Chris Stapleton Lends “Like A Cowboy” to Parker McCollum
You’re right to get a little worried whenever the hometown Texas kid gets gobbled up by a major label like Parker McCollum was last year by UMG Nashville. You never know exactly how all of that’s going to turn out, and the track record when looking at the long procession of Texas and Red Dirt artists heading to Tennessee is not exactly a good one.
There’s still plenty left to be determined since Parker hasn’t even released a proper album yet, and his first major label single called “Pretty Heart” sort of leaves any diagnosis indeterminate. But a new song he’s just released called “Like A Cowboy” is everything you want from the 27-year-old no matter who he’s signed with.
A heart pounding, slow and plodding beat with a heavy emotional component is where Parker McCollum does his greatest damage, and that’s what you get with “Like A Cowboy.” That’s been the setup for some of the greatest songs in his young career like “Hell of a Year” and “I Can’t Breathe,” giving him the strong grassroots support that led to him being signed by a major label in the first place.
“Like a Cowboy” comes with the additional wrinkle of having been written by Chris Stapleton with Al Anderson, which is unique in itself since heretofore, McCollum has written all of his own material, and a song by Stapleton isn’t exactly easy to come by or secure. A song about of the rough and tumble cowboy archetype, “Like a Cowboy” explains how you can’t always count on a cowboy to be around, but you can always rely on them to be themselves. It’s a cautionary tale to those at risk of falling in love with one, but in a way that feels poetic in its honesty.
No matter who wrote it, “Like a Cowboy” works expertly coming from Parker McCollum. You may look at the kid with his chiseled jaw line, and you can’t help but shallowly determine he can’t be all that deep, or that country. He’s like the country music version of a Ken doll. But he continues to prove his substance and quality, with a sincere love for country’s roots.
What’s different about the latest wave of Texas artists signing to major labels like Parker McCollum, Randall King, Cody Johnson, and others, is that they can learn from the mistakes that the first wave of Texas artists made, and the label reps can learn too that it’s foolish to attempt to mold these artists in Nashville’s image, instead of allowing them to be themselves and continue to do what proved to resonate so well in the Lone Star State.
Taking the writing of Chris Stapleton, and combining it with the unique style of Parker McCollum makes “Like a Cowboy” one hell of a track.
Sam Cody
April 19, 2020 @ 11:04 am
“A heart pounding, half time beat with a heavy emotional component is where Parker McCollum does his greatest damage, and that’s what you get with “Like A Cowboy.””
Uh…sounds like a slow 3/4 to me…did I miss the hidden track or something?… 😛
Trigger
April 19, 2020 @ 11:12 am
I was speaking more about the slow and plodding nature of the rhythm than trying to cite time signatures.
Bear Mace Rob
April 21, 2020 @ 1:19 pm
yeah… but you said half time beat, which is a time signature (2/4). This would be three quarters time or 3/4 time
Trigger
April 21, 2020 @ 1:24 pm
The phrase was reworded very shortly after the article was published to clear up any misunderstanding.
Corncaster
April 19, 2020 @ 12:52 pm
Solid.
And Al Anderson is a badass and should be on everybody’s favorite list.
Ryan
April 19, 2020 @ 4:20 pm
Pretty Heart was such a safe safe choice that I was worried it was a sign of what was to come. This one gives me more hope that it was just a tentative first step.
wayne
April 19, 2020 @ 5:00 pm
I am waiting for this to grab me. It hasn’t yet. Don’t get me wrong. It is a good song and Parker is good at singing it, but just being good satisfies me. Being great makes me want to come back. That is where I am at the moment.
I will give it another round or so in case I am missing something, which is entirely possible.
Billy Wayne Ruddick
April 19, 2020 @ 7:11 pm
Am I missing something here? It’s not terrible, but it’s mediocre in almost every way. Sounds like it was made for top 40 radio, late 90s. Could have charted right up there with goo goo dolls material from that era.
John Asprey
April 19, 2020 @ 8:01 pm
I made the fateful mistake of listening to Waylon Jennings – now everything else sounds like goo goo dolls.
Jay Eff
April 20, 2020 @ 6:58 am
I have seen Parker quite a few times live over the years, and every new, unreleased song he has played live is incredibly country and still Parker. I’m not too worried about him! Everyone should try to see him live when this is over while he’s still playing small places – he’s incredibly engaging.
Tyler
April 21, 2020 @ 4:59 am
I don’t mind McCollum’s version, but Randy Montana cur this one 2011 and I think his version is superior. I’d love to hear Stapleton sing it though.
Josh Daniel
April 21, 2020 @ 6:44 am
It could just be that it’s the version that I heard first, but I prefer the Randy Montana version of this song. Still – a solid tune.
Benny Lee
April 21, 2020 @ 9:57 am
Too much reverb.
Sounds like bro country, but done by someone with 10000% more musical talent than Aldean or FGL.
The Other Wayne
April 21, 2020 @ 12:43 pm
I like this, but I can’t help but think it borrows a lot from Jinks’ “I’m Not The Devil”.
Saving Bro Country Music
April 22, 2020 @ 2:43 pm
Not a bad song, but I’m not seeing why this warrants special love. There might be some purer instrumental quirks, but as an overall record, this isn’t drastically different than something like Florida Georgia Line’s “HOLY.” If there’s a difference – it’s that it’s not as catchy.
Vocally, he’s almost like Brett Eldredge … with even less edge.
I see potential in that he’s marketable and the sound is country enough, but I don’t think his support is going to come from a markedly different audience than that which likes a Brett Eldredge or Kane Brown.