Boston Globe Tips Hat to Country's New CDs
Compare Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson and Trace Adkins to Keith Urban, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker, Gary LeVox and Zac Brown Band. What's the big difference? The cowboy hat. To wear one is to stay true to the clichéd roots that all country singers need one. And to opt out sends the message that your music is country without the standard issue headgear. In a recent Boston Globe story, the great cowboy hat issue is raised in what is essentially a music review of albums from Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and Jason Aldean (the lone hat guy in the bunch). It says that Rascal Flatts stick to the chief tenet of country music (storytelling) and that Urban can crank up the banjo when need be. But clearly, this story paints the picture that Aldean's music is the good stuff, noting, "While Rascal Flatts and Urban continue to blur the line between country and pop, Aldean definitely knows the difference."
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
Alison W says:
Ofcourse. Because heaven forbid anyone call anything “country” without RedMaz’s approval and agreement. You alone have the privilege of defining the genre, obviously.
RedMaZ says:
Everone who was mentioned in this blog are Country. Show me where I’ve said these people are not country acts. I alone do not have the privilege of defining the genre. However I do enough research to know the difference between Pop Country and Roots Country. Anyone who claims to be a Country music fan should know this. It’s no big secret. Pop music is NOT an individual genre of music. It’s an industry consisting of many genres. Including Country, Rock, Hip Hop, Rap, etc. Just as Americana is not an inividual genre of music. It too consists of many genres, including Country, Rock, Blues, Bluegrass, Folk.
Urban plays a Guitjo. A six string banjo shaped and styled instrument with a six strings tuned like a guitar. (I remember Alison calling it a ganjo) you might want to look that up in the Urban dictionary, chances are you won’t use that term again.
Urban and the rascal Flatts band have never blurred the lines between Country and Pop. Both have always been a Pop act…”Pop Country”. Aldean fits into that category also. However Urban’s effort with a band called “The Ranch” had some elements of Roots music, but that was quite a while ago.
…and if you think I’m the only one who knows this, think again
Lioness says:
Man, I love Keith’s “The Ranch” album! I do love all his music,country pop/rock, but I hope he will one day do an album like The Ranch again! Also, I would not call anything RF does as country, but that’s just me! And Jason Aldean is in no way totally country!
SamBushFan says:
Red, no one cares how you classify music. Just leave us, the ones who don’t care to put everything in a neat box, alone to enjoy what we like. There is a reason they make thousands of flavors of ice cream… and It’s the same reason there is a variety of country music styles.
SamBushFan says:
BTW your first comment makes it sound as if you are the sole expert on country music. Get over yourself buddy.
Always Right says:
SamBushFan,
Red knows alot more about country music than Alison B. does.
Hum…. says:
Red gives me a headache.
Zach says:
If he sings a song called “She’s Country”, he has to be considered country, right..?
All three of these guys are pop-country. Aldean’s cowboy hat doesn’t hide that.
Alison W says:
How do you define Americana then if it’s not a genre.
RedMaZ says:
Hi SamBushFan, (so am I). This is not how “I” personally classify music, this is what I’ve learned. I’m certainly not making this up, and completely agree with your first post. I too am sick and tired of people putting all of today’s music in one little box. My first post seems to be very informative.
I’m not the sole expert by any means. I try to learn something new about music everyday, and for the most part I do. Hum, as long as your taking time to read my posts, you’re learning something. Headache or not. Zach, you are right. I agree. Alison W., As I stated in my first post…Americana Music is Roots music based on the traditions of Country, Rock, Blues, Bluegrass, Folk. As far as the industry itself, it is a network of singers, songwriters, musicians and fans who support, promote and defend the New Roots artists, Established artists, and the Legends(living and deceased) of each genre.
SamBushFan says:
Red-
As you know your first post has been deleted. It was anything but informative and completely arrogant.
I am glad you too like Sam Bush. However, I don’t think Sam would agree with your narrow view of pitting commercial music against non-commercial. It divides and in the long run proves nothing. By all means educate yourself, just don’t belittle those you don’t agree with or those you feel don’t know as much as you feel they should.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing — Socrates
Hum…. says:
I like Alison! She doesn’t attack you when she gives you her opinion. She’s just a fan like the rest of us. We all have our little quirks and we’re just goofy. And RedMaZ it seems as though whenever we say something you needlessly attack us and tell us we are wrong or incorrect with our thinking and then you go off on some sort of rant about your basis of thinking and the history of music and blah blah blah (and no, I am not learning anything from them). Its not as though you can’t put your opinion on here, just please be a bit more courteous. I enjoy reading blogs and posts as much as the next person, but not when its turning into a fight. Please be respectful is all we ask.
Tom says:
I got a quick question for Red, where do you think Jamey Johnson fits genre wise? because I think he isn’t quite accepted in Pop Country.
Alison W says:
Yeah, how do you manage to get comments deleted? Honestly curious. The only reason I even had a reaction to this was because I notice (from RedMaz) that you always seem to imply that pop country is somehow below roots country. And in my opinion there’s a much more blurred line between the two than you make it seem. I don’t understand how it’s possible that there aren’t any “elements of traditional country” found in the music of the artists that are always dubbed “pop country.” I understand there is a distinction between pop country and roots country, (which I’ve learned about solely through your unyielding insistence of it on many of the blogs I come across.) However, I’ve seen you say things along the lines of pop country being less “musically artistic” than roots country, which is obviously going to elicit reactions. It’s completely void of any purpose for you to come onto blogs about artists and make sure you mention that they are POP, and then also imply that pop is somehow inferior. And you say you are sick of people putting music into a box, which completely confuses me because you seem to take every opportunity you can to define the (allegedly significant) difference between pop country and roots country.
jsbuzz says:
Congratulations RedMaz on your very astute post teaching all of the common folk about the definitions within music genres. You are a true treasure to music listeners everywhere.
RedMaZ says:
“I got a good Christain raisin’, and an 8th grade education. Ain’t no need in ya’ll treatin’ me this way”
(BJS)
I was listening to some music from Barbados on the radio on the way home tonight. Barbados! on the radio. Can you believe it? It was a local college station :)
When I heard them play, I felt like Efrem Cymbalist Junior Brown.
I’m currently checking out some tapes that were recently found of classic live performances from Country and Rock stars from the 60’s and 70’s. It was on NPR radio today on a segment called “Hear & Now”. I may be familiar of these from a few years back. They were interviewing a man named Ken Anderson. I’ll check it out more and let you know. Thanks…
RedMaZ says:
Hi Tom, I agree about Johnson not being accepted or fitting into Pop Country. I think he is very smart in writing some goofy little songs he knew would sell to the masses in order to be able to do what he wants. He has spent some time on the Roots Music charts, and since the fans decide, it seems he is being accepted. Personally I think he fits better with artists like Buddy Miller, Justin Townes Earle, Gurf Morlix, Ted Russell Kamp, Brandon Jenkins, and Connor Christian, then he does with Chesney, Urban, and Paisley.
Tom says:
I personally feel what makes Johnson less Pop and more Roots is that for his new single he put out the hard core “High Cost of Living” in which Mainstream COuntry Radio won’t touch. Instead of putting out “Mowing DOwn the Roses” which isn’t nessicarily bad but not Johnson’s best on the album.
RedMaZ says:
I agree about “High Cost of Living”. Soccer moms and Kiddie Country fans don’t want to hear that while driving to the mall. This song, and his singing remind me of another singer named David Allan Coe. DAC had a few Pop Country hits back in the 70’s and maybe early 80’s..
Tom says:
Well I guess his Pop Country hits put food on the table, and allow him to record the kind of music that he wants to. And also let’s him keep his record deal.
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