Tag Archives: Maren Morris

Collaborations

The Importance of Discussing Mainstream Artists: Featuring The Musical Divide

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Too often, in the discussion of “real country” and keeping tradition alive, we see independent fans choosing to dismiss the mainstream altogether. It’s certainly easy to do when you discover all the alternatives and realize there really is substantive songwriting and actual country instrumentation out there thriving, just beyond the lenses of radio and streaming playlists. But completely turning our backs on the commercial side of country music could potentially have damaging effects on the genre’s longevity. I teamed up with Zackary Kephart of The Musical Divide to talk about why paying attention to and covering mainstream country is still necessary. Read that below!

Megan: Last year around this time we did a piece together on “real country” and the artists still keeping it traditional. But there’s also the other side to this coin, where many traditionalists and fans of independent country dismiss the mainstream out of hand. I know for you, this came to a head recently over Lauren Jenkins’ album. What would you say in response to people who say country radio and the mainstream are lost causes, and we should just focus on the independent world?

Zack: Well, I’d say it’s entirely their choice as music consumers. But personally, as a self-appointed critic and scholar of the genre, I’d advise against this. Whether we like to admit it or not, the country music industry is a business. Critically, and objectively, I always think of country music in terms of how others see it. For example, right now it’s likely viewed as a dumping ground for unfair stereotypes given the Lil Nas X debate. When artists like Maren Morris, Kane Brown, or Luke Combs, three of the biggest current names, release a new song or album, they’re the faces of country music. So I’d say it’s important to take stock in and care about the genre’s mainstream. Like it or not, the debates always circle back to the mainstream anyway. Right now, country music is in the midst of an identity crisis not unlike the one it suffered in the early-to-mid ’80s. Sure, I have other options, but I still care about country music and how it’s being portrayed to the public.

Megan: Don’t get me started on that debate; that’s a whole other piece entirely. But yes, country is definitely in an identity crisis and is being ridiculed on the basis of a lot of negative stereotypes right now. Some of those stereotypes certainly have a basis, but it’s discouraging to see such a one-sided, disparaging approach to the genre by so much of the mainstream media right now. Again, though, that could generate a whole other discussion on its own. As far as how the genre is presented to the public, I can’t overstate the importance of this. I think that often, we who have turned off country radio and discovered the independent scene forget that at one time, we didn’t really know there were alternatives. You can argue that radio is irrelevant, an assertion I don’t completely agree on anyway, but even if you do hold this viewpoint, streaming playlists are arguably even worse than radio at portraying the country genre. It’s easy to forget that the mainstream is the mainstream for a reason; it’s still the most popular music. It’s still what most of the next generation will use to determine what “country” sounds like. If we abandon it altogether, I believe we put the long-term future of the genre in danger. You mentioned the ’80s, which is a great comparison, but where would we be right now if everyone had given up on the mainstream back then?

Zack: Well, the thing with the ’80s compared to now is that we didn’t have those alternative sources. You lived and died by those radio playlists. Of course, we had also had an onslaught of country music related movies such as 9 to 5 and Honeysuckle Rose during this time. The biggest example is obviously Urban Cowboy, an event that caused everyone to want to be “country.” When that trend faded away, and all of the bandwagon jumpers left, country music had to reclaim its core audience. I think we’re seeing that now with the career resurgences of Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire and George Strait. Luke Combs, Riley Green, and Midland are further examples of trying to bring that traditional balance back in. That balance is what’s off-center, currently. The faces of the genre are the aforementioned names along with, say, Thomas Rhett. Granted, I liked his last album, but critically, he’s barely a country music artist. But he represents country music to so many right now. He’s also popular, and people like his music, statements that apply to every other popular country music artist right now. Radio is not irrelevant, but again, that also depends on whether you’re talking personal or cultural importance. People often think within the limits of their own perspectives, which is fine. But you’re right, it’s still the leading platform for preferred listening experience. It’s the same thing as saying award shows don’t matter. Tell that to Chris Stapleton.

Megan: “People often think within the limits of their own perspectives”; this is a great point and absolutely correct. People forget that the artists you mentioned are rewriting country’s history, and the people that grow up listening to Rhett and Morris will believe this is what country is supposed to be. This kind of thinking will erode the genre and completely rip it from its roots. This is also why I think the other important reason to cover and discuss the mainstream is to highlight those artists who are moving the genre forward and still respecting the roots. This is why it’s so frustrating that an artist like the aforementioned Jenkins, who can rightly be called pop country, has had virtually no support from Big Machine Records while Rhett, Morris, and others are the faces of the genre. Why do you think labels are ignoring artists like Jenkins while promoting straight pop and R&B and rap as country?

Zack: Well, Jenkins has explicitly stated that her team won’t even bother with radio, since they believe they can reach an audience without exploring that avenue. Perhaps it’s a bold, innovative move, but it’s also frustrating that this is a new mindset. I’d of course love if this could be the new model, but as you said, the alternative is streaming playlists. Even there, the idea of radio continues to live on. People enjoy being given a playlist they can listen to hassle free. With an endless array of music, we’re now faced with the tyranny of choice. Basically, it’s easier to listen to someone else’s recommendations. So playlists that are somehow even more male-focused are the new “norm” for listeners. There are many things worth fighting for in country music. Gender equality, representation of other sorts, and sanctity of the genre’s roots. Caring about having that equal balance though brands you as out of style or as a “purist.” It should come as no surprise that the face for traditional country music right now is Luke Combs, a guy who looks like he could change your oil at Jiffy Lube. Jamey Johnson and Stapleton are further examples. Meanwhile, here comes Rhett, Morris or King Calaway where it’s clear the focus is more on the image. And again, this has little to do with pure taste. I personally like Rhett, but critically, I believe it’s still worth our time and effort to care about country music and its portrayal.

Megan: It’s interesting in the case of Jenkins that they believe they can promote her album without radio. In general, I believe that can be done; we’ve seen it with Stapleton certainly and most recently with Kacey Musgraves. But with Jenkins, it feels like she’s caught in a weird place with that strategy, being too pop for many independent fans to take notice. She’s the kind of artist that should be promoted in the mainstream because the music seems to find more of a balance and be more radio-friendly without compromising the lyrics. It’s a shame they went this route because this is the kind of music I want to see pushing the genre forward. We need good pop country as much as we need the traditionalists like Luke Combs. As far as taste, yes, it has very little to do with that. Once again we are called to look beyond ourselves and see the bigger picture. People like Combs aren’t ever going to be the next Jason Isbell, but that’s not what we need in the mainstream to help carry the genre forward. You mentioned King George Strait a moment ago, and this brings me to a point I’ve made several times on CE while defending the importance of the mainstream. People point to the outlaw movement all the time as saving country music from Nashville in the 70s and putting the creative control back in the hands of the artists. This is all true, but look at Strait. He was signed by MCA in 1981 and given only one single because he was thought to be too traditional. Here we are almost forty years later, and he’s still on that same label with one of the longest, most commercially successful careers in all of country music. He did his part, along with others, to turn country back to its roots, but from the inside. King George never reinvented the wheel, but he is as important to the genre as any of the outlaws. We need artists like that today, solid, traditionally minded artists who can carry country music’s legacy forward by making it appeal to the masses.

Zack: Your points about Strait call important points to mind. With him, and even Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson before during the outlaw revolution, they wanted to change the system. Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price don’t care to bring that type of change, which is fine. But it highlights a big difference between decisions made then and now. Strait represented an alternative to what was popular, just as certain artists such as Combs and Midland do now. Is it the exact same scenario? Of course not. But change requires more than just firing off a few tweets. It requires active change on the inside. Of course, that also involves being entrenched in the politics of it all, so it’s a tricky line to walk. And of course, this conversation isn’t strictly limited to traditional or pop country. It’s about caring about country music’s representation. Even someone like Eric Church, who’s hardly a traditionalist, represents a desire for true artistry. Within country music, he embodies that vagabond spirit that’s certainly familiar to country music, despite what his music may actually sound like. It certainly takes all kinds, but a lack of care will only mean that the bottom line gets served. Country music hasn’t needed saving in terms of pure quality. That’s hard to judge. But between the onslaught of the rockabilly movement, the Urban Cowboy movement, the stagnation of the Nashville Sound era (note again, “stagnation,” not an indictment of the era itself), and even now, country music has certainly needed saving.

Megan: Great point on Eric Church and the spirit of artistry. That’s important for country music and for all of music in general. Within country music, I’d argue that’s just as important, if not more, than keeping the traditional sounds alive. It’s more than fiddle and steel and even storytelling, it’s also about being an artist instead of a businessperson. In the mainstream, you have to be both, but someone like Church perfectly illustrates the difference between making a genre-bending record as an artist and exploiting country for cash like many of these artists do. I’m a big fan of Church, but even if you aren’t, or you prefer a more traditional sound, it’s important to see the larger impact of Church’s music and artistry on the culture. I’d rather listen to an artist with something to say than one who is simply going through the motions, even if their sound is traditional.

Zack: Agreed. And that’s still occurring in mainstream country. There’s still music worth discussing and championing, despite what naysayers say. More than that though, I think we’ve established that these conversations matter. To give up on the mainstream is to give up on country music and its potential. The current country charts are a cesspool because we’ve abandoned that hope and drive to fight for an American art form. In 20 years time, perhaps the entire landscape will change. I’d certainly expect a radical departure in the system at some point. Country music as a commercial genre isn’t even 100-years-old yet. But for now, examining and critically discussing artists within the mainstream isn’t worthless, it’s fighting for country music.

Megan: So for the naysayers and people who dismiss the mainstream and focus only on Americana and Red Dirt, who would you say is really pushing the genre forward right now in mainstream country? Who would you say is making the case for good pop country and making good modern music that still respects the roots of the genre?

Zack: You already mentioned Jenkins. I’m a big fan of what she’s doing. I’d say Combs represents the fact that country music is still for the everyday person. He also presents a curious case for how authenticity matters in the industry. Church represents the hangdog spirit that’s always been embedded in the genre. So does Miranda Lambert, despite recent setbacks. Riley Green, Jon Pardi, Midland, and even Blake Shelton now represent a turning of the tide for the genre. Carrie Underwood, despite an underwhelming recent album, also represents how country music can be accessible without completely compromising its roots. Stapleton is the mystifying oddity who both defies expectations and also represents that same outlaw spirit in country. Even Kane Brown, love him or hate him, represents the future of country music. Between him and Combs, there are no hotter artists out there right now in terms of commercial success. Again, this is me looking outside of my own perspective. Of course too, there’s names I’d love to say are killing it, but at the very least are trying to make it in a broken system. Cam, William Michael Morgan and Runaway June immediately come to mind, among others.

Megan: I agree on Combs being important for representing the everyday person in country, and not doing it in a patronizing way, or with cliches about trucks and moonshine. Stapleton and Church both represent that desire for artistry, that intangible thing that makes artists connect with an audience because we believe they’ve lived out their songs and have something genuine to say. Lambert has been important both in her solo career and through the Pistol Annies, keeping a more traditional sound and providing a much-needed female perspective. Underwood’s last album was underwhelming, but she’s always done a fine job of mixing country and pop in a way that’s respectful to both genres. I’d also cite Brothers Osborne as being somewhat similar to Combs in that they’re representing everyday people. Their last album really drove home the fact that in forsaking substantive lyrics and interesting melodies, we’ve also lost appreciation for guitar solos and instrumental flourishes. They aren’t traditional, but they are making very good modern music and evolving the country genre in the right way. And Dierks Bentley really returned to form on his latest record as well, managing to find a smart balance between contemporary and traditional. And of course there’s the aforementioned Musgraves, who achieved an Album of the Year Grammy for a country record. That’s victory in 2019. A staunchly traditional album is not going to see that kind of reception, and although I’m going to continue to stand and fight for the inclusion of traditional country and fair representation, Musgrave’s win is a victory for women, for substance, and yes, for music that can rightly be included in the country genre. It’s important to champion the good modern country, because these are the artists that will influence generations. And like it or not, I’m sure most of us would much rather Golden Hour be the album that influences younger audiences than anything by Rhett, Morris, etc.

Zack: I’d have mentioned Brothers Osborne, Bentley and Musgraves if I had only thought of them. Like I said, there are plenty of artists who could stand toe-to-toe with artists in the independent scene, and your contributions are also fitting names. As a fan, it saddens me that country music is looked upon as “yeehaw culture” or a genre of music people can make fun of since they don’t like it. To an extent, there is a danger that artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean have brought to the forefront – rural pride pandering. Now we’re seeing the consequences of it all. And people do care about what’s happening in mainstream country music. Former journalist and current YouTuber Grady Smith’s viral snap-track video is further proof of that. In the end, I’d say it’s important to care enough about country music to examine it personally and critically.

Megan: It saddens me that country music is seen that way as well, and I do believe some of it is the aftermath of bro country. But country has been the victim of stereotypes, both warranted and otherwise, for its entire history. This is almost another entire discussion, and certainly an important one. It’s one I wouldn’t mind having in the future. But as far as this particular topic, I think ultimately you’re right. It’s important to care about the genre both personally and critically and to be subjective as well as objective enough to see others’ perspectives and the bigger picture. We shouldn’t give up on the mainstream, and we should champion the artists still doing it right on Music Row. As you said, these conversations matter, and I certainly enjoyed this one.

Reviews

Album Review: Maren Morris–Girl

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Rating: 2/10

This is not going to be a traditionalist bashing of the new Maren Morris album on the grounds that it isn’t country in the slightest. Every artist should have the right to his or her own self-expression and should make the music they want to make. I am not going to criticize Maren Morris for making a pop/R&B album, or even for marketing that album to country; you can read enough about my opinions regarding that on Twitter, and it’s really a separate issue. Regardless of your position, we are music fans first, and although I will not pretend that I believe this music is right for the country genre, and I firmly believe it is less deserving of the precious few slots that this broken system will allow women than many other more country-sounding women, traditional and modern alike, I will not bash a record simply because it isn’t my taste. Kelsea Ballerini’s latest album was, somehow, less country than this one, but i reviewed it as music first because it’s a pretty good pop record. Questions of genre distinction are important, but there are larger points being ignored here by both sides.

Simply put, this is not a very good album no matter what genre you label it. It’s not only that it doesn’t belong in country; in fact, that’s almost beside the point compared to all the other problems with GIRL. It’s mediocre and derivative lyrically and littered with bad production decisions. It’s also proof that bad music in the country format doesn’t just arrive via bro country or Sam Hunt’s style of spoken word, a case that uniqueness isn’t necessarily synonymous with quality.

The brightest spot on this record is the vocal ability of Maren Morris. Her phrasing and styling are certainly not country, but again, that’s a secondary concern. She’s a fine singer in a technical sense, and she has a pretty unique voice. She sings the more upbeat material with energy and personality, and you get the feeling that this is indeed mostly the record Maren wanted to make.

It falls terribly short, however, in the songwriting department. Some of these tracks do have great messages, but the actual execution is often empty and derivative, devoid of anything truly meaningful to say. Take the title track, for example, which offers a good message about not comparing women to one another and advises women to think positively and keep their heads high when life is hard. Certainly a worthy subject, but the writing itself is just so empty and generic. As a woman listening to this, I don’t feel inspired or empowered, not the way I do when Emily Scott Robinson sings of struggle and abuse, or when Angaleena Presley sings about the institutional sexism in the country industry and the way some women feel trapped in harmful marriages by archaic ideas. “GIRL” is just an empty, feel-good mantra that, even if it wasn’t intended to, comes across as pandering to the media and calculated and formulaic lyrically.

“Common,” a duet with Brandi Carlile about loving one another despite our differences, suffers from the same fate. Carlile sings the hell out of this, and I look forward to seeing what these two and Amanda Shires will deliver with The Highwomen, but this song feels shallow and underdeveloped, like it could have been so much more. Once again, it’s a good message that fails to really say anything in its execution, much like Carrie Underwood’s recent single, “Love Wins.” There’s nothing really wrong with either of these tracks, but both try so hard to appeal to everyone and bring a universal message that they ultimately don’t say anything important or lasting.

We also have several sex songs on this record, and sex songs are not inherently bad, but the God-awful production of “Make out With Me” makes this song absolutely intolerable. To add to that, it is literally written as a drunken voice mail, and I question whether or not a man could record this in today’s country format and not be called misogynistic, fairly or otherwise. “RSVP” is also just insufferable, especially with the word “gots” replacing “got” in the chorus to add R&B phrasing and further drive home the point that this is miles from anything you could reasonably call country. Once again,, a secondary concern, but it only adds insult to injury as you struggle through this album.

There are some better moments in terms of the writing, though. “Great Ones” is an interesting love song melodically and lyrically, although it is cluttered by the overproduction that unfortunately plagues this entire record. “A Song For everything” actually scales back the production enough to allow a relatable sentiment to connect with the listener, and here, Morris sounds invested emotionally and really sells the song. The idea that music can get us through anything is one that most of us can relate to, and it’s here in this more subtle moment on the record where Maren Morris makes a connection far stronger than with the empty platitudes of “GIRL” and “Common.” “The bones” is another of the stronger tracks, again helped by the emotional performance of Maren Morris and less clutter in terms of production.

That messy production renders a lot of the more mediocre tracks difficult to listen to. “All My Favorite People,” for example, a lively party song with Brothers Osborne that would be a lightweight, fun track on a better album, is just a disappointment here. There are some clever lines, but no one involved in this project could seem to resist producing the hell out of everything. It’s not random, cacophonous production reminiscent of Keith Urban’s latest atrocity of a record, but it adds unnecessary layers to everything until all the heartfelt sentiments that Maren Morris wanted to convey are lost. “To Hell & Back” and “Gold Love” are prime examples, two songs that might have been standouts if Morris didn’t sound lifeless singing them. As mentioned, she’s a great technical singer, but her heart doesn’t shine through on so much of this. It would be nice to see her personality as much on something more vulnerable like “Gold Love” as much as we see it on an energetic song like “Flavor.”

This is not about genre. As an artist, Maren Morris should have the creative freedom to make the record of her choice, and it’s great that she has. But the record she wanted to make just isn’t very good. It’s underwhelming lyrically, and much of its themes are too generalized and shallow to really make an impact. The production is cluttered at best and counterproductive to some of the songs at worst. Marketing this album to country is just the icing on the cake, and while we shouldn’t gloss over this fact either, the bigger issue is that this is just bad music in general. It’s not good pop music sorely mislabeled, it’s bad pop music with an unfortunate country label attached to it to rub salt in the wound. It’s not the genre-bending, inspiring blend of country pop it believes itself to be; it’s just another generic collection of songs that frankly, we wouldn’t even be discussing at all if they were being marketed to pop and it didn’t seem as if Maren Morris were courageously pushing some sort of arbitrary sonic boundary. Kacey Musgraves and Caitlyn Smith both made incredible albums in 2018 that pushed boundaries and fused the sounds of pop and country, but the difference is that these records were marked by unique, insightful songwriting and stirring vocal performances, helped rather than hampered by the production. GIRL boasts none of this; indeed, it offers nothing worth more than a passing glance, and in the vast music landscape of 2019, deserves to be forgotten.

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Reviews

Song Review: Ashley Monroe’s “Hands on You”

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Rating: 7.5/10

First of all, whose idea was this to release the new Ashley Monroe single on the very same day that Kacey Musgraves is debuting new songs and giving us information on her next album? Invariably, Musgraves is going to overshadow Ashley Monroe today, and this becomes especially important when you take into account the ridiculous competition which has been manufactured among the very few women allowed to release country projects on major labels. It just seems like bad marketing strategy to release Ashley’s first song in three years on a day where it has to compete with Kacey Musgraves for attention and coverage…but I digress. It’s here, so let’s discuss the song.

So yeah, this is a sex song. Or, if you like, it’s an “almost-sex song,” as apparently the narrator didn’t actually get to have sex and instead is now lying in bed alone wishing for the things they could have done. It’s hard to review a song like this because they are what they are, but the main concern really becomes how well a singer can pull this off, and Ashley does well with it, giving a convincing performance and selling the lyrics well. Lyrically, it also manages to draw a good line between generic and overly detailed, so that the lines are specific enough within these parameters to make this song stand out among many that are similar. It’s also worth noting, especially in an environment where Maren Morris characterized women in country as having to be sexy all the time but not allowed to actually be sexual or express their desires, that Ashley Monroe seems to be breaking this stereotype here and is quite comfortable admitting these things.

The melody can start to get slightly samey after awhile, and it’s a good thing there’s an interlude breaking up the verses, but a bridge might have added something more to the song. There’s also some ambiguity inn the lyrics; the biggest question is why didn’t they lay their hands on each other? Was she simply shy, guilty about another relationship, or something else? It works because it can apply to many situations, and also the focus is really not meant to be on this part, but still, there could have been a line or two explaining this a little better, perhaps in the nonexistent bridge. She calls it “forbidden company” at one point, so would this have been adultery?

This is definitely Monroe’s least country moment to date, not really going completely in favor of pop country, but mostly adding that East Nashville vibe which has become even more cliché in independent and lesser-known mainstream music than Luke Bryan singing about tailgates. Not saying it doesn’t work on this song because it’s actually produced quite well, but it’s been done to death, and if her whole album is like this, it will be a shame to see such a traditional voice being used for more polished and modern music. For now, though, it does fit this song, and this is definitely a better start than “On to Something Good” was for The Blade. Promising song overall, and I look forward to her album.

Written by: Ashley Monroe, Jon Randall

Commentary

Advice to Young Girls Seeking Country Airplay

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You know the days when you could turn on the radio and hear all sorts of interesting female voices? That’s been true throughout country’s history, from Loretta and Dolly on down to Martina and Faith. Nowadays, it’s Miranda and Carrie–well, no, not even Miranda, as her latest single struggles mightily to chart despite its sales and critical acclaim. Better to say Carrie and Kelsea. Anyway, to all the young girls out there who might be pursuing a career in country music and are wondering just how to shatter the glass ceiling on country radio, here’s some tried-and-true advice.

1. Don’t, under any circumstance, release something traditional. Fiddle, steel, mandolin, throw them all out. Even if they might make an appearance on your album–which is also discouraged–at least do what Maddie & Tae did with “Girl in a Country Song” and release a single with electronic beats and pop elements. Keep all the traditional fans guessing at your intent, wondering if the beats are serious or sarcastic, because it’s better to hold them at arm’s length or even to alienate them altogether if you want to get a #1 at radio.

2. Ignore all the misogynistic bullshit thrown at you by radio programmers, record executives, and in many of the male songs on country radio. Katie Armiger spoke up about that a couple years ago, and look what happened to her career.

3. Don’t date anyone in the industry, or better yet, don’t attempt to have a personal life on any level. Lindsay Ell taught us that.

4. Trivialize the female problem on country radio and in the industry. Kelsea Ballerini’s got success, and she barely admits to the problem. Meanwhile, the ones who speak up about such things struggle for recognition. Just worry about breaking in yourself, and don’t try to help other women along the way.

5. Forget just ignoring the misogyny, try writing lyrics about being these types of women. Throw all your dreams and hard-hitting lyrics to the side and sing about tailgates and tight jeans. If at all possible, try accepting the objectification and embracing this role.

6. Try not to veer too far from singing songs about love or getting noticed by men. Under no circumstances should you speak up about the type of songs that women are often stereotyped as singing.

7. Don’t be sexual or have sexual desires, and if you do suffer from these afflictions, don’t leak them into your music, for God’s sake.

8. Talk about your outfits more than your music. It’s not okay to be sexual in your songs, but it is important to be viewed as desirable at all times.

9. If all this fails, sing one or two lines on a male song, and you’ll soon have a #1 hit. It doesn’t matter if you sound like a glorified backup singer, take it from Maren Morris.

10. Finally, remember that your awards, sales, and most importantly, your perspective, do not matter in this industry and on the radio. Let go of these archaic notions, and you might soon be one of the only four females in the top fifty. Here’s to being one of the fortunate 8%, and I look forward to your #1 hit!

Commentary

What Happens When you Take Women Out?

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I debated whether or not I should write this piece because it’s really quite personal, and I’m not sure if it will be relatable or have a point when I’m done here, but it’s still on my mind after a couple of days, so I’ll try my best to be articulate as I express my thoughts.

The inspiration for this piece came after the news that Miranda Lambert’s “Tin Man” fell from #38 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week to #42, despite its sales and the ridiculous spike after her ACM performance. Now, as I’ve seen a lot of people point out, Miranda has never had the greatest treatment at radio anyway. There’s also the fact that “Tin Man” is stripped down, not necessarily radio-friendly, and quite traditional, so it’s got those strikes against it–although “The House That Built Me” had all of these characteristics and still gave her a #1 hit. But the glaring fact is, a big part of this simply has to do with the fact that Miranda Lambert is female, and in 2017, despite all the think pieces and supposed inclusion of more women by the country awards shows, females are still systematically ignored on country radio and by the country industry as a whole–and if you think these awards shows really want to include more women, why are there fewer nominees for ACM Female Vocalist of the Year? Sure, more women have been signed to major labels recently, but they’re not generally given the same chances to succeed; there’s a quota for females on country radio, and Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are filling it. And now it looks like Lambert will be replaced by Kelsea Ballerini, who is as non-country as Sam Hunt and the bros.

Keith Hill said back in 2015 that radio should “take women out.” The more infamous part was calling them tomatoes, but the more alarming part was taking them out. Lindi Ortega said then, “I can’t begin to describe to you how my blood boils at those words. Erase us, delete us…make it so we don’t exist.” And that’s what country radio is systematically doing–taking the female perspective so completely out that it’s shocking to imagine a woman’s point of view beyond the “girl” on the tailgate. Maren Morris recently spoke about this when she wrote that women in country can’t be sexual in their songs–they are supposed to be pretty and desirable but not write about their own desires. That inspired another piece which I haven’t yet written and have many conflicting feelings about writing–mostly because so many people I know will read it, and Maren Morris is a stronger person than I am–but it’s a more specific issue deriving from the same problem: take women, and their perspective, out. “Girls” are okay–and that’s why Kelsea Ballerini’s music can succeed on country radio; that, and that it isn’t country and seldom has substance.

So what actually happens when you take women out? I could go on about how it takes away their perspective in the mainstream, or how it leads to radio being one-sided and favoring music that marginalizes them, but I’m going to answer it from a personal place instead. I grew up in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, and one of the first country records I ever owned was a Dixie Chicks album, Wide Open Spaces. I fell in love with their music because it was country, but also because I could sing it and relate to it. They were women, and what they sang about appealed to me. I loved Martina McBride and Faith Hill, and later Miranda and Carrie. I sang an inordinate amount back then, so I will say that part of the appeal in their albums was that I could sing them; their ranges matched mine. But more than that, I related to them. I enjoyed plenty of music by male artists–and still do–but I naturally gravitated toward more women artists. Even today, on this blog, I can go back and look at the very few tens I’ve awarded–it’s a subconscious thing, but more of those records are by women. They have nothing in common in production, style, lyrics–but tens are set apart from nines for me because they can connect emotionally, and I have connected emotionally with more women in the history of running this blog, it seems.

The point of all this is that I fell out of love with country radio for the same reasons you all did; it lost its sound and its substance almost overnight. More than that, here in Oklahoma, radio killed Red Dirt around the same time. It had once lived on our radio stations along with mainstream music, but things like the rise of iHeart helped to destroy it. Even more than all of that, though, I became disenchanted with country radio because of the lack of women. I didn’t know then that there was all this independent music floating around just waiting to be discovered, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t relate to anything on the radio or sing along with any of the records. I mentioned that I sang, and I will now say that I grew up wanting to be those women. And I don’t think it’s even possible to do that now. You can’t turn on country radio and hear Miranda lambert as a young girl and say, “I want to sing like her” or get that passion for country music like I did. It’s the same thing I said in my piece about genre awhile back, that it makes me sad that your average young person can’t just turn on the radio and find and fall in love with traditional-sounding country. But even that’s starting to make its way back in, (slowly), with Stapleton, Morgan, Pardi, Midland…while the women are being pushed further and further out. Sure, there are plenty of them out there if you know where to look, but you have to love country first before you go seeking out Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley and Margo Price.

And I’m not saying a girl can’t fall in love with country from listening to men, or anything close to that; I’m only saying that in my case, I don’t think I’d be sitting here writing this if I hadn’t heard all those women on country radio back then, and if country radio’s systematic ignoring of females keeps even one girl from falling in love with this wonderful genre, then that’s the real problem, and the real danger of taking women out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12cUm2OwnPs