"Anything Goes" on This Playlist of New Music
Making a living with words, I can always appreciate a clever turn of phrase, which is what sold me on Randy Houser's first single. "Anything goes when everything's gone," he sings. Ain't it the truth. He sang a few tunes at a private showcase last week, and I was impressed with his rich, resonant baritone. Beyond that, here's a playlist of new songs that I've enjoyed over the last few months, from familiar faces like Kellie Pickler and Brad Paisley, to some cool indie artists, like Jason Allen and Old Crow Medicine Show.
"Anything Goes," Randy Houser
"Something to Keep Me Going," Chris Knight
Kellie Pickler, "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You"
"Turf's Up," Brad Paisley
"Buy Myself a Chance," Randy Rogers Band
"Strangest Dream," Hal Ketchum
"Dollar and the Dream," Nels Andrews
"Highway Halo," Old Crow Medicine Show
"Rain Down," Autumn
"Been There, Done That," Jason Allen
"On Your Birthday," Jim Boggia
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," Nation Beat
"One Little Teardrop," Lonesome River Band
"Looking for Jesus," Kate Campbell and John Prine
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RedMaZ says:
I’ll have to pass on Houser, and I’ve heard enough of Pickler and Paisley to last a lifetime, OCMS I can take or leave, but I appreciate what they’re doing. You do have some of my favorite artists listed including Jason Allen(some great Texas music), Chris Knight of course, been a fan of Mark Erelli for a while now. You should check out some of his earlier stuff too. Randy Rogers band. I see that Ketchum has hit the Americana scene now. He’s on the AMA chart. Prine of course is a living legend, and Kate Campbell is very good too.
Ken says:
I bought Randy Houser. Great CD!!! I love Anything Goes!!! Also bought Kellie’s CD but I have to say it is not as good as her first CD. I will pass on the rest.
RedMaZ says:
Have you listened to the rest? That’s a lot of music.
luvncountry says:
I like Pickler, Houser, AND Paisley, and will also pass on the rest.
RedMaZ says:
I already know you limit yourself, but I wondering if Ken does too?
Kevin says:
You limit yourself too RedMaZ. Like I’ve told you before…just because you are willing to listen to anything once, doesnt make you open minded. If you see something as pop country, you might listen to it, but you already dont like it.
Kevin says:
good comeback.. but nobody would need a degree to figure you out. You’re not as complicated as you like to act.
RedMaZ says:
Yes, I know it was a good comeback. So are you trying to tell me everyone has this music thing figured out? I find that hard to believe. My intention was never to be complicated. I wear my music on my sleeve…which is easy to do with my coat of many musical colors.
Shotgun says:
If the statement Anything goes when everything’s gone… is true,
What does that say about today’s country music?
RedMaZ says:
It depends, are you talking about today’s Pop Country or today’s Roots Country?
Shotgun says:
I’m talking about the music produced by today’s rural Americans that ends up getting marketed by record companies.
RedMaZ says:
Then why don’t you just say Pop Country? Who are some of your favorite Roots country artists who don’t answer to “the man”?
Shotgun says:
I’m not convinced that the distinctions you draw are entirely accurate.
I shouldn’t have included the “marketed by record companies” detail in my description. It’s irrelevant.
My point is…if “anything goes” for rural country folk…what does that say about our culture?
Randy Houser knows…
RedMaZ says:
You certainly like to doubletalk a lot, but you still didn’t answer my question. Somehow I don’t think you can without sounding like a Abbott and Costello routine. It’s okay to admit that you don’t know what today’s Roots Country is too.
Ken says:
yes I do limit myself on music that I don’t like or haven’t heard.
Shotgun says:
Ouch Mr. Red…
I was trying to be polite, but the truth of the matter is, I think you’re arbitrarily making distinctions that you try to hold the rest of us to. Now, granted, you’re a genious in the musical world…but I’m not convinced that you’re opinion is authoritative enough to set definitions.
Sorry, but I don’t think there is such a thing as “roots country” as opposed to “pop country.”
All I see (or hear in our case) is rural Americans finding a voice (be it organic or inorganic) in the public realm.
Obviously, we’ll disagree about that, (assuming you choose to stick to your guns) and in light of the pending disagreement, let me offer a gesture of civility. Afterall, I’m nothing if not a genlteman…
In the future, I’ll try to use smaller (or more direct) words so that you wont be confused by any of my “doublespeak.” (Orwell would be proud!) Instead, I’ll use terms with “roots” and maybe even some with a more colloquial or “popular” shade to them.
In the meantime, I would like to invite people to consider the issue I raised. Does the fact that “anything goes” in contemporary cultural expression (especially music) mean that everything of substance is gone?
If you say no, then you’re disagreeing with ol’ Mr. Houser, and I’m not sure he’d be too happy about that…
RedMaZ says:
So there is no such thing as Roots Country? Then how do you explain the Americana Music Association? The Roots Music Report? The Root Music Association? or Americana Roots? Or the 1000’s of artists keeping your rural culture alive?
Kevin says:
what about pop roots and roots roots. Personally I like roots roots rather than pop roots. The best thing is roots roots roots. Thats my favorite kind of music. Long live roots roots roots music. Im tired of pop roots music.
Kevin says:
What? I thought you would be right with me on the “roots roots roots” music. Maybe you need to check some of it out
RedMaZ says:
Give me some artists names, and I’ll be glad to. It’s what I do.
Kevin says:
Apparently you arent very interested in music or you would know some already. You are clearly out of touch with todays cutting edge music
RedMaZ says:
Yes it does seem that way. Please enlighten me. Is there a website? An artists list? I am certainly open minded to all types of music, so any information would be helpful. Thanks.
Shotgun says:
All those organizations “keeping my culture alive” are doing nothing more than promoting and spreading information.
As for the distinctions they draw…they’re just as arbitrary as yours are.
Furthermore, if you think it through you’ll see that such arbitrary distinctions are never concrete. The lines always “fuzz” out.
I don’t blame you, (or them) though… it’s all a product of the dying postmodernism that America recently accepted on a popular level.
All that aside…my point still stands…
RedMaZ says:
To Kevin, I’m still looking forward to some of this cutting edge music you’re listening to. I’m interested in checking some out.
luvncountry says:
Hey Kevin, Randy was a phone guest on our radio station this morning- he’s great. I put his CD on my Christmas list.