Taylor Swift Lends Name to Sugarland Reboot in “Babe” (Review)
Like a bad 80’s sitcom or movie franchise that was canceled for all the right reasons and rebooted for all the wrong ones, here comes Sugarland once again after a glorious six year hiatus where we didn’t have to hear the oversinging of Jennifer Nettles, or be reminded of fatalities caused by collapsing stage works or disappearing third members because they don’t fit the “profile” of country pop.
Just like Lady Antebellum, Sugarland should have been relegated to the graveyard of failed country music franchises, if for no other reason than the respective members were actually much better in their off season solo projects than the sum of their parts ever were together. But in an industry that is empty of new ideas and interested in squeezing money from whatever crevice possible, no franchise is off the table for resurrection if the financials makes sense on spreadsheets.
Taylor Swift is the only reason we’re even paying attention to this new song, and the only reason Sugarland was able to line up Taylor Swift is because they recently signed up Swift’s label Big Machine. Ol’ Scott Borchetta saw how much money Little Big Town was culling from the public and how many awards they’re winning, and decided he need his own gaggle of second wind 40-something has-been’s in his barn, and miraculously Sugarland 2.0 was birthed.
Saddling up Little Big Town with Taylor Swift landed Little Big Town a #1 song, multiple nominations for CMAs and ACMs, and a Grammy win. And as we know, mainstream country is a copycat business, and here some four years after Taylor Swift told country to take a hike, the genre still can’t get off the Taylor Swift sauce. Problem is, Swift herself is having problems placing songs in the charts these days, or filling out the seats of her stadium tour. She might need Sugarland as much as Sugarland needs her at present since everything in popular music now is shifting towards 17-year-old Soundcloud rappers with veiny penises tattooed on their foreheads.
At this point, Sugarland is the musical equivalent of mom rock. With the rabid attention towards youth permeating Music Row, and every generic swinging dick bastard blowing in from the Midwest with a 7-inch faux hawk scoring multiple #1’s, you have to throw a Hail Mary to get anyone’s attention. Taking a pet name and trying to flesh it into a pop country song is a fun writing exercise, but “Babe” renders itself pretty generic and mild. Sure, if it hits your ears in the midst of a breakup, perhaps it will mean something more, but ultimately this song relies on Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift, and Taylor Swift to steal anyone’s attention. Did we mention Taylor Swift is on the track?
All Swift does is sing a couple of lines into a cued up microphone, and then some nerd behind an iMac cut and pasted her part into the project, annoyingly deciding to vacillate Swift’s voice from the left to the right speaker like this is the introduction to Aerosmith’s “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” in 1987 or some shit. But rest assured, it will probably score Sugarland every single “Vocal Collaboration” award in country music for the next year, and be Sugarland’s only shimmer of a hope of getting radio to pay attention to them. After all, collaborating with pop stars is the new secret sauce in country, and folks love to tempt Taylor Swift to show up to awards shows for the ratings.
“Babe FEAT. TAYLOR SWIFT” is fine pop for your freeway commute. Harmless. Its worse offense is that it’s allowed Sugarland from emerge from the country music refuse bin. But hey, maybe it bumps Walker Hayes down a notch in the charts.
People wanted an opinion on this song. So there it is.
June 6, 2018 @ 9:52 am
Taylor isn’t having problems filling out stadiums though, all of the dates she did were sold-out.
As for the song, it’s nothing special, just a harmless and somewhat catchy pop-country tune.
June 6, 2018 @ 10:19 am
Google “Taylor Swift tour sales” and you’ll get a hundred articles about her struggles filling out arenas. It’s been covered by pretty much every major news outlet.
June 6, 2018 @ 10:22 am
Yeah but the official reports say the dates were all sold-out. She took on a different approach in selling tickets, the authors of the articles though she was gonna fail but in the end she proved them wrong.
June 6, 2018 @ 11:31 am
You can keep trying to make this point, but you will never be right about it. Taylor Swift tried to ask exorbitant prices for tickets, similar to what you see on the secondary market, and people weren’t biting like on her previous tours. Did eventually many of the tickets gets sold? Yes. Did it discourage some scalping/secondary sales? Yes. Is Taylor Swift still a hugely popular star? Of course. But demand sank on her during this current release cycle, and this is a pretty universal consensus verified across a number of gradients, including the fact that it took in many cases right up to gate time to announce technical sellouts as opposed to tickets going completely sold out within a matter of minutes.
June 6, 2018 @ 11:37 am
You have to consider she often plays the same stadium on two consecutive nights. Of course she didn’t sell out right out of the gate: she used a new way to sell tickets to discourage scalpers, and stadiums have a capacity of 50-60k. In the end she sould them out, that’s what matters. Saying the demand is low is a lie.
June 6, 2018 @ 1:04 pm
Current Billboard boxscore has her selling out 2 nights at Soldier Field 105k attendance raking in $14 million just for those two nights.
Saw a live performance of Babe this morning and can’t say I’m a fan. Better Man was far superior.
June 6, 2018 @ 1:13 pm
And just to put it in perspective, Taylor makes as much money in one city as Miranda Lambert made her entire last tour. I can’t fault country singers for accepting her 6 year old cast offs. Even diminished Taylor is still a major force in pop and country.
June 6, 2018 @ 5:14 pm
”……..Better Man was far superior…
wow…….that isn’t saying much . Better Man , for as much attention as it got was a very average song musically but lyrically ridiculous . If it had been a man singin ” I wish you’d been a better woman ” in these ” me too” times it would have been banned and shamed and , otherwise , ignored .
June 6, 2018 @ 5:30 pm
It’s funny that we called this exact lessening of Taylor’s influence in March 2017:
“While Big Machine is now more than just Taylor Swift, they don’t need to bet too heavily on her next album. Taylor’s fan base has aged and moved on to other flash-in-the-pan pop acts, and she has lost the attention of awards shows and the mainstream media. Other pop acts such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Katy Perry have managed to keep the public captivated even with a lack of music, but outside of Taylor’s random boyfriend drama, the media is no longer obsessed with her. 1989 is more than likely her last major smash album, and while any future albums she releases will undoubtedly sell well, Big Machine should severely temper their expectations.”
Trigger, you are correct: Both Sugarland and Taylor Swift need the push from “Babe”, and Big Machine sees the writing on the wall for both acts.
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/where-scott-borchetta-and-big-machine-records-went-wrong/
June 6, 2018 @ 6:34 pm
Better Man banned and shamed when we have drek like Different For Girls, Woman Amen and a myriad of I’m better off without you songs on the radio, yeah that’s a reach.
June 7, 2018 @ 7:45 am
”Better Man banned and shamed when we have drek like Different For Girls, Woman Amen and a myriad of I’m better off without you songs on the radio, yeah that’s a reach”
Please re-read my previous post Tx….I said IF the song had been a man singing ” Better Woman “
June 7, 2018 @ 7:01 pm
But you must also take into account that her pricing depends on the demand when you buy it. Some seats are more expensive the closer the date and cheaper the farther away it is. This is why it’s called the “Slow” ticket strategy. Who cares if you sold out but earn half as much?
July 10, 2018 @ 11:42 am
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gossipcop.com/taylor-swift-reputation-stadium-tour-tickets/amp/
July 10, 2018 @ 11:48 am
This has been covered ad nauseum. Yes, there were issues selling tickets at the beginning. Yes, eventually the tour sold through well. Both are right, both are wrong. My only point was that Taylor Swift is no longer top dog like she was during the 1989 cycle.
July 10, 2018 @ 1:17 pm
Taylor Swift proves she has the same power by selling over a million copies of her album with nearly zero marketing. Plus, not selling out in minutes was intentional:
“David Marcus, the company’s head of music, told Billboard in December: “We’d like to sell the last ticket to her concert when she takes the stage each night. We’re not trying to sell all of her tickets in one minute; we’re trying to figure out how to sell tickets in a more modern way.”
This so-called “slow ticketing” model undeniably benefits the artist and music industry executives who are pocketing as much as a 30 per cent more as a result of the hike on ticket prices – it is expected that Swift and her promoter will earn an extra $1-1.5 million per show in revenues. But, industry executives argue it also makes life easier for frustrated fans left shortchanged by touts selling on the secondary market. Instead of paying hundreds of pounds for initially cheap, re-sold tickets, fans are granted extra time to spend the same amount on tickets bought from official vendors.”
June 6, 2018 @ 10:23 am
She is filling up stadiums, not arenas.
June 6, 2018 @ 9:55 am
Much more generous than I thought you’d be!
Also worth noting the song was a reject from Red, nearly 6 years ago. I’m pretty sure they use the demo or recording from then- I doubt Taylor stepped back in the studio for this.
Grady Smith hit it on the head with his review- catchy, for what it’s worth, but lyrically meh. It’s clear why it was left over Red.
June 6, 2018 @ 10:15 am
Out of all the mainstream musicians, who is your favorite? Is it Taylor? Is it FGL? How about Sam Hunt? You write more about the mainstream than the non-mainstream that it seems the name “Saving Country Music” is more about keeping the current state of Nashville right where it’s at.
June 6, 2018 @ 11:07 am
If you look at the last 10 posts, only 2 are about pop / mainstream artists. So how do you gather he writes “more” about that?
June 6, 2018 @ 11:34 am
I keep saying this, and it’s the truest of all truisms. These people are exposing how it’s their own browsing habits that is lending to their idea Saving Country Music doesn’t support non-mainstream music. They literally obsess over my mainstream coverage while completely ignoring the independent stuff. That is the only way it’s humanly possible they could come to the conclusion I write about more mainstream than non mainstream topics. Most of these people are trolls who love to hate read Saving Country Music.
June 6, 2018 @ 12:55 pm
Who knows…maybe you will convert 1 or 2 along the way. Now THATS probably not the truest of all truisms, but here’s hoping.
June 6, 2018 @ 4:54 pm
I’ve already listed to Jesse Daniel’s album twice.
And I listened the whole way through Babe, only to find out when T Swizzlesticks was going to start doing some singing, and not just her best Canadian impression, eh?
But, I get that these reviews bring in the views. How about at the end of an article like this, you include a recommendation for something listen so we can clean out our ears? You always say you only review things if they make you think of something to write about, but there’s gotta be heaps more new music coming out that you like, but you don’t review!
You could put it after the Youtube video.
“Today’s ear bleach recommendation: Gretchen Peters – Dancing with the Beast”
June 6, 2018 @ 10:56 am
Swift tour arleady made 54 in just five cities. Every show was sold out. She just testing this new ticketing thing were you dont relase all the tickets at once. Billboard reported that she is on course to make 400-500 mln.
June 6, 2018 @ 11:15 am
I dont know why this one bothers me so much!
June 6, 2018 @ 12:46 pm
Jennifer and Kristian are tremendos singer songwriters but most would never know this. How many have reached their level of success with thelir song writing credits?
Completely agree with the the mom rock label but if you seek out Soul Miners Daughter or her pre Sugarland projects as well as Bush’s solo or Billy Pilgrim era you will find 2 world class singer songwriters who have arguably sold their souls to bubble gum country music.
Don’t get it twisted though, these 2 are as good singer songwriters as your favorite Americana acts.
Believe that.
June 6, 2018 @ 12:58 pm
The Pop Princess meets the Sugar Shakers. Remember, too much sweetness lends itself to tooth decay.
Pass. I will stick with Josh Turner’s sweetness. His music sounds country.
June 6, 2018 @ 2:06 pm
Gosh darnit!
Absolutely love JN’s voice, but it’s completely wasted on this technorized crap.
As a country song, it’s DOA. As a pop song… well, whatever; people who like pop music can decide where it stands there.
June 6, 2018 @ 2:10 pm
I think the biggest fault for this song is that it’s just plain boring. The chorus seems empty and unimaginative. The electronic drums are annoying. And the song uses a very generic drum beat and chord progression. No wonder it was left off a Taylor Swift project! It must be something she thought would be a cool song when she started writing it, but it kind of fell flat in the writing process and she couldn’t figure out where to go with it. It would also be much better with Taylor singing over acoustic guitar. Jennifer Nettles’ voice doesn’t really fit this at all. It’s not trashy and offensive like Walker Hayes or Dustin Lynch. It’s also not halfway-decent like old Zac Brown Band. It’s just, “meh”, nothingness.
June 6, 2018 @ 8:05 pm
This is boring. Nothing but simple background music while shopping at Wally”s. PASS.
June 6, 2018 @ 2:22 pm
How many drugs does one have to take to enjoy this
June 6, 2018 @ 2:53 pm
I like sugarland they have a lot of talent and put on a good show I’ve seen them many times . Your not only negative but nasty in your review. And Taylor’s acomplishments at her age speaks for itself…
June 6, 2018 @ 5:07 pm
A lot of talent?
Their mega hit is a pop song using some hip hop. big contribution.
June 6, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
Not that I’m the language police, but has anyone else noticed that the pop country fans seem to have the worst grammar?
June 6, 2018 @ 8:41 pm
GRANDMA’S PINEAPPLE CUCUMBER LIME JELLO SALAD
Retro jello salad recipe made with pineapple, cucumber, horseradish, and lime jello.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
1 6oz package of Jell-O Lime gelatin
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water
2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced cucumbers
3 Tbsp horseradish (or more if you want it spicier)
1/2 teaspoon grated onion
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 1/2 cup of diced or crushed drained canned pineapple (you cannot use fresh pineapple with gelatins. The bromelaine enzyme in fresh pineapple will keep the gelatin from bonding.)
METHOD
1 In a bowl, dissolve lime jello and salt in 2 cups of hot water (don’t use boiling water, just regular hot water). Add 2 cups cold water. Chill until slightly thickened – the consistency of egg whites, about 30 minutes.
2 In a separate bowl mix cucumber, horseradish, grated onion, and vinegar. Fold pineapple and cucumber mixture into jello. Pour into a jello mold and chill for several hours (about 6) until gelatin sets.
3 To remove jello from its mold, fill up a basin half-way with hot water. Lower the jello mold into the hot water, metal side down, until the water comes up almost to the edge of the mold. Keep it there 5 seconds and remove. Place a plate on top of the jello mold and turn upside down. The jello salad should just slide out.
June 6, 2018 @ 9:22 pm
It’s about time…..you’ve been holding out on these lately.
June 7, 2018 @ 3:06 am
Jamie’s comment inspired me.
June 7, 2018 @ 5:18 am
I feel like using Jello salad to make a joke is some sort of cultural humor? can someone explain this so I can get the joke? I’ve never heard this in my geographic area
June 7, 2018 @ 8:18 am
What is happening here…
June 6, 2018 @ 3:42 pm
“Here comes Sugarland once again after a glorious six year hiatus”
Glorious indeed, haha. I think one of my mom’s favorite songs is their annoying 2008 hit “All I Wanna Do.” She just loved Jennifer Nettles’ “twangy” over-singing voice.
June 6, 2018 @ 4:13 pm
Just heard the new Jade Bird song, Furious, and my first thought was “Oh, so THIS is what ‘Babe’ wanted to sound like, and the feeling it was trying to convey.”
June 6, 2018 @ 5:07 pm
If I had to name two acts who I feel have done far more harm than good to COUNTRY music it would be Sugarland and Taylor Swift. ( although as you referenced,Trigger, Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum would fall in right below these two ) Have there ever been four more inauthentic acts ever ? None of these acts has brought any vision or originality to the genre . None of them can boast having a REAL country song in their repertoire ….and ALL of them , given the opportunity , suggest they’d rather be anywhere but in the country music industry .Add Band Perry to that list if you like … if they are still on the planet.
They have all done their best , it seems, to distance themselves from the genre , having demonstrated NO respect for the traditions either as part of their bands or in a solo capacity . The music is mostly all generic …yet somehow non-descript and soulless .
June 7, 2018 @ 6:28 am
Interesting, Albert.
Because you have just established that female acts whose discography consists mostly of songs sung by females have done the most harm.
I think, recent events notwithstanding, the poppiest of the pop of the last twenty years of screwing up Country Music has all been women or women fronted bands like Lady A and Sugarland. At least Brantly Gilbert is following in the tradition of Hank Jr when he gets loud and arena rock and alchol in his songs.
In fact, are any of the major bros so far removed from what Hank Jr. did?
I say not necessarily. the problem is that the music is so similar sounding, so poorly written, and pollutes all of Country Music by drowning out other styles and influences.
is one or two Bro songs so bad in a radio lineup that included John Moreland and Whitey Morgan?
probably not. although going from John Moreland to any bro “Country” song is sort of like getting a phd in literature and then going to remedial reading directly after.
I would say, Sam Hunt notwithstanding, that when it comes to Country Music credentials, most of the male singers at least try. they have trucks, banjos, etc.
The female singers and female fronted acts don’t even bother, they just go full pop.
obviously the last six or seven months has seen token banjos vanish and most of the established bad male faux Country singers are at least trying to give us ballads with steel guitar. and it’s the revolving door of unheard of people that are recording the worst offenders.
About the onlyy major female Country artist to stick to her guns and stay consistent is Miranda. seems like all the male singers want Country to evolve and the female ones flat out admit to wanting to make pop music instead.
June 7, 2018 @ 7:19 am
“The poppiest of the pop of the last twenty years of screwing up Country Music has all been women or women fronted bands”
I think I have to agree. Shania Twain started the trend in ’97 with her “Come On Over” album, which was full-bore pop, had about 10 pop singles released to country radio, and sold about 80 million copies or something.
June 7, 2018 @ 9:30 am
It’s an interesting thought. Which is worse, the garbage that shouts how country it is at every turn when it obviously is not, or the stuff that admits it’s something else but hangs around anyway?
IMO they’re both thieves, and both have led the industry down this road. Maybe the female-led pop stuff is less country, but I’m not sure it’s caused more damage.
Both have benefitted from industry gatekeepers who have left the gate open for decades on end. Heck, I don’t even think there is a gate anymore.
June 8, 2018 @ 8:46 am
..not completely sure I get your point F2S …….but my favourite country writers and performers are females . Starting with Dolly . Gretchen Peters, Holly Williams , Musgraves’ more COUNTRY stuff , Miranda , of course ,Lindi Ortega and on and on and on .
certainly Shania f——– up mainstream in a huge way …..but the acts I alluded to in my post above didn’t have a country bone in their bodies from day 1 .
June 8, 2018 @ 11:41 am
I was just noting that for the last two decades men have said Country Music needs to change and women have said they’d rather make something else in the first place.
See: Natalie Maines, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Nettles, basically every female in the current mainstream including Kacey Musgraves.
June 6, 2018 @ 5:23 pm
“Problem is, Swift herself is having problems placing songs in the charts these days, or filling out the seats of her stadium tour.”
Reputation Stadium Tour
Attendance: 503,160 (55,907 per night)
Gross: 68,648,703 (7,627,634 per night)
Average Ticket Price: 136.43 US$
All of the 9 shows were Sold Out. Stop lying.
June 6, 2018 @ 6:12 pm
Taylor Swift “Reputation” singles chart placement:
“Look What You Made Me Do” – #1
“…Ready For It” – #4
“Gorgeous” – #13
“End Game” – #18
“Delicate” – #28
“New Year’s Day” – Did not chart
1989 Sales – 10,100,000 Worldwide
Reputation Sales – 4,500,000 Worldwide
The point on ticket sales is these shows were not selling out immediately like Taylor Swift had always done. They took months to sell out.
June 6, 2018 @ 6:47 pm
Comparing a 7 month old album sales vs a 3.5 year old album.
I’m not saying she’s selling just as fast as before but when you take into consideration that she changed direction with her music alienating a big group of her former fans as well as high cost of her current ticket prices she’s still outperforming her peers.
Doing a quick google search with the release of Reputation she became the first artist to have 3 back to back albums sell over 1 million copies in the first week. Quite the decline.
June 7, 2018 @ 6:17 am
I think there is an argument to be made that Taylor Swift is facing more competition in the pop world with her current album than with her previous album.
June 7, 2018 @ 8:52 am
4 actually, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation!
June 7, 2018 @ 1:10 am
Fearless 10 million worldwide
Speak Now 6 million worldwide
For a music journalist you don’t seem to get that artists have peaks, Taylor is an anomaly in that she had two, it’s completely unrealistic to expect her to sell the same every time, especially giving the fact that she didn’t promote any of her singles and the second and third singles had messy release dates (Ready was released a week after look, it was just a promo single and already peaked both on Radio and streaming, it was then decided to announce it as a single and release a video after 2 month, End Game was being played on radio at the time and the MV was released too late, it’s obvious she didn’t really care about any of them)
and concerts sell out immediately because scalpers buy those tickets, not fans, and the tickets this time around are cheaper than the ones for the 1989 tour, so people aren’t hesitant to buy them because of the price.
And she’s poised to have the highest grossing tour by a female artist with this tour, she’s gonna add Asian dates (where she’s the biggest western artist there) and surpass Madonna….
You sound like an angry twitter stan rather than a professional writer…
June 7, 2018 @ 9:07 am
“You sound like an angry twitter stan…”
Funny, I was about to say the same thing.
June 7, 2018 @ 11:22 am
I’m not the one insisting that an artist that I don’t like is declining without any concrete proof or understanding of the way the Music business works, and when called out for it by actual arguments refusing to admit bias and basically saying “she’s declined because I said so” but go off I guess…
as I already mentioned, speak now sold less than fearless and didn’t have big singles because Dance Pop was ruling the charts at the time, this time around Mumble rap is on top, this is due to the cyclical nature of pop, it was Hip hop in the early to mid 2000s and now it’s back, she’s obviously aware of this (unlike you) and knows that she still can have a successful era with album sales (which are basically dead now, 4.5 million is unheard off, and a big tour that is poised to reach more than 400 million, all at the age of 28) Not to mention the fact that Reputation reached more than one billion streams in less than six months on spotify…
Those are numbers and facts.
June 13, 2018 @ 4:54 pm
Sorry, I am not buying the argument Trigger. Who else sold that number of albums in 2017-2018 aside from Ed Sheeran? No one.
I am a fan of your articles but I do not agree with you this time.
June 7, 2018 @ 3:41 am
Those shows also broke multiple attendance records set by U2. She didn’t immediately sell out because scalpers didn’t manage to get hold of tickets to sell on the secondary market.
As for album sales, 1989 was released in 2014 when sales were way higher and was a mega-hit. Nobody else (expect a few exceptions) can manage to sell 5 million copies worlwide like Taylor is doing. Again.
June 7, 2018 @ 9:12 am
The point is, Taylor Swift used to be the biggest artist in all of music across all gradients, and this was unquestionable. I even went out of my way to point this out on numerous occasions. Now the market has moved more towards hip-hop, and Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and other pop stars are struggling to find similar traction. That doesn’t mean that Taylor Swift is still not a massive pop star. But there are numerous signs of weakness compared to her previous apex. This is just the truth of the matter. It’s shouldn’t be taken as an insult. I champion artists on a regular basis who would receive as much acclaim in their lifetimes as Taylor Swift does in a day. But making honest assessments about artists is imperative if they are ever going to sustain or improve. If you care about Taylor Swift, be honest about her overall place in popular music, and how that’s shifted during the “Reputation” cycle.
June 7, 2018 @ 5:31 am
You seem to have struck a nerve with the TS fans.
June 7, 2018 @ 4:03 pm
I listened to Taylor’s first album the other day, such well-written lyrics, nice melodies. (Maybe fair to say, a little ‘young’ sounding if you’re not a teenager like she was) but such well-written songs. I have all her albums, fav was ‘Speak Now’ but I think ‘1989’ is one of the best albums ever made, any genre. I do think she pushed the limit on that one, where it was of course Pop but had her trademark songwriting enough to enjoy as a fan.. Still pushed the bounds I think of what (most of ) her fans want, where that has to be the limit. What has made her such a special artist are the personal lyrics and nice melodies starting from the first album. She can’t stray far from that or will lose fans. Most fans don’t want to hear Taylor sing a 2, 3 line catchy-tune. I hope her next album comes back to what people have loved about her as a recording artist, like no other today, I think. Not expecting a mainly- Country album again but get back to the formula that has worked, that you’re best at.
June 7, 2018 @ 5:53 pm
“I think ‘1989’ is one of the best albums ever made, any genre.”
Seriously? Like for realz? Like top 10 or top 1,000,000,000?
June 8, 2018 @ 1:11 pm
Question–have you listened to it? You didn’t say much so can’t tell. You’re entitled to your opinion but If you don’t like her for some reason or don’t like any Pop music the conversation ends there. I’m no music expert, but my opinion on it–Yes, seriously.
June 8, 2018 @ 3:15 pm
Wow that’s amazing.
And yes I have. It’s ok but there’s not much special about it IMO, especially considering there was a whole team of “hit makers” like Max Martin, etc. behind it. If you come to this site for more than the TS criticism, you might be familiar with the annual album of the year nominations. If not, maybe you could check them out. Not as flashy and high gloss, and not nearly as much image and marketing driven….but just music, and substantially better, by wide margin (in my own opinion – which you thankfully entitled me to).
June 8, 2018 @ 4:22 pm
This is ‘Saving Country Music’. I like the articles I’ve seen on here and love the promotion of decent music that’s out there not getting air time or mention as it should. This is a wonderful site. This article is about Taylor and I wanted to make a point that I didn’t like the change she showed on ‘Reputation’ which I thought Could result in decreased sales and tickets. (There was an argument on both sides of that). I respect the Country purists, as I respect Rock purists that hate the change over there.
I do find her extremely talented and was blown away by ‘1989’. She reached the top in music with that and I think deserved it– critically, and with awards and album sales. I get that there are a lot of excellent albums most people will never hear of who don’t come on sites like this or find them. The award shows have to get better at finding those lesser-known artists. That hopefully can translate into increased exposure and sales for them, which would be awesome.
I get that many people can’t think a pop album can ever be decent. I think a lot of what’s out there in pop is trash-noise. But I can appreciate all genres of music if it’s decent and I think ‘1989’ is an example of excellence in Pop music.
June 12, 2018 @ 10:19 am
Nettles’ voice has morphed into a nails-on-chalkboard bark. A shame since she’s so obviously capable of far better than this.