Don Henley’s Playlist: Sturgill Simpson, J. P. Harris, Jamey Johnson, Jason Isbell, Kelsey Waldon…
No wonder Don Henley’s new album Cass County is so damn good.
Though some are still holding out, beholden to the idea that any music emanating from anyone involved in The Eagles must be immediately labeled pure dreck according to the book of Jeff Lebowski and countless other music elites who consider the troupe from California the quintessential vanilla pudding of American music, the simple truth is Don Henley’s Cass County might be one of the best country albums released in all of 2015. And fans sure thought so, sending the record to #1 upon its debut.
Even better, Henley’s been out there outwardly criticizing the state of country music and the state of music in general, though doing so with a lot more of a thoughtful and informed tone than many others, including tracing the problem back to the disappearance of the agrarian way of life that was once prevalent throughout America, and now finds itself quickly receding.
This was one of many salient points Henley made in a recent interview with Colorado’s Hey Reverb ahead of an appearance at the Bellco Theatre in Denver on October 13th, including saying,
“It’s becoming less and less rural and more suburban and urban, but that doesn’t mean that the pillars, the foundations of real country music have to be watered down and turned into formulaic pop music that spouts faux country clichés about pickup trucks, dirt roads and beer. I spent my entire adolescence driving trucks (and tractors) on dirt roads and drinking beer. That ain’t new; that was everyday life. There’s a deeper well to draw from than that and some of these young songwriters ought to be dipping that bucket a lot further down into that well than they are today.”
But that’s not the most astounding revelation from Henley. Along with citing country greats like “Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Bill Monroe, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Dottie West, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and others,” as examples of country artists who made music with authenticity, quality, and integrity, check out the other names Don Henley drops as far as who he thinks is keeping the true spirit of country music alive today.
“There are young people out there—some of them still relatively obscure—who are making thoughtful, authentic music,” Henley says. “Jason Isbell, Jeffrey Foucault, Ashley Monroe, Jamey Johnson, J.P. Harris & the Tough Choices, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Sturgill Simpson, Andrew Combs, Cale Tyson, Kelsey Waldon, the duos Striking Matches, The Milk Carton Kids, Shovels & Rope and others. Of course, they’ll not all enter “the mainstream,” but they will provide important standards that always need to be there to remind both the artist community and the industry that promotes it what quality and authenticity are. Otherwise, music spirals into a down cycle.”
REVIEW: Don Henley’s “Cass County” is Top Notch Traditional Country
I don’t know if Don Henley has been talking to Jed Hilly over at the Americana Music Association, has someone feeding him lists of cool bands in an earpiece, or truly is listening to a lot of the bands being championed on stupid little blogs such as this one. But either way, when we see one of the most recognized and successful music artists of all time touting such worthy independent country and roots talent like this, it can only be taken as yet another positive sign of the shifting paradigm that is putting independent roots on an equal playing field as the mainstream.
Things are changing, and Don Henley, however unlikely, is emerging as a voice of reason and empowerment, at least in the short term.
October 12, 2015 @ 9:52 am
I believe Henley is speaking from the heart here. I listened to his town hall meeting on Sirius and he spoke quite a bit on this subject. I think it matters to him where music is headed.
October 12, 2015 @ 9:56 am
It says a lot about where country music as a genre is at when Don Henley becomes the voice of reason?
October 14, 2015 @ 9:53 pm
Don Henley got his start in back up bands in the Country-Rock era in the 70s just like (Randy Meiser playing with Rick Nelson & the late great Tom Brumley) & thats how the Eagles for formed\built & Henley is from Texas so hes way more Country than some of these duche bag bro-country artists oh I mean entainers…. he Don Henley enough said!
October 12, 2015 @ 10:25 am
i just can’t get my head around the Eagles hatred. Obviously, much is probably triggered by the overplaying of songs by radio like Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane and others too numerous to mention, but really, a quick visit to their back catalogue will reveal easily three times as many great songs that never got radio play. This was a band with 4 lead vocalists, all of whom wrote their own music or wrote it together. The quality of the songs is legendary, really, as was the instrumentation. The production holds up today and doesn’t sound dated to me (in fact, in reading the review of the new Boland release, where Trigger cites the poor recording quality of that and other recent albums, the old Eagles albums sound way better than much that is released today). I think the hatred seems to stem more from the perception of Henley as a dickhead, and sadly, bandwagon jumping off of silly comments like those in the Big Lebowski (funny though they may be) (in fact, Lebowski was a bit of a loser, so I am not sure I would want to treat his view of music as gospel). I suggest that those of you hating on the Eagles go back and listen to some of the lesser known songs on almost any of their albums, and try to listen with a open mind. The fact that the general public bought their albums in droves and radio played the shit out of their songs as a result, doesn’t make the band suck. Even as overplayed as they are, songs like Hotel California, Lyin Eyes, Desperado, Tequila Sunrise and many others qualify as some of the best rock and country rock ever released.
October 12, 2015 @ 12:02 pm
Funny because the radio overplays the hell out like three or four Zeppelin tunes and they get regarded and legends despite the numerous accusations of musical theft. Or even The Stones, Sympathy For The Devil anyone are totally overplayed at least from that era of their careers. Hotel California has been beaten to death even the Hell Freezes Over version but I agree Tequila Sunrise is great and I always liked Take It To The Limit (especially the Etta James version).
But come on at least they aren’t Sam Hunt or Luke Bryan for crying out loud. Or uh Rick Dees, Tony Orlando, or Barry Manillow if you want to speak of some contemporaries…
October 12, 2015 @ 12:55 pm
And thats not even considering how terrible zepplin members were to women. There’s a reason the bassist wouldn’t fly with them and got a different hotel room. I believe it’s because they were known pedophiles and womanizers. Plus there music wasn’t as good as most claim.
October 12, 2015 @ 1:52 pm
wkrr “Crock 92” in Greaseboro NC, I ask my worker, guess the artist and song, in between listening to Pandora, while between job routes, we hit it about 15 % of the time, I feel for peeps who don’t have Sirius or Pandora.
October 12, 2015 @ 2:24 pm
I had a technique when I was in my teens and twenties to deal with the problem of radio ruining songs. When a song came on that I liked, I turned it off. I usually owned it anyway and had it on my mixed tapes ( yup, that long ago) so I could hear it when I wanted, not when the radio wanted. This was especially true of newer songs. I remember always turning off Photograph by def leppard. What a great opening riff, and I could not stand to have the radio make me sick of it. Of course eventually songs like photograph, sweet child of mine, hotel California and stairway to heaven were so ubiquitous that no matter how hard one tried they could not be avoided and one tired of them. If only radio did not have to pander to the masses due to the economics. When I think of all the great stones songs that I have never heard on the radio, or only heard sporadically. Radio could be a wonderful way to hear and discover new stuff, if only… It’s for that reason I stopped listening to radio probably 10 years ago. Sirius worked for a while, no ads and a deeper, targeted play list, but even that becomes repetitious after a while. Nope, I’ll stick discovering on my own (via sites like this) and then downloading and listening when I want. Seems I got off target here a bit, but maybe not, maybe the fact that I don’t hear the Eagles every day ad naseum, and that when I do choose to listen them it’s my own curated playlist filled with deep tracks that are seldom heard, that I still love the Eagles and Don Henley..
October 13, 2015 @ 9:06 am
Yeah the period when DJs were almost like artists or curators and you listened to cats who liked what you liked but were in deep and so could pull out rarities of left-field picks. Not to mention some no single cuts are better than singles. I always LOVED the song “Mellow” of Elton John’s “Honky Chateau” or Stevie Wonder’s “Bird Of Beauty” but DJs are not allowed that freedom to go deep and wide anymore. And maybe they haven’t been able to for a long time. But you know Wolfman Jack, The Real Don Steele, The Ace Of Sapce… they were kinda celebrities themselves.
October 12, 2015 @ 6:14 pm
“…….a quick visit to their back catalogue will reveal easily three times as many great songs that never got radio play. This was a band with 4 lead vocalists, all of whom wrote their own music or wrote it together. The quality of the songs is legendary, really, as was the instrumentation. The production holds up today and doesn”™t sound dated to me (in fact, in reading the review of the new Boland release, where Trigger cites the poor recording quality of that and other recent albums, the old Eagles albums sound way better than much that is released today). ”
Amen Marky mark
October 12, 2015 @ 6:14 pm
My theory as to why both The Eagles and Don Henley have tended to get so much undesirable scrutiny over the years is similar to what I sense about Jackson Browne.
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I think Jackson Browne is among the more underrated songwriters of his generation, personally. He has penned some damn powerful songs including “Sky Black and Blue”, “The Pretender” and “In the Shape of a Heart”. The problem, however, was twofold.
Firstly, Browne has played it frustratingly safe throughout virtually his entire recording career when it comes to production choices and middle-of-the-road piano-driven instrumentation. When you disregard his often poetic and incisive lyrics, it feels like once you’ve heard one Browne piano-driven ballad, you’ve pretty much heard them all. I can’t help but feel, from a musical standpoint, Browne has always settled for too painfully little and safe.
Secondly, as great as his songwriting truly is in my opinion, it unfortunately tends to get overshadowed by his tendency to succumb to needless polemics. He wasn’t political at all early in his career, but by the mid-80s his music suddenly became so outspokenly political and often it just came across as too bumper sticker-esque. And sure, some of those efforts were great and I especially respect him for raising awareness about Native American rights and ecological concerns, and yet many of his other songs in that vein lacked depth and nuance. All despite repeatedly demonstrating that, when he didn’t try so hard in that vein, he consistently penned potent material. Yet, much like Henley, his growing undesirable reputation as a cranky pundit that happened to also make music overshadowed all else.
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Henley has long struggled with a similar image. I think no time in Henley’s solo career underscored this more than the “Building The Perfect Beast” era. It was such a huge success at the time, but a lot of the socially-conscious songwriting hit many fans of The Eagles over the head from then on. That may partially explain why Henley wasn’t prolific at all from then onward, and why he took his time writing and recording “Cass County”. He wisely knew he had to refine his songwriting approach and perspective if he was going to pass off an authentic final effort………………..and I’m relieved he accomplished just that with flying colors.
October 12, 2015 @ 10:11 pm
‘Firstly, Browne has played it frustratingly safe throughout virtually his entire recording career when it comes to production choices and middle-of-the-road piano-driven instrumentation. When you disregard his often poetic and incisive lyrics, it feels like once you”™ve heard one Browne piano-driven ballad, you”™ve pretty much heard them all. I can”™t help but feel, from a musical standpoint, Browne has always settled for too painfully little and safe.’
great LYRICIST . ….boring melodies and arrangements – which is THE difference-maker in a song’s ‘legs’. People will hum or make up their own words to a strong melody ( radio/TV jingles ) generation after generation but won’t ‘recite’ great lyric .
May 25, 2016 @ 8:50 am
I can’t believe your critiasism of Jackson Browne, after all let us not forget that he wrote the Eagles first song which launched their begining with ” Take it Easy “. He gave his unfinished song to Glen Fry, who had hounded Jackson to finish the song but he was working on an album & couldn’t finish it so he eventually gave it to Fyr who only added one verse which was ” It’s a girl my lord in a flat bed ford slowing down to take a look at me”. That was very instrumental in the introduction of The Eagles. People either are’nt aware of that or they choose to tuck it away. Don Henley told that story on the Jackson Brownes’ ” Going Home DVD . Browne is a brilliant song writer who’s lyrics are bound to make an impact on people who “hear ” them leaving them to feel as if he wrote that song directly for them & their experience. His ability to say what we all can relate to & have felt but just can’t really discribe is uncanny & so beautifully poetic with metafors & nuances . His lyrics can be taken different ways leaving the listeners to try & decide what he is saying. They are sometimes studied in college for that reason. I know that because I know a guy who studied his lyrics. Don’t sell him short, just look up how many awards he has received as a singer/ songwriter & humanitarian. His songs do not all sound a like if you don’t just listen but ” HEAR ” them.
October 12, 2015 @ 10:32 am
As I have stated before: “Change does happen,it’s just takes a bit longer
than some of us would appreciate where country music is concerned”
It seems the push back is getting louder,and voices of reason are getting
stronger. I have Don Henley’s new CD and I can’t get enough of it.
I believe all this “modern pop, bro metro country “will fade because
it has run its course. Country radio will have to make a serious decision
come 2016….stay the course and sink into oblivion Or Turn this around
and Play Country music on Country radio stations. It’s a matter of time.
October 12, 2015 @ 10:48 am
I think the best aspect of Henley’s comments are how well nuanced they are and quite frankly inarguable. Often times some of the artists that speak out against modern Country music and modern music as a whole can come off as just being angry, old cranks who are pissed they don’t get airplay anymore. Instead Henley comes off as someone who has thought a lot about this issue and fine tuned his point of view where anyone with a lick of sense would understand where he is coming from.
October 12, 2015 @ 12:16 pm
Have you ever heard of Cale Tyson? He’s not too bad
October 12, 2015 @ 4:41 pm
Cale Tyson is quickly becoming a personal favorite.I wish he would put out a full length album.I have worn out the two EPs need some new material to enjoy.
October 12, 2015 @ 12:51 pm
I think it’s clear that Don Henley just visits savingcountrymusic.com to get all the info about the best new artists 😛
October 12, 2015 @ 12:54 pm
He would be wise to do so.
October 12, 2015 @ 5:44 pm
Well, if that turns out to be so, more power to him then! I’d shake his hand! ^__^
October 12, 2015 @ 5:16 pm
There’s something to be said about a guy who’ll take the stage and sing somebody else’s slam of him – Mojo Nixon’s “Don Henley must die, don’t let him get back together with Glenn Frey…” (austinchronicle.com/music/2014-06-20/don-henley-must-die).
October 12, 2015 @ 5:38 pm
Henley’s recent interviews strike me as coming from a genuine place (as opposed to wearing a headset and being echoed hip talking points via those with authentic country music street credibility).
He just convinces me he is a active lover of music in general, and is able to connect the dots between the quality of music and the preservation of cultural identity. And I absolutely agree with comments echoed earlier that they are well-nuanced.
From the onset, I was among those least skeptical of Henley’s intentions. I knew we weren’t in for something blatantly calculating along the lines of Steven Tyler (who, in fairness, has only released one single thus far but am not expecting much from) or most certainly Uncle Ezra Ray. I predicted, at worst, we’d get a 90’s-esque Adult Contemporary-leaning modern country album that erred toward the side of easy listening but still was palatable and replete with some thoughtful, earnest songwriting……………..and at best something resembling John Mellencamp’s exquisite string of recent albums that are grounded more in folk and Americana than the heartland popular rock sound he is most known for between the “Uh Huh” and “Big Daddy” eras.
And I’m still blown away that he eclipsed even my most optimistic predictions. “Cass County” more than deserves consideration for Year-End Best of 2015 lists on the grounds of effort and authenticity alone, and would arguably rank somewhere between fifth and seventh on my personal list at the moment: only behind Whitey Morgan’s “Sonic Ranch”, James McMurtry’s “Complicated Game”, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen’s “Hold My Beer, Volume I” and Gretchen Peters’ “Blackbirds” when ranked by personal preference.
However, I have to admit “Cass County” may wind up ranking higher than at least one of those, when I think harder about cultural impact and factors larger than myself and my own preferences/ego. It’s not all about me or any singular person, and when all is sad and done, I think “Cass County” will more than likely be better remembered as a cultural artifact, a compass rose of sorts, in inspiring a cultural shift back to traditional country on the cusp of the mainstream. Love him or hate him, Henley has a lot more potential sway in inspiring a turn-around than the aforementioned names do, even if I prefer their fforts slightly better.
October 12, 2015 @ 9:36 pm
Damn, you have it over Something More than Free and Turnpike Troubadours?
I gotta check this out!
October 12, 2015 @ 10:02 pm
I haven’t gotten to hear the latest from Turnpike Troubadours in full yet.
As for Isbell’s latest, I still think it’s a great album, but not quite as effusively as most here have. I tried to explain in the comments of Trigger’s review of his album why I felt it didn’t quite size up with “Southeastern”. Needless to say, it’s still a solid album and would definitely make my Top Twenty among all albums released this year.
October 13, 2015 @ 8:20 am
I’m having to let the new JI album grow on me.
October 12, 2015 @ 7:17 pm
Mr. Henley is correct about Kelsey Waldon. She is awesome!
October 13, 2015 @ 7:17 am
Agreed. And if her next album is as strong as The Goldmine, I think she has the potential to be a breakout artist.
October 12, 2015 @ 9:02 pm
Sounds like a great playlist to me!
Unfortunate the way people perceive ‘country’ music nowadays. It’s to the point when people ask what kind of music we play and like, it’s difficult to use the term country because of the commercialization of the word.
October 13, 2015 @ 5:56 am
Lil Dales play list
nun of the sissys don lissens to.
October 13, 2015 @ 7:14 pm
He supposedly listens to some good stuff. To me the Eagles went way down hill after the first two albums, The Long Run is terrible.
October 13, 2015 @ 8:40 pm
Bravo to Henley. He was always my favorite Eagle anyway. What would you rather listen to, “The Heart of the Matter” or “The Heat Is On”? 🙂
He’s always been very articulate and heartfelt about his convictions, even if they’re unpopular, so he has my respect. He also is the voice of reason we need to get people to wake up and take Country back from dirt road bonfire foolishness. He’s exactly right. Life isn’t a 24/7 party – country used to specialize in all matters of the human condition. Luke Bryan may defend his mess as “escape” music, which is fine, but when he tries to go deeper (“Drink a Beer”), bless his heart, he just can’t.
It’s gotten to where it’s like the muscle headed jocks are the most popular guys in school but can’t carry on a meaningful conversation when you take away their jock strap and pigskin so the girl ends up having a much better time with the articulate yet quiet guy in the back corner of the class.
I don’t know what I’m saying. It’s late where I am. Never mind me. Carry on! 🙂
October 14, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
I flipped on my radio today and the first thing I heard was the familiar voice of Jason Isbell. WSM was playing “Something More Than Free” as part of their rotation. It sounded great on the radio. I heard “Long White Line” by Sturgill there recently too.
Right on. Every little bit of exposure helps.
October 15, 2015 @ 7:05 pm
Greetings Trigger! Just thought I’d mention that I’ve contacted several mainstream country radio stations that have a big reach (including WSM in Nashville) and asked them to consider playing at least some of the songs on the new Cass County album (including High Cost Of Living and When I Stop Dreaming) and as of this writing, I’ve heard absolutely nothing back. I was hoping WSM would pick up these two songs but so far, nothing. No replies from any of the stations that I’ve contacted. The Cass County album is absolutely fantastic. Mr. Henley clearly put a lot of time and effort into the production of this album and it is reflected in the finished product. It is becoming clear to me, Trigger, that mainstream country radio has, at least as of now, absolutely no interest in this album (to their credit, CMT is playing the When I Stop Dreaming video with Don and Dolly). Perhaps CMT airing the aforementioned video will bring about some airplay. I have even written to the CMA awards which will be airing Nov. 4th and asked them to consider inviting Don Henley to perform but so far, nothing (they invited Hank Williams, Jr.). The Cass County album, Trigger, is pure gold. This album continues to show very high sales so I am hopeful. It needs maximum exposure. Let’s get country music back to its roots. Back to what made it great. Todays country has no heart or soul. What a shame!
October 15, 2015 @ 7:23 pm
Mainstream radio stations have no interest in what fans want to hear. To launch a single to mainstream radio these days costs a million dollars. And even if Henley paid this, it would still likely flop. It’s an insular, broken system that needs to be revamped.
October 15, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
Cass County album update! According to musicrow.com, the song “Words Can Break Your Heart”, the song which features Trisha Yearwood, is set to be released as a single Nov. 9th. Let’s see if country radio picks it up. Everyone, start contacting your local mainstream country radio station!
October 20, 2015 @ 7:58 pm
Hey Trigger. Just thought I’d mention that the song “Words Can Break Your Heart” with Don Henley and Trisha Yearwood is going to be released to country radio. I’ve contacted some local mainstream country radio stations about the song and I’m still waiting for a reply. I am hoping at least one of the great songs on the Cass County album will make it into the top 40. George Strait’s “Cold Beer Conversation” is playing on mainstream country radio and I believe it is on the top 40 charts. Any thoughts?
October 20, 2015 @ 8:18 pm
It would be cool to see a song from “Cass County” make mainstream country radio, but I’m not holding my breath. If I felt like mobilizing folks to try and get it played would do any good, I would probably do so. But the oligarchy controlling radio doesn’t listen to people, they listen to the polls and their bosses. I’ve never had an email to a radio station returned, ever. WSM once wouldn’t even let me into their receptionist area.
Here’s hoping.
October 22, 2015 @ 7:12 pm
I would like to point out, in case anyone’s forgotten, that Henley was part of a pre-Eagles backing band for Linda Ronstadt back in 1971, this right after the break-up of his first band Shiloh. By Henley’s own admission, and this is a matter of historical record, Linda taught him and others around her in the L.A. country-rock scene of that era the finer points and nuances of country music, having been immersed in the form while growing up in rural Arizona. So Henley knows whereof he speaks; he may be an interloper, but it would be a grievous error to consider him a carpetbagger (unlike Steven Tyler).
And if anyone thinks Henley’s comments about modern country music are harsh, Linda has made it very clear in her own straight-shooting fashion that she doesn’t care much for it either–she calls most of it “suburban mall-crawler music.”
December 14, 2015 @ 5:25 pm
Good to see Nathaniel Rateliff and the NighSweats I just heard about them and they sound awesome! Not really country but have that same type of feeling to them. I’m surprised this site hasn’t mentioned them. Seems like something you’d be into.