Countrypolitan Emerges As a Growing Influence in 2018
Producers Chet Atkins and Billy Sherrill may be long gone, but the sound imprint they left on country music is still alive and well, at least when considering some upcoming projects in 2018. “Countrypolitan” or “The Nashville Sound” are the terms used to describe the lush, orchestral approach to country music that took root in Nashville in the 60’s, which embellished the music with strings and chorus sections to make it appeal to a more distinguishing audience of the time. It was Music Row’s answer to the counterculture revolution that was raging in the rest of the United States. The idea was if country music could no longer capture the young audience with older sounds, then they could appeal to the “silent majority” with big production crafted for a more refined ear.
If you want an audio example of the Countrypolitan sound, you could go back and listen to some of the classics from Tammy Wynette or Conway Twitty, or even early Willie Nelson and David Allan Coe. Or you could listen to the latest song from country music revivalist Joshua Hedley called “I Never (Shed A Tear)” from his upcoming album Mr. Jukebox out April 20th (hear it below). All the elements of a classic country song are there, the heartbreaking story, the steel guitar, etc., and so is a chorus of backup singers echoing the hook of the song, just like was often heard in the 60’s.
Joshua Hedley’s new album isn’t being released by some obscure label that looks to shed light on a long-forgotten country music art form, it’s being released by the ultra hip Third Man Records owned by Jack White. Joshua Hedley isn’t just taking a preservationist approach to this record, this is the revival of a sound that once was the thriving, dominant influence up and down Nashville’s Music Row.
Hedley’s method is to use a billowy chorus to re-awaken those old classic influences in country, but for others it’s the string sections that were most indicative of the era. Ashley Monroe’s latest song “Paying Attention” from her upcoming record Sparrow also out April 20th includes a grand string arrangement similar to many Countrypolitan classics. Again, this is not an obscure track from an unknown artist. This is a member of the Pistol Annies on a major label making use of a style that was most popular 60 years ago.
In fact the word out of the Ashley Monroe camp is most all the songs on Sparrow will be built out from the Countrypolitan influence with lots of string arrangements. This would only be appropriate since the room the album was recorded in—Nashville’s historic Studio ‘A’—is a cavernous studio that was built during the Countrypolitan era very specifically to facilitate the recording of large string sections, sprawling chorus groups, and to make these performances soar via the natural acoustics of the studio’s tall ceiling. Studio ‘A’ is now producer Dave Cobb’s base of operations. He worked with Ashley Monroe on Sparrow, as he has a who’s who of the independent country ranks over the last few years.
But it doesn’t solely have to be string sections or sweeping chorus lines that are indicative of the Countrypolitan sound. Though these are the most obvious markers, the influence of that era has been captured in more subtle ways in a number of recent recorded projects, including Zephania Ohora’s This Highway album from 2017, which found itself in consideration for many top awards from the independent ranks in 2017. This more genteel approach to classic country music offered contrast between the chest-pounding Outlaw influence, or the 80’s honky tonk style, to find a favorable audience for such a by gone sound. Certain elements of this sound are also why the throwback trio Midland is finding such wide reception among listeners spanning from the independent to the mainstream.
Ironically, the entire Outlaw era in country music that came right after Countrypolitan was predicated upon rebelling against the heavy-handed, overproduction of the time, while during the Countrypolitan era itself, “The Bakersfield Sound” out in California was offering listeners an alternative sound more built off the Telecaster twang.
But from the beginning, country music has always been about preserving its own past. As maligned and outmoded as the Countrypolitan projects of the 60’s might have been to the freewheeling Outlaws of the 70’s, the songs, the style, the singers and the work of the session players has withstood the test of time, and awakens something very real in the heart of the listener—a nostalgia, and a recollection of a simpler time that cannot be replaced with other sonic approaches to country. However overproduced Countrypolitan was at the time, it still captured the essence of the sorrow, the struggle, and the unique perspective of a time and place, and offers a better envelopment for human emotion than the drum machines and synthesizers of today’s country production.
Is there an element of “hipsterism” in this revival of the Countrypolitan sound? Of course there is. But isn’t it better that this important era in country music remain alive in the hearts of younger performers, and in the ears of thirsty listeners than be thrown onto the garbage piles of the “Nobody cares about grandpa’s music anymore” crowd that almost presided over the complete eradication of the memorabilia and efforts of the Countrypolitan artists and players as everything in country music became so commercialized in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Just as bluegrass, Outlaw, Western Swing, the 50’s era, and every other major influence in country music deserves to be preserved for future generations, so does Countrypolitan. Because country music has always been about preserving the past to influence the future. And luckily, there are artists still willing to weave the magic of strings, choruses, and hints of a more genteel time into their version of country for today’s listeners and future generations to enjoy.
March 12, 2018 @ 8:20 am
“Grandpa tell me ‘bout the good ole days.” I wait for Joshua Hedley and Ashley Monroe’s new albums with great anticipation!
March 12, 2018 @ 9:21 am
Now you’ve sent me on a Judd’s kick! I’ll never get that song out of my head (not that I’m complaining)
March 12, 2018 @ 8:26 am
It seems like, whatever the particular sub style of country, what matters in the end is the quality of the songs. I’ll have to check out Ashley Monroe – but I’m a big fan of Zephaniah and Hedley. I’m curious, with all this talk of preserving country styles, and with a lot of (worthy) attention on “preservationist” artists, do you think any new styles or schools of country are being created at the moment?
March 12, 2018 @ 8:54 am
I agree. Often throwback artists pick the era they want to work in as a matter of taste or preference. Perhaps it fits their skillsets or singing styles better. But we still live in the age of the song, and it doesn’t matter the window dressing, a good song will still rise to the top, and a bad song will sink.
March 12, 2018 @ 8:41 pm
Yep. Pretty much that.
March 12, 2018 @ 8:54 am
Trigger,
I don’t really hear any similarity between the two songs posted with this article.
The Ashley Monroe song sounds like a pop song to me, although not a bad one. Other than her vocals, I don’t hear much Country in it.
The Hedley song sounds like something from 1963, although I’m not a fan of his voice, or the hipster approach that you acknowledged in the article.
March 12, 2018 @ 9:07 am
Here, this may have the answer you seek:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/countrypolitan-emerges-as-a-growing-influence-in-2018/
March 12, 2018 @ 9:46 am
Lol ^
March 12, 2018 @ 10:01 am
LOL.
March 12, 2018 @ 2:01 pm
What’s the question?
March 12, 2018 @ 9:08 am
Daniel Romano’s 2015 album “If I’ve Only One Time Askin'” pretty much nailed the Countrypolitan thing on a number of tracks.
March 12, 2018 @ 9:28 am
Definitely, Daniel Romano’s country output definitely speaks to the Countrypolitan influence, even though since then he’s gone completely off the deep end into some indie mod stuff I can even bring myself to listen to.
March 12, 2018 @ 10:20 am
I don’t know what it is about Daniel, but I find myself liking pretty much whatever he does. He just seems to be someone who feels no compulsion to serve any master except for his own muse.
Even beyond the indie mod stuff he has an alternate identity as a punk band called “Ancient Shapes” (I phrase it that way because I think he plays every instrument).
https://ancientshapes.bandcamp.com/album/s-t
March 12, 2018 @ 8:17 pm
Ok, glad I’m not the only one who feels that way. I was thrilled when I discovered Daniel Romano around the time If I’ve Only One Time Askin’ came out, and every release since then has been one disappointment after another. It seems as though he’s completely abandoned the country/americana scene, and I just can’t get into his new stuff at all, not for lack of trying though.
March 12, 2018 @ 9:46 am
Was gonna mention this too. “Come Cry With Me” and “If I’ve Only One Time Askin'” are both classics in my book and should be listened to by anyone interested in the Countrypolitian sound.
March 12, 2018 @ 9:53 am
“If I’ve Only One Time Askin'” is one of my favorite albums. What was interesting to me when I heard the Zephaniah Ohora album for the first time is how similar they are. Maybe the production is a little different, I understand DR used a drum machine, which I doubt Zeph did, but you could almost imagine some of the songs switching from one of these albums to the next without a hiccup. It made me wonder if this is one of the biggest differences between Outlaw and Countrypolitan. There’s no mistaking a Willie Nelson song (or a Tyler Childers song for that matter) whereas with someone like Zeph or Hedley it seems like the craft is more important than the singularity of voice. FWIW, I like some of the newer Daniel Romano (mainly a few songs from Modern Pressure) but not as much as I’d liked his country stuff. We saw him play in Asheville last year and there was a guy who yelled “Old Fires Die” between every song, even though it was abundantly clear we wouldn’t be hearing any like that.
March 12, 2018 @ 9:19 am
Nice article Trig. I enjoy reading these stories you put up because it proves that real country music is still alive and well in the hearts and souls of our youth. We may not hear them… but they’re there and maybe like the Outlaw era after the Countrypolitian era… they can be the next era to bring country music back to tradition.
March 12, 2018 @ 9:35 am
The Joshua Hedley song would fit perfectly in a mockumentary about 60’s country.
March 12, 2018 @ 10:24 am
So is Dale going to include Countrypolitan as part of Ameripolitan?
March 12, 2018 @ 11:34 am
Those early Waylon albums were Countrypolitan and I hated them! I prefer a female voice when performing that sub genre. I think Paying Attention is wonderful but I think some of those strings are synthesized.
March 12, 2018 @ 12:24 pm
I always thought a big part of the Countrypolitan sound architected by Atkins, Owen Bradley, and Billy Sherrill was to ditch the hayseed sounds of the fiddle and the pedal steel. But it seems like Hedley in particular embraces both. In fact, he’s an accomplished fiddler.
As an aside, does anyone else think Hedley’s song “Mr. Jukebox” rips off Faron Young’s “Wine Me Up?”
March 13, 2018 @ 6:14 am
I would assume that’s intentional, as that’s kinda been his gimmick for years, playing 60’s requests. Hence the “Mr Jukebox” name.
March 12, 2018 @ 12:39 pm
Can’t say that really enjoyed either one of these songs.
March 12, 2018 @ 1:12 pm
I like CountryPolitan. I think it’s maligned a lot but I think it’s the good stuff.
For me the “Outlaw Era” was the last era of great Countrt Music, and a brief bit in the nineties. but for me its the 40s 50s and 60s and maybe a bit of the 70s
That Joshua Hedley is so authentic you’d have fooled me into believing it was an actual 60s performance. outstounding (cross between astouding and outstanding)
March 12, 2018 @ 2:20 pm
Countrypolitan is one of my favorite sub genres in country, so it’s pretty cool to see that sound sort of making a comeback this year. Much of those songs from that era simply sounded beautiful, with piano, strings, background vocals and all. As pointed out by Trigger, they still had a lot of heart and soul which is something that most of today’s drum machine, fake handclap infested “country” songs lack.
I really enjoyed the new Ashley Monroe song! Her voice sounds great with that style of music too, imo. To me, this is a great example of good pop country, and if more of mainstream country sounded like that, I may actually bother listening to the radio again. Really can’t wait for her new album!
Really liked the Joshua Hedley song, too! As already mentioned, it sounds like something straight out of the early 60’s. I just love this style of country. Besides his classic sounding vocals, I also like how it still has a lot of steel guitar in it too, along with the obvious countrypolitan influences. Will definitely have to check out more of his work!
March 12, 2018 @ 3:49 pm
Hedley is great! He’s coming at it sincerely and honestly. He’s not hipster in the sense of a trend chaser. He’s real deal, paying dues in honky tonks for nickels for years prior to this. Continuing to dismiss it as inauthentic or hipster is plain ridiculous. Wishing he would dress differently or wishing he sang like Vern Gosdin is also pointless. Get over yourselves you ultra purists. The guy has devoted his time to doing this at great personal sacrifice for the sake of his art. Frankly, his music is beautiful. His melodies are so right. His voice is decent. He’s trying to bring these old sounds to the newer generation. But , oh no he’s not country enough……he wears Nude suits…..he’s a hipster….
Really?!!!?
March 12, 2018 @ 4:25 pm
Closed my eyes and could hear Jim Reeves.
March 12, 2018 @ 5:47 pm
Ashley Monroe CANNOT deliver this kind of material . She doesn’t have the chops , the power , the dynamic or the conviction in her vocals ——or the intonation . ( This vocal track is out of pitch in many many places. )
The song is weak and no amount of over-production can hide that fact . This is not country . This is not even good pop. This is some experiment that has gone completely awry and does nothing for the genre or , in my opinion , Ashley Monroe’s erratic career trajectory . This is awful.
March 12, 2018 @ 5:49 pm
I just wanna say how much I enjoy all the thought and discussion about new artists and/or recordings or trends and developments. Music geekdom forever.
March 12, 2018 @ 5:54 pm
Joshua Hedley CAN, without a doubt , sing the kind of material he’s chosen to record here . Unfortunately he brings nothing to it in terms of HIS take on it . He adds none of himself to the ‘mix’ , as it were . It almost sounds like a no-name brand country impersonator singing to a karaoke track of a forgotten unreleased song from that era . I’m on board with the approach and style he’s chasing …but I really think you need to bring a bit more character and uniqueness to something like this if you are hoping to have folks buy in big time .
March 12, 2018 @ 7:58 pm
Trig, you forgot to mention Allison Krauss’ “Windy City” from last year, which was definitely Countrypolitan influenced.
March 13, 2018 @ 6:33 am
I was hoping to like that Ashley Monroe song more than I did. Was hoping for something closer to Daniel Romano’s country stuff. It’s OK. Closer to AC than country, I’d say.
March 13, 2018 @ 6:54 am
Lee Ann Womack, “Hollywood”. Pure perfection.
March 13, 2018 @ 7:08 am
Reminds me of Flood County. really good band. Too cosmic for Nashville, too country for California
March 14, 2018 @ 1:49 pm
I’ve liked everything from Ashley Monroe, even the more pop-influenced stuff, until this song. As pointed out, it doesn’t fit her vocals, and frankly, it’s just boring. I’m a fan of the Nashville sound, and frankly, I don’t know why no one has mentioned Sam Outlaw yet, as he’s basically been the poster child of this influence over the past several years. That said, I don’t think it fist Monroe at all, and so far, I’m not a fan of the direction she’s going with Dave Cobb. Vince Gill was a better producer for her. Her album was probably the one I had looked forward to most at the start of 2018, but I fear now that it will be disappointing.
March 14, 2018 @ 1:50 pm
fits*
March 14, 2018 @ 8:39 pm
Her first unreleased album is her best!
March 14, 2018 @ 3:45 pm
Random thought, just for fun: One classic country song that seems to fit the Countrypolitan mold is “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” especially the string-laden version by Randy Travis that I’m most familiar with. The song started out as an R&B hit by Brook Benton (1959), then moved to country as it was covered by Sonny James (1970), Glen Campbell (1986), and then Randy Travis, who took it to No.1 in 1989. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Just_a_Matter_of_Time_(song)
March 18, 2018 @ 7:52 am
I dig some Zephaniah for sure. I am a fan of the original sound and maybe if all the classic recordings were lost forever id put on Hedley but until then… At least, as far as I can tell, he isnt making fun of country music in some weird ironic hipster way like Romano was. Throwbacks are like coverbands. Alright to listen to but dont do much for the genre.
March 22, 2018 @ 10:57 am
When I saw the Countrypolitan revival article I became intrigued, but these examples did not pull me in. When I think of this sub-genre artist like Jim Reeves, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold, and Ferlin Husky come to mind. I don’t feel that these examples really gave an example. Glad to see the interest is there. For the last several years outlaw has been the only retro era style that has surfaced. It would be gteat to see a Carl Smith, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young style of Country be revitalized that emerged in the 1950’s!
October 6, 2020 @ 9:22 pm
I think a better title would be “Nashville sound is coming back in 2018”, not countrypolitan.
The nashville sound is lonely and has a beat still, i believe the two songs here don’t necesarily recreate it that well. You would have to give it more reverb than usual, and make this generally sound different.
The second song sounds good(in fact, it kinda has a beat). the first one isn’t even close to being Nashville Sound. Just listen to patsy cline’s Crazy, and Jim Reeve’s He’ll Have To Go and you’ll see what I mean. I am a huge record enthusiast now, and I am slowly collecting nashville sound records, so I know what I mean by that.
I like the try of re-creating the Nashville Sound, but for true authenticity you need heartache, and good morals to really make it spark. I won’t accept talking about inappropriate things in songs(drinking is ok), because no one ever did in those days. In fact, no one usually did those things either. And please no hip-hop sounds, that’s even worse.
I think there could be better tries on the sound, and the second one doesn’t sound like there is enough distinguishable beat like Owen Bradley made in those days. The first one is not even a nashville sound. I like the distinguishable sound of the beat and the reverb over everything, and even having the peddal steel guitar really loud. And i love the old sound to the songs, something that needs to just try a little harder here.