter. He told the Sun-Times while complaining himself about the lack of meaningful material in today’s country, “It will be all about depth in this next record.” Now the only way that is possible is if he leaves “Whisper” off, which may not be a bad idea after its performance.
But the bigger problem for Rice might be if there even is a new album at this point. Undoubtedly there are songs in the can waiting to be released by the “Cruise” co-writer, but in the current environment in mainstream country, if your lead single flops this hard, it’s hell to get a label to make the next move unless it’s seeing you to the door.
Just as much as the big wins and sales numbers for Chris Stapleton are a promising sign about where country music might be headed, as well as the return of (some) female representation on country radio, and the continued growth of market share by independent artists, so is the lack of traction certain artists and songs are finding for their post Bro-Country offerings. The death of “Whisper” is a big, symbolic moment for where the momentum in country music is headed.
This is not 2013 anymore, but some in the business just can’t get off of that Bro-Country sauce. They think mixing arena rock with hip-hip beats is still the way to go with your lead single. But that ship has sailed, especially for artists like Chase Rice. It’s not that there still isn’t a slight amount of appeal for that style of music, but many of those malleable music fans who were only listening to Bro-Country because it was the hot thing have well moved on. There’s only enough bandwidth left for a few artists, and Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Cole Swindell are already way more established.
Look what Florida Georgia Line released as their last debut single: “Dirt.” Look what Cole Swidell released as his lead single and title track: “You Should Be Here.” Look at the latest single Luke Bryan has released, “Lovin’ Fishin’ and Huntin’ Every Day.” You may hate all of these songs, and they all certainly have plenty of reasons to hate them. But each contains at least a small element of effort and pragmatism to reach out to country consumers with a little bit more of a message, or a modicum of roots that at least makes it relevant in today’s country marketplace. Chase Rice on the other hand went swinging for the Bro-Country home run ball, and whiffed.
The failure of “Whisper” should be a warning to the other Bro-Country acts hoping to hold on to their relevancy in the mainstream country marketplace: you better get with the program and bring music with a bit more substance, or you risk bowing out. You can say whatever you want in letters and interviews, but actions speak louder. And the American public is now listening more intently.
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Interesting Note: The “official” YouTube player for the song below currently says it’s “unlisted.” Is Columbia Nashville already attempting to distance from the song?
Tom
April 19, 2016 @ 8:53 am
Interesting, I have Sirius XM and mainly listen to that, and they play “Whisper” all the time. I know XM and normal radio often to their own separate things, but I never would have guessed “Whisper” was flopping that bad.
Brandon F
April 19, 2016 @ 9:33 am
This is why I never listen to The Highway. It’s the only country station not in my presets.
Dave
April 19, 2016 @ 10:30 am
I tend to mainly listen to Willie’s Roadhouse and sometimes the 90s country station.
Diesel
April 19, 2016 @ 10:40 am
For me it’s Y2Kountry, Prime, Willie’s Roadhouse and 99% of the time Outlaw. Don’t even bother with the Highway
I miss Steve Gaines
April 19, 2016 @ 2:58 pm
Yea channel 60 and the Dead’s channel 23, only for me!
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 19, 2016 @ 8:53 am
They’ll run Chase Rice out of Nashville faster than Obama would run out of a KKK meeting after a dismal #56… I mean come on… Cole Swindle is flopping pretty bad too, and he’s less talented than a can of steamed rutabagas. If you’re losing out to watered-down, pasty-white, blander than pureed tofu acts like him, you’re really a zero… Although Chase Rice has always been a number two. haha.
But seriously, very few fans of artists like this pay attention to their little letters and their interviews. Unless some DJ read this letter aloud on the radio, I highly doubt any Chase Rice fans would ever know what he said.
Really, we’re how many months since Stapleton swept in November, and people still think imitating a 3-year old single by a band whose popularity is falling around them is a good idea? Chase Rice is literally the last person to know about the state of the industry, and he’s probably the last person to know a lot of other things, like how to sing, and who Hank Williams is, and what respectable decent men wear in public…
Let’s hope he goes down in flames and takes Thomas Rhett and Tyler Farr with him.
sixofone
April 19, 2016 @ 9:12 am
Cole Swindell’s most recent single, “You Should Be Here,” just spent 3 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and 4 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart — hardly what I’d call “flopping pretty bad.”
Trigger
April 19, 2016 @ 9:29 am
I think Cole Swindell’s “You Should Be Here” is in no way the great song many are touting it as. But it tries, and just like Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt” tries. That is the reason these songs performed on radio. It’s also because Swindell has an established relationship with radio, so basically if he releases a song, it’s going to shoot straight to #1.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 19, 2016 @ 9:46 am
still irrelevant, it hasn’t turned up any accolades at awards shows, it hasn’t stopped Stapleton, it hasn’t propelled him to top-tier status.
Cole Swindle is a fabrication. A radio darling, outside of Radio he has nothing, and when radio stops playing him his career with make Microfiche look hip and relevant.
His time spent at number 1 is just a game of bought numbers, he has no real industry presence, he isn’t getting recognition by major media, he isn’t even a recurring name on the face of the Country magazines, it’s like nobody knows he exists when the radio is turned off.
sixofone
April 19, 2016 @ 10:08 am
You act like Cole Swindell is the only “fabrication” and “radio darling” out there today.
You stated that he is “flopping pretty bad,” and that is false. Most country chart peaks are “a game of bought numbers,” so you can’t just single out Cole Swindell’s peak positions as manufactured — all peak positions from all artists on Billboard airplay charts are manufactured.
The bottom line is that Chase Rice’s current single clearly and resoundingly flopped at country radio, while Cole Swindell’s was a hit (and it also sold more copies than “Whisper”). Cole Swindell is getting his new album released soon, while there is no news about a new album from Chase Rice. Even if he is missing all those other accomplishments you state, at this point in his career, Cole Swindell is not “flopping pretty bad.”
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 19, 2016 @ 10:26 am
Outside of Country Radio, he is flopping, if we use “Cruise” or that new Luke Bryan song as a benchmark. he has a ferocious, one-dimensional type of fan, but in the greater sense of mass appeal, he’s losing pretty badly. He’s a discount Luke Bryan with a smaller fanbase, lower sales, and less cultural relevance, the fabricated numbers cannot buy him mainstream relevance, and he is going to go away because he isn’t established enough or significant enough to retool and remarket, and despite what people think about his success, he’s flopping pretty badly overall, because he’s not even a sideshow at the awards, he didn’t appear for a token photo, he didn’t present, and even if he does garner some nominations next cycle he’s not going to win any/
AT
April 19, 2016 @ 10:47 am
“Cole Swindell is getting his new album released soon, while there is no news about a new album from Chase Rice. Even if he is missing all those other accomplishments you state, at this point in his career, Cole Swindell is not “flopping pretty bad.””
Cole Swindell is a ticking time bomb and his record label has to release albums, EPs, and singles at a fast rate, because the bro-country is rapidly dying. His career has been built on pure marketing ploys…and his “Luke Bryan-Merch-Guy-Launches-Career” story can only take him so far. He’s a singer that happens to be friends with other high-profile acts, so they take him on tour.
Mike W.
April 19, 2016 @ 8:39 pm
Guys like Cole Swindell have to be scared sh**less about the possible collapse of mainstream Country radio. Guys like Aldean, Bryan, Shelton, etc. will all make out fine, they have established solid fan bases who will probably still listen to their music without the support of Country radio and will still go see their concerts. Guys like Swindell though? No shot without the artificial bump of Country radio. He has no serious, established fan base from what I can tell and he is far from any kind of draw as a artist for live shows.
Basically, Cole Swindell is this generation’s Craig Morgan. Morgan never sold many records and he never was a massive star with crossover appeal, but man was he able to have a nice career bump from apparently making lots and lots of friends at Country radio who played the crap out of a guy most people found bland and boring. Granted, a lot of that probably had to do with his Army credentials and the wave of faux-patriotism that enveloped the nation after 9/11. Now Craig Morgan is a talking head from time-to-time on Fox News. Maybe Cole Swindell has a future as some dude from Georgia calling into Paul Finebaum’s show to complain about how Georgia Southern isn’t being taken seriously enough…..
Sauron the Deceiver
April 19, 2016 @ 10:13 am
The reason “You Should Be Here” hasn’t been nominated for any awards is because it was released after the eligibility period for the ACMs, CMAs, and Grammys. It’ll easily garner nominations in Song and/or Single of the Year categories at the 2016 CMAs and 2017 ACMs, and possibly a Country Song of the Year nomination at the 2017 Grammys as well. And no, it hasn’t stopped Stapleton’s success. What, you think it was supposed to?
Say Whaa
April 19, 2016 @ 10:38 am
The song spent four weeks at #1 (and several more weeks inside the Top 5) on Hot Country Songs, which is based on the combination of airplay, sales, and streaming. The only reason it didn’t get a fifth week is because Tim’s “Humble And Kind” performance made so much noise at the ACMs.
I know some country radio purists hate that chart, but it actually serves as the perfect counter in this case: it’s very hard if not impossible to hit #1 based on radio alone. Swindell may not be an A-lister in the vein of Luke Bryan or now Chris Stapleton, but his music clearly lives beyond the radio.
It’s just so weird to target Swindell in particular for having “manufactured” airplay, when much of his music performs reasonably well on the sales and streaming fronts (his last album and 3 of the 4 singles are platinum, while the other single is gold).
This is not in any way a Michael Ray or Chase Bryant situation – his music connects.
Same deal with Brett Eldredge.
Ballgame
April 19, 2016 @ 10:53 am
A platinum debut album
First five singles went #1 on either Mediabase or Billboard or both
3 Platinum singles
2 Gold singles
He was the only non-nominated performer at the ACMs.
“You Should Be Here” will be a CMA Song of the Year nominee.
His record on May 6th will probably outsell Keith Urban’s on the same release day.
Hey Fuzzy, tell me one more time how Cole Swindell is “flopping”. Comical.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 19, 2016 @ 11:16 am
The dude has made zero impact whatsoever. Nada, zilch, squat. He isn’t a presenter on awards shows, he doesn’t get TV interviews, they don’t put him on the cover of those awful Country magazines, in fact once the radio is off it’s as if he doesn’t exist. The radio IS his success, his numbers are a ploy, and nobody is falling for it. a successful artist is on the news, there are articles about him, and people know his name
Anyone ever tell you they’re a Cole Swindle fan?
I saw he’s flopping because despite his high numbers nobody pays attention to him, he gets glossed over while his dumb frat buddy Luke gets all the accolades, those numbers don’t mean squat unless they translate to actual marketplace relevance, and he is completely irrelevant to the market. He doesn’t set a trend like Sam Hunt, he isn’t a marketable personality like Urban, Blake or Luke, and he doesn’t have the impact enough to merit TV interviews.
That CMA nomination is worthless, because he won’t win anyway. Platinum and gold singles are irrelevant because it’s just a symbol of how far music sales have dipped. If Keith Urban only sells a grand, then a grand and one outsells Keith Urban, and he’s not super relevant anymore either.
Tell me again how outselling a waning star who isn’t dominating the radio anymore and is only popular with soccer moms indicates being successful.
Mediabase and Billboard don’t tell you how far album and single sales are, or what the average sales are for a release, he’s number 1 on those because he’s a money pit.
the labels are pouring money into him to get those number one spots, but that investment isn’t turning into any kind of commercial relevance, he’s barely a c-tier star with hardly any name recognition outside of the super insulated section of the industry in which he resides.
Ballgame
April 19, 2016 @ 11:39 am
Whatever Fuzzy. Show me anyone outside of Sam Hunt and now Chris Stapleton that has been in the game less than 3 years with more name recognition. He did present at last year’s CMA’s and was scheduled to present at this year’s ACM’s before being added as a performer. I’m not sure what TV interviews you are talking about, but he’s been on all the radio/tv countdown shows multiple times. And you aren’t a “c-tier” star when you are direct support two years in a row for two of the hottest touring acts in the game while selling out more than 75% of his headlining shows. Last year he was direct support for the Entertainer of the Year. Your argument holds absolutely no weight. He might ‘have flopped” in your eyes, but at this point, they are limited to your eyes. And I told you what the sales have been: Platinum record. 3 Platinum singles, 2 gold singles (one of which, YSBH will ultimately be Platinum. Those designations are only given once the record or single has been PURCHASED.
Bill Roy
April 19, 2016 @ 11:48 am
He’s selling concert tickets also. At least around here anyway, and that’s with him as the headliner. He’s knows he got lucky with his connections and he’s making the most of them. I don’t blame the guy. Not my kind of music, but certainly not a flop.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 19, 2016 @ 11:53 am
Again, he’s a money pit, pure and simple. labels are sinking money into him and are getting nothing in return. the amount of money sunk into this clown should have elevated him to the heights of Blake or Luke, but instead he’s virtually unknown outside of his genre, and completely irrelevant in the greater music sense. The number don’t matter, because his cultural impact is completely squash at this point. He’s just an act riding on Luke Bryan’s coattails and all the numbers prove is that somebody has a lot of cash and zero taste and is trying to cash in on an investment.
Lots of people have been in the game that long with more recognition, How about when FGL released Cruise? How about Stapleton (I don’t count either his Steeldrivers work or his bro-country songwriting because he had no real impact or relevance at that point) what about Sturgill Simpson (again, not counting Sunday Valley or High Top because they weren’t impactful.)
How about Lee Brice, or Maddie and Tae, who are fast on their way to usurping Cole Swindle as the biggest example of a marketing farce in Country Music.
Cole Swindle’s numbers have a lot of people fooled, but just like Kane Brown, when the rubber hits the road it’s all just smoke and noise. he’s constantly overshadowed by the other bro-country acts and has yet to step out of the shadows and make himself a frontrunner. he’s a step behind with no new ideas, and everybody knows that he’s just another face in the greater Country Music crowd, because despite the radio numbers and the album sales (which again, aren’t very high because pop-country album sales are very very low) he has made no impact on Country Music, the labels are pouring money into an imitator who has yet to make his own headlines.
Ballgame
April 19, 2016 @ 2:53 pm
Exactly one label, not labels, have sunk money into him. I’m sure Warner Nashville is more than happy thus far with their investment. So, according to you, Cole is supposed to be equal to Blake or Luke after one album? Those guys have 4, 5, 6 albums under their belts. Come on man, it’s obvious this conversation is going nowhere fast, so I’ll end it here. I’m sure there are plenty of CS haters on this forum, and there are no shortage of them that will agree that, at least to this point, your argument holds zero water.
Amanda
April 19, 2016 @ 8:56 am
Bye bye, Chase. And good riddance to ya.
JC Eldredge
April 19, 2016 @ 9:12 am
Execs knew the trend was dying, yet they continued to flood the market with dime store Luke Bryans trying to see if any of them would stick. It’s the Hunger Games Bro Country now boys. Over saturation killed the novelty and the kids have now moved on to new music and don’t think you’re cool anymore. Rice is the first of many to realize that no one wants to hear what they’re singing and it’s time to get some substance or move on.
Razor X
April 19, 2016 @ 9:14 am
Yay!!
Spoony
April 19, 2016 @ 9:28 am
Why do all these guys look like major d-bags who need to be slapped? I didn’t bother to listen. I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that what I was unwittingly hearing on the almost-muted radio while riding as a passenger in a pickup truck really was a song about “Lovin”™ Fishin”™ and Huntin”™ Every Day.” Good lord. And then I looked up the lyrics to that gem, that killed some brain cells.
Jen
April 19, 2016 @ 3:41 pm
ROFL! Every time I hear that stupid song coming on, I change the station. Matter of fact, I listen to.Hank FM (pre 2010, including many oldies but goodies), or just oldies. I don’t listen to much mainstream country anymore. Luke, Jason, and FGL have just ruined it.
Kevin Davis
April 19, 2016 @ 9:49 am
And yet we have Tucker Beathard being pushed by the industry, via On the Verge. He’s another generic bro, with the obligatory flat-brim ball cap.
Amanda
April 19, 2016 @ 10:28 am
Speaking of Tucker Beathard, he’s terrible. He sounds like a mix between my kitten crying and nails on a chalkboard. Dude can’t carry a tune in a bucket. I couldn’t finish the song solely because of his awful-as-hell vocals.
Mule
April 21, 2016 @ 8:40 am
Wait wait wait…there’s someone named TUCKER BEATHARD?? And he’s not a parody artist a la Wheeler Walker, Jr.?? I mean, he’s real?? Holy God…
Amanda
April 22, 2016 @ 10:20 am
Yep, unfortunately for us, he’s a real person. He looks like a wannabe Sam Hunt, minus the talent. And his voice, holy shit on a biscuit…I swear to God that Music Row is so desperate they’ll sign anyone these days.
Angelo Rinaldi
April 20, 2016 @ 7:22 am
The industry in the past year pushed Michael Ray, Chase Bryant and Granger Smith, but look where they are now.
A #1 single on country radio and then nothing else.
Amanda
April 20, 2016 @ 9:01 am
Michael Ray is a fucking hack. He has barely any talent, and isn’t attractive at all. He looks like a praying mantis. I mean, I can back up the part where I called him a hack. Just look up “Michael Ray Right Where I Need to Be” on YouTube. It’s a video of him covering Gary Allan’s Right Where I Need to Be, and it’s positively awful. At first, you feel angry at him for completely wrecking a perfectly good country song. Then you want to laugh at him because he looks like a clown and a complete fool. His dancing is Cole Swindell-level bad. Then you just feel kinda sorry for him because he’s completely embarrassing himself in front of the world. His singing is flat and all over the place. I wonder what Gary Allan would think if he saw this moron covering his song and looking like a complete assclown while on stage. In addition to how horrible he is live, Michael Ray has put out three completely awful singles.
Chase Bryant has a fair amount of talent, but wastes it on subpar material. He has great guitar skills and a decent voice. He just needs better material.
As for Granger Smith, he should lose the bro-country attitude and go on back to Texas where he belongs.
Summer Jam
April 21, 2016 @ 2:24 am
Michael Ray is great. He has some great COUNTRY songs on his album. If you think he has no talent, i truly feel sorry for you. Granger Smith is the one with NO talent and he has a terrible voice, no vocal range, and dances like a clown. I think you need to sit down and listen to Michael Ray’s album before calling him a hack and bashing the hell out of him. He’s way better than most country artists on radio.
Amanda
April 22, 2016 @ 8:55 am
I will give Michael Ray a little bit of credit, his version of “Run Away With You” was pretty good, maybe even better than Big and Rich’s version, although theirs was decent as well. Maybe I was being a bit too hard on him, but most of the songs I’ve heard of his (aside from Run Away With You and maybe Livin’ It Up) did absolutely nothing at all for me.
PETE MARSHALL
April 19, 2016 @ 9:57 am
ha ha ha!! Another song bites the dust!!!
DownSouth
April 19, 2016 @ 11:19 am
I think Sturgill Simpson and Stephen Colberts Waffle House song could chart higher than 56.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe_1lOJYN0
Brett
April 19, 2016 @ 1:36 pm
It absolutely would. Don’t build no evil robots for enslaving mankind!
Lq
April 19, 2016 @ 4:06 pm
Yes!! From the very first note, I was thinking that the Waffle House song was so much better than any of the garbage on mainstream radio.
ha-ha-ha-aroni
April 19, 2016 @ 11:31 am
They will CHASE him away like white off RICE
Six String Richie
April 19, 2016 @ 12:18 pm
I get the feeling that the label actually changed plans and pulled promo for this single. After the initial blitz, I noticed that they seemed to stop pushing it. No big PR appearances for Rice (that I know of), not much advertising on internet sources. I think maybe they decided to try to stay true to Rice’s letter.
He’ll probably comeback with a Dirt/You Should Be Here/Drink A Beer type song and talk about how much more deep his new album is.
Able
April 19, 2016 @ 2:28 pm
Anyone else getting a strong Bill Cosby vibe from his picture here?
Scott S.
April 19, 2016 @ 2:37 pm
Speaking of bro-country, anyone hear Kevin Fowler’s new single Sellout Song? Pretty funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2KIm3GUCJI
indk
April 19, 2016 @ 2:45 pm
I bet his album is “deep” alright. Put your waders on, there’s alot of “substance” coming.
Ballgame
April 19, 2016 @ 2:49 pm
Well one label, Warner Nashville (not labels) sunk money into him and I’d harken a guess that they have already recouped that initial investment and much more based on record and single sales…So in your opinion, he’s supposed to be on equal footing with Blake and Luke after one album? Those guys are on their 5th or 6th albums, man. It’s obvious this conversation is going nowhere so I’ll end it here. I’ll hazard to guess that even the staunchest CS haters and there are plenty here will agree that you, at least until this point, are dead ass wrong.
Summer Jam
April 19, 2016 @ 3:27 pm
I’m generally a fan of pop country and bro country, but Chase Rice SUCKS. The guy has NO vocal range at all, he sounds like a sick cow singing live, NO talent, and he has a terrible voice. “Ready Set Roll” was a good bro country song to cruise down the interstate to, but was not a great song by any means. “Country As Me” is his only other good song I’ve heard, probably his best actually, and that wasn’t a great song either. Bottom line, this guy sucks. He is one of the worst artists in the genre. This is coming from a bro country and pop country fan. I like country old and new. I’m a very open person and even i say this guy sucks. Glad this single flopped it was terrible. This moron deserves to be unrecognized by the public, its just a real shame that Joe Nichols and Jerrod Niemann have been put out to the pasture recently due to poor performances from their lead singles when they both have some serious talent, unlike this untalented hack.
Jen
April 19, 2016 @ 3:48 pm
Off topic, but relevant…does anyone do the surveys where you pick the next single? I got to rate some really terrible songs today by a former contestant from a singing show…won’t mention names, but the first song, beautiful melody…terrible subject matter. The next, she was objectifying a male crush, a`la FGL. The next was just terrible, and so was the last one…if that’s all she had to offer, she needs to go back into the studio. She has a beautiful voice, but the songs were terrible!
When are the PTB at these labels going to allow their artists to sing something decent?
PETE MARSHALL
April 19, 2016 @ 4:05 pm
I’ll make Chase Rice “Whisper” Better. On the Hot Country Songs chart the song has peaked at #17. Plus guess what Dierks Bentley “Somewhere on the beach” is at #1 on this chart this week.
Nadia Lockheart
April 19, 2016 @ 4:20 pm
I’m still pretty confident he’ll get another album out soon enough.
Let’s not forget that “Ignite The Night” sold solidly for an album that failed to produce any hits with lasting impact. Both singles plunged like boulders following payola engineering them into the Top Five, but it’s clear many listeners were still impressed enough by Rice’s cult personality to buy the full album to the extent it nearly achieved Gold certification status in physical sales alone.
I think the album sales will provide more than enough persuasion to get the album out. What is in the air is his future at radio.
Spencer H
April 20, 2016 @ 12:52 pm
It also didn’t hurt that for the majority of 2015 Chase’s Deluxe CD was only 5 bucks on iTunes. I liked all of 1 song on that CD, but hell, for 5 bucks even I’d be tempted to buy it. I can only imagine that that helps bump up sales a bit.
Erik North
April 19, 2016 @ 4:49 pm
I’m almost inclined to believe that this whole Bro-Country/Metro-Bro/whatever the hell you call it fad isn’t going to die for real until every one of these guys suffers several major flops in a row at radio and on the charts. Chase Rice included, I don’t believe a single one of these “bros” has any capacity for artistic growth beyond songs about screwing girls on the tailgates of their 4x4s (and, of course, calling any female, even if they’re over the age of 21, “GIRL”).
But apart from all that, and their lame attempts at “redneck rap” or “hick hop”, combined with roaring Southern arena rock guitars that basically drown out the sense of anything realistically rural, I think the problem is that none of them seem to have any knowledge of the history of country music, let alone the music itself, that goes further back than Garth Brooks, if even that. That is really dreadful; and unless that changes in a big way, I fear the whole country music genre itself is in a lot of trouble.
Razor X
April 20, 2016 @ 5:57 am
“…. unless that changes in a big way, I fear the whole country music genre itself is in a lot of trouble.”
It’s been in a lot of trouble for quite some time now. It needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. The sooner radio implodes the sooner we can get started on cleaning up this godawful mess.
Spencer H
April 20, 2016 @ 12:55 pm
I’d argue that a number of the artists on Country Radio have the capability to produce more substance-filled music when they put their minds to it. Chase Rice’s Jack Daniels and Jesus is one example. It’s not the most country song in the world, but it’s got meaning and emotion in it.
Big Cat
April 19, 2016 @ 5:43 pm
I tend to think some of the bro-is-dead talk is a simplistic over generalization. As long as there are young people in this world, mainstream music (country) will sell.
Mike
April 20, 2016 @ 11:14 am
Then we need to do a better job of teaching the youth about the dangers of bro/frat country crap!!! We CAN make a difference!!
Big Cat
April 20, 2016 @ 11:40 am
Amen! Country rap might fade but lazy, catchy mainstream melodies will always sell no matter the genre.
This song really sucks by the way. To the point it’s actually funny.
Hayley
April 19, 2016 @ 6:18 pm
“Let the gravel in my voice, drown out all the noise.”
*shudders*
Shastacatfish
April 19, 2016 @ 11:23 pm
If there is indeed a rising ground swell for more “depth” then that spells doom for all these metro/bro dorks. I think guys like Rice are seeing the gravy train coming to an end and are trying to jump off the sinking ship. His comments regarding the rest of the album are evidence of at least some awareness of what is going on. The problem, however, is that one does not simply pivot to “depth”. Either you are an authentic artist or you are not. If you are, then it comes out in your music. If you aren’t, then you get “Whisper”.
All that being said, I am not sure that depth is the real issue here. There is a time and a place for songs to have real, layered meaning but there is room for songs to be fun or something else that is not deep. There are plenty of George Strait or Alan Jackson songs that lack depth. They are, however, authentic. Guy Clark singing about home grown tomatoes or Jerry Jeff Walker going on about women from northeast Texas are not deep but they are real songs by real men. The metro/bro rash that has been inflicted on country music is utterly inauthentic, written by committees with menus and performed by pretty boys posing for catalogues. They could write a “deep” song, but it will still lack authenticity.
Mule
April 21, 2016 @ 10:16 am
Very well put. I would add that if you have to write a damn letter explaining that your album will have depth, you’ve already lost.
Can you imagine Willie or Kris or Billy Joe or Joe Ely saying something like that – or even needing to? No. Because everyone knows they don’t have to say it. They do it.
You’d think this logic would be obvious, but we are talking about artists in a genre that spend their entire short careers singing about how country they are, like they’re trying to convince themselves.
Macey
April 20, 2016 @ 9:41 am
Chase Rice is sad. He came back to his alma mater UNC to do a concert and most students were extremely upset about it. At his concert he got extremely creepy with a 19 year old girl on stage and talked about drinking the entire time. It was just a bad show and his openers were even worse. When you’re not even wanted at your own alma mater you’re doing something wrong.
Ink
April 20, 2016 @ 11:20 am
Friends of mine were there and said the exact same thing – the interaction with the girl is what really turned them off…..
Ink
April 20, 2016 @ 11:19 am
This guy only got “known” because he was on Survivor Nicaragua and ran around without his shirt off and got a lot of Twitter followers and used it to start playing music. He got lucky with “Cruise” and just needs to cruise back to wherever he came from. A friend was at the alma mater show he did and confirmed what Macey said – creepy, and just acted like a frat boy trying to sing.
Amanda
April 20, 2016 @ 11:44 am
Chase Rice has always struck me as having kind of a creepy vibe to him. I’ve never cared for him, I’ve always thought he sucked and was one of the main artists damaging country radio.
Summer Jam
April 21, 2016 @ 2:31 am
That’s because Rice IS a creep. I could totally see this guy murdering someone in their sleep.
Amanda
April 22, 2016 @ 8:57 am
That is so true. I’m kinda scared of him now, lol. 😉 He looks extremely evil.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
April 20, 2016 @ 12:27 pm
This is the first time I’ve actually listened to this thing. Yeesh.
Sam Hunt, like him or not, can pull this sort of song off. Most other guys can’t.
Anna
April 21, 2016 @ 3:10 pm
The thing about Chase Rice is that he really truly does suck. Tone-deaf isn’t a good enough term for him, his songs have zero meaning, aren’t clever, and honestly this one isn’t even catchy, and he isn’t some hot shot musician either. Sam Hunt isn’t country and he’s a douche, but actually has a really good voice, Luke Bryan has proved his talent in the past, Florida Georgia Line is only about a half step above chase rice, but they still have those catchy songs that draw people in…. Chase Rice is literally nothing
Amanda
April 22, 2016 @ 8:59 am
Sam Hunt does have a good voice and is a very good technical songwriter, although he’s anything but country. I personally love Sam Hunt, but as a pop artist, not a country artist. FGL is super duper dumb but entertaining to watch. Luke Bryan had some great material on his first two albums. But I fully agree with you, Anna… Chase Rice is nothing but a talentless hack.
Charles Murphy
April 22, 2016 @ 11:49 am
I prefer to keep the term “chase rice” to a more beneficial situation….like when eating at PF Changes and “chase rice” around my plate is what I’ve done.
This guy is an insult to rice and even whiter.
laurie
July 6, 2016 @ 10:26 pm
Everybody has there own taste in music and is in titled to their own opinion. So the thing is, I really like chase rice. I don’t think there is any reason for all the negativity. He has a strong voice that is easy to listen to. I am so ready to hear the rest of the new album after hearing “Whisper”.