Screw the CMA's

That was kind of my half-joke. I had heard that but never saw it confirmed.

 

Midland might just be three Matthew McConaughey clones who can pick and sing, but they also might not be.

 

Midland is an odd story.

They definitely have a good sound, and lord knows they've got the retro look down pat - a little Bakersfield, a little countrypolitan.

They are a lightning did for criticism because they are considered a little too contrived by some. They apparently fly didn't pay their dues in Austun and on the road to the extent they claim.

Personally, I find it off that they are a "band" but all play guitar.

Prior to their first album, they released a song called Fourteen Gears. People loved it, but it wasn't on the first album. Interesting fact was that they wrote it themselves, and their label had hired writers for the album.

When Fourteen Gears came out on the second album, it was a reboot and most people didn't like it as much.

Here's the original and it's glorious.

There's also a song called "Countrier Than Thou" by Robbie Fulks that calls the whole concept of authenticity BS. "You weren't raised in a shack so you'd better not act all countrier than thou"

 

I downloaded the Adobe House version from YouTube years ago so I could extract the audio from it. And then they released it a couple months ago.

 

Never heard of them, as I hung up my cowboy boots more than a decade ago...but damn, that song's pretty good.

 

Happy 85th birthday, Kris Kristofferson.



Kris Kristofferson: The Last Outlaw Poet

 

I agree with most of this list — I don’t know why he’s dissing “Dancin’ Cowboys” and he clearly missed by not naming “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” to the list — and from now on I shall always refer to dirtbag racist Morgan Wallen as “Chucklefuck McMullet” (or maybe “Chucklehead McMullet” in polite company).

 

A random Worst Five from me: Honkeytonk Badonkadonk (Adkins) Play Something Country (B&D), Where The Stars and the Stripe and the Eagle Still Fly (Tippin), Dirt Road Anthem (Aldean), the BootInYourAss song (Keith). At some point country music turned away from heartfelt lyrics and figured pandering to sentiment, jingoism, or banality was the way to go.
Growing up there seemed to be a "new traditionalist" movement every 10 years or so that ushered out the popified dreck that always seems to gradually seep into country music. We are about 20 years and change overdue for another NT movement. Chris Stapleton can't do it all by himself.

 

Worst: all of Jason Aldean.

Stupidest song: the I wanna check you for ticks song by Peyton’s buddy.

 

We get this same bit on here from time to time.

 

Country music image:

Country music reality: