Life offers plenty of signals to individuals to let them
know they are getting old. Some come when we try to physically perform at the
level we did a few years ago. Of course, some of us see the signs when we
notice
Even other areas of life scream to us that we are out of the
loop these days. For instance, music just isn’t the same. More specifically,
country music doesn’t mirror that of just a few years ago.
I tried to watch the CMA awards show the other night. I
enjoy Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood as they host the show. Yes, I have my
favorite entertainers for whom I root as they vie for awards. Seeing superstars
like Vince Gill and Alison Krauss on the stage is also a treat. Heck, I enjoy
most of the Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney music too. What I don’t get are
some of the new acts.
The Georgia Florida Line won the Duo of the Year award.
Really? I don’t have a clue who these guys are, but they beat out Sugarland!
One of these guys dresses like a biker with his leather vest, and I’m not a big
fan of this tattoos at all. Do they play instruments?
I turned off the show when some group dove into what sounded
strangely similar to heavy metal music instead of country. What’s happened to
the old stand-by C-D-G chords? I’ve never like “head banger music, and I sure
don’t want it invading country music.
Little Big Town has a good sound, but darn, they look more
like a gospel group than a country one. Their harmonies are tight, but the song
is strange: “I Don’t Want to Go Sober.” They won Group of the Year! Huh?
What I now write might be offensive or even heretical to
some. For the life of me, I don’t see what the big deal is with Taylor Swift.
She performed with a wonderful group that would have been much better had she
not been a part of it. The girl “ain’t that special.” Her voice is flat and
whiny, and all of her songs are the same. Her end will come when she no longer
can find guys who will date and then dump her and then use that as the
inspiration for song after song. How in the world did Taylor Swift win
Entertainer of the Year three years before? Go figure.
I like Carrie Underwood, but her performance of new songs
left me shaking my head in confusion. Just because a steel guitar or fiddle
hits a lick in a song doesn’t make an otherwise pop tune country.
The show honored Kenny Rogers; he’s an old guy. However, I’m
not so sure Kenny was actually the one recognized. The man they saluted sure didn’t
look like the guy who sang “The Gambler” or “She Believes in Me.” The
entertainers who sang his songs were some of the best in country music. That
was nice for us old fogies.
The young folks are taking the reins of country music, but
I’m not so sure how good that is. One of the best things of the night was the
tribute to George Jones by Alan Jackson and George Strait. They added so much
with wonderful, country voices and some wrinkles that come from experience and
hard work. That was simple and good. Who said that music must evolve? The roots
to Nashville country music grow deep in the traditions of the genre that
foregoes too much meddling from outside.
I probably have watched my last CMA Award show. It’s just
too depressing, and all this new stuff just makes me feel too old and out of
place. So, I’ll close and crank up my iTunes featuring some of the old masters
of country music.
2 comments:
I too have never seen the Taylor Swift allure. That girl "couldn't carry a tune in a bucket" I was a late nite dj part time for ten years @ WIVK and I remember a time the music director wouldn't put Randy Travis into air play. I can only imagine what he thinks of Ms. Swift. I too miss "country music" Luckily when I need a fix I have my cd's.
Joe, you are so right. "Country ain't country no more", as the great traditional country singer Daryle Singletary, whom I played drums and was tour manager for eight years, says in a song he recently wrote and recorded.
As you said, by all account, pop/rock (and I won't tag that with music), is not country by simply adding a adding a fiddle and steel. Being inside the business, the major labels base their decisions on signing someone primarily on whether they can market an act by their look. (I term that act due to the fact, the definition of an artist rarely comes into the picture these days.)
To give you an example, I produced a record on a female artist from Scotland. Let me tell, she is a true artist. Great voice. I hired a prominent music attorney in Nashville to pitch the project to the major labels for us. He was knocked out by her voice and the tracks. When he asked for pictures, I handed them to him. If I could compare her voice, size and look, it would be that of the famous pop artist Adele. Anyway, I saw his face drop. He said, I doubt we have much chance of getting her signed due to her size. Regardless, I wanted to take a shot with it. Appointments were set up with several labels in Nashville. Not one of the A&R people listened to the recordings. NOT ONE. They asked for her picture first, then said we can't market this, and that was that. So that is where it lays.
The likes of XFactor, American Idol, The Voice are where a lot of the new acts are coming from. No brainer for the labels. The international promotion has already been done. All they have to do is record an album, pay radio to play the stuff, and there ya go! Furthermore, we hear Taylor Swift and so many others that sound perfectly in pitch on their records. When we hear them live, as Joe says, we hold our ears. and the dogs begin to howl due them signing so off key. Why is that? AUTOTUNE! An audio recording plugin/app that is used righteously in Nashville on any and all tracks that have a pitch. What does that mean? You don't have to be a "real" singer to get a record deal. If they can market your look, the producers and studio engineers can fix the lack of vocal talent by running Autotune on their voice. They haven't come up with a version for live performances yet (that I know of), but it is coming.
To me, mediocrity rules in all genres of music in the current market. Let us hope that in the near future, the major labels will once again take a career interest in an "artist". Present us with new "timeless" artists as they once did, with voices and music we can all truly feel, enjoy and remember. Until then, the independent music market is where one will find the good or real stuff. It is out there.
Joe, your words, thoughts, feelings, and expressions are bang on the mark. Enjoyed your writings here.
Stevie Hawkins
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