There has been a lot of talk lately about genre lines and how important they really are. Does it matter that an album sounds country if the lyrics are bland? Is hearing songs rife with fiddle and steel on the radio really an improvement in itself, or have we gone so far that country-sounding music is praised over good music in general? Do we overlook artists like David Nail and Eric Church, both of whom have put out solid country albums in the past year, while propping up more traditional artists like Mo Pitney and William Michael Morgan just because they sound a certain way? All of this boils down to one question: Does genre really matter at all?
Well, that is a difficult question to answer, and there are differing viewpoints on all sides. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write because of the sheer number of people who may disagree, and I could ignore it, but I feel inclined to address it, and to be honest with myself and all of you. Honesty is absent everywhere in music right now, and that is one of the driving factors behind Country Exclusive’s existence, so I am going to do my best to provide it.
The simple answer is no, genre doesn’t matter. Good music is good music regardless of who is singing or what genre it is labeled. This is why I gave Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller two different grades–one as a country album, and one as simply an album. It makes a pretty good pop album. Kelsea Ballerini made a decent pop album too and then sent the singles to country radio–and not the best singles either, I might add, but that’s a different story. I wrote that Courtney Marie Andrews defied genre lines in Honest Life, and while not being the most country album, it is the best album I have reviewed to date. Good music can and does come out of every genre, and that is what we should be looking for the most.
To add to that, I want to say that country can be good without having fiddle and steel. I have written in several Red dirt album reviews a sentiment like, “This isn’t the album to buy if you want fiddle and steel,” followed by praise of the album. Red Dirt has a raw honesty that often surpasses genre, and this is evident in the massive sonic difference between Jason Eady and Reckless Kelly, both of whom have produced an inordinate amount of great music during their respective careers. There’s good pop country too, like the aforementioned Carrie Underwood and David Nail. Eric Church produced one of the better albums of 2015, both musically and lyrically, and you won’t find fiddle or steel anywhere on it. I have written a great deal about Maddie & Tae, advising strict traditionalists to give them a chance because they were bringing country back to radio, even if it was pop country. I praised Aubrib Sellers and her debut album which she labeled “garage country.” I’m far from a country purist, ready to criticize something immediately because it isn’t what country “should” sound like.
However, this idea of good music first has been taken too far. William Michael Morgan got a #1 at radio with “I Met a Girl,” which, while indeed lyrically weak, actually sounded country. It’s a step in the right direction as much as the songwriting on Eric Church’s album or the CMA wins of Chris stapleton. Why? Because something actually resembling country can be heard on country radio for the first time in years. But if genre doesn’t matter, why are we even celebrating? Surely Morgan’s “I Met a Girl” is just more shitty music with fiddle and steel.
It’s because truthfully, genre can’t be ignored completely. If you went to a bookstore and found the books arranged in categories of “good” and “bad,” this wouldn’t help you find a book at all. It’s because these terms are subjective. If you wanted to read crime fiction, you would go to the section marked crime fiction, and from there, you could decide which books you wanted to read. If you found romance in the crime fiction section, you would say the book has been put in the wrong place. Of course, there are books that have elements of both and can therefore be classified as both. Now, let’s apply this to music. Crime fiction might be country, romance might be pop, and the two might blend to make pop country. A book containing many different elements might be labeled just “fiction” or “literature”–in music, this could be Americana, with its blending of many styles. There are probably good books in all the different genres, but since you came looking for crime fiction, you aren’t going to be satisfied with a good romance novel. In the same way, if you want to hear traditional country, you won’t find it in the pop country of Carrie Underwood, the country rock of Eric Church, or the Americana of Jason Isbell.
Therefore, when an artist like Morgan comes along, who actually sounds traditional, it’s right to be excited that he’s getting airplay. It’s right to fight to hear more country on country radio–in fact, many of us ran to underground country simply because of the lack of country on country radio. And it’s right to want to see mainstream Nashville and country radio embrace people like Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price. We can run to Americana and give up on the mainstream altogether, but no matter how you look at it, Americana isn’t country. Some of it is excellent, but it still isn’t country. It isn’t the music we fell in love with, the music we miss. We should praise music of substance regardless of how it sounds, but the lack of country on country radio is just an important a problem as the lack of substance in the music.
I daresay the majority, if not all of us, fell in love with country music, at least in part, by listening to country radio. Maybe you grew up with the legends like Haggard and Nelson. Maybe you remember Keith Whitley and Randy Travis, or maybe you miss the sounds of Alan Jackson, George Strait, and Vince Gill. Maybe you’re like me, and the first country you ever heard was the Dixie Chicks. Regardless, you heard all of them because they were played on country radio and available to the masses, just like their pop country counterparts. Pop country has always been around, but never has it replaced and eradicated the traditional as it has in recent years. Wherever your nostalgia comes from, you fell out of love with country radio after it lost the sound and substance you were drawn to. Today, even though the substance is slowly returning, there is still a noticeable lack of the sound. People growing up with country radio today might associate country with Luke Bryan or Thomas Rhett, both of whom lack the sound and the substance. Or maybe they’ll associate country with Carrie Underwood and Eric Church–they will recognize the substance but lose the sound. But until Morgan and Pardi, there hasn’t been a traditional sound being carried to the masses in years. Pop country isn’t a bad thing, but the complete elimination of the traditional is a terrible thing, and a dangerous thing for country as we know it. Therefore, when an artist like Morgan breaks through and gets a #1 single, we should all be celebrating. There is still much work to be done in Nashville, both in sound and substance, but Morgan, and others like him, are bringing hope for everyone who thought traditional country was lost. He’s not pop country, he’s not country rock, he’s not Americana. He’s just country. And I miss country. I fell in love with country. Country is my passion as a fan and my focus as a reviewer. It’s what I’ll always love the most, even though I praise and listen to plenty of good music from other genres, and it seemed, not long ago, that the music I loved would be lost forever in the mainstream. I am nothing but glad that Morgan and Pardi have broken through, and that young people out there listening to country radio once again have the opportunity to fall in love with real country the way I did. As I said, there is still a lot of work to be done, but let’s all recognize this for what it is, a positive step, and be glad for how far we’ve come.
Jamie Lin Wilson is an ever-growing presence in the Texas/Red Dirt scene, with the Gougers, the Trishas and most recently as a solo artist, with 2015’s excellent Holidays and Wedding Rings. For more detailed information, you can read her Female Friday, featured here about a year ago. This interview was conducted by myself and Jennifer Lane during the 4th Annual Medicine Stone, discussed in detail here. Jamie Lin was gracious enough to sit down with us, in a casual skirt and tank top, hair still wet, in short giving the same comfortable, down-to-earth impression reflected in this photo. She was happy to tell us about Medicine Stone, the Texas/Red Dirt scene, and her unique story in all of it.
Country Exclusive: So is this your first time at Medicine Stone?
Jamie Lin Wilson: No, I came last year. Last year was my first trip here.
CE: Were you playing at the bar then, or were you on the main stage?
JLW: I was on the main stage last year too.
CE: What do you think about this event, and what the Turnpike Troubadours have started?
JLW: Man, it’s, it’s beautiful. There are people camping out all over the place, inviting everybody to their campsites, sharing…like last night, I got here very late last night, so I caught the end of Randy Rogers’s set, and then Mike and the Moonpies’ after party show. And then we just kind of walked around, and there were hamburgers being cooked…I stayed up till 4 AM, and I wasn’t even trying to. (laughter) It was like, all of a sudden, it’s 4 AM, how did that happen?
CE: So you would definitely come back.
JLW: Oh, I’d come back as long as they’ll have me. I love it. And the Turnpike boys, I mean, I’ve known them for a long time. Since they were in a van, which actually wasn’t that long ago. (laughter)
CE: NO, it wasn’t.
JLW: But I’ve just been so proud of them, watching them blow up, and I tell Evan [Felker] all the time that people out there are screaming the words to his songs, and like, there’s four thousand people in the audience,dancing and singing to all of these songs, and they don’t even know that they’re getting smarter. I’m like, “Your songs actually raise people’s IQ’s.” Because he writes so smart, and that’s the thing with all of these people that are here, like the lineup here is so great. And there’s so many more that aren’t here that are also in this scene, in the Texoma thing.
CE: I like the Texoma, because it’s usually Texas or Red Dirt, but Texoma’s good for an Oklahoman.
JLW: It’s the same, it’s the same, you know? Like there’s a definite influence with everybody of where you’re from, you can tell. If you listen to my songs, you can tell I’m from south Texas, I’ve got that. I’ve got that in me. You listen to Turnpike [Troubadours] and [Jason] Boland and stoney [LaRue] and Mike McClure and all those guys, you can tell that they’re from Oklahoma. There’s a thing. But, because of the quality of song and the give-a-shit that is put into it, that’s where it all comes together.
CE: Do you think that is unique to this scene, to the Texas scene? The uniqueness, or as you said, the give-a-shit?
JLW: I think that what is unique to Texas is…being someone who’s toured nationally, what’s unique to Texas is the passion that Texas and OKlahoma have for music, the fans. There are at least three or four venues in every major market that anybody can go to. You can go to Dallas, Oklahoma City, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Tulsa…you can have your pick. If you’re a large band, you get a 2,000-seat venue. If you’re a small band, you get 500 and below, you know? But in other states, there’s not that option. Like if you go to Georgia, you can play this, this, this, or this. (laughter) And in Texas and Oklahoma, the scene is so supported, and the fans are so passionate, that you can play any night of the week. You can go anywhere, any night of the week and see good music. Good songwriting, good musicianship, and that is just not normal everywhere else.
You know, the scene though, the songwriting and the quality of the music is pretty similar to what’s happening in the Americana world right now, where people are confused about what happened. and we’re the same. There are people coming here who were at the Americana festival too, they’re coming from Nashville. Like Randy was there and came here last night, Red Shahan’s coming, I did it last year, I did the shuffle. Like, we’re all a part of the same deal. People ask what makes something Americana too, because all the bands sound different. The sound is not the same; the thing that’s the same is the care that’s put into crafting a song, and the care that’s given by the fans. Whenever the fans want to hear good music, then the people put out good music. That, that is specific to the Americana scene as well as the Texas scene, and that’s why they go hand in hand. That’s why those Americana bands, [Jason] Isbell and Sturgill [Simpson] and the Black Lilies and American Aquarium and all those bands that aren’t Texas bands can come through Texas and have just as great of a turnout as locals, as people who were raised here. And it’s because the fans just want to hear good songs. How hard is that?
CE: It’s not.
JLW: (laughter) How hard is that to just give me something good? Just give me something I want to hear?
CE: I take it from hearing this, but I’ll ask anyway. A lot of texas artists try to get into Nashville scenes, to make it there. Is there any interest in that for you?
JLW: I mean, I love Nashville. I love it. I go there to write a few times a year. I’ll start doing that more next year since I’m not pushing a record right now. But I would love for those girls who wear short skirts to like, cut my songs, that would be cool. (laughter) But I don’t have any interest. I’d like to play the Opry, that’d be fun. But I don’t have any interest in being on the CMA Awards or doing that. That’s not really me. I mean, if that genre, if the top 40 genre started playing songs that I think I could write, then sure. You know, if that’s where the stardom goes, then more power to them, I’d love that. But I’m not interested in being famous. I like to sing and have my kids be proud of me for putting things out that have integrity, I think. I don’t know, does that sounds snobby?
CE: NO, not at all. It sounds the opposite. I was going to ask this later, but you led me to it. You said you’re not pushing a record, so when can we expect some new music?
JLW: Man, I’ve got things happening. I’m writing a lot right now, but I just don’t know. I haven’t figured out what I want to do with it. I’ve got some projects. Like, I want to write this record that has this and this and this and this, and then I want to write this record that has these songs on it. So we’ll see where all those land and how it happens, but I’ll probably record something next year, even if it’s just a few songs to put on Spotify or apple Music. I’m not sure that i’ll make a whole record, but you never know, I might.
CE: I look forward to it. I did really enjoy Holidays and Wedding Rings, that was one of the better albums of 2015.
JLW: Thank you, I was really proud of it.
CE: You should have been. When did you know you wanted to pursue music as a career?
JLW: Yeah, that’s a thing that just kind of happened. I got a guitar whenever I was a sophomore in college, and learned some chords, and I always knew that I could sing pretty good. I would just sit in my room and sing these songs, and eventually I started going to this open mic night. And probably the third one, someone asked me to be in their band. Hey you wanna come open for us and be in my band? sure. And that ended up being Shane Walker, who was in the Gougers with me, and then I was in a band. It just kind of became what I did, and then I enjoyed it, and I just never stopped. So here I am. (laughter)
CE: So here you are. Do you have anyone that influenced you musically?
JLW: Oh everybody. I mean, I can listen to things that I grew up listening to like Highway 101 and Dolly Parton and Kathy Mattea and Mark Chesnutt and Merle Haggard, George Jones and Ray Price and Bob Wills, all of these people that I listened to as a kid, and then I listen to them now and I go, Oh that’s where I got that from. I listen to Dolly and Emmylou [Harris], and I’m like, That’s where my voice came from, that’s cool. I pick it apart. Musically, I go through stages. I’ll just listen to something for three months, one record. And then I’ll find someone else, and just dive into it, and then I’ll listen to another guy. So as it turns out, I end up having all of these certain types of music. I go, Yeah that was the first half of 2003, I remember that, when I was into that record. You know, Gillian Welch and Lyle Lovett got me into Guy [Clark] and Townes [Van Zandt] and John Prine. And then I went to Tom petty and Tom Waits, and then you go to Jet. Jack White and all of his things. You pick it apart, and you get something from everybody.
And then, people ask me what I’m influenced by now, and honestly, it’s my friends. That’s who I listen to. People who are piers of mine put out records. Turnpike Troubadours and Drew Kennedy, Jack Ingram, have you heard Jack Ingram’s new record?
CE: I have not, I’ve been told I need to.
JLW: Oh, please do. It’s so good, so good. Just he himself is inspiring. But, Courtney Patton, Jason Eady, Kaitlin [Butts], all of these people who are friends of mine. Wade Bowen. We have this little group of friends that we all send each other songs. Like, hey I wrote this song, listen to it. A few weeks ago, one of my friends sent me a song that was new, and I listened to it, and that inspired me to write this other song. And I sent it to my friends, and that song inspired them to write these songs. It’s like this web of inspiration and influence. The Texas scene, in general, is so supportive of each other. We all build each other up and we love each other and we send each other pictures of babies and go to each other’s weddings.
CE: You’re family.
JLW: We’re a family. It’s cool, and I don’t know if it’s been like that forever, but it is like that now. I’ve got a hotel room over here and I was just walking through and I was like, “Oh, Kaitlin! You slept in a tent? Come take a shower in my room.” (laughter) Like, I’ve got three girls that are in and out of my room showering because we all love each other. Yeah, I’ve got a room, take it. Come sleep, take a nap. We all help each other, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. We jump up and sing with each other.
CE: There has been a lot of talk about the lack of female representation in Nashville and on radio. do you feel that in this scene?
JLW: This scene is weird regarding girls, and it’s nobody’s fault, I don’t think. I think that the thing with girls here, and in general…the scene in Texas and OKlahoma is driven very much by beer. There are these really big venues, and the definition of success is higher than like, in the Americana scene, for example. You go around and play all of these rooms, they’re 200-seat venues, 200-seat rooms. You sell it out, that’s a really big deal. Well, in Texas, there’s a 2,000-seat venue in every market! And if you’re not Randy Rogers or Wade Bowen or Turnpike or Boland, people selling out those big venues, then you’re not considered successful. But my band, the Trishas, sold out Gruene Hall, and that’s 700 people. And we sold out the Kessler, and we fill up rooms all over the state. But if it’s a 400-seat venue, then it’s like, Oh well that was just a little room. But anywhere else in the world, that’s success. And to us, that’s success. That’s what we want to do. So the lack of female representation…there’s Kelly Willis, there’s Robyn Ludwick, all four of us Trishas individually play by ourselves, there’s Kaitlin, there’s Courtney, there’s all these new girls coming up in Texas and I don’t know, we’re fine. Like it doesn’t offend me. I don’t want to play Midnight Rodeo, that’s not what I do. My songs don’t translate in venues that are 2,000-seat, everybody have a party. Like most guys, 80% of guys…most statistics are made up on the spot, but I would say the majority of guys who start playing music start playing music because they want to impress a girl. They want to be in high school sitting on the back of a pickup truck, the one with the guitar at the campfire, to get the girl. So inherently, guys want to have attention with them with their guitar, like, Look at this solo! So that’s how they start. Then, some of them become thoughtful, poetic songwriters, and some of them go, hey let’s party. And both things are cool, both things are good, both serve a purpose. But women, we pick up a guitar and start playing songs because we have something to say. But women are thoughtful way before men are thoughtful, not that they’re not both thoughtful as grownups, but when they start…it’s therapeutic for me. Like all my women friends, they write songs because it makes them feel good, or because I have to get this out of me right now. And sure, once you figure out how to craft it, you can write a party song, and that’s awesome, that’s great. But inherently, we’re just different. And that’s cool. And it shouldn’t hurt anybody’s feelings. (laughter) You know, Courtney Patton’s thoughtful, beautiful songs that make people cry, aren’t going to be played at the Texas Hall of Fame. That crowd’s not going to say, Wait she’s playing something beautiful, let me put down this quarter pitcher of beer and go listen to her. (laughter) But in a theater or listening room, that’s where that kind of songwriting shines. And so we choose to play venues like this. And people like Evan who write both kinds, you know, he writes super thoughtful songs that also make you want to party. I don’t know how he does it, but they’re great, he can go in either one. He can go play in a listening room or he can play this other venue. So it’s song-driven, and style-driven, and where you get the crowds. Like my crowd is older. My crowd goes out at 8:00 and goes home by ten, and they buy expensive wine and drink scotch and pay a $25 ticket to be quiet and sit there and enjoy a show. And I’m not saying there aren’t guys like that too, like Kevin Welch. I’m not saying only women play listening rooms and only men play parties.
CE: But it’s the songwriting that lends itself to them.
JLW: yeah! If I played party songs, then I’d want to go to Midnight Rodeo. But I don’t. I like doing that sometimes, opening for the guys and going, “I’ll play my most up tempo 45 minutes right now, and make everybody feel good, and then Turnpike’s gonna come out.” That’s cool, but I’m not going to headline there. It doesn’t hurt my feelings, and it does not offend me. At all.
CE; OK. As I said, we do features on women because people do know them less. So what women would you recommend we listen to? Obviously Courtney.
JLW: Oh yes, do you know Courtney’s stuff yet?
CE; OH yes, I’ve reviewed it, and I love it. So who would you recommend so that we can know them?
JLW: Well, there’s Kaitlin Butts, she’s here today. There’s Kayla Ray, I’m sure you know her too. She’s awesome. There’s Kelley Mickwee, Trisha with me. There’s some new girls coming up in Texas like Jackie Darlene…I’m sure you’ve already done Kelly Willis, and the big guns…Robyn Ludwick, do you know her?
CE; Yes. I know of Kaitlin, but I’ll maybe get to hear her today. I have two other questions that are just general. What does country music mean to you, what is it for you?
JLW: Country music. Let’s see. Country music. I think the thing that is specific to it and made the genre happen, when it came to be at all, is that it’s about real life. And that is also what’s dying right now on the vine is country music that’s pushed to the masses isn’t about real life. I think there’s a shift happening back around, everything’s cyclical. But country music started for grownups. It’s about hard times and real-life situations, and that’s cool. It’s always been pop music’s for kids and country music is for grownups, bruce Robison told me that one time and I was like, Yeah that’s true! And e said, “Country music’s not for grownups anymore.” Now radio is being pushed to younger kids. That’s what’s changed, and that’s why it’s all party songs and bonfires and shit. But, whenever a song comes out that they let out, like “The House That Built Me,” for example…that song had zero production, there’s not even drums on it, and it was, like, the most successful song in a decade because it’s real! It had real emotion, and people were like, Finally a song that’s real! And authenticity, you can feel it. Country music’s always been authentic and real. And it still is, with people that are making real country music, it’s just that’s not what you hear.
CE; The last question will probably be difficult for you with all these influences. Give us one album you would pick if you could only listen to that for the rest of your life.
JLW: one? The rest of my life?
CE; You can pick three.
JLW: Three, I can do three. Tom T. Hall, The Year Clayton Delaney Died, Lyle Lovett, It’s Not Big, It’s Large, and…this is hard. I think, the Trio record. Those are my three today, ask me again tomorrow…oh wait, fourth runner-up, Tom Petty, Highway Companion.
Last weekend, I had the great opportunity to attend Medicine Stone, known by its web site as “the fastest-growing Red Dirt experience in Oklahoma.” Started in 2013 and organized by Turnpike Troubadours and Jason Boland, Medicine Stone is a three-day event held on the Illinois River in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, featuring Texas/Red Dirt music in all its forms–from the more traditional country sound of Jamie Lin Wilson to the rock sound of Cody Canada and the Departed, and everything in between. The sounds in Red dirt music and at Medicine stone are quite diverse, but there is a common thread running through it all, the quality of the music and the care that these artists put into their songs.
It was impossible to see everyone, due to artists playing in different locations at the same time, but I tried to experience as much as possible. I’ll only cover the artists I heard, but here is a link to the complete lineup of artists. It is quite an impressive and diverse list.
The event kicked off on Thursday with artists playing in a bar on site before the main stage area opened. I was impressed with my first exposure to Bleu Edmondson, who performed his Red Dirt hits such as “$50 and a Flask of Crown.” Shane Smith & the Saints, of Austin, Texas, opened on the main stage–with their harmonies, smart lyrics, and unique sound, they were definitely one of the highlights of the whole weekend. Shane Smith mentioned that they had come to Medicine Stone in 2015 and played in the bar, and that they had been invited to play on the main stage this year because of the tremendous amount of positive feedback and requests to hear more. I think they have a bright future in the Texas scene, and I highly recommend getting to know this band. William Clark Green and Stoney LaRue followed, both of whom have been established in the Red Dirt scene for years. Green performed many of his hits, as well as snippets of the Beatles and the Rolling stones. Stoney laRue made his mark on the event with what he described as the song that made his career, “Oklahoma Breakdown.” There is something special about hearing this live in Oklahoma, with thousands of fellow Oklahomans all singing along to it. The night closed with the excellent Randy Rogers Band, a more laidback, country sound after the rock leanings of both William Clark Green and Stoeny LaRue. The thing that impressed me the most about the Randy Rogers Band was how much their live music sounds like their recordings; it is a testament to the commitment to live music throughout this subgenre of music.
Friday offered the best lineup, and the attendance reflected this. Before the main stage opened, I had the opportunity to see two artists I’d never heard of, Kaitlin Butts and Midnight River Choir. Kaitlin Butts is a name you should check out if you like more traditional country–she sang many times with just her guitar, and when her band broke into Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” she had the entire crowd dancing. Midnight River Choir is a name you should check out if you like the more country rock sound of Texas music; I regretted that their performance overlapped Kaitlin’s because most people missed one or the other, and both were unsung standouts of Medicine Stone.
The main stage opened that night with the increasingly popular Jamie Lin Wilson, whom I also had the pleasure of interviewing during the festival; you can read that interview on Country Exclusive in the coming days! Wilson’s set was the most country of the weekend on the main stage, and a highlight of her time onstage was the murder song “Roses by the Dozen,” before which she advised us, “If you need someone to come creep out your festival, just call me.” Micky & the Motorcars followed, bringing a mix of country and rock, with more upbeat material. Reckless Kelly, another household name in the Red Dirt scene, came out next and performed many songs from their new album, Sunset Motel, released Friday and available for the first time at Medicine Stone. This band was another standout, singing everything from Merle Haggard to Bruce Springsteen covers and doing justice to both. They easily offered the most diverse sound within their set, and because of this, everyone could have found something to like from them. The Americana band American Aquarium, from Raleigh, North Carolina, followed; they seemed slightly out of place among the many Texas and Oklahoma-based artists, and theirs was the only set that I didn’t enjoy throughout. However, the quality and care in their music was much the same, and they showed it on highlights like “Losing Side of Twenty-Five.” The lead singer, BJ Barham, stated that “if we can get 6,000 people to come to the middle of fucking nowhere just to listen to some music, it proves people still care about music.” The night closed with Turnpike Troubadours, and I could have devoted an entire article to their performance alone–all I can say about them is please, please go listen to them live. Nothing I can say will do them justice. From the moment they kicked off with “Doreen,” until they closed with “Long Hot Summer Day,” they had the attention of everyone in the crowd. I heard a lot of great music each day, but the Turnpike Troubadours are on another level.
There were several artists on Saturday that I didn’t experience. I got to hear Cody Canada and the Departed, the most rock-leaning group there, and probably in the whole Red Dirt scene. It impressed me how many different sounds the organizers of Medicine Stone incorporated into the event. The Departed played some new songs and some of the Cross Canadian Ragweed hits. Also, I just want to point out, as rock influenced as they are, fiddle and steel were featured prominently in several of their songs–take note, mainstream Nashville. The night closed with Jason Boland & the Stragglers, another band you should absolutely see live. They, like Randy Rogers Band, sound very similar live to their recordings.
Texas/Red dirt is very hard to define. It can be country or rock and is usually a unique mix of the two. Cody Canada said onstage that “it is a community of people who share each other’s songs and love for music.” However you define it, there is something common in all of it, raw honesty in songs, the quality of the material, and the unwavering commitment to live music. Turnpike Troubadours and Jason Boland have accomplished a great thing by creating an event to celebrate this unique subgenre, and anyone with a love for country, rock, or just real, quality music should consider attending Medicine stone.
One of the most enjoyable things about being a reviewer is the ability to introduce people to new and deserving artists. Sean McConnell’s name is not new–he has had an established name in the Texas scene for fifteen years, recording numerous albums as well as writing for better-known artists like Wade Bowen and the Randy Rogers Band. But for casual fans and many serious fans of country music, his new self-titled album will be the first encounter with Sean McConnell. I will immediately say it is not strictly country; some songs are more country than others, but the album leans more toward Americana, or perhaps the rock side of the Texas/red dirt sound. As I’ve said often, it is not the album to buy for fiddle and steel, but there is a lot to love about this album.
The album opens with “Holy Days,” an upbeat, pop rock song about the early days of the band and a girl from the past. McConnell has said much of this album is autobiographical, and this song seems to reflect that, pointing to the days when his band was starting to gain popularity. The driving production fits this song and sets the tone of the album. “Ghost Town” follows–this one is more country rock and sees McConnell visiting his old hometown, only to discover everything has changed, and the people here are all strangers. He sees everything as it once was, but it will never be the same. The lyric “I can’t tell if I wanna build a shrine or just burn it to the ground” captures the conflict in this song perfectly. “Bottom of the Sea,” a re-recording from an earlier EP, is more of the upbeat style found in the opener. the lyrics shouldn’t be overlooked, though–“the hardest part of living is knowing that you’re gonna die, trying to leave a legacy with only so much time. I don’t know about you but I’m getting sick and tired of living on the surface and in between the lines.” The lighthearted production can distract a little from the seriousness of the song at first, but after a couple listens, that starts to add to the song.
Beautiful Rose” is the first song I would call strictly country. The stripped-back production and country instrumentation work well here, as McConnell sings about how life is not always what you expect it to be–“but I’ll take the thorns for this beautiful rose.” It’s a simple, quiet moment on a mostly upbeat album. ‘Hey Mary” is a fun, lighthearted song about trying to make Mary fall in love. McConnell says she can crash at his house, and he will sleep on the floor and let her vent about the guy who made her cry. He says one day he will sing her this song and prove that he knew all along she would fall in love with him eventually. “Best We’ve Ever Been” sees a couple just spending a day together, celebrating their years together and that they are still just as much in love–“Baby, we had no idea, and I would do the same thing if we did.” It’s a simple little song that paints love as just wanting to spend time with each other.
One of the definite highlights of the album is the autobiographical “Queen of St. Mary’s Choir.” sean McConnell sings about his life as “the product of desire between the guitar kid from Hudson and the queen of St. Mary’s choir.” He embraces the characteristics he got from both his paretns, and that he became a musician. Another highlight is “Running underwater”–this one sees McConnell dealing with personal struggles and calling on Jesus to help, if indeed God is out there. The imagery in this song hit me the first time–“Oh, what a dream I had last night. I could not scream, I could not fight. And the more I pushed, and the more I pried, it got harder and harder, like running underwater.” The production and the lyrics blend perfectly here, and it is one you should just listen to. “One Acre of Land” is another very country song and another highlight. McConnell says that he doesn’t have a lot of money but “we could build a dream right where we stand on one acre of land.” It’s another one that speaks for itself with a listen. The album closes with “Babylon,” a song in which a broken relationship is compared to Babylon. This is another one like “Running Underwater,” where the songwriting paints wonderful pictures. “we’re a tattered flag where the mighty fell, we’re a rusty coin in a wishing well, we’re the only lie that you couldn’t sell, Babylon.” Sean McConnell sings this with incredible emotion, and the song builds throughout to match the intensity. It’s an excellent way to close a great album, although ten songs leaves me wishing it were a bit longer.
Overall, this is a great album. The songwriting is excellent in places, and although it isn’t the most country thing out there, it fits within Americana well. It blends styles nicely, and the production on each song works well with the lyrics. Sean McConnell said this album was somewhat personal and autobiographical, and it reflects that authenticity. This is definitely an album worth checking out!
Often, we traditionalists are labeled by the mainstream as close-minded purists living in the past, wanting everything to sound like Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings. We can’t embrace anything new and forward-thinking. Well, sit back and listen, because I am a traditionalist reviewer about to embrace something quite new and different. Meet Aubrie Sellers, the daughter of the brilliant singer Lee Ann Womack and songwriter Jason Sellers. Aubrie comes onto the scene in a time when country music is desperate for women, for substance, and yes, for originality. She brings us a style she calls “garage country”–a blend of country, Americana, and garage rock. Much like Whitney Rose’s 2015 Heartbreaker of the Year, with its blend of traditional country and vintage pop, Aubrie’s New City Blues introduces something new to country music that you won’t have heard before–something not every listener will embrace, and something that is at times overdone and forced on this record, but something for which Aubrie Sellers will stand out and for which she should be commended.
The album opens with guitar licks, introducing us to garage country long before we meet Aubrie. This album is unapologetic in what it wants to be, unlike Cam’s recent effort, Untamed, which, though it showed Cam’s potential, struggled to say anything and find an identity. “Light of Day,” the first track, tells me two more things–I quite like garage country, and Aubrie Sellers sounds remarkably like her mother, which is an absolutely wonderful thing. “Light of Day” is infectious, the perfect way of introducing us to Aubrie Sellers and to the style. “Sit Here and Cry” is an upbeat heartbreak song, which I find quite intriguing. It features some great harmonica play, but the lyrics are nothing special, and the garage country is a bit overdone here. “Paper Doll” is a moment of complete rock–and on this song of frustration with girls acting like “paper dolls” with their “fake makeup,” this approach works. More songs like this would bring the album down, but “Paper Doll” stands out as a highlight, an experiment.
“Losing Ground” slows the album down–here, Aubrie sings of a woman who is going through a difficult time; “But I’m not crazy, I’m just losing ground,” she sings. The heartfelt honesty in this song really sells it, and I am glad this song was more strip-back, allowing Aubrie’s voice to shine, along with the lyrics. It should be noted that this is one of two songs on New City Blues solely written by Aubrie Sellers, which makes me excited for her future as a songwriter. Next is “Magazines”–a full garage country rant about the lies magazines tell women, from weight loss plans to how to get a man. It’s something that Kacey Musgraves or Brandy Clark would sing, and I am not surprised that Brandy Clark was a writer. “Magazines” seems a little overproduced; it feels like the garage country is a bit forced. “Dreaming in the Day” gets everything right–the production and the lyrics and Aubrie’s vocals go together perfectly. Here, the narrator sings of “sitting at a green light,” still thinking of the night before with her man. “Liar Liar” is another one where the production fits perfectly, telling the story of a man in a bar who is good at lying to women. “Humming Song” is the other song written solely by Sellers; it’s another strip-back moment that might sound happy and pleasant if the lyrics weren’t so sad. The woman here is heartbroken over her man falling for someone else, and writing this new woman love letters. It’s the slow, stripped-down counterpart to “Sit Here and Cry”–both are lighthearted songs on the surface, but the lyrics are actually quite dark.
“Just to be With You” returns to Aubrie’s signature garage country, complete with distortions–here, a woman is quitting her job, stealing a car, and generally being reckless in order to be with a man who lives far away. The production fits here; it is just as reckless as the lyrics. Love will make us do bizarre things, and this song does a good job of expressing that desperation. “People Talking” tells of the things people say behind our backs–Aubrie sings, “My ears only burn when they’re not around. Go on believe them, what am I to do? It’s only people talking, it’s not true.” This feels like an honest moment on the album, and because of that, I feel it is slightly overproduced. Here, the style doesn’t add to the song, it distracts from Aubrie’s voice and the lyrics.
The next three songs get the production absolutely right. “Something Special” is about a woman asking her man to do “something special, something we don’t do all the time.” It’s one of the better songs on the album, and one I keep coming back to. “Loveless Rolling Stone” is about a rambling woman who seems to be missing someone–“They say home is where the heart is, and if that’s so, I must be a loveless rolling stone”–what a line. “Like the Rain” is the most country moment on the album; it’s a song about a man who “floods my heart, then leaves it desert dry.” I am glad this song lets Aubrie’s voice shine and tell us the story. She really conveys the sadness of the woman in this song well. The album closes with the full garage country “Living is Killing Me.” Honestly, I’ve listened to this song four times, and I can’t quote a line. It’s not bad, it’s just unnecessary. Fourteen songs is generally too many for an album, and this one feels like filler, and further forces the style.
Overall, this is a great album. Aubrie Sellers has a remarkable voice, and her unique garage country style is original and suits her. Still, there are moments of overproduction, where the style is simply overdone. Having said that, this is, for the most part, an excellent debut. New City Blues brings something new to the table, and it’s definitely worth checking out.
