Category Archives: Country Subgenres

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.

3 Comments

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

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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.

3 Comments

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

by | February 24, 2015 · 8:00 am

“Country Chameleon”

Tim McGraw’s recent performance at The Oscars on Sunday night reminded me of an article I read recently for my Country Sub-Genre project. A country blog titled The Boot did a feature article last week called “Country Chameleon: The Ever-Changing Music of Tim McGraw.”

The article provides arguments from both critics and supporters of McGraw’s changing style. Critics believe that Tim McGraw’s newer songs are too automated and are not happy with the electronic sounds of his music. For example one of the critics stated, “LEAVE THE AUTOMATED STUFF TO POP AND HIPHOP!!! I can’t be the only one that missed acoustic guitars and unautotuned voice.” It is noted that Tim McGraw, at age 46, has gotten to the point when artists start to wash out; McGraw, however, is actively keeping his music, sound, and image current to fit with the time. “[Tim McGraw] has always been among the first big-name artists to embrace new changes. That keeps his music sounding fresh and new – even if it risks alienating some of his more traditional-minded listeners,” states the author.

For these reasons I think Tim McGraw was the perfect person to perform the tribute to Glen Campbell. McGraw was able reach two different audiences thanks to his smart business tactics: those who like Glen Campbell and McGraw’s older style of music, and his current fans who appreciate his modern sound.

Although critics of Tim McGraw tend to be harsh, one has to appreciate the barriers he’s broken down to get to where he is now.  McGraw has managed to stay a threat and country music power figure even with his growing age.  This is especially difficult considering he has done all of this as a member of the country-pop sub-genre.  Older fans criticize McGraw’s changing sound and believe he has abandoned his roots, but as an artist if he’s happy with his work and is successful at what he does then who are we to say that Tim McGraw isn’t being true to himself?  I’ve grown up listening to Tim McGraw and as a fan I think we should be commending him for keeping up with the fast-paced and always-changing modern music business, rather than tearing him down.

What do you think?  How was Tim’s performance on Sunday night?  Is Tim selling himself out for modern fame and fortune?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Filed under Awards, Country Pop, Countrypolitan, Live Music