Ashley Monroe’s “You Ain’t Dolly” with Blake Shelton
What in the world is Blake Shelton thinking doing some tired, crusty, old-sounding country shuffle with an artist nobody has heard of? Is he trying to apologize to all of the “Old Farts and Jackasses” he insulted last month? Is it some sort of PR spin control thing? Because the only people who will ever listen to this song are Geritol-drinking old farts who yell at kids for playing on their lawn and and watch 60 Minutes before going to bed by 8 PM. And as Blake Shelton said, and I quote, those people “…don’t buy records anymore, jackass. The kids do.”
So this song talks about Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, but do people even know who Porter Wagoner is anymore? And more importantly, does anybody care? They barely even know who Dolly Parton is, and that’s mostly because of her boobs. People don’t even know who Ashley Monroe is for that matter. The only reason I know of her is because she’s in that Pistol Annies thing with Miranda Lambert, and I guess that’s how she landed such a huge country star to duet with her that oh yeah, happens to be Miranda’s husband. Coincidence? I think not. I’m sure Blake did this stupid song in exchange for not having to do a weekend’s worth of honey do’s around casa Lambert. If anybody was wondering who really wears the pants in that relationship, look no further than this song.
Seriously, this song sounds like something my grandparents would listen to. It would go great with a bowl of Werther’s Original. And in it Ashley says, “You’ll probably see me country singing on The Voice someday.” Oh honey, don’t get too full of yourself. Miranda may have twisted Blake’s arm to perform on your little album, but NBC will never allow all those fiddle and steel guitar breaks in prime time. This isn’t 1975. You said it best in the song when you said, “I’m the reigning queen of Karaoke night.” And that’s all you’ll ever be if you keep writing and singing these outmoded, irrelevant, and out-of-touch tunes that name drop country performers that nobody cares about anymore.
Now that Blake Shelton is the reigning Country Music Association Artist of the Year, he has to be more careful about what he puts his name on. Since he gets to decide the direction of country music, he can’t be putting out songs like this or people are going to start thinking this is what country music is supposed to sound like. Can you imagine this song on the radio? Ha! Country music must evolve, and “You Ain’t Dolly” goes totally in the wrong direction.
1 1/2 of 2 guns up.
February 20, 2013 @ 10:54 am
What a hypocritical ass that Blake Shelton is.
February 20, 2013 @ 11:05 am
Misunderstandings of article commencing in 3…2…1…
February 20, 2013 @ 11:06 am
It’s a good song but Blake Shelton is as polarizing as you can get with the crowd that will enjoy this album…..and it looks like a good album too with Vince Gill and Guy Clarke co-writing on it.
Why couldn’t Vince Gill have sang on this song? I guess the pop culture references wouldn’t have worked with him but that could have been changed.
February 20, 2013 @ 2:46 pm
Vince was actually the first person she asked but, he declined cause in his word “I’m old enough to be your father.”
February 20, 2013 @ 11:34 am
That was one snark-tastic review, Trig. 😀
But yeah, I liked this song, too — there’s that classic country sound again (though I would’ve preferred, say, Easton Corbin or Brad Paisley instead of Blake), and funny lyrics as well — even the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ reference made me laugh rather than cringe.
February 20, 2013 @ 11:37 am
Man, I hate it when somebody I hate does something I don’t hate.
February 20, 2013 @ 12:01 pm
So True..lol Just when you want to dislike someone they pull this out of their ass. But I have to think that Blake had nothing to do with this song except they asked him to sing the parts because well he’s such a star now and happens to be Miranda (1/3 of Pistol Annies) husband. Hell anyone could have sang that part and did a great job. I’m really liking this new album from Ashley Monroe though. Seems she understands what good country music is. Can’t wait to hear the rest.
February 20, 2013 @ 11:58 am
Joking aside, Shelton probably only did this song because Lambert is friends with Monroe. No one has denied he has a decent voice, and I’m sure he had nothing to do with the writing or instrumentation to this song. Anyway, it’s a good song, but I don’t I think it shows any shift in Shelton’s attitude or music.
February 20, 2013 @ 12:32 pm
This is the girl that did a song a few years back with Ronnie Dunn, right? And I’m pretty sure she did a song called “Old Enough” with Jack White and the Raconteurs. She was doing a pretty good job of picking artists to collab with up until this one… She does have some talent and a pretty good voice though so don’t expect this song to reach the radio.
February 20, 2013 @ 12:46 pm
I can’t tell if your knocking this song, and the pistol annies or like them?
I personally like them, and their cd. It’s one of the best country cd’s out there from beginning to end.
It’s different and organic.
I can’t wait to hear this song and her album, and the next pistol annies cd
February 20, 2013 @ 2:02 pm
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-the-pistol-annies-hell-on-heels
February 20, 2013 @ 2:50 pm
Hate Blake, love Pistol Annies.. Love this song.. Hate Blake’s voice… Hate his face… Hate his attitude.. I think I’m just going to stay away from modern country and the reviews on the site to avoid listening to these songs and having an inside meltdown of feelings. I better just stick to the “Outlaw History” reviews. Lol
February 20, 2013 @ 8:04 pm
I bet if you hadn’t heard Blake Shelton before this song, you would have thought it was fine.
Most Nashville stars have decent voices for country, and are capable of doing a good song once in awhile. The problem is the lyrics and the backing music.
February 21, 2013 @ 5:00 am
It’s not really his voice that I hate, literally.. It’s just when I hear his voice I think of his remark. I personally liked his older stuff. And I do think he’s got a pretty decent singing ability, but that doesn’t make up for him being a pompous ass.
February 20, 2013 @ 2:54 pm
This only furthers my problem with Shelton. It’s not that he can’t sing a good country song or doesn’t know his country music history. It’s the fact that he does and knows both things yet, he still decides to take the rout he has taken and keeps putting out that generic Nashville trash. As much as I want to hate this song cause of Blake……..I just can’t and this makes me question my whole existence.
February 20, 2013 @ 6:16 pm
I dont see whats wrong with this song. Aside from a couple stupid lines like triggerman mentioned and because blake shelton sucks, i like the steel guitar and the kind of sound of music my grandpa listened to. Unless triggerman is being sarcastic I dont understand why he wouldnt like it? Which is what i think.
February 20, 2013 @ 7:48 pm
Well, ‘some beach!’ I like that song!
February 20, 2013 @ 8:03 pm
I wasn’t quite sure how to react to this review until I saw the rating at the end. As someone above commented, this was top level subversive snarkiness!
I like the style of this song more than the actual song itself, but it’s still an okay song. I’m just hoping the other songs on Ashely’s new album will be stronger than this cut.
February 20, 2013 @ 8:19 pm
I definitely like the style but the lyrics get a little repetitive. She is trying to sound like Dolly but she can sing. I took it for what it was, a lighthearted song honoring a couple of greats.
February 21, 2013 @ 12:43 am
Blake Shelton isn’t that good and he isn’t that bad. He is an artist with average talent with an average amount of country influence in his songs. I just don’t see anything special about him and find it hard to have a strong opinion. He doesn’t deserve anywhere near the amount of attention he has received, either from his fans in the CMA or from his detractors. Blake will not have a huge impact either in saving country music or destroying it, it my opinion.
February 21, 2013 @ 12:51 pm
Listening to the Pistol Annies album, I found myself drawn to Ashley Monroe’s voice, so I kinda look forward to hearing more from her. Hopefully she keeps it real and that the duet with BS was a favor to her buddy Miranda. Wouldn’t that be a hoot, the relative newcomer having to help keep an old fart and jackass relevant in the business…
Great review, BTW
February 21, 2013 @ 4:29 pm
The song is very patronizing and in some ways a lot more of a slap in the face to true Traditional Country Music Fans than Blake Shelton’s original comments! One thing though, we did not have to listen about Honey Bees and Pretty Pink Lemonade Shooters, good grief, at least Yesterdays & Today’s True Traditional Music has some “guts” to it! I would have to say that I am getting very tired of pink toes on the dashes and truck beds and dirt roads, they have went about as far lyrically as they can with that! smh
February 21, 2013 @ 5:50 pm
That’s my primary love/hate relationship with the song. I get this vibe where it’s pretty legit, but at the same time I feel as if I’m being insulted and I don’t know if I am or if I ain’t.
February 22, 2013 @ 10:53 am
This is where I’m at with this song too. The first few listens I was fine with it but when I thought about it more it started to sound patronizing.
And Nelda, I’ve already vowed to stop listening to any future song that mentions a “pretty pink [something]”.
February 22, 2013 @ 1:47 pm
How exactly is this patronizing? If it were just Blake Shelton after his comments, then yes, I would be confused at the least. However, the lyrics are self-depricating, and Ashley Monroe has always played pretty traditional country.
The title track on the new album is amazing, by the way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4lwb50hkdU
February 21, 2013 @ 5:50 pm
For a second I was a little confused at what the hell you were talking about, because if you were actually ripping on this song, you could guarantee that I would never ever look at this site again. Then I saw the guns up…so it’s all good.
That being said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. My first thought when I heard the opening guitar was why is Ashley Monroe covering a Buck Owens song? Seriously, it sounds like it could be straight from the 60’s. This is exactly what country needs. I have always loved Ashley, and as much as I love Miranda and the Pistol Annies, I knew about Ashley a long time before they were together. And I hate how instead of saying, “country singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe” everyone says “Ashley is a member of Miranda Lambert’s group the Pistol Annies” It annoys the hell out of me.
I have always thought that ‘Hanks Cadillac’ is one of the best written country songs in the last decade. But I am so excited to hear what she has on her new album. She is one person who knows what country is. Yeah, the lyrics are a little cheap, but I don’t care, I’d rather listen to this than another god damn truck song. Who else would write a song like this? It’s just too bad that it will never get played on the radio.
That being said, why the hell is Blake Shelton on this song? It pisses me off that the first line of the damn song is sung by him. I have always liked his voice, he is a great singer. But he is an arrogant jackass and I don’t want to support him anymore. My thoughts were exactly the same as yours. Isn’t this the exact thing that he said people don’t want to hear? I don’t think this is the direction he was talking about, so how can he be such a hypocrite? Is it all about the money for him? Or is he just that full of shit? How can you sing a song that you believe nobody wants to hear. It just pisses me off.
December 8, 2014 @ 3:59 pm
Yup, that steel guitar turns me to butter every time I hear it. Paul Franklin is a genius!
February 22, 2013 @ 1:42 am
Like this song a lot…..
February 23, 2013 @ 12:44 am
Blake is a tool and Miranda is the handy man, in my opinion, who makes the better music. Egomaniac husband had to make up for his comments so he sings a song that he wouldn’t even sing in the shower. What an ass!
February 23, 2013 @ 2:14 pm
Dang it. I’ve been wanting Ashley Monroe music for YEARS. I found out about and was listening to her before I even knew who Miranda was.
This song disappointed me, though. I only listened to it once, and that was a few days ago, so I don’t remember too much from it. I thought it was corny how they floated the “The Voice” line in. Come ON. That right there is enough to have me push the skip button for this track.
I will give Ashley some credit for knowing how to name-drop the right way, though. I just choose “Hank’s Cadillac”.
March 4, 2013 @ 3:01 pm
It’s Just Sad To See Real Country Music Not Being Played. They Can’t Mix It Up? Play Some New, Play Some Old. It’s Not Rocket Science. And Everybody I Play Music For LOVES MY MUSIC. I Mix Ole Waylon With Jason Aldean And Bluegrass With New Stuff. I AM SO SICK OF EVERYBODY SOUNDING THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody Is Original Anymore. Make A Popcorn Country Station And One Who Mixes It Up And I Bet You Anything The One Who Mixes Old With New Will Kick Some Ass. I Am So Sick Of Carrie Over Played Underwood And Taylor Make Me Punch Myself Swift. It May Be Some Kind Of New Country, But It’s Not What I Call Country. And Blake Better Remember He Does Do Some Amazing Songs Now, But Does He Want Tossed Out The Back Door When He Gets Old? Karma Will Get You Everytime..
March 5, 2013 @ 11:44 am
I just got Like a Rose. It has been getting a lot of positive attention from the usual NPR country crowd (i.e. http://www.npr.org/2013/02/21/172615249/ashley-monroe-is-like-a-rose-briars-and-all )
And while some songs sound a bit too polished like the Title Track and Used (I still like them), it has some really solid traditional songs like Two Weeks Late, Weed instead of Roses.
Anyway, I think this is an album that could appeal to the NPR/Americana Crowd, traditional country fans, and with her association with Pistol Annies maybe some of the pop country crowd.
July 11, 2014 @ 2:03 pm
Love this song, maybe real country will come back. Im glad Blake was part of this , he’s a mainstream artist and it will get alot more publicity with his name on it. I dont care if justin bieber was singing it, its country!!
November 18, 2014 @ 12:57 pm
And yet 50% of Blake’s probably don’t even know who Porter is.