Album Review – Jason Aldean’s “9”
What Jason Aldean has done with this his 9th major album release is truly incredible. Who knew anyone had the stamina, the fortitude, the wherewithal, and the stick-to-itiveness to doggedly cram so many small town red meat chest-pounding machismo cliche’s into a single music album. Leave it to our boy from Macon to rear back and get it done. Jason Aldean is like an endurance athlete of countrified cock rock, shattering his old records with this newest release by turning in a merciless parade of sixteen songs that rattle your skull in a blisteringly loud and serrated audio assault bereft of nuance or variety, all captured in a void of self-awareness. Bravo, Jason Aldean. Inexplicably, you have outdone yourself.
This is the most Jason Aldean record of Jason Aldean’s career, meaning he rooted out most all the substance, boiled down all the sentimental impurities, burrowed deep to the kernel of his id and ego, and doubled down on the most lucrative aspects of his career commercially. Usually when culling through even the worst mainstream country releases, there’s at least a couple of commendable songs buried in the album cuts, including, if not especially a Jason Aldean effort. I mean let’s face it, “Amarillo Sky” and “Fly Over States” were some pretty good stuff. But you can’t even give this new record credit for a couple of buried gems. ‘9’ is basically just the same song with sixteen different flavors, like snapping different skin covers on the same iPhone. It’s almost like what a parody artist would present if they were looking to make fun of a Jason Aldean record.
‘9’ is all about fire-breathing guitar riffs, pounding drums, and quick passes through lame brain verses on the way to big blustery choruses served up to shake the cross beams of Mountain Dew Arena or Doritos Stadium. We need sixteen of these damn songs like we need sixteen more Democratic nominees for President of the United States in 2020. You feel dumber just by feeding your curiosity and taking a peek into how bad this record is. And no, it’s not because of any individual song or songs. Sequestered individually, none of the tracks are especially terrible. It’s the collective effort. It’s the onslaught to your sense this record presents. At least most of today’s heavy metal carries with it some intelligence. Jason Aldean and ‘9’ are for listeners who turn music on to avoid thinking.
Jason Aldean has always been the preeminent purveyor of corporate country songs that work to affirm a lifestyle that country radio looks to target, telling you what to drink, what truck to buy, and what clothes to wear if you want to fit in and bag the girl. But in ‘9,’ Jason Aldean removes all pretense and filler to just put it right out there for you unabated, like in the song “Camouflage Hat”:
Muddy boots, muddy tires
Wrap your baby in your jacket by the fire
Yeah the girls ’round here they got it bad
For good ol’ boys in a camouflage hat
That’s right gentlemen, if you want to get laid, make sure to shop for your headgear in the hunting section. The women of a Jason Aldean song are not much more than chattel—something to “pretty up a pick up truck” as he asserts in “Camouflage Hat,” or the excuse to get hammered because they screwed you over, which really is nothing more than an excuse to inject a litany of name drops of alcohol products in songs to entice adult beverage companies to pull the trigger on country radio ad buys and arena tour sponsorships. Sure, it’s country music. But the amount of alcohol references in this record is still pretty incredible, as are the songs that drone on about mud on tires, mud on boots, dirt on roads, and how this is how you affirm your country cred.
Heading into 2020, Jason Aldean songs are nothing more than proxies for alcohol companies, auto dealerships, and outdoor sports outfitters. It’s just one affirmation of a catalog-style lifestyle brand after another. Oh but don’t worry if you’re not from the country proper, you can still participate in this lock step culture that discourages deviation. In the song “The Same Way,” Jason Aldean let’s it be known that no matter where you’re from, you too can become a corporate country tool.
If you got the same song coming out of your speakers
Got the same strong mix down in your cup
If you got smoke blowing in the air
Howling at the moon, if you do, then that’s what’s up…
Yeah, we might be from a different place
But we go down the same way…
Yes, everything’s the same. From the sixteen songs of this record, to any given sixteen songs you might hear on country radio, to sixteen songs you may hear on any radio station regardless of genre anywhere in America. All hail the monoculture, and the bleeding of regional and cultural diversity so corporate America can sell us all the same shit.
On ‘9,’ there’s none of those songs about the dichotomy of small town life—how all the down home hospitality and hay field parties give way to lost dreams and lack of opportunity in rural America, which is one of the themes Jason Aldean hung his hat on early in his career. About the deepest (and country) he gets is in the song “Came Here To Drink,” and even then the entire song is about how he’s not trying to drown demons or chase away sorrows. He just walked into a bar consume alcohol, and nothing more. It’s sort of a good encapsulation of this record. Don’t dare risk sharing something profound or sentimental, and shatter the facade of the vapid acceptance of life Jason Aldean presents in ‘9.’
There was little to no chance this album was going to be some sort of sea change or restructuring in what has made Jason Aldean a stable arena act for the last decade. He’s presented a slow and steady disappointment since his “Amarillo Sky” days. But somehow, ‘9’ is even more disappointing than you would even expect. There’s no real takeaway tracks, no hope for Aldean’s future efforts, no transitioning back to the type of quality and country-sounding songs from earlier in his career to keep up since the greater mainstream realm seems to be sliding more in that direction. It’s just Jason Aldean solidifying his position as country music’s shallow arena rocker. And it’s discouraging, even from Jason Aldean.
Oh, and by the way, the song “I Don’t Drink Anymore” rips off the idea of a Pete Schlegel song of the same name.
November 30, 2019 @ 10:00 am
This review is spot on, I listened to the whole album expecting there to be one or two good tracks buried among the bad like on most Aldean albums. I was disappointed, probably his worst album to date.
December 5, 2019 @ 10:53 pm
Why put yourself through that when you had the option to listen to nothing instead?
It’s like eating a bowl of diarrhea thinking “maybe it won’t taste like shit”
November 30, 2019 @ 10:06 am
I sat down to listen to the whole album. I liked “Tattoos and Tequila” and “Champagne Town” and I thought “Blame it On You” and “Keeping it Small Town” weren’t that bad. But I lost interest and quit listening part way through “Dirt We Were Raised On” and haven’t went back to the album.
November 30, 2019 @ 10:42 am
No individual song on this album is especially bad. But I can’t imagine anyone making it through all sixteen tracks in one sitting as an enterprise in entertainment value. It all just starts to become a big blob of noise.
December 2, 2019 @ 8:23 pm
jason aldean doesnt write his own music. he “picks” songs off a catalog to cover like a dang karaoke singer. other artists also sends him songs if they are between albums. guess who sent him “we back” , your favorite guys .. you get 1 guess
February 1, 2020 @ 1:34 am
I’m not a country music fan but I like this album. Don’t think of this as a country album, think of it as a rock album. It’s a good rock album
November 30, 2019 @ 10:10 am
Been an Aldean fan for a long time and even I thought this album was poor. He normally has lots of different sounding songs and topics but this just seems like the same long song
November 30, 2019 @ 10:22 am
You left out the tracklist:
1. Skidmarks On Your Town
2. What a Towny Town
3. Too Small a Town for My Whiskey
4. Everywhere I Go In This Town, I Smell Her Armpits
5. Town (reprise)
6. Towns (medley)
7. Towns (slight return)
8. My Town Can Beat Up Your Town
9. Tattoo of My Town On Your Back
10. You Don’t Understand My Town
…you know…same as the last album…
November 30, 2019 @ 10:29 am
And didn’t he grow up in Macon? Anyone from a small town will tell you…that’s the big city. Probably had a 24 hour convenient store and everything.
If you can get to a Walmart in under an hour without getting mud and cow shit on your tires – maybe shut up about the small town stuff…
November 30, 2019 @ 10:39 am
LMAO “My Town Can Beat up your Town”
November 30, 2019 @ 10:45 am
I’ve noticed that for a while now. So many of his songs end with the word “town”.
Hicktown
Crazy Town
Tattoos on this Town
Rear View Town
Two Night Town
This Nothin’ Town
And from this record:
Champagne Town
Keeping It Small Town
Try something new already. I used to be able to stomach Jason Aldean but now he’s one of my least favorites.
November 30, 2019 @ 12:54 pm
Perhaps, Big City Hick?
November 30, 2019 @ 10:38 am
Normally he’s good for one or two good songs hidden among the trash on each album. Good to know I don’t need to bother looking for those on this one.
November 30, 2019 @ 10:44 am
This takes the use of electronic drum beats to a level I’ve never seen before in a country record. It’s so far removed from “country”, aside from the canned misoginist lyrics, you literally cannot differentiate it from music in another genre. One of the most offensive Aldean productions to date
December 2, 2019 @ 12:47 am
Even sadder, his drummer is incredibly talented. Back in the day, he used to have his own solo slot during Jason’s concerts. (Though it wasn’t country at all.)
November 30, 2019 @ 10:59 am
If the production on “Got What I Got” didn’t fall off a cliff, that song could be okay. The premise is nice. And I think “Came Here To Drink” is more about him being in denial of drinking to forget her and trying to make himself feel better off of that. “One for The Road” is also an interesting premise for his typical style.
If you can’t tell, I’m really reaching for substance here. There isn’t a lot redeemable. At least he’s not on all that drum machine/R&B bullshit anymore. I was also surprised by the amount of steel on the album. That said, I agree with you, he hasn’t really put out any good stuff since the “Fly Over States” days. He’s trending the same direction as Luke Bryan, only as Luke Bryan keeps trying to get sexier, Jason Aldean keeps getting more shitty-AC/DC.
November 30, 2019 @ 1:45 pm
At least Luke Bryan seems to be trying to make a break with his bro-country past, so props to him for that. Even if I won’t be adding his music to my playlist, it’s something; it’s better than what his music used to be. But based on this review, Jason Aldean seems to be doubling down on the bro-country vibe–unbelievable. Of all the fake country pretenders out there, Aldean has (IMO) long been the worst.
November 30, 2019 @ 11:11 am
Trig hits on it, Aldean is merely the front man for a marketing and touring machine. His music shows it. It hasn’t evolved, well it’s changed and de-volved over the years. A lot of parallels to Luke Bryan. Aldean also has zero discernible personality. Seriously, when was the last time any one mentioned any window on type of guy he is, the laughs he has with friends, type of family guy he is. I think he’s just a big card board bore as a person, but hey keep grinding it in, town.
December 1, 2019 @ 12:53 pm
I think it was in people I caught yesterday. Nothing majorly interesting but he is staying in Kane browns old house. Jason is building a new one so they were renting previously while it’s being done. Kane bought a new house. Jason was telling him the story and Kane said go stay in there for free until it’s done.
Jason’s sister is married to chuck wicks. That I didn’t know and what I got majorly out of the article. This house is a half house closer to them than the one they were renting.
November 30, 2019 @ 11:25 am
*sigh* At some point I’ll end up listening to this because I’m a complete sucker for anything combining country, southern rock, hard rock, and metal. I hate myself sometimes.
November 30, 2019 @ 6:52 pm
Go listen to Bask, out of Asheville.
November 30, 2019 @ 8:03 pm
You might try Whiskey Myers as a more healthy alternative.
December 1, 2019 @ 12:14 pm
I’ve already listened to all of Whiskey Myer’s discography. Many times over, as they’re one of my favorite bands.
December 4, 2019 @ 9:39 am
Blacktop Mojo sounds just like the band you described. Straight from their website – “A hard-driving Southern rock unit based out of Palestine, Texas, Blacktop Mojo’s fiery blend of post-grunge, classic rock, and metal falls somewhere between Soundgarden, Black Stone Cherry, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.”
November 30, 2019 @ 11:47 am
Ah yes, another “effort” from the Ghost of Trailer Trash Past himself, Jason Al-Thinks-Songwriterly-is-a-word-get-over-my-affair-blackface-wearing-probably-can’t-spell-his-own-name-hasn’t-read-a-book-since-betamax-went-obsolete-beer-drinking-I-bet-he-thinks-armpit-farts-are-great-entertainment-thinks-Buzz-Lightyear-is-a-craft-alcohol-dean.
Featuring an incredible sixteen songs. I didn’t even know he could COUNT higher than ten without taking his shoes off.
This record will amuse anyone who wears camouflage to church, measures his masculinity by the inches between the pavement and the running-board of his truck, or thinks a “floppy disk” is something you take pills for.
Also reccomended for racist uncles, cavemen just learning how to say “ugh,” twelve year olds who secretly drink dad’s whiskey, and any and all high-school-dropouts on parole.
Featuring such incredible, all new songs as
“Whiskey”
“Beer truck town”
“town truck beer”
“probation officer’s lament”
“truck”
“my truck” (featuring Florida Georgia Line and Eminem)
“get over my affair” (remix feat. Skrillex)
“I ain’t racist”
“thrash” (guitar instrumental)
“(Censored)” (explicit version)
“I like marijuana”
“another song about trucks”
“bigger trucks”
“this song does’t have any three-syllable words”
“I’m Jason Aldean”
“Trump, Jesus and Jack Daniels”
“whiskey and beer”
“beer, whiskey and vodka”
God says love your neighbor, but if my neighbor was Jason Aldean I’d probably go to hell.
Luke Bryan seems like a decent guy,
The FGL guys are at least genuine honest to God dumbasses
Sam Hunt usually seems like an ok guy
But Aldean… seems like a walking stereotype.
Or like Ben Stiller took the tablet of Ahkmenra to the White Trash Museum and one of the exhibits came to life and got a record deal.
And I for one hope the sun comes up and he turns to dust.
November 30, 2019 @ 2:20 pm
‘Sam Hunt usually seems like an ok guy’
When he’s not drunk off his ass driving down the wrong side of the highway.
November 30, 2019 @ 2:37 pm
“probation officer’s lament”
This made me truly laugh out loud! Absolutely spot-on for the Aldean demographic!
December 1, 2019 @ 1:00 am
You definitely win the internet today.
November 30, 2019 @ 11:48 am
Also I bet “9” is the reccomended maximum IQ needed to enjoy this album
November 30, 2019 @ 11:56 am
I’m making my comment sixteen words, which is sixteen words more than this music is worth.
November 30, 2019 @ 12:09 pm
The album must be the ultimative dream for every Nashville label head.
Not country.
Sells like shit.
Every track loaded with buzzwords
JA can fart for three minutes & it will be a #1 hit.
JA is not even trying anymore to release a memorable track.
November 30, 2019 @ 1:57 pm
Hmmm, this album was the sold considerably less copies than his last album besides “We Back” is struggling on the charts
December 1, 2019 @ 7:00 am
Selling less, getting less airplay but still being called “superstar” & still selling more than 99% of all signed “country” acts?
Like Carrie Underwood?
Like Miranda Lambert?
Like Sam Hu…oops…
Like Blake Shelton?
Like FGL?
November 30, 2019 @ 12:23 pm
Of all the bro country bastards, Aldean is the worst. As Fuzzy points out, while some of these guys seem genuinely decent, he comes off like a jerk.
I hope the “boyfriend” country trend takes him down. His contemporaries have moved on to over-worshipping women, but Aldean us still in a loving relationship with his whiskey and his truck.
November 30, 2019 @ 1:53 pm
Completely agree with all of this. I’m no fan of the “boyfriend country” trend; the stultifying sameness makes me sick. But if it causes the destruction of Aldean’s career and the blight on country music it represents, I will be truly grateful.
November 30, 2019 @ 12:27 pm
Aldean is what i like to call a camo-cowboy (the successor to the urban cowboy): a superfical mixture of bluecollar, small-town & rock n roll clichés, all rolled up in a paper-thin wrap of hiphop aestehics.
November 30, 2019 @ 12:39 pm
Thanks, Trig. I’ll never listen to a Jason Aldean song all the way through, much less an album, but I do appreciate your words of righteous disgust in response to such doggerel. I wore myself out preaching like this before the 90s were even over. Keep up the good fight, man!
November 30, 2019 @ 1:12 pm
Even if I loved Jason Aldean I would enjoy this review.
November 30, 2019 @ 1:26 pm
I don’t know…..hell, sounds like every other Aldean album to me. His fans will love it…..non-fans won’t. At this point in his career, everyone has staked out their position.
December 1, 2019 @ 9:49 am
I don’t think this is true actually. Many of his “fans“ has spoken within this comment section already. His earlier stuff was a decent blend of country, southern rock and hard rock. certainly nothing groundbreaking, I’m not arguing he should be in the country Hall of Fame or anything. That said, there’s a place in this world for thoughtless catchy tunes alongside of the creative and meaningful ones (as long as the cotton candy doesn’t completely outweigh the diamonds and pearls). As someone who grew up and enjoyed 80s hair metal, I’m quite capable of recognizing the long lasting value of the one in a million band like Guns n Roses versus the trashiness of a Poison or Bon Jovi. But Poison and Bon Jovi had their fun moments. Same here, Jason Aldean in the beginning was able to throw out a pretty good mix of dumb catchy headbangers along with some good country tunes. I think my taste in country is pretty damn good. I’m a big fan of the turnpike troubadours and Cody Jinks on the newer side and a huge fan of guys like Dwight Yoakam and Mavericks (not to mention staples like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings) as far as more classic country. But I’m not embarrassed to say that I’ll bang my head right along with She’s Country or My KindaParty and I think Amarillo Sky is a fantastic country song. Now to the point, I would regularly buy this guy’s albums, but his last four releases are so monotonous and the songs so completely indistinguishable from one another that I have stopped buying his product. It has become just that, product. Even a crap band like Poison at least tried to push their boundaries and get a little creative with their style. Jason Aldean has been stuck in a rut for half a decade and is too stupid to figure it out. if I was his manager, that dumb ass would be told to add some country back in to the mix ASAP. Anyway, in short, many of his fans are well aware that he is now just recycling the same mostly bad songs over and over and are not blindly buying his new releases. Just saying, to assume that because I like some of his stuff doesn’t make me one ofthe dumb sheep people Floozy Two Sheets (to the Wind) would like to assume we are.
December 2, 2019 @ 9:23 am
Bon Jovi “trashiness” lol, that’s funny. Their history speaks for itself. They have been loved by many, many fans and are still rocking out. This has been a hard working band that has had its share of problems but with about 4 decades under their belt they were, are, and will be AWESOME♡ Just like Jason Aldean, in his own genre, Artist of the decade, among his many awards and imo 9 albums and not a bad song in the bunch♡. He & Bon Jovi have enough fans (& $$$) that the haters really don’t matter???? Have a nice day!
December 2, 2019 @ 2:05 pm
Clearly you did not read my message carefully. I said positive things about both Bon Jovi and Jason Aldean (as well as poison for that matter). …and I’m pretty sure that I’m one of the few people on this website who has consistently stuck up for Jason Aldean (and his equivalent in the world of rock, the hair metal 80s bands). With that said, I know the difference between a cheeseburger and a filet mignon. Jason Aldean and Bon Jovi are cheeseburgers, great for an afternoon barbecue and then promptly forgotten (until you poop them out later). By comparison, The turnpike troubadours or Willie Nelson (In the country world) or bands like Guns N’ Roses or The Rolling Stones (On the rock side of the equation) are like fine Kobe beef, a delicious meal that makes a lasting impression, and such meals come rarely during a lifetime and should be savored mentally over and over. Again, no disrespect to Bon Jovi or Jason Aldean, both have got one or two songs that really do demonstrate the type of class that they could bring to the table if they were more focused on delivering a quality product and less focused on dumbing down their music so as to sell millions of copies to the general public. There is most definitely a time and place for cotton candy, and Jason Aldean used to fill that role quite well. Unfortunately, his music has become monotonous, repetitive, and clearly nothing more than an attempt to keep the gravy train going. Continuing with me would be foolish, if you read my message closely and then read the message from others on the site, I’m probably your best friend here. Nonetheless, I see Jason Aldean for exactly what he is, Vanilla ice, not Eminem.
November 20, 2020 @ 7:43 am
There’s a major difference between Jon Bon Jovi and Jason Aldean. Jon Bon Jovi never cheated on his wife, to whom he has been married to for nearly forty years.
November 30, 2019 @ 1:32 pm
More than any other modern-day poser, I can’t stand Aldean and I don’t understand his fame. I’m so happy he’s no longer a Cabela’s spokesman (with his earrings and pedicured fingers) and I wish he didn’t take up any space on SCM.
November 30, 2019 @ 1:48 pm
The “Stans” will show up soon…
November 30, 2019 @ 2:55 pm
He doesn’t have any though
November 30, 2019 @ 6:19 pm
I am actually surprised that we are 37 comments in and we still haven’t seen any.
December 1, 2019 @ 3:48 pm
Now at 62 comments and still no stans, and only one comment that’s even mildly supportive. Perhaps even the stans don’t like the album. This time the stans can’t point to a single track as being even remotely country.
I’ve noticed Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett criticisms don’t get many stan comments either.
November 30, 2019 @ 4:43 pm
I didn’t take this album to think every Jason Aldean song for the past five years has been a parody of a previous song. I am so ready for his 15 minutes of fame to be over.
November 30, 2019 @ 4:46 pm
Ya this new album sucks.
November 30, 2019 @ 4:53 pm
Nine albums in and still basing every song on the same limited themes…beers, trucks, mud, redneck-lovin’ babes in tight jeans…sounds like SOMEONE is plumb out of ideas and had a contractual obligation to fulfill. Beers, trucks, mud, swimmin’ holes and line-dancing babes just poured into those jeans…it’s been done ad nauseum.
November 30, 2019 @ 5:45 pm
Except that he writes next to none of his songs, which somehow makes it worse.
November 30, 2019 @ 4:56 pm
Quite possibly my favorite of your reviews to date and there’s been some gems.
November 30, 2019 @ 6:20 pm
I vehemently disagree with Trigger on this review. It is not a 2/10. Is it a 0/10.
Maybe this is his last testosterone hurrah before he makes the turn and actually starts singing country music. Maybe, but probably not.
November 30, 2019 @ 7:15 pm
key word there wayne is ‘ singing ‘ . have you heard him try to without studio ‘magic’ ?
if this guy and taylor swift had done a duet 8 years ago the guys in the studio would STILL be tuning it today .
November 30, 2019 @ 6:30 pm
I do not disagree with the review, but there is a lot of steel on this record. He should get some credit there.
November 30, 2019 @ 9:10 pm
There is a lot of steel for a mainstream album. The only song that it feels strongly featured in is “Came Here To Drink,” and I feel like that’s probably the “best” song from this disappointing record. But yes, there is a decent amount of steel.
November 30, 2019 @ 7:03 pm
I like to look at the JA thing as an example of Karma at work .
Karma heard JA singing live way back when and said ” You are never ever going to record ANY song which requires someone who actually CAN sing to perform it . You are never ever going to record anything pretty , anything moving , anything of substance , anything with a melody or less than 5 guitars on 11 because YOU SUCK as a singer .
And so Karma has blessed us again by NOT dropping the next ” House That Built Me ‘” in his lap . We can only imagine the nightmare of him trying to warble his way through something like that on his ” Artist Of The Decade ” show . one thing we can say about JA is that NOBODY does it like him …..cuz NOBODY WANTS TO , thank God . he has carved out his ‘country’ niche and will hopefully remain unchallenged and , with a bit of luck , unacknowledged .
As we like to say around here when we discuss ‘artists’ who need to be called out ..” WE BACK ”
GREAT review Trigger .
November 30, 2019 @ 7:29 pm
Such a great review, Trig. I’m still laughing.
Still, I’m going to listen to the album because I like bangers as much as the next guy, but I won’t buy the thing, because why? Who wants to *own* an Aldean cd, or vinyl? lolzzz What’s the point?
Ok, ok, Depth Doesn’t Sell(TM), but it’s wise to remember that as a rule of thumb this principle only applies to 18-24 year olds who don’t read. I still believe Minivan Mom will buy depth if it’s the right depth sung by the right male. If “Safe Porn” McGraw sings it, they’ll stream “depth” by the truckload. Sometimes they’ll buy Lori McKenna, because Mom.
But respectable blue collar Mike Harmeier? Sam “Fey” Outlaw? Amiable hairy Kentucky DMTyler Childers? Angry Pants Isbell & Simpson? Scary neck Benjamin Tod? Obese trucker hat John Moreland? Unknown nondescripts like Ian Noe? Old Man Rodney Crowell? These are all excellent writers, and there are plenty of good writers out there, but like all good writing, it will only find a niche market.
And that’s ok. Aldean is the Kegger King of Nashville Pop. At some level, it must hurt to know his music, like beer, will be written in the snow.
November 30, 2019 @ 7:35 pm
Ok, now I’m laughing because I’m listening to these song-like objects and they’re virtually identical. LOLZ
One point for the MTB reference.
December 3, 2019 @ 3:03 pm
“Song-like objects” haahahaha
November 30, 2019 @ 8:48 pm
“All Hail The Monoculture”.
That needs to be on a T shirt.
November 30, 2019 @ 9:19 pm
16 tracks of the same song. “STREAM ME PLZ!” Yikes.
November 30, 2019 @ 10:28 pm
An album so forgettable, he couldn’t be bothered to give it a proper title.
December 1, 2019 @ 1:05 am
Trig, if the review weren’t so funny, and if you hadn’t been working around the clock and producing so many great reviews and stories every damn day, I’d scold you for wasting precious time on this guy. Usually, I’d rather get another amazing tip from you to a great band or album I’ve never heard before, but this was worth it.
December 1, 2019 @ 8:19 am
If you let it play, 13 seconds after the final track, there is a bonus track called “Tight Jeans and Jet Skis Kind of Town.” If you buy three logs of Skoal Mint at any participating Sunoco or Speedway, you are automatically entered to win a chance to appear in the video with Jason, himself, all expenses paid trip to the video shoot in Macon, $50 in WaffleCash (the currency of Waffle House) and three nights at the Comfort Inn – Macon. If you’re a decent looking chick, you and Jason will actually be staying in the same room at the Comfort Inn.
December 1, 2019 @ 9:02 am
Do you think the studio musicians in Nashville have a hard time living with themselves for being a part of the atrocity that is the absolute state of country music, or do they wholly buy into it? Or is it more that it’s just a way to make a living? I’m no Nashville cat but I’ve played session for plenty of recording projects but I would never ever let myself get involved with a project if I thought it was garbage, I was never under contract though which might have something to do with it.
December 1, 2019 @ 11:07 am
The oldtimers don’t even get asked to perform on a record like this because there’s no need for them, so it’s rare they’re presented with this moral dilemma. What many studio musicians are worried about is having any work at all. Now that producers and sequencers do the majority of music production, many great studio musicians are being put out to pasture.
December 1, 2019 @ 11:34 am
this is a fair question , adam . as a professional musican i can tell you i’ve lost track of the number of gigs and demo sessions i’d rather NOT have been involved with . the landlord , the electric company , the grocery store , the gas station and my dentist , however , wouldn’t understand if I told them ‘ sorry ….COULD NOT bring myslef to doing one more soul-sucking gig this week ” .
Its a living and it won’t last forever . If you chose it and treat it as such , you just suck it up and show up to work like you said you would cuz there’s 50 other guys who will if you don’t . the whole ‘secret’ is to understand that it IS a business no different than doing oil changes or stocking shelves with cereal . sure , it can be fun …..but more and more often it isn’t in this musical climate .
December 1, 2019 @ 1:42 pm
Jason Aldean started out as a John Rich overflow artist. Think Big & Rich country rock without the humor. Check out how many songs John wrote on those albums. The “studio musicians” have been the bassist, drummer and guitar player of his band since the beginning . They have been not only the sound of Jason Aldean but of many other artists. They don’t “have a hard time living with themselves” as you put it. This IS their sound. People come to them to make that same sound for their songs. Love it or hate it. That’s what it is.
December 1, 2019 @ 10:16 am
Are you going to be reviewing the new Lady Antebellum record, Trig?
Would love to hear your take on it.
December 1, 2019 @ 11:03 am
It’s on the radar, as are lots of other albums I hope to review by years end.
December 1, 2019 @ 4:43 pm
What makes it worst is that Aldean doesn’t write any of his songs… Literally none.
A majority of newer artists these days write their songs… Even pop artists like FGL, Thomas Rhett , and Kane Brown write their songs (got a respect them at least in that)
The days of George Strait, Blake Shelton, and Aldean are coming to an end… More and more artists should become songwriters on their own projects to add more depth and feeling in their albums
December 1, 2019 @ 7:35 pm
Apparently, the label shelved an Aldean -penned track called “I Told Those Mexicans To Armor-All My Tires.” Hey, he tried.
December 1, 2019 @ 8:41 pm
Please consider watching Mister Rogers Beautiful day in the Neighborhood movie. Kindness to all. It’s you I like
December 2, 2019 @ 7:37 am
I met the actual Mr. Rogers and I know many members of Mr. McFeely’s family.
December 2, 2019 @ 2:13 pm
arnold …a beautiful thought …and the right thought .
however if the neighbor’s dog keeps shitting on my lawn , there’s a point where I’m going to say something cuz I have far better things to do than step through or clean that dog’s shit from my yard. there are other neighbor’s and other dogs who appreciate and respect my time AND my yard .
at some point you just feel insulted and disrespected by an ‘artist ‘ like aldean and you have to say something just to keep from kicking your OWN dog !
you don’t think fred rogers ever got mad at the neighbor’s dog shitting in his yard ?
December 2, 2019 @ 9:27 am
Wow, i am probably going to get in big trouble here, but did Aldean really pen a track labeled, “I Told Those Mexicans …”
December 2, 2019 @ 6:52 am
I don’t fully agree with this. You may not write the song but you can be a great interpret of the song just like a movie actor. He didn’t write the play, it doesnt mean that he cannot be the best actor and better actor that the one who actually write it.
Celine Dion is a great example (I’m a French Canadian). She didn’t write her songs and her french grammar is not the best (she didn’t graduate from college since her career started at an early age) but she is a phenomenal interpret and she has an incredible voice.
December 2, 2019 @ 10:56 am
I agree, but a majority of all the new country artists write at least half of their album or more. It seems to be the new trend. Perhaps record labels look for that before they sign them…
December 2, 2019 @ 2:29 pm
”I agree, but a majority of all the new country artists write at least half of their album or more”
this is true , arnold . and it IS part of the agreement . but it has resulted in some of the worst songwriting in decades . songwriting isn’t a casual past time activity like playing video games or lawn darts. it used to be a well-respected craft which took honing , filtering , perspiration , a knowledge of the greats and a commitment of time and money . and that commitment resulted in GREAT timeless songs which became standards .
not so today . think of it this way .
what are the odds that a young , 22 year old artist can write 15 GREAT or even GOOD songs for an album …then what are the odds that EVERY new artist can do that for every album ?
now , what are the odds that a skilled , experienced veteran writer with a tried and true grasp of the craft …..the compete craft – substance and life experience in the lyric , melody , chord changes , harmonies , tempos and an acknowledgment of but NOT a reliance on trends- can write 15 GOOD or even GREAT songs ?
as a new artist in a sea of new artists all trying to write their own material , which writer would YOU trust YOUR song choices and career to ?
December 2, 2019 @ 2:55 pm
All I’m saying is that a lot of young artists cowrite many of their songs and that even though some of their songs stink and are too “poppy” for my taste (like Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, Dan and Shay, etc) … At least they are genuinely “attached” to their crappy music. . Have to respect that they at least write most of their songs & they get to be the kind of artist that they want to be..
Where Aldean doesn’t write or care to write any of his awful Rock arena tunes.. They are spoon fed to him which is quite lame.
December 2, 2019 @ 3:03 pm
I agree that any young artist can’t soley write 15 masterpiece songs for their 1st or sophomore album .. But many of these younger artists are collaborating with multiple song writers for their album project. It takes a village, but I do think the trend is for the artist to be more involved than ever before in the songwriting process and not just “pick a song out of the 20 demos their manager sent them”. Even if it’s just a verse or part of a chorus or even the theme/title of the song, young artists are more involved which I think is good!! Songwriters are still important obviously
@Trig, perhaps this topic can be a future article for you to write about?
December 2, 2019 @ 3:20 pm
Artists in Nashville are often forced to record a crappy pop song… But they are never forced to write them…
December 2, 2019 @ 3:34 pm
a chain is only as strong as its weakest link .
people will buy into whatever the media TELLS them is good , sometimes . all kinds of bad songs are marketed to folks who don’t take the time to understand ( or don’t want to know ) that there is FAR better product available whether its music or more nutritional food options (fast food drive-thru’s are a marriage of convenience and folks unconcerned about nutrition …for the most-part ) .
kudos to someone who wants to write their own material . and , of course , anyone can chase a trend .but if you can’t tell a good song from a bad one that might not be your calling .
December 2, 2019 @ 9:38 am
Actually Hey Arnold,
George Strait is even writing more of his songs these days. He co-wrote 8 of the 13 songs on his new album
December 2, 2019 @ 10:53 am
Indeed, George is changing with the times. He said in an interview that he regrets not writing more songs during the bulk of his career
December 1, 2019 @ 7:18 pm
I hate to say this, but Aldean just seems to me to be a guy that reminds you of an old fart smeller that laughs after the gas disimbursement.
Really, that’s what comes to mind when I look at him or hear him. Sorry to feel that way.
December 1, 2019 @ 9:52 pm
Why is there an apostrophe in ‘cliches’ at the end of the second sentence? And are most of the bro-country era songs written by most of the same songwriters?
December 2, 2019 @ 4:35 am
What I love about this review is it targets a larger trend across many formats. AC radio and “new country” are now sharing artists and songs. Most all of this stuff avoids being organic and relies exclusively on AI as it’s production value. Dumbing down the culture has always been the way politicians and others get away with duping the masses. Keep people medicated and God forbid, don’t put any lyrics out there that might make ’em think.
December 2, 2019 @ 6:42 am
Thanks Trig for this review. I have enjoyed and keep listening to some of his good songs (the Truth, Night Train, among others). Too bad that he has become a fake rock act.
I see him as a fast food chain. There is food to throw (no health benefit, no real ingredients) and there is music to throw and this sounds like an album to throw.
December 2, 2019 @ 6:12 pm
As much as I despise this guy and his “music,” I definitely have to give him credit for one thing. He truly is a man who sticks to his principles. Same with Brantley Gilbert. The bro-country wave is fading out, but Aldean and Gilbert are the two main holdouts who have dug in and have determined that this is the hill they want to die on.
December 3, 2019 @ 1:22 am
“Oh, and by the way, the song “I Don’t Drink Anymore” rips off the idea of a Pete Schlegel song of the same name.”
Which itself was a ripoff of an earlier Kevin Fowler song: https://youtu.be/qFdQ6H6Bv0Y
December 3, 2019 @ 4:28 am
man y’all can’t just enjoy some feel good music. what if this was the first Jason Aldean album you ever listened to ? put it through a different lens, not your over-saturation, and take it for what it is. sounds good, feels good, what’s the harm. its like he’s demonized for not growing as an artist. just enjoy it for what it is, not tear it down for what its not. he’s got a good voice and catchy tunes, who cares if he’s drawing with the same paintbrush, let him be who he is, having a good time and singing about it.
December 3, 2019 @ 4:50 pm
It took ninety comments, longer than almost every post on this site. But congratulations. You are the first stan of this thread.
December 5, 2019 @ 6:19 pm
31 composers!
December 8, 2019 @ 6:39 am
Jason’s producer owns a publishing house – and all of his signed writers get first crack at Jason’s records. This is probably a major contributor in Jason’s last few records sounding like carbon copies of one another. I won’t do the math, but I’d venture to say the ratio of in-house songs to outside songs is like 90/10. Seems short-sighted when considering how many catalogs have great songs – probably some songs-of-the-year just waiting to be recorded. It would be really nice to hear Jason do something like Blake’s “I Lived It,” or even a song a little more light-hearted like FGL’s “May We All.” Every friggin’ song with Jason has to be overly tough, and hyper small-town. We get it, bro – you’re a small town dude who works hard and parties on a Friday night. We didn’t need four records to get the point.