Album Review – Tim McGraw’s “Damn Country Music”
One of the big story lines in country music over the past few years has been the rehabilitation of country music from a quarter century ago that emerged during the period known colloquially as the “Class of ’89.” Despite the commercial rise of country during the era, it’s also the period people love to point to as the moment when everything began to go wrong. But today, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Travis Tritt don’t look so terrible beside Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, and Florida Georgia Line.
Tim McGraw came on the scene a few years after the “Class of ’89,” sporting a porn mustache, mullet, a cowboy hat with a brim two sizes too wide, and singing “Indian Outlaw.” Someone like McGraw was the reason the success of Garth Brooks was not a good thing, we said at the time. It was creating pseuo-Garth offshoots that would suck the life force out of country with their derivative pap.
McGraw then released his first #1 single, “Don’t Take The Girl,” and his role as country music’s adult contemporary star for decades to come was cemented. Though traditional country fans may refuse to admit the song was even a guilty pleasure or at least well-written, “Don’t Take The Girl” went on to be one of the most cherished compositions in country in the last 30 years. But going back and listening to it, it’s questionable if the synth production holds up, and the video is incredibly cheesy. Tim McGraw was never a died-in-the-wool authentic country star who we just had to wait for time to reveal the true value of. He was sappy and overly-sentimental to begin with, and nothing has changed with the perspective of today.
After a decade where McGraw struggled to release any music under the oppressive thumb of Curb Records, he’s been releasing new records in nearly breakneck fashion compared to the rest of Nashville. And his latest, Damn Country Music, maybe be McGraw’s most traditional-leaning yet.
The title of the record had us all talking right off the bat, and then when the title track emerged all swaying in waltz time and slathered in steel guitar, we thought maybe this would be McGraw’s big statement on where country music is headed, and where he wants to go.
Damn Country Music is not a classic country record by any stretch, but it is a classic country record by McGraw standards, and most certainly by the standards set by today’s country music. McGraw is doing what all country artists do who take a long-sighted perspective on their own careers and want to be around and somewhat relevant well beyond when their commercial years dry up. He’s going back to his roots, and thinking about how this music may sound years from now. He’s cutting good songs, and respecting the album as a vessel for songs and not just singles.
McGraw’s last record Sundown Heaven Town is where we first noticed a change of approach to some of the material Tim was cutting. And it was even more surprising how the singles performed. What was supposed to be the big blockbuster debut single—the terrible “Lookin’ For That Girl”—stalled out at #17. Yet the fairly-traditional “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” performed remarkably well, hitting #11. His duet with wife Faith Hill on “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” did even better at #7. And “Shotgun Rider” made it all the way to #1.
Somewhere in there was a lesson, and Tim McGraw learned it—unlike some of his aging country music contemporaries. Trying to run with the young dogs never did any good for McGraw. “Truck Yeah” is another example. He’s still filling arenas, and even when he releases songs some folks think are too traditional for today’s country, they succeed from the favorable take the singer has among radio programmers and regular Joe fans.
There are moments when Damn Country Music will put a look on your face like you just sucked a lemon, but these are the interludes between what once again is not a terribly bad album from the 48-year-old. I would say it’s surprising how decent the record is, but we should be on alert after Sundown Heaven Town. All of a sudden Tim McGraw is mainstream country’s respite, a rock in a stormy sea, and the one artist who can release songs that say something and include steel guitar and still find solid traction.
All that rest McGraw got as Curb scuttled away his career has kept him hungry, or perhaps that adversity taught him some lessons. He’s pumping iron at home and packing a punch with his albums, and maybe McGraw is the 90’s artist who will help revitalize country radio, instead of the dumpy Garth Brooks whose un-retirement contributions beyond concert attendance have been virtually non-existent. Garth’s the one living off the past, and McGraw is the one who’s got the head full of steam, still trying to improve himself and his music.
Again, some of Damn Country Music‘s offerings should just be tossed from the beginning. This record is ripe to be cherry picked. The lead single, “Top Of The World” is not as much terrible as incredibly forgettable. “Love Runs” and “Losin’ You” aren’t any better, and the production creates a liability for this album with some listeners who would otherwise admit to loving it, however begrudgingly.
The opening track “Here Tonight” with McGraw’s daughter Gracie has a really spirited, Old World acoustic-driven British Isles flair, and draws you into this record as something unique and fresh. “How I’ll Always Be” is a little on the tired side of the lyrical spectrum. We’ve heard plenty of these songs affirming the singer’s country leanings over the last few years, even though McGraw seems to capture the essence of the country mindset better, and will score points for some with the line, “I’m a little more ol’ Hank Williams than that trendy crap.” That line may be true, at least for this record (and the second time McGraw name check’s Hank on the album).
READ: Song Review Tim McGraw’s “Damn Country Music”
“Don’t Make Me Feel At Home” is a good ol’ country cheating song, and one done right. He went back years to find this song before today’s Nashville had corrupted the songwriting pool. “Want You Back” is held down a bit by overproduction; McGraw’s love for synth has not subsided completely, but the song is redeemed by the strong songwriting and expertly-placed steel guitar licks. “California” with Big & Rich is a fairly forgettable track—a little too fluffy to score many points, but the ending song “Humble and Kind” sounds like something straight off of one of the last couple of Don Williams records.
You press “random” on this record and what the roulette wheel lands on may have you running away screaming. But if you approach it with an open mind and are willing to separate the wheat from the chaff, there’s some value to be found here. Tim McGraw is still fair to call country’s adult contemporary star, but Damn Country Music is a slight improvement from Sundown Heaven Town, and shows that McGraw is going in the right direction. Let’s hope country music at large can follow.
1 1/4 of 2 Guns Up (6/10)
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November 16, 2015 @ 9:11 am
I think this a great record and right where Tim belongs. Thank you Tim. For realizing you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
November 18, 2016 @ 3:26 pm
The only problem with it is ear fatigue. The production/mix is so poor, leaning towards the high frequency spectrum, that if you have good gear to listen through which reproduces it accurately, it sounds like they recorded this thing in a tin can (and I’m not talkin’ ’bout Tin Can Alley either…)..
November 16, 2015 @ 9:34 am
So basically this is a throwback to the 1993-1994 Tim McGraw? If so then I like that Tim McGraw better
November 16, 2015 @ 10:24 am
Actually no. What I was trying to say is that even ’93-’94 Tim McGraw wasn’t this country.
November 16, 2015 @ 10:24 am
Tim McGraw has had a lot of good songs over the years. If I could pick the setlist for a show of his, I would love to see the show, however I’m not sure if he sings all the songs I like live. I have really liked these last two albums and for the most part, Tim has always had good songs, with a few bad ones thrown in. I think you are right about one thing Trig, that the non success of those bad ones has helped him out and kept him on a better path here lately.
November 16, 2015 @ 10:25 am
Yeah, Tim’s music has always been a rather mixed bag, but I’ll give him his due ”” he’s cut some good songs, even if other folks did sing them better.
Case in point: “Don’t Make Me Feel At Home.” The original version of this song was recorded and released back in 1995 by a guy named Wesley Dennis, and his version of it is great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Y5Gl0JC2k
Kudos to Tim for cutting that song instead of more trash like “Truck Yeah,” though.
November 16, 2015 @ 10:40 am
I think this is like the fifth album in a row from Tim that has been garbage. Maybe it’s time for him to hang it up. He just seems to be shitter cursed. This album is as poppy as it gets, and I know Tim has never been traditional but still. Everybody’s Lookin’ might be even worse than Looking For That Girl, which I didn’t think was possible. I’m pretty sure everyone is getting sick of this guy.
November 16, 2015 @ 10:48 am
“Everybody’s Lookin'” ended up on the deluxe edition of this record, and I think that’s because they knew it was no good. This review is for the standard edition. When there’s two versions like this, I tend to review just the standard version, unless the stuff in the deluxe package is better than the standard stuff. That’s because only delivering tracks to some folks instead of everyone I think is admitting these are weaker tracks. I guess what I’m trying to say is, “Damn Country Music” shouldn’t be judged on “Everybody’s Lookin’,” unless they decide to release it as a single.
But like I said in the review, there’s moments on this album that will make you cringe. But to say the album is as “poppy as it gets” I think overlooks the majority of the material which is anything but.
November 19, 2015 @ 8:58 pm
But what’s the point of putting a shitty song on a deluxe version? I think he dilutes his work with the usually sub-par bonus tracks. I would just like to see a standard 10-11 song cd with minimal production.
November 19, 2015 @ 9:19 pm
I can’t answer that. It could be the label’s call. Big Machine loves to do the Deluxe Edition thing. I don’t like having two separate versions of albums out there.
November 16, 2015 @ 10:40 am
I think part of it is he’s just a likeable guy, and not a douche. Shotgun Rider was a great country pop composition that shouldn’t have been sung by a 48-year old (much like it was ridiculous for pappy Keith Urban to sing about falling in love with a girl in a cop car). ‘Top of the World’ is too poppy for him too. But like you said Trigger, it’s hard to wish him ill and he makes good choices elsewhere.
November 17, 2015 @ 10:25 am
I don’t think he’s too old to sing Shotgun Rider. The song’s clearly about a couple that’s been together for awhile at least. It’s not like he’s singing about rolling into a keg party.
November 19, 2015 @ 9:03 pm
I think Shotgun Rider is the perfect song for a 48 year-old man. Nice to see someone content and sticking with the woman he’s been hanging with for 20 years.
November 16, 2015 @ 10:58 am
Good review Tigger. I have had this album for a week and only listened to it a couple of times because I’ve been addicted to Mr. Misunderstood. I definitely will listen to it some more. Much like Church”s latest, this album may have some “It grows on you” feel to it. I didn’t care much for Top of the World when it was released, but I kind of like it now.
Also, I love that more and more acts are getting away from singing about their teens years and teen girls. I know Luke Bryan got rich doing it, but man, as a 42-year-old, I hate it.
November 18, 2016 @ 3:23 pm
Yeah, watch your 16+ yr old daughters with Luke. He’s guided in an interesting direction there.
November 16, 2015 @ 11:11 am
Hey Trigger: Looking for that girl #15, Meanwhile back at mama’s #2, shotgun rider #1, and Diamond rings and old Barstool #3 on country airplay charts from his last cd. I really like Tim’s new cd.
November 16, 2015 @ 12:26 pm
Yes, I was using the “Hot Songs” chart, but the radio chart shows even better performance for MCGraw’s better songs.
November 16, 2015 @ 1:17 pm
Foul. You should use the airplay charts.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:05 pm
If you use the airplay charts, people complain. If you use the “Hot Songs” charts, people complain. The point of the “Hot Songs” chart is to be the more overall view of a song’s impact, and that’s why I tend to favor it. Yes I know, it gives songs played on pop radio an unfair advantage, but the Airplay chart gives unfair advantage to artists with a cozy relationship to radio, like Tim McGraw. In the end, it’s just one measurement that helps to gauge sentiment about a song.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:15 pm
Thank you Trigger that’s all I need to know. I follow both charts anyway.
November 16, 2015 @ 9:28 pm
What is common practice in reporting? Are you consistent is the use of the Hot 100 chart in all your postings?
November 16, 2015 @ 9:43 pm
Never mind. I see that you are not.
November 16, 2015 @ 11:14 pm
Jeez, okay Liza.
If I quote airplay numbers, I mention they are airplay numbers. If I don’t say they’re airplay numbers, then they are always Hot Songs numbers. The point of Hot Songs is to be the more encompassing measurement, and so that’s why I default to it. This is the industry standard.
November 17, 2015 @ 6:26 am
Thanks for the “rules”. Anyone ever tell you that you are just a bit too sensitive?
November 17, 2015 @ 10:08 am
Yes, I hear it all the time and it’s probably true. I guess I don’t understand why I got my butt jumped in this article for attacking Alan Jackson and using the wrong chart stats when neither are true.
November 17, 2015 @ 8:18 pm
I didn’t say the chart stats were wrong. But they are not what is typically used in practice, even by you so I thought they were a mistake. If you use something out of the norm, you should state where your stats come from in your post. Then you won’t feel like your sensitive butt has been jumped.
November 16, 2015 @ 11:46 am
For some weird reason, maybe it is the wife insistence on listening to country radio all the time, but Top of the World has become catchy to me.
November 16, 2015 @ 11:53 am
That’s good news ,McGraw has some good music for us.But why the hell the lead singles from his last albums are so bad? So desperate for airplay?
November 16, 2015 @ 12:08 pm
It’s because right now Music Row’s A&R professionals have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. It’s ridiculous. Lead singles are flopping left and right. “Top of the World” is a terrible lead single. Tim McGraw learned his lesson from “Truck Yeah” and “Lookin’ For That Girl,” but his A&R folks didn’t.
November 16, 2015 @ 12:29 pm
Class of 89 – Country at Its Best
The title of this post is clearly subjective – but it is true for me. I fail to see why 90s country gets such negative press.
First off, when you state it is when ‘everything began to go wrong’ and follow that up with Alan Jackson’s name in the list, then I have to say something is wrong with your opinion. Whether you like his songs or not, Alan Jackson is definitely country – if he does not qualify as country, then we are all in trouble!
Now allow me to clearly explain why for me 90s country is the best.
I was born in the early 1970s. I started listening to music properly in the early 80s. My favourite artists are Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, ZZ Top, Bruce Hornsby, The Police, Paul Simon.
When the 80s came to an end, so did the prime of most of the above musicians. Mainstream music veered toward dance and rap and I lost interest. That is when I discovered country music.
Artists such as Brooks and Dunn, Tim McGraw, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, Clint Black. These artists are from a country background, however I imagine that, similar to me, they also grew up listening to and being influenced by mainstream rock musicians outside the country genre.
Therefore their brand of country was also heavily influenced by the rock music that had gone before and for people like me, it was the perfect mix of the best country has to offer infused with a rock influence. As Travis Tritt put it ‘Put Some Drive in Your Country’.
I would say that it is clear from Tim McGraw’s music. He is clearly from a country background but heavily influenced by 70s and 80s rock music.
And that is why I gravitate so much to 90s country – it is country music heavily influenced by music that I grew up with (and still love today).
I also discovered the traditional country artists of the time such as Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Mark Chesnutt. All artists whose music I greatly enjoy – with Randy Travis having become one of my favourite artists.
The criticism that artists such as Tim McGraw receive for not being country is unjustified. It is unreasonable to expect someone growing up listening to country and rock music and loving both genres, to then go on producing music in one of the genres which is not influenced by the other. I believe it is natural for all your musical influences to seep into whatever songs you are going to record and how the songs are produced.
At the opposite ends of the spectrum I like both Randy Travis and ZZ Top. If I was to make an album, some of the songs will lean toward traditional country and some will lean heavily towards rock country. I am stating this purely in terms of artistic output and what I like to listen to – nothing to do with selling out for fame.
I can see the same being true for Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, etc…. Therefore expecting these people to make country music that is not heavily influenced by rock music they grew up listening to or rock production in their songs is just not reasonable.
November 16, 2015 @ 2:32 pm
Spot on! Thank You!
Also very good review Trigger! I’ve always enjoyed McGraw, however I’ll admit there were a few years towards the end of his curb era that I didn’t really care for as much. It does seem like his Big Machine era is heading in a positive direction.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
Okay, I’m a bit shocked this is a point of controversy, and that there’s folks out there that truly believe I’m attacking Alan Jackson, or anyone from the Class of ’89 in this post.
What I said was, and I quote: “Despite the commercial rise of country during the era, it”™s also the period people love to point to as the moment when everything began to go wrong.”
And I stand by this statement 100%. Running a country music website for the last eight years, I can say with certainty that “people” (not particularly me) believe that Class of ’89 is where things went wrong for country.
Now, I can understand how some my misunderstand what is being said there. But then I go on, in the same exact paragraph, to challenge what those “people” believe.
I’m being rhetorical. I’m playing Devil’s Advocate. I am presenting an opinion to then knock it down. I do this ALL THE TIME, especially in album reviews.
November 16, 2015 @ 4:00 pm
Trigg,
I am sorry you have to defend rhetorical statements. You are a fucking trooper! Great album review.?
November 16, 2015 @ 4:27 pm
Regarding Alan Jackson, my question would be why people think he contributed to the downfall of country music? Just an honest question, not trying to be a jerk.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:32 pm
The people who think Alan Jackson contributed to country music’s downfall are the same ones who say George Strait is pop and Chris Stapleton is a sell-out.
In other words, those are people who can and never will be pleased.
November 16, 2015 @ 9:23 pm
The theory is that the Class of ’89 brought country music to such commercial heights that it never was the same. You had people who always thought country was cheesy “go country,” (to use a Jacksonism). Of course Garth Books was the face of all of this because he was the big star, but the entire Class of ’89 gets painted with that stigma commonly among core country fans.
November 17, 2015 @ 10:03 am
Alan Jackson is true country music
November 17, 2015 @ 10:11 am
Great post, couldn’t agree more.
November 16, 2015 @ 12:45 pm
With all these mainstream male country singers getting older by the day, it makes you wonder if they might just wake up one morning and realize how much of a shit show they have put on for most of their careers, especially when all of these teenage girls don’t want stupid love songs sung to them by a grandpa. Maybe they will even consider making good music finally. I think Tim McGraw is starting to come to the realization, now if only all the other over forty guys like Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and hell pretty soon to be forty Luke Bryan would…..
November 16, 2015 @ 7:30 pm
Those three are making way to much money to switch right now
November 16, 2015 @ 1:10 pm
hey Trigg, thanks for another great review. I really couldn’t agree more with it. but i’d like to point out that ‘Looking for that Girl’ did not peak at #17 due to radio refusing to play it anymore. It peaked at #17 (15 on country radio) because Tim pulled the single back so that Meanwhile Back at Mama’s could be released. LFTG was strongly climbing the charts the day Tim debuted Meanwhile live at the ACM awards, and right after the performance Meanwhile back at Mama’s was sent to radio and Looking for that Girl was retired. I think it was a big marketing move by Tim, and it worked quite well. fucking Country radio would have played LFTG all the way to #1.
November 16, 2015 @ 1:23 pm
I agree with you that the song would have climbed higher, but I think it more likely that it was pulled early because it didn’t belong and someone decided it was best to put it behind him sooner rather than later.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:12 pm
I’m not sure why McGraw would pull it if he thought it was going to #1, especially since it was the debut single. The song had a pretty strong negative reaction either way, so maybe he though it could do more harm than help by being successful. I’ll take your word that it was “strongly climbing” the charts when they pulled it because I don’t care enough to go back and research it myself. This is why I hate quoting stats, because even though they’re supposed to be static, everyone’s got an opinion on them. “You should have used airplay vs. Hot Songs” etc. etc. In the end, the numbers are just illustrations, and for whatever reason, “Looking For That Girl” was the least-successful single from that album.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:34 pm
I sure agree. LFTG was absolutely hated by Tim’s fans. but what i’m trying to say is that country radio is one of the reasons why country music sucks: they were pushing the song.
As for Tim, I think his strategy with the previous two albums (Two Lanes of Freedom and Sundown Heaven Town) was to shock everybody with a terrible lead single (Truck Yeah and LFTG) and then reassure listeners that he was coming back to his roots releasing old Mcgraw material (One of those Nigh and Meanwhile).
by the way I have checked the numbers on kworb.net: LFTG was getting +35 spins per day until April 6 (the day the ACM’s aired) and after that it started losing some spins before finally falling down when Meanwhile entered the charts one week later.
November 16, 2015 @ 2:08 pm
Yeah… What’s up with the shade thrown Alan Jackson’s way? Makes no sense to me in the context you used it.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:02 pm
Absolutely NO shade thrown Alan Jackson’s way. I’m not even sure how you came to that conclusion. His name was merely mentioned as being a part of the “Class of ’89,” and the “Class of ’89” was mentioned as a time many folks point to when country music got so big commercially, it lost touch with its roots. I’m not even agreeing with that assessment, but it’s one that is fairly common among core country fans.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:37 pm
Taking a wild guess, the reason we came to the conclusion that you were critical of Alan Jackson is the line ‘But today, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Travis Tritt don”™t look so terrible beside Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, and Florida Georgia Line.’
For what it’s worth, I also happen to disagree with the inclusion of Garth Brooks and Travis Tritt – both clearly country.
November 16, 2015 @ 3:44 pm
I just heard the album. I couldn’t stand most of it, with exception of “California”. The rest were not great. I liked a few others, but most of it was mediocre at best, for Tim. He can do much better. I couldn’t stand the first few notes of most of the songs. I just thought they sucked.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:00 pm
I should preface this by saying I’ve always liked Tim and his music for what it was-music that was country enough but leaned adult contemporary. Although he had some solid country in there too.
If you look at what’s out there for mainstream stuff–emphasis on mainstream–Tim McGraw is really carrying the torch right now. You look at who’s putting out music that for the most part sounds country, tells country stories and sees commercial success, it’s Tim McGraw. is it straight down the middle country? No. But its as close as we get and some of it is pretty strong. Between this album and Sundown Heaven Town he has really settled into a groove thats somewhere near the line between mainstream country and damn good country music. In a world where Alan Jackson, George Strait and that crowd just aren’t as big as they once were, Tim is carrying the torch. He’s not perfect, but I think he’s learning and I’ll be happy to support him along the way.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:08 pm
I certainly remember seeing Tim for the first time on TNN with the video for Welcome To The Club (I think this was his first single) I liked it.
He certainly has put out some real crap in recent years, but although I’m not a big fan of his, I really don’t mind him. I did like songs like Everywhere, Things Change and Southern Voice to name a few.
I will say seeing Tim open over a year ago for George Strait made me give him some credit. I’d probably pay to see him as the main act depending on who was opening for him.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:25 pm
Tim McGraw first charted single was Welcome to the Club that peaked at #47 back in 1992. His very first single was Which Room was the Holiday In? that did not chart in 1991 the song wasn’t that great and it was pulled.
Top of the World is in the top 10 and I really like the song better that his first singles on his past 2 cd’s of his.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:29 pm
This is another solid album from Tim McGraw. To me, where Gary Allan and many others got “evolving” wrong by adding electronic sounds and outside influences, McGraw knocks it out of the park. He adds that stuff, yet keeps it solidly on the country side. This album finds the perfect balance. No, it isn”™t Hank Williams, but as a modern country record, it”™s hard to top.
November 16, 2015 @ 5:50 pm
This may be the first mainstream country album I have bought in a long time.
November 16, 2015 @ 6:18 pm
Like I’ve said about some other artists who had their prime around the same time as Tim if this is what was popular in mainstream country now I wouldn’t have a undying hatred for their stations. I don’t feel like albums like this are slaps in the face to the American tradition that is country music it’s just something I’m not a big fan of. As always nicely put review trigger thanks.
November 16, 2015 @ 6:57 pm
While radio has dropped all other artist from the 1990’s – 2010’s why do they still play McGraw and Chesney, personally I’ve been over them for quite some time now. Can I swap them for George and Alan?
November 16, 2015 @ 7:26 pm
Tim McGraw can put some excellent music out when he embraces his age, talent, and roots.
November 17, 2015 @ 10:22 am
Don’t make me feel at home is worth the price of admission. I’ll gratefully forgive the misses in thanks for that song.
November 24, 2015 @ 11:41 am
Humble and Kind was written by Lori McKenna… She’s local to my area and I’ve been listening to her play that song at her own solo shows for years…. It’s one of my personal favorites, I’m so excited to see that he cut it.