Country Singles Jubilee 4.06.09: The Hannah Montana is the Devil Edition
Posted by Jasper Jones on 04.06.2009
This week's Jubilee includes a large weeping man, Little Big Town part II, a song about douche-bags, Lyle Lovett's favorite vacation spot, and one supremely bad song.
Welcome back, Jubileers, to another exciting edition of the Country Singles Jubilee! Something made me rather angry last night. You can't watch regular CMT if you want to see music videos anymore. All you get now is Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, Hulk Hogan, and rednecks getting married. So, I flipped on CMT Pure last night as I was getting ready for bed. It still mostly plays country music videos, or so I thought. When the channel came back from commercial it played a freakin' Hannah Montana video! What the hell? Am I not safe from this chick anywhere? Just because your daddy is Billy Ray Cyrus doesn't make your music country. To make matters worse, they followed up Hannah Montana with a Chris Ledoux video. Poor Ledoux must have spun in his grave. Please keep Hannah Montana where she belongs, on the Disney channel. CMT should be ashamed.
MUSIC TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top 40 Country Singles Reviews
Billy Currington - "People Are Crazy
Georgia native Billy Currington got his big break in country music while working as a personal trainer in Nashville. One of his clients helped him record demos and introduced him to the right people. Before he knew it, Billy was signed to Mercury Nashville Records. It's a pretty unconventional way to break in, but it seems to fit Currington. His blend of soul/pop/country music wouldn't have come from someone who cut their teeth in honky tonk dives for a few years. Currington has tasted success within the country music industry with two number one singles under his belt. My personal favorite Billy Currington song is his duet with Shania Twain, "Party For Two", from back in 2004. That songs always seems to put a smile on my face.
"People Are Crazy" is the second single from Billy Currington's 2008 album entitled A Little Bit of Everything. The first single from the album, "Don't", did exceptionally well on the country charts, peaking just shy of number one. "People Are Crazy" is so bad, Billy Currington should be ashamed that the song is even on his album. At least he didn't write it. That can be blamed on Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, famous for penning such hits as "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "Time Marches On". Must have been an off day for Braddock and co-writer Troy Jones. It's obvious that they were going for some Tom T. Hall-like story song, but the song just falls flat on its face. It's a contrived tale about a millionaire who dies and leaves all his money to a man he met in a bar only one time instead of to his children. Give it a listen if you dare.
Favorite Lyric: NONE
Rating: 0/5 - People are crazy to like this song.
Montgomery Gentry - "One In Every Crowd"
My disdain for Montgomery Gentry is well documented. However, I will admit that they have some songs I do enjoy. I really like "Speed", "Cold One Coming On", "Hillbilly Shoes", and "Blackjack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam" a whole lot. I can listen to their music as long as I do not have to look at them. On the flip side, they have some songs I really can't stand, such as: "You Do Your Thing", "Something To Be Proud Of", and "What Do Ya Think About That". I hate it when Eddie Montgomery gets into his pissed off hillbilly mode on "You Do Your Thing". Before the Montgomery Gentry fans get all huffy and puffy again, I don't care how they treat their fans or how many times they've entertained the troops. If the song sucks, it sucks.
"One In Every Crowd" is the third single from Montgomery Gentry's Back When I Knew It All, released back in 2008. It's an up-tempo ditty driven by an electric guitar with a steady organ in the background. Eddie and Troy both sing lead about that one really over excited guy at the bar. You know that one who yells "Freebird" at the band, usually takes his shirt off at some point, and hits on every girl even if she's obviously with someone else. Montgomery Gentry is certainly right. There is most definitely one in every crowd and they're usually called a douche-bag. However, Eddie and Troy seem to be dubbing this dude a hero in "One in Every Crowd". They claim that his guy brings the party and makes everyone else want to have fun with him. Not me. This guy usually makes me want to go home. The chorus to the song is pretty lazy. "Hey ya'll" is just repeated over and over again, but it seems like it would be a big hit at a bar with everyone drunk and singing along. It's perfect music for that "one in every crowd".
Favorite Lyric: "In his mind he's a rock star/ crankin' out that air guitar/ til the bartender says fool, get off my bar"
Rating: 3/5 - "One in Every Crowd" will be a hit at the local honky tonk, which usually has a whole bar full of that one in every crowd. At least I know where they are so I can stay away from them.
Gloriana - "Wild At Heart"
Gloriana is so new they still have that "new band" smell. The group is comprised of brothers Tom and Mike Gossin, Rachel Reinert, and Cheyenne Kimball. Some may remember Cheyenne Kimball as the 2002 America's Most Talented Kid winner, but I bet not many do. She formed the band in 2008 and they signed to Emblem Records by the end of the year. Tons of people are going to know who they are really soon. They've got a single shooting up the country charts and will be the opening act on Taylor Swift's 2009 Fearless tour.
"Wild At Heart" is Gloriana's first single from their debut self-titled album, due out later in the year. The comparisons to Little Big Town are inevitable. Both bands feature four part harmonies made up of two guys and two girls. Before I get into the debate on which group is better, I'll give Gloriana a little more time to develop. As for "Wild At Heart", it's very much a pop song with a little bit of country thrown in. It basically sounds like a boy band song with some mandolin. I really, really, really do not want to like it, but it's so damn poppy and sugary that I cannot resist it. It's the type of song that I blast in my car, but I deny liking in front of my friends. Don't chuckle. We all do that. There is something very creepy about the video though. It seems like one of those really bad commercials that feature the American Idol contestants that air during commercials for the show. It feels like midway through the song it's going to turn into an Old Navy ad or something.
Favorite Lyric: "Stick your hand into my back pocket/ Light me up like a bottle rocket/ I just wanna free fall for a while"
Rating: 4/5 - "Wild At Heart" may have some simple lyrical content and some over done pop production, but it's going to be a "feel good" hit of the summer. Trust me.
Retro Country Single
Charlie Louvin - "See The Big Man Cry"
Charlie Louvin is best known as one half of The Louvin Brothers with his brother Ira Louvin. They were mainly a gospel act, but were eventually convinced to add secular music to their repertoire. The brothers were a big hit in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, performing regularly on The Grand Ole Opry. Their popularity began to wane in the 60s as the old sounds were phased out by the rise of rock n' roll. The Louvin Brothers broke up in 1964, and a year later Ira was tragically killed in an automobile accident. Charlie carried on his musical career, releasing several solo albums to mild success. The Louvin's vocal styles and harmonies influenced many country acts like Emmylou Harris, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, and many more. At the age of 82 Charlie Louvin has been trying to revive his career for the last couple of years. He's released two new albums and a live recording and even performed at the 2007 Bonnaroo music festival.
"See The Big Man Cry" is my favorite Charlie Louvin song. It can be found on his 1964 album Less and Less/I Don't Love You Anymore. Charlie has admitted in the past that he and his brother were not very good songwriters, but "See the Big Man Cry" is a strong contradiction to that statement. Yes, its a very simple song, but a very good simple song with a great, bouncy guitar lick. It tells the story of a man who runs into his ex-wife and little boy on the street, but he can't say hello or even acknowledge them because the judge has decreed he can never see them because of the things he's done. To make matters worse, the little boy doesn't even know that the big man crying on the sidewalk is his father. The painful emotions of the song are conveyed through Charlie Louvin's vocals, which is a talent that's sorely lacking in country music today. Country now-a-days is sort of dead behind the eyes.
Favorite Lyric: "See the big man cry mama that's what I heard him say/ See the big man cry mama he looks like his heart will break"
I Bet You've Never Heard This Song
Lyle Lovett - "In My Own Mind"
Esquire magazine had this to say about Lyle Lovett: "The secret of Lyle Lovett's endurance comes down to the three C's: class, charisma, and consistency... In the studio and on stage with his giant orchestra, he's spent two decades gracefully matching genuine songcraft with A-list musicianship". That sums Lovett up quite nicely. Though he's never had much commercial success, Lyle Lovett is always the critic's choice. Despite not have a single chart higher than number ten and an album no higher than number two in his almost thirty year career, Lovett has earned four Grammy awards. He's spent some time on the big and small screen as well. Lovett has appeared in The New Guy, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, episodes of Mad About You, and many more. Most people know Mr. Lovett because he was briefly married to Julia Roberts in the early 90s.
"In My Own Mind" is from Lyle Lovett's 2003 album My Baby Don't Tolerate. I have a list of about six songs that I call my "happy at work songs". When one of those songs come on my playlist at work, stress is relieved for just a little while. One of those songs happens to be "In My Own Mind" because of its "escape to your fantasy world" theme. Escape into your own mind and you can be or do anything you want. Self amusement is a wonderful thing. Lyle Lovett has written a song about his favorite place to go when life gets stressful and rough. It happens to be his own mind. It's like country music's version of "What A Day for A Daydream" by Lovin' Spoonful.
If you were wondering, my other "happy at work songs" include Paolo Nutini's "New Shoes", Leo Sayer's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", Ween's "Your Party", Travis Tritt's "It's A Great Day To Be Alive", and Arthur Alexander's "Pretty Girls".
Favorite Lyric: "I live in my own mind/ Ain't nothin but a good time/ No rain just the sunshine/ Out here in my own mind"
