Country Music close to death!

Country Music Reviews

Country Music close to death!

The latest crop of singles from Nashville confirms my long-held suspicions: Country music is dead or dying.

A bunch of money hungry graspers with no knowledge of the genre and less of what it's about pulled it's DNA out.

They took the bits they think will sell and cast off the rest.  The result is a catalogue of dishwater dull  songs written for the cash cow by folks who know better but who live in the pockets of the record labels.

A few good souls work to keep it alive, but attempts at resuscitation are failing fast.
                                                               Last Rites:
Miranda Lambert: More Like Her
(Columbia Nashville)
Lambert is one of the true hopes for the future on Country Music. She can sing, she doesn't seem to compromise her principles to meet Nashville's ridiculous needs. This isn't the best from her "Craxy Ex_Girlfriend" album. But it's good. BUY THE ALBUM!!!

Blue County: Drive Away
In these days of supersonic soundbites and tragically short attention spans, Blue County will either clean up with their new single, "Drive Away" or bomb with it.  The first verse is slow death by boredom;  the chorus is catchy anthemic brilliance.  I guess success or failure depends on what folks hear first!

Laura Bryna: Hometown Heroes
(Equity Music Group)
Meet Nashville's brightest minds - the promotions staff at Equity Music Group. They choose a song based firmly in - and about - November and they release it in..... AUGUST!!! They probably choose what to release with a dartboard and a copy of the CD cover. And the song. Average: it COULD have been a great WINTER hit!

Chad Brock: Put A Redneck In The White House
(Straight Shooter Music / Jerry Duncan Promotions)
Two really sad observations about this song (from someone with no vote in the upcoming election).  First is that huge tracts of radio listeners will hear this trash and think it's what ALL Country music is like. And second? That there's no chance of a working class person ever making it to the White House.  That's a place for vastly wealthy men (never women) who long ago lost contact with what it's like to struggle just to get by.

John Rich: Raising McCain
NEVER, if you want your music to remain credible, pin your colors to a political election mast. I wouldn't mind - John Rich has done more to kill of Country music than most, but the song is old, boring, dull with no connection to reality. Hmmm, does that remind you of anyone???

Steve Azar: You're My Life
(Ride Records / Dang Records / CO5 Nashville)
Hackneyed music, appalling imagery and a shame because Indianola is a good album

Chris Cagle: Never Ever Gone
(Capitol Records Nashville)
Factory-fed song produced on a production line so that it sounds like dozens of those appalling 1970s/80s pop songs that were so popular. Not close to Country.

LeeAnn Rimes: What I Cannot Change
(Curb Records)
She's awful young to be a has been, isn't she: this sounds like she wants to be the next Reba. The CD cover makes her look like she wants to be a 50s movie star. She fails on all counts.

Ashes to ashes......

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