Yearly Archives: 2015

by | March 5, 2015 · 8:00 am

A Short List of My Favorite Garth Brooks Songs

Since I decided to analyze Garth Brooks’ second album No Fences for my project, I’ve found myself listening to a lot of Garth the past few days and I’ve found myself reminiscing about all the songs that I have grown up on and loved throughout the years. So naturally I decided to compile a playlist of some of my favorite Garth songs to share with you guys.

First and foremost, I want to put “Friends in Low Places” on here, which I’m sure most of you are probably pretty familiar with. Not the regular album version though, but “the long version” of the song that Garth only plays live. This version includes a third verse that not a whole lot of people know. I’ve always found it really interesting that Garth has versions of certain songs he only plays live, such as “Friends in Low Places” and “The Thunder Rolls”.

“Belleau Wood” is a lesser-known Garth song that tells the story of a soldier in World War I at the Battle of Belleau Wood. I’ve always really loved this song because it was my grandfather’s (who served in WWII) favorite song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhdR5Fs_2dk

“Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” is the story about a cowboy who has been competing for years and just doesn’t have the strength to keep at it anymore with the stress of being away from home all the while watching a younger crowd taking over the business. My Dad really loves this song and I can always remember listening to it with him when I was younger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyWADizqtHk

“Mom” is one of the singles off of Garth’s newest album, and obviously I can’t listen to it without thinking about my own mom. It’s a very pretty and sad song and a perfect song to get everyone in a room to have a good cry, so if you’re in that kind of mood, I highly recommend it, just make sure you have a phone nearby to make a call to your mom when it’s over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4uhLf1uTLY

“Standing Outside the Fire” is probably the first Garth Brooks song I ever heard, and it’s been one of my favorites for a long time. It’s about living life to the fullest and is a sort of inspirational song.

https://vimeo.com/60119381

“The Dance” is a song I thought would be a fitting finale to this short playlist. It’s considered one of Garth’s signature songs and is a good love/heartbreak song.

Garth Brooks has been one of my favorite country artists for as long as I can remember. He has had countless hits and has a sound that can’t be copied or reproduced by anyone except Garth. He also has a good mix of different sounds in his music, fusing country music with rock and pop to create his distinct sound and style, and through the years he has kept making hit songs and without changing his style, and I really admire him for that. I’ve also heard that he is an excellent live performer, so I’m hoping he announces some Texas tour dates in the future so I can experience his one of a kind music for myself. I realize this is a pretty short playlist, but of course I couldn’t fit all of my favorite songs on here, but do you guys like Garth Brooks and notice any songs I may have left out?

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Filed under Live Music, Music Videos, New Country

by | March 4, 2015 · 8:00 am

Country Music in TV Series Nashville

Some diehard country music fans might be turned off by the thought of watching a television series centered on country music and the industry. Despite seeming silly to some, I believe this show is full of talented artists and performers and has the ability to turn non-country music listeners into country music lovers like the rest of us.

nashville-promoThe TV series Nashville has become one of my favorite shows to watch each week. I love the drama surrounding each of the dynamic characters, but mostly I love the numerous country songs debuted in each episode. My mom and I used to watch together every week before I started college, and while I have always been a country music fan, she hasn’t. However, this show has caused her to grow into a bigger fan than I think she ever could have been. Nashville has the ability to capture our attention and increase our awareness of country music.

Nashville has been extremely successful in producing songs that are loved by all who watch it. At first, the characters might seem phony and invalid when it comes to country music, but the actors chosen for each role have enormous musical talent. I’m always so blown away with the songs performed in the series, that I have download them right away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AWiSAGuRus

nashville-girls-500x281Connie Britton, who plays leading lady Rayna James, is an incredible singer in addition to her acting skills. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she was an actual country music star because she plays the part so well. Hayden Panetierre, who plays queen bee Juliette Barnes, has been known as a pop star for years. Despite this, she has definitely embraced country music, adding excitement and personality to her songs. She fits into the country music scene incredibly. Lennon and Maisy Stella, Rayna James’ daughters on the show, were cast after being discovered on YouTube. The two girls are real life sisters and have incredible voices. Through their amazing performances on Nashville, cast members such as Lennon and Maisy Stella, Clare Bowen, Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson, and Chris Carmack, to name a few, have landed spots as guest artists to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. If this doesn’t show talent I don’t know what does.

brad-paisley-1-300Along with the talent of each of the actors, many country music artists have guest stared in episodes of the show, contributing to its authenticity. Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Brantley Gilbert, and Brad Paisley have performed right alongside the actors in the show. The actors and singers always mesh well and look natural and normal together, despite what some might think. The songs and performances never cease to surprise me, and every one draws me into the show more than before.

Regardless of the fact that most of the characters are not “real” country singers, Nashville is a show that is captivating, suspenseful, and heart wrenching. In addition, it has created great country music. If you’ve never watched an episode of this show and you love country music, I would highly recommend it because I guarantee you will fall in love with all it has to offer.

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Filed under Country Pop, Movies and TV, New Country, Reflection

by | March 3, 2015 · 8:00 am

“He Stopped Loving Her Today”: A Comparison

As I scrolled through Facebook the other day and just as my roommate was talking about auditioning for The Voice, I came across a video from NBC’s The Voice. I used to watch The Voice when it first aired, but due to a lack of time I stopped watching it. Anyway, sometimes a video will pop up on my newsfeed, and when that happens I check it out. They have to be a pretty good singer, right? Well, Cody Wickline certainly was. Cody sang the great George Jones classic “He Stopped Loving Her Today”, most likely trying to appeal to Blake. Donning a black cowboy hat and an acoustic guitar, it didn’t take long for one of the judges, Adam Levine, to turn around. However, eventually all judges turned their chairs after realizing how much talent Wickline has. Even though Christina, Pharell, and Adam made their plea for Wickline to join their team, he ultimately chose to stick with country and be a part of Team Blake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhoYhMk7VSg

After listening to Cody Wickline’s version of the hit song, I had to listen to the original. You can’t help but notice how similar Wickline’s sound is to the original. Wickline has a slightly smoother sound, in my opinion which could be just the audio quality, but there is something to be said about George Jones’s ability to have so many number one hits without the use of autotune technology. In both versions, you can definitely feel the emotion behind the lyrics; there is a sense that Wickline has a connection to the original song either through experience or just by listening to it as a kid. It is such a simple song that really focuses on the voice and lyrics rather than having heavy instrumentals. That is part of the reason this song was a good choice for Wickline to perform in the blind auditions. Country is a strength for Wickline, so it will be interesting to watch as the season progresses if and how he will adapt to various songs in different genres.

Just to bring in one more artist to compare, I also listened to Alan Jackson perform the song at the Grand Ole Opry in May 2013 to memorialize George Jones seeing as he had recently passed away. Alan Jackson definitely sticks to the classic sound and simple performance style of the song and performs it beautifully. Listening to all three versions, I came to the conclusion that unless you are just a bad singer you can’t really mess up this song. Its simple instrumentals, deep lyrics, and popularity in the country music genre makes it a great song to give tribute to the classic country subgenre and George Jones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbjpbqowX3Y

What is your favorite version of “He Stopped Living Her Today”? Do you watch The Voice? Do you think Cody Wickline will make it far in the show? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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Filed under Classic Country, Movies and TV, Reviews, Song Analysis

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by | February 27, 2015 · 8:00 am

Unpopular Opinion: Jason Aldean Isn’t Killing Country Music

I would like to express an unpopular opinion, so hear me out before you tear me down please.

FullSizeRenderTwo weekends ago I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Charleston, South Carolina to meet up with my twin brother who goes to West Point and had a long weekend. He had three requirements for where we would meet: it had to be warm, it had to be easy to access from New York and it had to have a country music concert. As it turned out, that weekend was a pretty slow weekend country music wise and our options were Philadelphia, Boston, and Charleston. Since Philly and Boston were both blanketed in snow, it was off to South Carolina for us. The only drawback? We were going to see the endlessly-maligned (at least by our class) Jason Aldean.

Naturally, going into the concert I was skeptical, especially after everything we’ve said in class about how he’s “not really country” or is a representation of what’s wrong with country music these days. But I was moderately excited for the two opening acts, Tyler Farr and Cole Swindell, since I’d never seen them live before and had only heard them on the radio.

Admittedly Tyler Farr left something to be desired after his performance. While he has a few big hits and a decent voice, he isn’t the performer that I expected on such a big tour. I think he has a long way to go performance wise before he has any chance of making it big in country music.

However, Cole Swindell made up in a big way for Farr’s shortcomings. Swindell came on to the country music scene originally as a songwriter. He’s written hits for several big stars like Luke Bryan with hits like “Roller Coaster” and Florida Georgia Line’s “This is How We Roll.” However, last year Swindell recorded his debut album which included radio-friendly “Chillin’ It,” “You Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” and “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight.” Not only is his sound complimentary to Jason Aldean’s “bro-country,” but his stage presence is also closer to that of a real performer. He played his big songs, including those he wrote but that were recorded by Luke Bryan, and it seemed like he was much more in tune with what the crowd wanted.

After Swindell left the stage, I anxiously awaited Jason Aldean. I wondered if I was going to be totally repulsed by his music as it seems so many die-hard country fans are these days. The lights went down, his band began to play, and the strangest thing happened—I didn’t hate it. As a matter of fact, I actually rather enjoyed it. He may have come out to a back drop of flames and electric guitar, but I think a lot of people only see that side of Aldean and forget where he came from. They forget songs like “Amarillo Sky,” “Laughed Until We Cried,” and “Big Green Tractor,” just to name a few. He’s got tons of hits that have endlessly topped charts and, if you listen to the lyrics, hold very closely to traditional country values.

So yeah, I can’t hate Jason Aldean because his music goes beyond what it seems on the surface. I actually rather like his music. AND I sang along. So sorry if that offends you.

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Filed under Live Music, Reflection, USA

by | February 26, 2015 · 8:00 am

Keeping Traditional Country Music Alive

This weekend I was able to go home to San Angelo with some friends and visit for a couple days, which is always refreshing and serves as a way to get away from school for a little bit. It was the last weekend of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, and we didn’t want to miss out on all the fun.

CaseUnfortunately, since tickets sell out several weeks in advance, I wasn’t able to attend the actual rodeo performance. As disappointing as that was, at least I was still able to take part in something rodeo-related. One of my best friends, Case Hardin, started a country music band after we graduated high school, and since then he has made a name for himself, playing shows at dance halls all over the state. The past two years he has played shows during rodeo season in what is collectively known as “the beer barn”. Located directly next to the coliseum where the rodeo is held, the beer barn is where people go to, well, drink beer before and after the rodeo. It’s a non-insulated wooden building, includes a stage and a dance floor, and it has no seats or tables. Instead, everyone packs in as tightly as possible and those remaining gather outside.

While it may sound like an unpleasant place, what makes it awesome is the music. What is usually a run-of-the-mill shack basically in the middle of nowhere comes to life as an authentic dance hall. Case played for three hours to an audience of hundreds of rodeo-goers, and the dance floor was filled during every song. Case, a bona fide fan of traditional/neotraditional country music, performed covers of singers like George Strait, Tracy Byrd, and Conway Twitty, and he mixed in some western swing with songs from Bob Wills. Backed by his band, which simply includes a guitar, bass guitar, steel guitar, and drums, Case keeps the spirit of traditional country music alive with his twang and his salutes to legends past. I knew when I saw him sing George Strait’s “Heartland” in the 4th grade talent show that Case was destined to be a country music performer. Case’s next show is March 14th at the London Dance Hall in London, Texas, which is considered to be the oldest dance hall in Texas. It’s awesome to see one of my good friends experience some success, and it was great to be able to catch one of his shows.

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Filed under Dancing, Honky Tonk, Live Music, New Traditionalism, Texas, Western Swing