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Collaborative Review: Joshua Hedley – Mr. Jukebox

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Joshua Hedly’s debut album Mr. Jukebox is one that was an interesting listen for us both. It’s very cool that it’s so traditional, but it leads to a lot of the same authenticity debates that have been plaguing country, and whether something has to be completely traditional-sounding to be considered “real country.” It brought up some interesting discussion points, particularly as we both liked the album less with more listens.

Conversation

Megan: So let’s talk about the parts of this album we did enjoy, because it was kind of a strange experience for us both over the course of listening to it. I know a big draw obviously for you would be the sound.

Brianna: Oh yes, the sound played a big part in my feelings toward this album. Right away, it was easy to see that this would be very traditional. I loved the piano, fiddle, and steel guitar used throughout. It all really goes back to the 50s and 60s, and the sounds that were popular then.

Megan: It goes back to that in such a way that I can’t help but be impressed by it. Even down to his inflections and phrasing, it sounds classic. I wasn’t a huge fan of his voice like I know you were, but he definitely is convincing at the style.

Brianna: I agree about it being really convincing, as far as the musical tone. As for his voice, you’re right. I was really impressed at his talent. He’s just a singer who I really appreciate, and for me, when I can find someone who is working within the field of traditional country, and also has singing talent, I’m a happy camper.

Megan: I mean, I wasn’t moved either way by his voice. Not especially great or especially bad, at least for me. For me, it was the songwriting I initially liked. I shouldn’t say initially, I still do like a lot of these songs on paper. The first time I listened to this, it didn’t blow me away, but I thought it was solid. Was it like that for you? You probably actually liked it better than me at first.

Brianna: Oh yeah, at first, I was ready to be blown away. Hearing him sing on “Counting All My Tears”, I just knew it was going to be great. So, when I was first listening to this, I sort of liked it more. But the more I listened to the album, the weaker it became. Yes, I still like it, but now? Not as much. I’d say for me, about four of these songs really stand out completely.

Megan: Which songs? And what made it weaker? I know it got weaker for both of us, but I think we’ve got somewhat different reasons for that.

Brianna: I love “Counting All My Tears” for its slower tempo, as well as the way his voice just fits with the song. It’s really the only one of the slower songs I believe in. I could really be convinced that he’s really sad about his past relationship not working out. “These Walls” is one I like, just because he’s saying that the walls could tell a story about a relationship gone wrong. I love the upbeat “Let Them Talk”, just because the narrator doesn’t care about what others say, he’s happy with the woman he’s found. My favorite is the title track, though. “Mr. Jukebox” is awesome, as it’s from the perspective of the jukebox, telling stories about all the people around it.
What made it weaker was the fact that I honestly started finding the other songs sleepy or uninteresting. A lot of them are slower, but just because a song is slow doesn’t mean it has to be sleepy. Plus, a lot of these songs are about pain or trying to fix a relationship, and bored is the last thing I should feel. What about you? What are your standouts, and what brought this album down for you?

Megan: Slow songs don’t have to be sleepy is a great point. Jason Eady is the poster child of this quote. Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly that “Mr. Jukebox” is the best. It was the lead-off song and had me really excited for this. He’s best doing this sort of upbeat, shuffling traditional thing. Also agree on “Let Them Talk.” As for the slower songs, I enjoy the lyrics of “Weird Thought Thinker” quite a bit. I think I’d like this more in another singer’s hands. “Counting All My Tears” I’d agree on as well, I think he does sound more convincing in that one.
Which leads me to my biggest issue. It’s so caught up in trying to be traditional that it just feels like he’s doing a style. As we’ve pointed out, he’s doing it flawlessly, but I really don’t feel like I know much about Joshua Hedley after this other than that he really likes and respects traditional country. There’s nothing wrong with recreating this style, that’s what Zephaniah Ohora did last year on an album we both love. You loved Zephaniah long before me, so you’re probably a better authority on this, but I believe him when he sings. Not every word and phrase and chorus is throwback just for the sake of it.

Brianna: Oh yes. I believe what Zephaniah sings. I don’t, however, believe everything Joshua sings. I’m just not convinced he felt the emotion in the songs, and if the artist is lukewarm on a subject, it will likely rub off on the listener. Or, at least, to my way of thinking. For all I know, he isn’t lukewarm on the topics; it’s just how it comes across to me. Like he’s just going through the motions.

Megan: Do you think it’s a problem with how traditional and not contemporary he’s trying to be, or just more of a problem of him not really finding his sound as an artist? I guess what I mean is, do you think if he develops his songwriting and gives us more originality, he can release a 2nd album with this throwback sound and have it work in this day and age?

Brianna Well, if he released an album with more originality, but with the same kind of sound? I’d be all over it. Lol. Honestly, though, I think it might be both that he felt like he had to use the style he did, and that he is still trying to find his sound. I think he has a lot of potential, and I am interested to see what he comes up with next, I just hope that he doesn’t limit himself as he did on Mr. Jukebox.

Megan: Honestly, I don’t know. I thought at first it was just because of how identical he was trying to be to this style, but Colter Wall sings lines like “drew myself up” and “I made for the creek,” and for me, his music comes off timeless rather than dated. Same with Zephaniah Ohora, although his songwriting is more modern. This feels dated somehow. I wanted to like this more than I do, and I agree that he’s got a ton of potential. The opportunities he’s already had by releasing an album like this in 2018 on Third Man Records are encouraging. I guess I like him and the idea of it all more than the album, lol.

Brianna: I’m not a Colter fan, but I do like that sort of older language. It makes things feel more authentic. That’s always great.
But I agree, I like the idea of this more than the actual album, and that’s disappointing, as a traditional country fan.

Megan: It’s also disappointing because there’s not really one moment I don’t like here, except the awkward cover of “When You Wish Upon a Star.” But other than that, there’s nothing really awful about any of it individually, it’s just an overarching problem.
Overall, I am impressed by the sound and the production and the songwriting. I think Hedley has a lot of potential, and I’m glad to see an album like this get made in 2018. It’s still a positive thing as a whole and has some standout songs, but it lacks identity. I want to hear more Joshua Hedley next time to build on this very cool foundation. Solid 6 from me, I think.

Brianna: That’s a great point that should be made, that nothing is awful about this album. Like you, my only real awkward moment is “When You Wish Upon A Star”, but that’s both because it’s a cover, and also due to the jazz atmosphere of it. Like you, I’d love to hear more of himself on his next album, but I’m also encouraged at seeing something so blatantly traditional be pushed so much this year. I’d like to go with a 7, but I believe a more accurate rating for this would be 6.5, simply due to the fact that I don’t love over half of the album. Still, this is something I recommend any traditional country fan should check out. It’s very possible you all may have different opinions than Megan and myself.

Ratings

Brianna: 6.5/10
Megan: 6/10

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Album Review: Ashley Monroe–Sparrow

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Rating: 6.5/10

If any of you know me at all, you know I am an unashamed Ashley Monroe apologist and have been looking forward to new music from her almost since The Blade. With the release of the first single, “Hands on You,” came mixed feelings–I enjoyed the single, but I was hesitant about the more polished direction Monroe took sonically. I haven’t been overly impressed with any of the other pre-released tracks either, and what once was promising to be a great release was becoming a worrying one.

After several listens with this thing? Honestly, this is probably the most conflicted and divided I’ve been with myself about a project in a long while.

Monroe cites “good therapy” as being largely responsible for this record. She says that she finally chose to properly deal with the loss of her father at thirteen and what that was like for her family. That’s certainly evident from the opening lines of this album, as “Orphan” begins with the line from which the title of the album was inspired–“How does the sparrow know more than I? When a mother is gone, it learns how to fly.” “Orphan” is a ridiculous opener and one of the best songs of the year–and as for that polish which traditionally hasn’t been a Monroe characteristic, it actually works to perfection here, with elegant strings and piano accentuating the vocals and the story.

Monroe’s father comes up several more times on this album, often in its strongest moments. “Daddy I Told You” is another standout, again featuring some very tasteful piano and letting him know that she kept his name and still loves him. This one is just the kind of honest, thoughtful expression of emotion which defines country music. If I get asked to define it again anytime soon, I’m just going to cite this song. “Mother’s Daughter” is another track that echoes with the memories of her dad, as she sings about once being her father’s daughter but now having become more like her mother in his absence, or as the song says, “now that he’s no longer.” Sonically, this one is similar to something like “From Time to Time” from Ashley’s last album, and this one feels like a moment where the more polished sound works to her advantage.

Sensuality is also an important part of this record. I’m not sure how that plays into the therapeutic aspect of it for Monroe, but there is something liberating about the presence of both “Hands on You” and “Wild Love” here. This is the country genre, where women aren’t allowed to speak about desire at all, much less in this way, with lines like “pull my hair and call my name” (Wild Love”) and “I wish I’d have pushed you against the wall, locked the door in a bathroom stall” (“Hands on You.”) It’s not really apparent how little women actually sing about desire in country until you are presented with it here, and that shouldn’t be such a rare and shocking thing. I congratulated Shinyribs last year on introducing foot worship to country music; now I’d like to extend the same congratulations to Ashley Monroe for releasing these scandalous lines out into the world and especially on a major label.

I will say that while they both add value as individual songs, these two could have done with different melodies and production. “Wild Love” was released after “Hands on You,” and it’s the same tempo, same key, even the same strings in the background doing some of the same runs. I feel as if I’d have enjoyed “Wild Love” more if it had been released first, just as I enjoy “Hands on You” more currently. It’s intriguing because both of them stand well on their own, but they are so similar musically that they take away from one another on the album.

The major issue with this record can be boiled down to that incessant polish, and I hate to criticize him twice in a week, but Dave Cobb strikes again here. It’s not that Cobb did a bad job here, as the string sections and piano all over this album are generally really beautiful, even adding to some of the songs I’ve mentioned. They also work really well in “Hard on a Heart,” another of the standouts on the record. And Monroe said she wanted to work with him and wanted a countrypolitan feel on this album, so this problem has to do with her vision more than Cobb actually screwing it up.

but Dave Cobb is a terrible producer for Ashley Monroe. Vince Gill was a much better one, even on The Blade, where there was more polish than her previous records. The Blade still kept her personality, her emotion, that traditional voice as the focal points. With Sparrow, you’re often too drawn in or too distracted, depending on the song, by these orchestral arrangements to fully appreciate the words of Ashley Monroe. And it’s a shame because this is supposed to be the most personal record for Monroe to date–but instead of letting us in like Kacey Musgraves managed to do on her album, it feels like Monroe holds us at arm’s length, not quite letting us into the unique headspace she was in when she wrote these songs but rather staying in her own private moment. Her vulnerability is masked by cellos and piano and general overproduction. “Paying attention” is absolutely ruined by production; lyrically, that’s a great heartbreak song and one that Ashley could nail vocally, but she’s fighting to be heard over everything else so that she’s not even on pitch all the time. She also has pitch issues in “She Wakes me Up,” another ridiculously cluttered affair, and it’s not a coincidence. Ashley Monroe is one of the most gifted country vocalists around, but she’s being drowned out by all this until both her emotional delivery and her technical performance are suffering. It renders some songs boring and lifeless, some of which might have been better had Monroe and her lyrics been allowed to shine more. I mean, I don’t think “Rita” could have been helped by anything, as that’s definitely the most boring track Ashley has ever released, but it’s the exception here, and the point still stands.

I wanted to like this more than I do, and as many issues as I have with this album, I probably do enjoy it more than my words may imply. The standouts I have listed are just that–they’re not the few tolerable or decent tracks on an otherwise terrible record, they’re gems that stand as proud additions to Ashley Monroe’s discography. A brilliant song like “Orphan” proves that this more polished, countrypolitan style can work for Monroe at times, and it’s a song like that which really makes the boring, overproduced filler on this record all the more disheartening. Overall, this style doesn’t suit Monroe, and especially not on what’s meant to be a personal, intimate record. Here’s hoping Vince Gill will come back to produce her next project. Cherry-picking is not something I normally condone, but it’s appropriate here because this album has some treasures; unfortunately, they’re mixed in with filler, and more importantly, I don’t see this record making new Ashley Monroe fans. For those like me, already unapologetic fans, it does have the potential to grow–the problems are less with Ashley herself and more with the style–but I don’t see Sparrow being a defining record for her, even if it symbolizes a defining moment for Monroe personally.

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Album Review: Jason Aldean–Rearview Town

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Rating: 6/10

I can sense the number of readers/followers I’m about to upset or outright lose with this take on Jason Aldean, and on the surface, I understand. It’s easy to hear the name Jason Aldean and think “Dirt Road Anthem” and resent him for his introduction of rap into the mainstream. It’s easy to think of the even more atrocious “1994,” a stain on the country genre and really all of music that I wish I could forget. But Aldean’s also given us songs like “The Truth,” “Fly Over States,” and “Amarillo Sky.” He’s released “Night Train,” separating himself from his counterparts by singing a song with the same themes but with more detailed and clever imagery. More than that, he’s always included solid, even stellar album cuts. He’s a frustrating artist because it’s hard not to wonder why he keeps those good songs buried, but at the same time, he’s refreshingly consistent. When you press play on a Jason Aldean record, you know what you’re getting–some forgettable or even awful singles and some truly great gems to go along with them. Aldean’s never going to blow you away with his songwriting or give you any profound revelations, but that’s not what you come to a Jason Aldean record for anyway, and if he were the worst thing on country radio, we honestly wouldn’t have much to complain about anymore.

It’s because on a Jason Aldean album, there is consistent balance. I don’t want to speak for stricter traditionalists out there, but most of us are simply advocating for balance. Most of us don’t have a problem with pop country or even modern influences per se, but our issue lies in the fact that this music is the only option and eradicating the traditional and the substantive in the mainstream. Aldean’s not offering traditional, but his records do provide a balance of substance, and that makes it easier to tolerate the crap.

On the substantive side of this record, we have several standouts. That’s another consistent thing about aldean; when he’s good, he’s pretty great. One highlight is the collaboration with Miranda Lambert called “Drowns the Whiskey,” taking the classic country heartbreak song and making it fresh and modern. I do wish we heard Miranda a bit more–I always prefer these things when the featured artist actually has some solo lines instead of just providing harmonies–but she’s actually distinctive, gets more than one or two obligatory lines, and imagine this, is actually a country star instead of some random pop princess. There’s also some pretty substantial steel in this track, which is always an added bonus.

The title track and “Blacktop Gone” frame this song in the heart of the album, and together, these three create the strongest portion of the record. “Blacktop Gone” and “Rearview Town” are mirror images of each other, each reflecting the same theme of leaving a one-horse town and each delivered in the same key, like two halves of the same thought. “Blacktop Gone” is the lighter version, with the narrator seeming to leave this town in good spirits simply because he’s looking for freedom and a new life. It seems to be something he’s always wanted to do, as if he never had any intention of staying here longer than was necessary. The title track is a more melancholy picture, with our narrator deeply affected by having to leave. He knows he can’t make it in this town, and memories also haunt him, but he still hates to leave it behind–“never thought I’d ever leave it.”

“Better at Being Who I Am” provides another great moment lyrically, as well as what feels like a very real moment for Aldean, depicting a character who is breaking it off with a lover because they’re just too different. He’s better on his side of the tracks and being himself; “The square peg, round hole things’ too hard.” “High Noon Neon” also portrays the classic country breakup song in a more modern way, much like “Drowns the Whiskey.” I can only guess why electronic production is his choice on these songs and really on much of this record, as he usually veers toward arena rock, but both of these tracks suffer from overproduction and from generally not sounding sonically like Jason aldean. That said, they’re still two of the strongest lyrically. The arena rock style is displayed on “I’ll Wait For You” to decent effect to convey the desperation in this particular song, and although I’m not the greatest “You Make it Easy” apologist, finding it more boring than anything, it can be counted on the more substantive half as well.

The thing about the other half of this and about Jason aldean as an artist is even when it’s not great, it’s mostly believable. Aldean sings with conviction and passion, and it’s hard to call him inauthentic. I know that word’s been misused and manipulated to death by mainstream and independent crowds alike, but the point is that Jason Aldean genuinely sounds like a guy who’s set foot in some rearview towns and gotten drunk on some tailgates. He appeals to a blue collar demographic in a way that actually seems real and borne of experience, as opposed to many of his mainstream peers. Instead of developing that into more stuff like the title track or “Amarillo Sky,” he generally chooses to spend about half his album on back roads. The result is that the majority of the rest of this becomes forgettable, interchangeable material, but it’s at least delivered with some personality and heart.

I have to single out the God-awful exceptions to this, though, which come in “Like You Were Mine” and “Gettin’ Warmed Up.” He attempts to rap in both of them, something someone should really tell him to never do again because as a singer, Jason’s got charisma, but as a rapper, he is shockingly bad. The latter, aside from the rap, is literally, right down to the title, a carbon copy of his former hit “Just Gettin’ started.” I actually put on that track and noticed that one of the lyrics there is “we’re just gettin’ warmed up.” We’re always saying mainstream country is out of ideas and rehashing old clichés and drumbeats, but this is literally like Aldean and his team took that song and said, “Hey, this worked once. Can we do this again?”

The other major problem, as I mentioned before, is the electronic production. It’s not even so much that it’s electronic production over more country sounds–although I wouldn’t object to more country sounds if he wanted to use them–it’s that it doesn’t sound like Aldean sonically. “I’ll Wait For You” is one of the few songs which sounds like him with its arena rock style. He traditionally hasn’t gravitated toward all these drum loops. They’re cluttered on “Better at Being Who I Am” and unnecessary on other songs. “Drowns the Whiskey,” which features all that steel and sings of heartbreak, might have bridged the mainstream/independent gap well if it sounded more like normal Aldean, but more traditional-minded fans probably won’t get past that loop. It all feels very trend-chasing, and it’s really kind of odd considering how consistently Jason Aldean this is in basically all other aspects.

So, in standard Jason Aldean style, he’s given us a mixed record. The good songs here are standouts, providing some quality and substance in the midst of the endless party. As for the endless party itself, at least for the most part it has some personality. If he could just refrain from rapping, there wouldn’t be anything God-awful here, just a lot of filler. But this is basically what you expect from a Jason Aldean release, and as I said before, if this were the worst that came out of the mainstream, we wouldn’t have much of a problem.

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Album Review: John Prine–The Tree of Forgiveness

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Rating: 7/10

How can I actually find a way to properly introduce the great John Prine. If background info seemed superfluous with Willie Nelson, it seems almost ridiculous with John Prine, as that name should be an introduction in and of itself, carrying the legend of the incredible songwriting that has marked his career. Indeed, he wrote one of my favorite songs in “Angel From Montgomery,” and I am nothing but glad to see that with this resurgence of his popularity at this point in his life, new generations are coming around to the fact that Prine is a songwriting genius.

John Prine was never an especially remarkable singer, and time and especially cancer can be cruel to a voice, but that’s not why anyone ever listened to Prine in the first place. If it was a great voice you were looking for, it’s your loss because it’s wisdom and passion which outlast even time and circumstance, and Prine displays both in his songwriting. Anyone looking to become better at this craft should study this album and the music of John Prine, for the man is a world-class wordsmith, and no one can pen songs quite like him.

It’s not just his choice of words or the unique way he can empathize with the world, either. It’s the way he can make death seem like a party in “When I Get to Heaven”–in fact, the very name of this album comes from the name of a nightclub he plans to open in the afterlife. He speaks of starting a band and smoking cigarettes that are nine miles long and makes it all seem like an adventure, all but eliminating the fear of death with this picture of it. He can make us all feel at once sympathetic with the forgotten, lonesome narrator of “Knockin’ on Your Screen Door” and guilty for not helping the less fortunate. With the pictures he paints, he lets us know it’s our business to be more compassionate to people, to understand their circumstances and put ourselves in their place. It’s not preachy because John Prine is not a preacher–he’s a storyteller, and this is a story of the downtrodden that needs to be told. He can even humanize “poor planet Pluto,” as he does in the album highlight, “Lonesome Friends of Science,” the once majestic planet which has now been demoted.

It’s also in that song that he speaks of actually “living” in a place deep inside his mind while collecting his mail in Tennessee. It’s an interesting perspective and one that is common among songwriters and other creative souls, as they interpret the world with deeper emotion and unique insight, feeling things from deep within and letting their imaginations run free. It’s certainly from a place like that where songs like “Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967, (crazy Bone)” originate; yes, that’s a real title here on this album, and yes, the song is about as strange as that title would imply. But it’s a cheerful reminder for us all to stay weird if nothing else.

Dave Cobb was, for the most part, a good producer for this because he knows how to get out of the way of an artist and let their lyrics be the focal point. This is pretty minimalist in its approach, and usually, that serves Prine well. There’s some upbeat, cheerful acoustic guitar in “Knockin’ on Your Screen door” which helps to give that track some life, and some lively drums and more energetic production to help the humorous “Crazy Bone.” The piano adds to “Lonesome Friends of Science” as well, creating a nice interlude in the middle of that track. There are some collaborators, most notably Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile, and they do their part to enhance, rather than take away from, the lyrics. Prine and his words are always the main focus.

Still, it does feel like sometimes John Prine is left too exposed by the production. “Summer’s End,” for example, could have done with a bit more, especially at the beginning, as it sounds sort of unfinished. “NO Ordinary Blue” could have benefited from some collaboration to support the vocals as well, and “Caravan of Fools” just feels like it needed something else, maybe some strings or piano to add to it. There are some strings which come in at the very end, but they would have served the song better if they’d come in earlier. It’s an odd thing to say because a record usually suffers from the opposite when it comes to production issues, but this one is underproduced in places.

As for John Prine himself, this album proves why he’s become so popular again later in his life, why people are once again taking notice of his songs and his career. It’s because he is a songwriter like no other, and people recognize that wisdom and talent when they hear it. They admire his compassion and love the weirdness and wit which separates him from many of his contemporaries. On a side note, this record is also a great case for the fact that artists don’t magically stop having something relevant or profound to say when they’ve reached a certain age or point in their careers–it’s a lesson Americana knows well but which country needs to learn. Aspiring songwriters and fans of good music, acquaint yourself with Jon Prine. This is just another good place to begin.

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Single Review: Carrie Underwood’s “Cry Pretty”

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Rating: 8/10

Yes, Carrie Underwood has new music. I think we all knew that if we were living anywhere on the planet this week, so let’s get right to the point.

This song so blatantly flaunts established country radio convention that it becomes necessary to make a list of things it does to fly in the face of that institution.

  • it’s a mid-tempo ballad, not some upbeat summer anthem
  • it contains actual steel guitar
  • it features four female songwriters which must be some sort of unspoken crime in Nashville
  • it actually speaks to the female perspective instead of whatever “Female” thought it was doing
  • there’s actual emotion, but it’s nothing to do with love or anything else stereotypical

And yet, Carrie Underwood has the gall to release this to country radio–not only that, to choose to release it despite the pressure to release her Super Bowl anthem “The Champion” which featured Ludacris instead. That song, despite not being country in the slightest and not being very good in whatever genre it landed beyond its original purpose, probably would have done well in today’s radio environment. Yet she chose this decidedly country pop song and exercised leadership with that decision, more than we can say for many other mainstream country artists.

The song itself starts off with just Carrie and some very faint electric guitar, and credit to her for being very restrained at the beginning and slowly building throughout the song to reflect emotions getting out of hand and becoming uncontrollable. She’s singing about those times when our emotions get the best of us; we can fake it with a”pretty lie” or brush it off with a “pretty smile,” but it’s impossible to “cry pretty.” She asserts that crying is human and all part of being a person and a woman–it could be in response to the way she removed herself from the public to heal after injuring her face, but the details are vague. The vagueness is both a drawback to the song and a thing that will keep it more relatable to a wider audience. This is Carrie Underwood, famous singer, always in the spotlight, actually being vulnerable and making herself an equal with all of us. It’s why this song will work–it shows that she’s really not that different to any of us, and it will speak to people because of that.

And it will most likely get played on country radio as well because it’s Carrie Underwood we’re talking about, and she’s pretty much one of the only women guaranteed to have success in the format. Credit to her for taking advantage of that position and releasing this song, adding her name to the growing number of artists channeling good singles out into the mainstream.

Written by: Carrie Underwood, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey