by Julian Spivey
Kacey Musgraves wrapped up her 2013 Same Trailer, Different Tour tour with an incredibly fun and entertaining performance at Juanita’s in Little Rock on Saturday, Dec. 14. The end of the tour also wrapped up quite the whirlwind year for Musgraves who was recently named the Country Music Association’s Best New Artist and nominated for the same award for the 2014 Grammys. After a fun opening performance from Birmingham, Ala. duo John & Jacob, who recently had their single “Be My Girl” performed by characters on the ABC television series “Nashville” and co-wrote The Band Perry’s hit “Done,” Musgraves took the stage to an uproarious reaction from the small venue crowd. Musgraves opened her set with the witty “The Trailer Song,” with her and her supremely talented and Western attired band, performing in front of a backdrop that looked like a mobile home. She followed with the rockin’ “Stupid” from her critically acclaimed debut album “Same Trailer, Different Park” and the inspirational “Silver Lining,” one of my personal favorites from her debut. Musgraves had a few surprises up her sleeve for the Little Rock tour finale the biggest of which was a fun and faithful cover of Weezer’s 2001 hit “Islands in the Sun.” She then rattled off one fantastic song after another from her album, which doesn’t include a bad cut out of the bunch, including: “I Miss You,” “Back On the Map,” “It Is What It Is,” “Keep It To Yourself” and her second single “Blowin’ Smoke,” which really set the packed crowd to moving. Another pleasant surprise came when Musgraves and her band performed a reggae styled “Step Off,” followed by a portion of the Bob Marley classic “Three Little Birds.” I’m generally not a fan of reggae music and thought the performance worked flawlessly, if that tells you anything about Musgraves’ musical genius. One of the biggest surprises, and crowd favorites, from her set was her performance of the CMA-nominated “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which she co-wrote with Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally and became a huge hit for Miranda Lambert. Musgraves also debuted a couple nice songs during her set – the carefree “High Time” and the thought-provoking “Biscuits,” which she performed solo as the first performance of her encore. The most touching moment from the concert was when Musgraves was overcome with emotion during her performance of “Merry Go ‘Round,” her awards nominated debut single, when the crowd loudly began to sing along. With tears streaming down her face, she attempted to finish the song, but relented and let the audience finish for her. It appeared the emotion was the response to a career making and potentially defining year and the love of her music the fans showed her, but it should be noted she performed the tour finale just hours after learning of the death of her grandmother and did so with gusto and truly gave a kickass performance. She finished her set with the lovely “My Home,” the crowd once again singing along in unison, complete with a bubble machine sending thousands of tiny bubbles throughout the room. When she returned for an encore she delighted the packed room with performances of the Christmas classics “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Feliz Navidad,” with the bubble machine making a joyous return to celebrate the holiday season. She then finished the night and her tour off in style with her much beloved current single “Follow Your Arrow,” which is unfortunately (for radio, at least) far too progressive in its lyrical content (pro love who you want to love sentiments) to ever be heard on mainstream radio. Oh well, radio and its listeners might be missing out, but Juanita’s certainly wasn’t on Saturday night. My only wish for Musgraves is for her to be allowed to continue to write and record the music she’s capable of and wants to record. She seems to have this “be great, but not hugely famous” vibe about her, because of her progressive music in a genre that’s often incredibly close-minded. One thing is certain, however, after her final show of 2013 – her fans absolutely adore her, and it seems the feeling is mutual. by Julian Spivey
10. “Round Here” by Florida Georgia Line Florida Georgia Line really busted onto the country music scene in 2013 with their particular brand of douchey bro-country music. “Round Here” is among the most innocent of the group’s tripe, but still filled with so many modern country music stereotypes that it’ll make you role your eyes. It seems like 75 percent of country music songs today are explanations of how “country people do it ‘round here.” One thing is for sure, I wish Florida Georgia Line would stop making music ‘round here. 9. “Downtown” by Lady Antebellum Lady Antebellum has some of the most talent of any recording group/artist in country music or in any genre of music for that matter. They are a group that I wouldn’t be shocked if they never had another song bad enough to make my list of the ‘worst country songs of the year’ again. But, despite all this, I just couldn’t forgive them for the incredible annoyance that is “Downtown.” Although, I might have spared them the dishonor had they forgone the line: “I got a dress that’ll show a little uh uh/but you ain’t getting’ uh uh if you don’t come pick me up.” 8. “Chillin’ It” by Cole Swindell “Chillin’ It,” the debut single from some new country punk named Cole Swindell, is one of those songs that I’ve heard about for a little while now, but attempted to avoid for the longest time. Not that people should often judge a song by its title, but when it comes to something called “Chillin’ It” (and for that matter the song at number six on this list) you pretty much know what you’re going to get … another stereotypical song about throwin’ a few back and living the country life (that few actual country folk seem to live). The song sounds like it was a Florida Georgia Line reject and I kind of wish Swindell would go “chill it” somewhere else. 7. “Accidental Racist” by Brad Paisley & LL Cool J Brad Paisley’s duet with hip hop legend LL Cool J was certainly the most well-intentioned song of the year to make this list, but fell incredibly flat. Paisley’s intention was to bring a very important topic to the forefront of country music, but he went about it in almost the worst way imaginable. The song includes lyrics by both Paisley and LL Cool J that could be taken as racist in their attempts to speak out about racism. The worst of the worst being LL Cool J’s line about “Now my chains are gold/But I’m still misunderstood” and the throwaway line that truly should’ve be thrown away: “If you don’t judge my do-rag/I won’t judge your red flag,” as if the two objects mean similar things. The song is exactly what happens when somebody tries to be an expert on something that they don’t have the right to be considered an expert on. The mixture of country and hip-hop is almost always a laughable mix, as well. Paisley has had success in the past on serious topics, including race (see “Welcome to the Future”), but he would’ve been better off leaving this one alone. 6. “Get Your Shine On” by Florida Georgia Line “Get Your Shine On,” much like Cole Swindell’s “Chillin’ It,’ is one of those songs you just know is going to be bad by the title. In fact, if I heard someone say “get your shine on” in a real-life conversation or situation I wouldn’t want to know that person at all. The song is more bro-country tripe from the current kings of bro-country. Florida Georgia Line seems perfectly content on just recording the type of party songs that you’d hear only at Southern frat parties or football tailgates. The song includes the most simplistic rhyming songwriting and pretty much proves to everybody FGL have no use for substance … except for the kind that lead to a good time. 5. “Parking Lot Party” by Lee Brice Lee Brice may have won the CMA Song of the Year for “I Drive Your Truck,” but he followed it up with one of the dumbest things you’ll ever hear on country music radio, “Parking Lot Party.” This song features some of the most idiotic ramblings of lyrics you’ll ever hear with its chorus: “’Cause there ain’t no party like the pre-party/And after the party at the after-party/At the parking lot party.” The most dumbfounding thing is it took four people just to write this crap. CMA voters really should have rethought their Song of the Year honor for “I Drive Your Truck,” just for the song that followed it. 4. “Boys ‘Round Here” by Blake Shelton Remember that time when every song Blake Shelton recorded became a great country hit? Maybe not, because it’s been a little while. Ever since Shelton became massively famous due to his little NBC reality show “The Voice” he’s turned more to a pop or bro-country sound and left the traditional country songs, for the most part, in the past. Sure, every now and then he’ll turn up with something truly good like his current “Mine Would Be You,” but more and more he’s turning out stereotypical country anthems, like the worst of his career “Boys ‘Round Here.” The song may be a red, red, red, red, red, red redneck anthem, but it includes truly abhorrent lyrics like “chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco spit” and a completely unnecessary swipe at The Beatles (who does that?). Songs like “Boys ‘Round Here” are truly offensive to Southerners and country boys alike because they sum them up in the most negative and stereotypical ways. Blake Shelton should know better. He’s got far too much talent for this stuff. 3. “Cruise (Remix)” by Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly I’m pretty much running out of negative things to say about Florida Georgia Line. Three songs on my ‘worst country songs of the year’ list is pretty unprecedented by any artist in the genre. I truly wish this group would give it up and head back somewhere near the Florida Georgia line and stay gone forever. The worst of their worst, and that’s truly saying something, is their initial single “Cruise,” which hit the radio back in 2012, but the remix version with former hip hop star and apparently go-to country/hip hop collaborator Nelly came out this year and because many country music fans have been lobotomized became the best selling single in country music history. It’s seemingly never a good thing when the genres of country and hip hop mix and “Cruise (Remix)” is a supreme example why. Maybe it’s not so much of an unusual collaboration though because Florida Georgia Line has clearly co-opted some of their objectification of women from the genre of hip hop. 2. “That’s My Kind of Night” by Luke Bryan I swear Luke Bryan just has two songs and has repackaged them and reworded them over and over again in his career. There’s his corny love song side in songs like “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” and then his party song side in songs like “That’s My Kind of Night.” I’m not sure why his fans haven’t realized this yet, maybe because most are women who aren’t actually paying attention to his music (you may think this a sexist view, but go on Twitter and type ‘Luke Bryan’ in and see what people are really talking about). “That’s My Kind of Night” would have easily been the worst country song of just about any other year, but this year Jason Aldean happened to tell the world about something known as “Diffieing.” “That’s My Kind of Night” is what happens when country music completely stops focusing on substance and just wants to record stuff that would play well in the clubs that many of them are poking fun at in their own songs. You have to realize how lame the country/hip hop stuff is when artists are singing about “a little Conway [Twitty] and a little T-Pain,” when a hip hop artist like T-Pain is already irrelevant in the hip hop genre. “That’s My Kind of Night” also includes one of the worst choruses ever heard on country radio: “All them other boys wanna wind you up and take you downtown/But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out/Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat/Floatin’ down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner/Gonna sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right/Yeah, that’s my kind of night!” It’s not exactly Kristoffersonian is it? 1. “1994” by Jason Aldean Jason Aldean is no stranger to having songs on my ‘worst country songs of the year’ lists. After all, he’s one of the founding fathers to today’s new bro-country sound. While he’s done some truly horrific stuff in the past like “Hicktown” and “Dirt Road Anthem” he topped it all this year with “1994” and his ode to Joe Diffie – an artist who could truthfully put Aldean to shame. “1994” is truly one of those songs that can kill brain cells just to listen to with its incessantly inane “Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie. Won’t you teach us how to Diffie?” What does “teach us how to Diffie” even mean anyway? Not only is “1994” incredibly annoying, but it’s lazy as it cribs much of its lyrics from Joe Diffie song titles. Utter trash from the king of country trash. by Julian Spivey
The Grammy Awards are considered to be the highest honor in the recording industry and for many years have proven to be a bastion for the true best of the best in music. However, for many years people have bitched and moaned about the Grammy’s lack of interest and honors of popular music. The nominations released on Friday night for the 2014 Grammys seem to suggest that the Grammys have taken heed of these complaints and have begun to award popularity obvious sometimes obvious higher quality. You don’t have to look any further than this year’s Song of the Year category, featuring five pop songs, to see the switch. There are numerous complaints that can and should be made in regards to this change in identity. In fact, the Grammys have been going somewhat downhill since they decided to completely revamp their awards a few years ago and in the process eliminated over 25 award categories. The most egregious omission, in my opinion, from the Grammy nominations this year is Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern” album, which was idiotically snubbed in the category of Best Americana Album. Isbell’s powerful and emotional album is not just the best Americana album of the year, but easily one of the greatest Americana albums ever recorded. It’s a better piece of music than any of the five nominees in the category, but Isbell doesn’t have the name recognition of Steve Martin or Emmylou Harris or Mavis Staples. It makes you wonder if the Grammy voters are even paying that much attention to some of these categories and genres when they completely omit the hands down best Americana album of the year, and the best album overall of 2013, according to American Songwriter. When people like Robin Thicke are receiving multiple nominations and true artists and genius songwriters like Isbell are going unnoticed it really makes you start believing that the Grammys, the highest of honors in the music industry, have become a complete joke. Just listen to Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Isbell’s “Cover Me Up” or “Elephant” or “Yvette” back-to-back and tell me which one is truly deserving of a Grammy. It’s really a no brainer, except, of course, to the people in charge of Grammy nominations. When Isbell’s “Southeastern” can’t even garner one single Grammy nomination in its own genre you have to seriously begin to think that the Grammy system and perhaps the music industry as a whole is irrevocably broken. You have to begin to think that awards and honors don’t mean much of nothing at all. That a Grammy is just “a little gold plated paperweight,” as Isbell’s former band the Drive-By Truckers sang in their superb “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac.” Isbell doesn’t seem to mind all that much mockingly tweeting about his Grammy omission: “Don't worry guys, I'll get plenty of noms. There's a Chipotle right across the street from the hotel!” and tweeting that his own mother responded with "So what? Biggie never won a Grammy! Pac never won a Grammy!" Isbell’s fan know full well his album is a modern day classic and something that Americana fans will be talking about for many years to come. Here are some of the best responses from fans on the Grammy’s horrible omission: Doesn't matter who takes home the trophy, everyone should know @JasonIsbell 's Elephant is the real Song of the Year. - Martha Prewitt Levy The lack of @JasonIsbell in the Americana Grammy category is... disturbing. - NelsonWDVX Cannot believe @JasonIsbell didn't garner a @TheGRAMMYs nomination for 'Southeastern.' A complete and utter travesty. #speechless - Brett Auten So the #GRAMMYnoms are out and there's no sign of @JasonIsbell and his album Southeastern? The Grammy people can go cram it with walnuts. - Survey1215 Jason Isbell not nominated for #Grammy is highway robbery. Southeastern one of the best albums of the yr, period. – Robert Clement How does @JasonIsbell get nominated for 0 @TheGRAMMYs? Best album of the year. Certainly better than anything @SaraBareilles has ever done. – Benjamin Short How far did the Grammy folks have to bend over to get their heads so far up their asses to not have Jason Isbell as Americana album nom? – Teresa Bolton When @JasonIsbell gets snubbed, it makes me feel like no one is actually listening. Sour grapes perhaps but I can't shake the anger I feel. Not to go all Kanye, but @JasonIsbell made one the best Americana albums of all time. 15 weeks at #1 and @AmerSongwriter best album of 2013. – David Macias Bummed the Grammys ignored Jason Isbell. Great singer/songwriter. "Southeastern": gritty, moving, wise. Feels like classic short fiction. – Larry Rogowin Overlooking Southeastern just goes to prove the Grammys reward huge sales over true artistry. – Silas House |
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