Tag Archives: Americana

Reviews

Album Review: The Black Lillies–Hard to Please

Leave a comment

Rating: 9/10

Well, credit to Derek of
Country Perspective
because until he reviewed this album, I had never heard of The Black Lillies. However, this is their fourth studio album, and they are certainly a group worth checking out. Blending country, rock, and blues, they have been a staple in Americana since 2009 and have formed a unique sound that many people will enjoy.

The album’s title track and opener, “Hard to Please,” is a rocking track about a woman who is, well, hard to please. The harmonies between frontman Cruz Contreras and Trisha Gene Brady work well in this song, and the rock guitars add a nice touch. “That’s the Way it Goes Down” is another rocking song–it’s a song about forgetting our mistakes and looking forward. Once again, I am struck by the harmonies, a fact which I will stop repeating, as it is consistent throughout the album. The guitar solo in this song really adds to it. “Mercy” is a beautiful song about a couple who admit they simply need each other. “It ain’t easy for a grown man to confide that I need your love, flesh and blood, that’s why I’m calling, calling on you”–what a line. This song blends country, blues, and gospel into a unique sound that adds even more to the track. It’s definitely a standout on the album.

Trisha Gene Brady sings lead on “The First Time,” a heartbreak song about a man who continues to let her down. Trisha should take the lead on more songs, in my opinion–her bluesy voice is just incredible. The album turns decidedly more country at this point. “Bound to Roam” is an excellently written song about two lovers, Willie and Sarah; Willie is a rambler, and Sarah wants him to stop roaming and stay with her. The song tells the story, through their dialogue, of their last conversations and moments together. Everything about this song is excellent, from the vocals to the songwriting to the production; if you pick one song by this group to listen to, make it this one. “Dancin'” is another one of my favorites–here, a couple is seeking to rekindle their love by going dancing together. This song features a nice country beat and some great steel guitar. Speaking of steel guitar, you will find plenty of it on “Desire.” This is the third excellent track in a row–here, Cruz Contreras takes the lead and sings about a lost love, whom he clearly still keeps in his heart. Contreras sings, “Desire, oh desire, you can look away, but it still remains. You can’t hide that burning flame of desire.”

“Forty Days” takes the album back to a more upbeat, country rock feel. The band sings about forty days of touring on the road; it’s a fun song that is just pleasant to listen to. The piano in this song is excellent. There are better songs on Hard to Please, but this is one which I think will be enjoyed universally. “Broken Shore” was written by Contreras for his grandfather, who fought in Iwo Jima–it’s yet another excellently written song, and I can’t really do it justice with words. Contreras and Brady repeat the line, “Which way is heaven and which way is hell, it’s so hard to tell”–what a lyric. The instrumentation in this song is phenomenal, and if you had a shortage of mandolin or fiddle, you should listen to this track. Hard to Please closes with “Fade,” another well-written song in which the narrator is asking his love to promise him that she will not “fade away.” The piano works really well in this song, and it features more of those remarkable harmonies between Contreras and Brady.

Overall, I was really impressed by this album. Having never heard of The Black Lillies, I can say that this album has made me a fan. This album blends country, rock, blues, and even gospel at times, and the band excels at all of these styles. Aside from the unique sound, many of the songs have truly excellent lyrics. It is not often that an album or group is equally impressive in sound and songwriting quality, but The Black Lillies have achieved this with Hard to Please. This is definitely an album worth many listens.

Listen to Album

Commentary

Random Thoughts of the Week: The Top Five Signs of Hope for Mainstream Country

6 Comments

2015 has been the year of the sellout in country music. The two most disappointing sellouts of the year for me were easily the Zac Brown Band and the Eli Young Band, the former with the release of the EDM single “Beautiful Drug” to country radio, and the latter with the terrible single “Turn it On” and the subsequent EP, as well as the horrible “country remix” of “Honey, I’m Good” with Andy Grammer. Keith Urban was a close third, using his talent to give us the brilliant “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” a song that personally pisses me off about as much as “Kick the Dust Up” because Keith Urban knows better. Easton Corbin used his George Strait-esque voice, previously used for “A Little More Country Than That,” to record an album full of bro country pickup lines. Brett Eldredge, though never really carrying a torch for traditional country, was never really working aginst us until his recent r&b album Illinois. Danielle Bradbery has remade herself into a wannabe pop star for the sake of reviving an already struggling career. Even the legendary Alabama sunk to the low of releasing “Southern Drawl,” a desperate attempt to be cool that failed in every respect, coolness especially. And now, Eric Paslay’s new single, “High Class” seems to have finally pushed everyone off the deep end with its blatant metro-bro bullshit lyrics and style–and this coming from the person who obviously knows better, as “She Don’t Love You” so effectively proved. In times like these, people start saying we should forsake country altogether and start calling ourselves Americana fans, that we should just surrender our beloved “country music” to these sellouts, country carpetbaggers, and metro-bro douchebags, and go listen to Americana. They say that all hope for “country” as we knew it is lost.

Well, here are some signs of hope, in no particular order of importance.

Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley is not selling out, as his latest single, “Riser,” has proven. I will be incredibly shocked if he succumbs to the trends, as he has no reason to. He has found the perfect balance between quality and airplay and doesn’t seem to care that he often does not get the recognition he deserves. He has made quality music throughout his career and has no reason to change that now; he’s found a formula that works for him even in this country radio climate.

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood is not a traditional country artist, but she’s here because she defines what actual pop country should sound like. She takes the best of pop and country and blends them well, offering songs that both display depth in storytelling and are radio-ready. Although I was not as impressed with her new single, “Smoke Break,” as many, it certainly does not follow the current trends, and her new album, Storyteller, could be a factor in turning back the tide of mainstream country music to a real pop-country sound–what we have now is straight pop poorly disguised and incorrectly labled as country.

Cam

True, Cam has only given us two singles and an EP so far, but the reason she’s in my top five signs of hope for mainstream country is that On the Verge supported her. Her first single, “My Mistake,” was a nice pop country blend, but “Burning House,” the sponsored single, is a completely acoustic, traditional country song. The fact that this program supported an artist like that signals change. Cam’s debut album cannot come soon enough!

Chris Stapleton

Some would argue whether Chris Stapleton is mainstream, but I don’t see why. He’s on a major label and has even received some airplay. Traveller is nominated for Album of the Year by the CMA, and Stapleton is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Stapleton with three nominations is a sure sign of hope.

Maddie & Tae

I have written a lot about these ladies, but I’ll say it again–they can bring those that think “country” = Sam Hunt and Kelsea Ballerini back to country. Radio has actually given them a shot. They’ve proven they’re not afraid of fighting for country; they’ve spoken out against drum machines and their debut single was “Girl in a Country Song.” The fact that Scott Borchetta and Big Machine are behind them and that they’re actually getting played is a huge sign of hope.

Despite all the selling out, there are still a lot of reasons to hope for mainstream country, perhaps now more than ever. More and more independent artists are seeing success in album sales that mainstream Nashville can’t ignore. Country legend Merle Haggard, a name-drop in many of today’s songs, is openly speaking out. Represented above are established artists and newcomers alike, fighting for real country music. I didn’t even mention Mo Pitney, Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves, Jon Pardi–the list goes on. Not to mention Tim McGraw’s new album will unashamedly be titled Damn Country Music. I wasn’t thrilled by the lead single, but the album title certainly intrigues me. The point of all this is that mainstream country is far from hopeless–in fact, after years of fighting, we are finally seeing numbers on our side, artists speaking out, and more traditional artists being signed and getting airplay. In short, although it is happening slowly, we are seeing results. Why should we give up now? The day we leave our own fight and run to Americana is the day that country music will be lost.

Tomato of the Week: Jamie Lin Wilson

I featured her friend and fellow Texas country artist, Courtney Patton, last week, so this week, I am covering Jamie Lin Wilson. Check out her full article on Female Friday!

Random Country Suggestion: Randy Rogers Band–Burning the Day

A great album from one of my favorite Texas/Red Dirt bands.

Listen to album

No non-country suggestion, just go listen to these glaring signs of hope.

charts

Texas Music From Oklahoma: A Look at the Texas Music Chart (August 3rd)

2 Comments

So, if you have read this blog for more than three minutes of its short existence, you have probably heard me talk about Texas/red dirt country. Please don’t ask me to tell you the difference; some say there is no difference and others argue about it. I grew up with Texas country being played on my local Oklahoma station The Twister quite frequently. In fact, The Twister used to feature “Red Dirt Nights,” a program that has been replaced with the unfortunate “Country House Party.” In Oklahoma, the red dirt music that we once proudly supported has been blacklisted along with the music of traditional artists. This is especially unfortunate here, as many Oklahoma artists found their success in the genre.

But Texas music is still alive and well. Independent country fans long for a system that is entirely free of Music Row, Nashville, etc. Some look for the split of country music and/or the taking over of real country by Americana (which might actually be happening.) Meanwhile, Texas has already seceded from Nashville. They have stations playing Texas country only and others mixing it in with mainstream country music, giving it the level playing field that independent/Americana fans speculate about. They even have their own airplay charts, the Texas Music Chart and Texas Regional Radio Report. Just as I report the Billboard charts, I will now report the Texas Music Chart, giving Texas artists the equal opportunity to be discovered and appreciated that Oklahoma radio once gave them. I hope you will find new and deserving artists here, and that a love for Texas/red dirt country will be cultivated.

Texas Music Chart (August 3rd)

1. Wade Bowen–“Sun Shines on a Dreamer” (up 3)
2. Aaron Watson–“Freight Train”
3. Josh Ward–“Highway” (up 2)
4. William Clark Green–“Sticks and Stones” (down 1)
5. Rich O’Toole–“Talk About the Weather” (up 1)
6. Pat Green–“While I Was Away” (up 1)
7. Granger Smith–“Back Road Song” (up 1)
8. Cody Canada and the Departed–“Easy” (up 1)
9. Sam Riggs–“Long Shot” (up 1)
10. Matt Kimbro–“Livin’ the Good Life” (up 1)
11. James Lann–“Let it Rain” (down 10)
12. Whiskey Myers–“Shelter From the Rain” (up 1)
13. Cory Morrow–“Old With You” (down 1)
14. Kyle Park–“What Goes Around Comes Around” (up 1)
15. Prophets and Outlaws–“Texas Home” (down 1)
16. Bart Crow–“Life Comes At You Fast” (up 2)
17. Turnpike Troubadours–“Down Here” (up 8)
18. Matt Hillyer–“If These Old Bones Could Talk” (down 1)
19. Asleep at the Wheel featuring Randy Rogers, Reckless Kelly, and Shooter Jennings–“Bob Wills is Still the King”
20. Reckless Kelly–“Real Cool Hand” (up 1)
21. Curtis Grimes–“Smile That Smile” (up 1)
22. JB and the Moonshine Band–“Shotgun, Rifle, and a .45” (up 11) [biggest gainer]
23. Kylie Frey–“The Chase” (up 1)
24. Uncle Lucius–“Don’t Own the Right” (up 3)
25. Gabe Garcia–“Country Looks Good on You” (down 5)
26. Adam Fears–“Golden Gravel Road” (up 6)
27. Aaron Einhouse–“I Could Fall” (up 2)
28. Sundance Head–“Darlin’ Don’t Go”
29. Adrian Johnston–“Avalanche” (up 1)
30. Roger Creager–“Where the Gringos Don’t Go” (down 7)
31. Jesse Raub Jr–“Plead the Fifth” (down 5)
32. Miles Williams–“Teasin’ Me” (up 3)
33. Scott Taylor Band–“By Now” (down 2)
34. Josh Grider–“You Dream I’ll Drive” (up 5)
35. Tori Martin–“Woman Up” (up 2)
36. Stoney LaRue–“Easy She Comes” (down 2)
37. Thom Shepherd–“Little Miss Everything” (down 1)
38. Caleb McIntire–“Ozark Mountain Stomp”
39. Judson Cole Band–“Time to Run” (up 7)
40. Clayton Gardner–“Buy You a Drink” (down 24) [biggest loser]
41. The Statesboro Revue–“Undone” (entering top 50)
42. Mike Ryan–“Girls I Date” (up 2)
43. Jeremy Steding–“Love Love Love” (down 1)
44. Doc West–“Whole Lotta Bull” (down 1)
45. Callahan Divide–“Happy” (up 3)
46. TJ Broscof–“Phone Calls” (entering top 50)
47. Saints Eleven–“I Don’t” (entering top 50)
48. Kevin Fowler & Deryl Dodd–“Damn This ol’ Honkytonk Dream” (entering top 50)
49. Junior Gordon–“Country Lov’n” (down 8)
50. Cody Joe Hodges–“One More Drink” (down 5)

  • new No. 1: “Sun Shines on a Dreamer” (an actual good song hitting No. 1 on an airplay chart?)
  • I have no No. 1 prediction for next week as I just started looking at this chart regularly
  • Texas is as male dominated as Nashville…look at the lack of women

Source: Texas Music Chart

Reviews

Album Review: Jason Isbell–Something More Than Free

Leave a comment

Rating: 9/10

Jason Isbell follows up the critically acclaimed Southeastern (2013) with Something More Than Free. He has been praised for his excellent songwriting, and while it is justified, I felt that Southeastern was dry in places because of it. This is probably just personal taste–I don’t tend to like dark albums–but though I knew him to be talented, I found that album to be pretty boring. There are a lot of Isbell lovers out there, so please understand this is in no way a reflection of his talent, just personal taste. However, I found Something More than Free to raise the bar that many felt Southeastern set–because while the excellent songwriting is still there, it is not at the expense of the melody, and these songs are much more relatable. I found much more I could connect with in this album. People who already love Isbell–and there are many–will love this album. Those who weren’t sold before–and there were many of them as well–should check this album out.

The album opens with “If it Takes a Lifetime,” which finds the narrator searching for happiness and determined to find it if it takes him a lifetime. The track is lighthearted and immediately refreshing after the general darkness of Southeastern. Next is “24 Frames,” an excellent track about how short life is and how before you know it, it could all be gone. While the message is deep, the lyrics are light, so it does not leave you feeling utterly depressed; it’s a great balance. Next is “Flagship,” and I know a lot of people like this song, but it just does not connect with me, and here’s where the album falls from a 10 to a 9. “Flagship” is a love song, and it is marked by Jason’s excellent songwriting, but for me, the lines are so “deep,” for lack of a better word, that they aren’t relatable. I like the acoustic guitar, but I am a little bored by the melody.

“How to Forget” is an upbeat song about forgetting an old love. The melody is catchy and reminds me of something a 70’s Southern rock band might have sung. “Children of Children” is autobiographical but still relatable. Here, Isbell tells of being raised by his mother, who had him when she was a teenager. “All the years I took from her, just by being born”–what an excellent line. “Life You Chose” is an upbeat song asking an old flame if she is happy in her current life. “Are you livin’ the life you chose, are you livin’ the life that chose you?”–another excellent line that will hit many differently. The title track is an excellent song where Jason sings about thanking God for the work and looking forward to the day when he will have his reward. He says he works for “something more than free.”

If you only listen to one song on this album, please make it “Speed Trap Town.” This is about a teenage boy saying goodbye to his father in a hospital bed. I will post the opening lines here, as that is what hooked me.

She said it’s none of my business, but it breaks my heart
Dropped a dozen cheap roses in my shopping cart
Made it out to the truck without breaking down
Everybody knows you in a speed trap town
Well, it’s a Thursday night, but there’s a high school game
Sneak a bottle up the bleachers and forget my name
These 5A bastards run a shallow cross
It’s a boy’s last dream, and a man’s first loss

“Hudson Commodore” is a song about an independent woman in the Great Depression. I payed more attention to the music in this song than the lyrics. This is not a bad thing, as the 400 Unit is an excellent band. The same is true for “Palmetto Rose,” a Southern rock tribute to South Carolina, which Isbell calls the “iodine state.” This is a close second to “Speed Trap Town.” The album closes with “To a Band that I Loved” which is just that–a song about a band that Jason loved. It’s a good way to close this excellent album.

This album is great, and if you like Americana or Southern rock, or if you just like good, relatable songwriting, you should check it out.

Listen to Album