All posts by Megan

Single Review: Eric Church’s “Desperate Man”

July 13, 2018 Megan 1 Comment

Rating: 7/10

Eric Church and Ray Wylie Hubbard may be the most genius musical pairing I’ve seen since George Strait and Dean Dillon. Why? Because Ray Wylie Hubbard is a master storyteller, especially when it comes to God and the devil and using biblical and paranormal references in his songs. However, the problem I had with his last album was that all those insanely good and interesting lyrics were brought down by samey, bland melodies that plagued the whole record. But take lyrics like Hubbard’s, and give them to Eric Church–here’s a vocalist who sings with fire and passion and understands the value in the sheer delivery of a song and interpretation of a lyric. Now it becomes something only a co-write like this one could have produced, a song with darkness and substance that appeals to independent music fans while also being pretty accessible to the mainstream.

That mainstream sensibility does lead to the strange, almost disco arrangement, and the “boo boos” in the background can be more distracting than catchy. The production style isn’t a problem within itself, but you do feel like it could have cut loose a little more, in the vein of “Chattanooga Lucy,” a song which this one calls to mind rhythmically. That song did a better job of letting the instrumentation take over than this one does, but the organic nature of an Eric Church song is always refreshing to hear in a world of drum loops and electronic sounds.

Ray Wylie Hubbard’s hand is all over this, as this tune was borne of his story about going to a fortune-teller and being told he had no future to read. It’s weird and quirky in the way a Ray Wylie song always is, but Eric Church makes it lively and fun, and before you know it, you’re singing along to lyrics about nailing crucifixes to walls. And Church slays this vocally; when he comes in at the bridge belting the lyrics with only percussion behind him, just like in “Lucy,” it’s one of those magical moments that you can’t forget as a music listener.

It’s an interesting song; the first time you listen, it’s kind of strange, and the production can get in the way. But a few listens in, and it hooks you. The very lines that made it weird are the ones that make it stand out in mainstream country, and the very aspects of the production that can be annoying at first are the ones that hold this together and render it a really catchy, fun song. More collaborating from these two, please.

Written by: Eric Church, Ray Wylie Hubbard

Reviews

Album Review: Down Low by Wes Youssi & The County Champs

July 9, 2018 Megan 3 Comments

Rating: 8/10

It’s a strange state in which country music finds itself in 2018. You swear it’s dead and gone, the music of a forgotten and simpler time. The mainstream has gone pop, and many of the radio stars wouldn’t know a steel guitar if it fell out of the sky and hit them in the face. You find authenticity and substance in Texas and Oklahoma, but much of that music is a hybrid of country and rock. You seek it out in Americana, and find great music there as well, but in the end, it’s still not the sound you miss. When you do hear someone make a “classic” country record, it’s so hell-bent on being old-fashioned that it sucks the beauty right out of the discipline. Then you find a random Internet comment from someone about a band from Portland, Oregon, and you stumble upon the most country thing you’ve heard in years, and you realize it’s not dead after all, you just have to know where to look.

Wes Youssi & the County Champs haven’t been affected by any of those trends in the mainstream or in Texas and east Nashville; they’ve just calmly released a staunchly country album. To all those people who want their country music to be forward-thinking and genre-bending, this may not be the album for you because it’s more a reimagining of styles than a reinvention of the wheel. It’s soaked in steel and layered with fiddle, and Wes Youssi sounds like he could have emerged from the earliest days of country music, both in his tone and his phrasing. It’s three chords and shuffling beats, and flavored with a rockabilly influence at times to give the band a unique sound. It’s like you just walked into an old country bar and heard this record coming out of the jukebox.

But at the same time, it’s not bogged down by outdated language or by a labored effort to sound retro. It’s modern in lyric and timeless in theme, it just happens to be delivered in a throwback style. That fresh approach is sprinkled all over the record, but it’s never more apparent than in “Green dream,” where the character in the song starts growing weed to make his living–“in these hard times, the treasure’s under your feet.” A song like that would have never come out of classic country, and even today, it wouldn’t have come out of the South so naturally as it does out of Oregon. And there’s passion and life in this material; you can tell Wes Youssi has a passion for these songs and stories, not just for the traditional sound itself. This is the record I wish I’d had on hand when I heard Joshua Hedley’s album because this puts a record like that to shame and explains perfectly what I struggled so hard to make sense of with that project–I wanted to like it so much, and stylistically, it was excellent. But it lacked the passion and freshness Wes Youssi brings to the table here–a record like this isn’t a copy of the old styles, reimagined for the sake of nostalgia and irony, it’s proof that those old styles can still be relevant and relatable in 2018.

Another problem with some of the more traditional records I’ve covered in the past two years is a lack of energy. Some recent examples of that would be Vivian Leva and Kayla Ray’s albums. Although I enjoyed both, I can understand how some may find those records a bit sleepy. Down Low can hardly be accused of that distinction. It’s full of upbeat moments, from the infectious title track to the catchy, more rockabilly “Cadillac Man” to the bluegrass-influenced “Southbound Train.” The band seems to understand the desperate need for upbeat traditional music like this, as displayed in the closer, “Champ Boogie,” where Wes Youssi laments the number of girls standing around in bars and clubs looking for romance, but with “hardly any dudes that wanna dance.”

There’s a humor and wit in these songs that is missing in a lot of modern country. That’s best exemplified in “crazy Train.” The song tells us of a dysfunctional marriage–they’re always yelling and fighting and breaking dishes. But in the end, they are right for each other; he advises: “Let’s talk about what we do right. we sure as hell can start a fight. And when it comes to old-time lovin,” all we need’s the moon to get goin’.” He also resolves to use paper dishes from now on.

This classic, throwback style isn’t going to be for everyone; even among the more country fans, it’s going to be a bit too unpolished and rough around the edges for some. This is for the people who like a little more grit in their classic country, and it’s fresh enough to appeal to some of the more progressive listeners as well. It’s the record I’d show to people who enjoy good modern-sounding country, to show them this traditional style isn’t archaic and outdated, that it doesn’t always sound as lifeless as many think it is, and that it can be fresh and fun in 2018. It’s an album that could turn those fans onto this sound and to older music. Just a solid, fun, replayable collection of traditional tunes keeping the sound and spirit of country music alive and well.

Buy the Album

Concerts

Jamie Lin Wilson Killed it Live at The Blue Door

July 2, 2018 Megan 1 Comment

I’ve been trying to go to more live shows all year, and just last week, after seeing Jason Boland, Mike McClure, and Cody Canada in an acoustic song swap, I noted that I’d covered seven shows already this year on the way to the goal of twelve–but I’d only covered one woman, Courtney Patton. This was certainly not intentional, but it did seem weird to me looking back, considering I do listen to a lot of women artists and feature them all the time on this site. But this is how it happened, and I was hoping to find some more women to support live. Then, on Friday, (6/29_, at around 5 PM, I saw Jamie Lin Wilson’s tweet that she’d made it to Oklahoma City in a borrowed van and would be playing The Blue Door that night. So with only three hours’ notice, I went; I’ve seen her before, but never as a headliner, and I knew it would be a good show and a cool thing to write about.

As I say, I’ve seen Jamie Lin Wilson live before–this actually was the fourth time after twice at Medicine Stone and once opening for Turnpike. She also graciously did an interview with me two years ago at Medicine Stone, and among other things, she talked about how many women artists shine in listening rooms, as opposed to in arenas and at festivals where alcohol and partying are driving factors. She proved this true in her own case, as although she was great on the main stage that first year, she seemed to bring something even more special to the smaller, more intimate stage on which she performed in 2017. The Blue Door, as I’ve noted before, is great for songwriters like this, offering something unique and intimate and frankly unparalleled. It’s listening rooms like this one where you feel like you’re just chilling with the artist, where everything feels informal and personal.

What Jamie Lin Wilson has that sets her apart from many songwriters, both men and women, who thrive in these types of venues is stage presence and charisma. She’s happy joking with her band and with the crowd, ruining the joke of why the chicken crossed the road, teasing her electric guitar player about borrowing all of her stuff in order to actually come on the road and play for her, and telling us about the line dancers in France that are obsessed with one of Courtney Patton’s early songs. But between all these lighthearted, fun moments, she’s got songs with such depth of feeling, like the bittersweet “Dusty Shoes” or the resigned “Just Like Heartache.” I’ve seen her do this song before, but I am always amazed by her version of Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top.” She worked in some Trishas songs as well, like “Little Sweet Cigars” and the closer, “drive.”

And yes, we did hear some songs from the new album coming out in October. She commented that she observed a lot for this record, just watched things happen around her and wrote them down. We heard a song about her daughter’s reaction watching the clouds pass over during the first cold front and another inspired by her friend who gets philosophical and poetic whenever he drinks too much. I’m so happy to hear that she recorded “Oklahoma stars,” a song I fell in love with last September at Medicine Stone. Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours wrote the last verse, and Turnpike recorded it on their latest album. Everyone knows my obsession with Turnpike, but if you read that review, you also know I didn’t like their version of this song. It’s probably a biased opinion because I had Jamie Lin’s in my head already and an idea of what it should sound like, but I had been really looking forward to the song and then found it to be the only track I didn’t like on the Troubadours’ record. I still love Jamie Lin’s version, and I can’t wait to hear it on the new album.

I’ve been blessed in 2018 with not having been to a bad show, and i try to keep these little pieces positive anyway, not like formal reviews so much as spotlights of cool live music. That said, Jamie Lin Wilson’s show has definitely been one of the highlights of the whole series. And in the bigger picture, where the spirit of this whole exercise has been to support live music itself, her voice and these songs offer something in a live setting that can’t be found in the studio. I feel like a broken record saying that in so many of these pieces, but damn it, it just keeps being proven to me time and time again.

Best Live Songs: “Dusty Shoes,” “Room at the Top,” “Little Sweet Cigars,” “Just Like Heartache,” “Oklahoma stars,” “Whistling”

Playlists

My Top Ten Albums of 2018 so Far

June 29, 2018 Megan 4 Comments

Note: This has been easily the hardest list to assemble for this site, and unlike last year, these will remain unranked just like the songs list because so many of these are so close. I don’t think we’ve heard the 2018 Album of the Year yet, but overall, the first half of 2018 has been incredibly strong, and it’s impossible at this point for me to try and rank albums. They’re all great, so just check them out.

As with the songs, please respect these choices as my opinion, and feel free to share your favorites in the comments below!

Courtney Patton: What it’s Like to Fly Alone

Standout Tracks: “Round Mountain,” “What it’s Like to Fly Alone (Hawk Song),” “Devil’s Hand,” “Red Bandanna Blue”
Probably the most country of the bunch, Courtney Patton’s fourth album is one that just gets better with time. Her songwriting is superb is always, and this record is also beautifully, cleanly produced. Who said an album had to sound like shit to be classic and authentic? As far as production, which Courtney handled herself, it may be the best-sounding, cleanest record of the year so far.
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Lindi Ortega: Liberty

Standout Tracks: “Lovers in Love,” “You Ain’t Foolin’ Me,” “Afraid of the Dark,” but it’s meant to be consumed as a whole album
This hasn’t been one of my most played albums of the year, but when I do play it, it always blows me away. More and more, I feel like it should have been a 10/10 here. Some vagueness in the concept held me back, as the character’s journey out of darkness into light and life can sometimes be hard to follow. But it’s just so captivating all the way through, and once again, a finely produced album, with the western backdrop lending itself nicely to the story.
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Red Shahan: Culberson County

Standout Tracks: “Waterbill,” “Enemy,” “Roses,” “How They Lie,” “Culberson County”
Speaking of western, here’s a record that perfectly embodies the sound and spirit of west Texas. This has got to be my most underrated album of 2018 so far; honestly, that 8/10 looks totally ridiculous now, and it did so a week after I wrote it. I can’t say enough about this album, as it’s got to be heard to be fully understood and appreciated, capturing the wildness and emptiness of West Texas and romanticizing it in a way that not many could.
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Brothers Osborne: Port Saint Joe

Standout Tracks: “Shoot me Straight,” “While You Still Can,” “Pushing up Daisies (Love Alive),” “A Little Bit Trouble,” “Weed, Whiskey, and Willie”
Although not a concept album like Liberty, this record is certainly meant to be consumed and enjoyed from start to finish. Just as Shahan put West Texas on a record, Brothers Osborne immortalize the old, weathered coastal towns so common in the South. It’s a beach record, but the beach is forgotten and secluded, not sexy and touristy. Proof that a fun party album can indeed be substantive and have all kinds of staying power.
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Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour

Standout Tracks: “Oh, What a World,” “Love is a Wild Thing,” “Slow Burn,” “Lonely Weekend”
Another fantastically produced album; I’m starting to see a trend in these records. I know Kacey Musgraves sparked about a million different controversies with this change in her sound, but after several months with this, I have to say that Golden Hour is Kacey’s best album so far. The dreamy, spacey production all over this album really suits her voice and these songs, and there’s not much else to say, it’s just a great-sounding slice of pop country music.
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Brent Cobb: Providence Canyon

Standout Tracks: “Sucker for a Good Time,” “Providence Canyon,” “Come Home Soon,” “Mornin’s Gonna Come”
This is the only album I’ve given a 10/10 rating to in 2018, but again, these records are so close that it’s not necessarily my favorite record at this point. It’s definitely becoming one of my most played, bringing country, funk, and soul together in the way that can only be done in Brent’s home state of Georgia. This is the first of several albums on this list that carries a unique and distinctly Southern flavor, and though each is different, each one celebrates a vital component of Southern music and culture.
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Blackberry Smoke: Find a Light

Standout Tracks: “I’ll Keep Ramblin'” (ft. Robert Randolph), “I’ve Got This Song,” “Run Away From it All,” “Till the Wheels Fall Off,” “Nobody Gives a Damn,” “Let me Down Easy” (ft. Amanda Shires)
Okay, yeah, it would have been easier to list the tracks that don’t stand out here. There are just so many great songs here, and this is another distinctly Southern album, keeping alive the sound of Southern rock in fine fashion. Southern rock is just as endangered, if not more so, than traditional country, and it’s just great to hear such an excellent slice of this music in 2018. Blackberry Smoke already have a 10/10 record here, and this one came very close to being their second.
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Willie Nelson: Last Man Standing

Standout Tracks: “Last Man Standing,” “Heaven is Closed,” “Me and You,” “Don’t Tell Noah”
What can I possibly say about Willie Nelson? At eighty-five, he is making better music than a giant chunk of Americana artists in their twenties and thirties. It’s a fun, upbeat record that displays Willie’s boundless charisma and clever songwriting at their best. And also, his vocal talent here puts many of the aforementioned independent artists to absolute shame.
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Old Crow Medicine Show: Volunteer

Standout Tracks: “Child of the Mississippi,” “Dixie Avenue,” “Whirlwind,” “A World Away,” “Look Away”
Again, it may have been easier to list the tracks that aren’t standouts. What a fun, energetic album! And I’ve mentioned Southern records, but none of them embrace the rich and vibrant Southern culture quite like this one. This is a love letter to the South, to its people and to its music, and it will make you proud of that heritage even despite the South’s scars.
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American Aquarium: Things Change

Standout Tracks: “One Day at a Time,” “Work Conquers All,” “Crooked+Straight,” “Shadows of You”
Out of the ruins of American Aquarium came something great, the best version of this band that has existed to date. It took everything crashing down to make it all happen, and now, in addition to BJ Barham’s always great songwriting, we have a band that sounds like a band and brings life to these songs in the best way possible. I don’t have much to say other than what everyone else is saying–this is an incredible album.
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Honorable Mentions

It should be noted that these six albums are the reason I chose ten instead of thirteen–because to choose three of these six was entirely impossible.

Darci Carlson (self-titled)
First Aid Kit: Ruins
Meghan Patrick: Country Music Made me do It
Dierks Bentley: The Mountain
Wade Bowen: Solid Ground
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers: Years

Other Albums Strongly Recommended by Country Exclusive

Caitlyn Smith: Starfire
Brandi Carlile: By the Way, I Forgive You
The Lost Brothers: Halfway Towards a Healing
Mike & the Moonpies: Steak Night at the Prairie Rose
Montgomery Gentry: Here’s to You
Ashley McBryde: Girl Going Nowhere
Laura Benitez and the Heartache: With All its Thorns
Teea Goans: Swing, Shuffle, and Sway (released 2017, reviewed 2018)
Caleb Caudle: Crushed Coins
Courtney Marie Andrews: May Your Kindness Remain
Vivian Leva: Time is Everything
Trixie Mattel: One Stone
Shotgun Rider: Palo Duro
Kasey Chambers & the Fireside Disciples: Campfire
Randall King (self-titled
John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness
Josh Ward: More Than I Deserve
Kayla Ray: Yesterday & Me
Jason Boland & the Stragglers: Hard Times are Relative

Albums on our Radar, with Potential to be Reviewed

Wes Youssi & the County Champs: Down Low
El Coyote (self-titled
Jesse Daniel (self-titled
Anderson East: Encore
Eleven Hundred Springs: The Finer Things in Life
Tami Neilson: Sassafrass!
Jeff Hyde: Norman Rockwell World
The Church Sisters: A Night at the Opry
Jay Bragg: Honky Tonk Dream
Steve Moakler: Born Ready
Tim Culpepper: DUI (Drinkin’ Under the Influence)
Chris Hennessee: Ramble
Steep Canyon Rangers: Out in the Open
Hellbound Glory: Streets of Aberdeen
Neko Case: Hell-on
Paul Cauthen: Have Mercy (EP)
Justin Adams: Horizon

Random Reflections

Reflecting on: Linda Ronstadt–Simple Dreams

June 28, 2018 Megan 3 Comments

It is a happy coincidence that this reflection comes the week of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt being granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and yes, in honor of that distinction, the next one of these will be on the Trio record released by the three of them in 1987. But even as iconic as Parton and Harris are to country music, it’s Ronstadt who’s been important to me, and she deserves her own piece. It’s been a long time coming, and this coincidence only makes it more necessary.

Release Date: 1977

Style: vintage pop, soft rock, and traditional country

People Who Might Like This Album: fans of Whitney Rose’s blend of country and vintage pop, fans of the vocals of Courtney Marie Andrews and First Aid Kit

Standout Tracks: “Blue Bayou,” “Carmelita,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” “Old Paint”

Reflections: Before we had crossover stars like Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood, and before we had Americana types like Whitney Rose and First Aid Kit reimagining this blend of classic country and vintage pop, there was Linda Ronstadt. She’s often overlooked by the country industry because she was the opposite of someone like Faith Hill, making pop rock albums and then crossing over into country instead of starting in the country format. But Linda Ronstadt records are more country by far than anything we’d call pop country today, probably than anything we’d have called pop country twenty years ago. I’ll get to more of why she deserves her spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame as much as the one she’s earned in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame when I talk about Trio, but for now, it’s the pop rock aspect that I want to focus on more.

That’s because it’s the rock side of Ronstadt I knew and loved first. I’ve talked before about how I didn’t come to country music until I was in school. That came from my grandma’s car radio. My parents listened to classic pop and rock, and my earliest memories of music are of this style. Linda Ronstadt is the first singer I can remember listening to and the first artist I loved. It was years later that my grandma introduced me to the trio, and later I did come to associate her with country, but it was the pop and rock stuff that initially made me fall in love with her music. But as a country fan through and through, I came to appreciate those Linda Ronstadt albums later in life for having as much songwriting substance and crying steel guitar as any country record. I came to understand that Linda Ronstadt is one of those rare artists who transcends genre, whose voice cannot be contained or limited to just one style.

It’s that voice and her ability as an interpreter which should make any music fan a fan of Linda Ronstadt. Courtney Marie Andrews gave me chills the first time I heard her sing “How Quickly Your Heart Mends” because the resemblance to Ronstadt is uncanny, and anyone who knows anything at all about Andrews will understand that that’s a high compliment to Linda because Courtney’s voice is one of the best in modern country and Americana music. Sometimes, First Aid Kit can sound like two copies of Courtney Marie Andrews, and their blend of pop, rock, and country hearkens back to Linda Ronstadt’s style as well.

As for this particular album, I chose it because it has my favorite Linda Ronstadt song, “Blue Bayou,” which reached the top three on the pop, adult contemporary, and country charts and is just a timeless, beautiful song. It’s where anyone should start with Linda’s music. Her different styles are showcased well on this record, from the staunchly country “Old Paint” and “I Never Will Marry,” a duet with Dolly Parton that became a top ten country hit and foreshadowed the magic of Trio, to the slightly Latin-influenced “Carmelita” to the pop rock cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Tumbling Dice.” Modern country fans who loved Terri Clark’s “Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me” may not know that this was originally a Linda Ronstadt hit, but Linda’s version was the first I heard and the first I loved.

These reflections are meant to be short, and I’ve just written many more words than I intended to about her, but it speaks to the love I have for Linda Ronstadt and the importance her music has had in my life. She’s an artist who wasn’t trapped by genre lines, but rather than blending them all into something unrecognizable, she just stayed true to all of them and interpreted each style excellently. She’s an artist any serious fan of music should appreciate and check out, and Simple Dreams is a great place to begin.