Equal Time – The Best in Mainstream Country Music in 2014
Independent music fans love to say “90% of what the mainstream does is crap!” Well then it would stand to reason that 10% actually has some value. And in the interest of pragmatism and inclusiveness that is vital to the charge of Saving Country Music, it is important to not ignore when Music Row and mainstream artists get it right, but to celebrate these moments and achievements in hopes it breeds more of the same in the future.
Mainstream albums are given an equal chance in Saving Country Music’s end-of-year tabulations, so much so that in 2012, a mainstream artist and former American Idol alumni in the form of Kellie Pickler and her album 100 Proof won Album of the Year. Though maybe a stretch to call it mainstream, the Big Machine-signed Mavericks also beat out everyone else with their album In Time in 2013. But 2014 did not see one mainstream album make the end-of-year lists, so in the spirit of equal time, here are some of the best albums in the mainstream in 2014.
And please, to the diehard indies and purists, please don’t complain why we’re highlighting these albums here. If you want to see what comes most recommended by Saving Country Music, please check out the Album of the Year Nominees, and the 50 Essential Albums List.
And please feel free to share what you believe was the best in mainstream country below.
Zac Brown Band – The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1
“The Zac Brown Band finds themselves in a position that most any other band or artist would be lying if they said they weren’t envious of: owning their own label, calling their own shots, and nestled in a niche carved out in the music world where they’re beholden to no industry or radio play or sound to ensure butts fill the seats at shows. At the same time they’ve enjoyed the gracious support of the country music industry, while still openly admitting they veer much closer to the Southern rock side of things, giving the band the latitude to experiment and collaborate outside the genre while receiving much more interest than flack.
“The songs of The Grohl Sessions are marvelously complex, yet still with a heart, still with a pentameter that never stops beating, keeping the music in a pocket, and the ear enraptured. It is a fair argument to say that country hardliners regularly bemoan hip-hop treatments to songs, but when it comes to blending rock & roll into country, it is more often given a pass. The Grohl Sessions are certainly guilty of being way more rock than country, with elements of blues and Motown soul. But nobody ever accused Zac of being country, and just because it isn’t country, doesn’t mean it’s not good.” (read full review)
Caitlyn Smith – Everything To You
(Note: Depending on your perspective, Caitlyn could either be considered mainstream or independent. But since she’s written songs for major heavyweights and works mostly within the Music Row system, we’ll consider her mainstream for this exercise.)
“When you talk about an artist known as a songwriter first, you tend to look for the strength in the lyric. But Caitliyn Smith is very much a multi-tool performer, and her vocals can rival any in country music’s top tier, and she’s a great musician as well. Her style is very sensible country pop in the traditional sense, with rising choruses, juicy melodies, and familiar themes of love, loss, and hope. But similar to how Caitlyn Smith songs are the ones artists and managers gravitate toward when they’re looking for something with more body beyond a smash radio hit, instilled in all of Caitlyn’s work is a sincerity, authenticity, and the ends of country roots sticking out from the surface.
“2013 was considered by many to be the ‘Year of The Woman’ in country music from the concentration of forward-thinking and nourishing projects proffered to the public by females who could nip at the edges of the mainstream, but still find friendly ears in the independent world. Caitlyn Smith may be a year too late to be considered in that class, but she belongs with the other ladies of country music leadership trying to keep at least a modicum of respect in the genre, even if those women struggle compared with their male counterparts in chart performance and cash flow.”
Dierks Bentley – Riser
Dierks Bentley’s Riser is an inspired, rising effort from stem to stern, with sweeping compositions that generally convey this uplifting, airy and expansive condition, despite a sorrowful and reflective tone beneath the surface. At the risk of sounding cliché, Riser was cut during an emotional time, bookened by the death of Dierks’ father, and the birth of his son, and this type of environment created a work that was somehow both secondary, yet keenly focused. He brought his personal life with him to the studio, and it is reflected even in some of the more commercial material, in a drive to make a project bigger than himself.
Is Riser good ol’ country music done the right way? Of course not. This is a country-inspired rock album. But it is a good one nonetheless that is well-made, inspired, heartfelt, and worth a Hamilton or heavy rotation from your streaming service of choice if you know what you’re getting in to.
Garth Brooks – Man Against Machine
“The truth is, Garth was never going to live up to the lofty expectations many were foisting upon his re-entry into the country fold. Forget the naysayers who still can’t get over his high wire act at Texas Stadium or the Chris Gaines gimmick, there was some thought that Garth may be the only one left with the star power to reignite the spark of true country music in the mainstream once again, however ironic this may be given Garth’s history. But in hindsight, this was sort of like thinking Mike Tyson could still be heavyweight champion in the early 00”²s, or that Brett Favre could still win a Super Bowl.
“The purists will pan it because it’s Garth, and the mainstream may mostly ignore it because Garth is such an unknown quantity to their youthful demo. And everyone will question the wisdom of releasing ‘People Loving People’ as a single or the somewhat silly cover art. But Man Against Machine is a solid Garth record, with some sappy moments, some rock and R&B moments, but mostly just good contemporary Garth country worthy of at least an open-minded listen.” (read full review)
Maddie & Tae – Maddie & Tae EP
“Make no mistake, the emergence of Maddie & Tae is the result of tactical gaming of country music’s notoriously malleable masses by label types, but that doesn’t mean that the music can’t be any good. ‘Girl In A Country Song’ really didn’t help answer the question of, “Who are Maddie & Tae?” It exacerbated it. Were the hip-hop elements simply there for irony? Were these girls really influenced heavily by classic country as they said?
“So now the young duo has released a four-song EP, and all of a sudden a brand new set of parameters emerge. You do hear those classic country leanings in the songwriting. You hear fiddle solos and steel guitar by god. You hear two girls singing in close harmony with heavy twang about similar themes once championed by Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. And you begin to realize that whether Maddie & Tae are a machination of Big Machine Records or not, their music truly is living up to the more traditional and tasteful approach they were touted as embodying when they first emerged.” (read full review)
Mary Sarah – Bridges
(Note: Could be considered mainstream or could be considered independent. But either way, it is a cool project that deserves to be highlighted)
Close your eyes for a second, and envision a world where a young beautiful bubbly female star like Taylor Swift maybe releases a completely traditional country album, not of her own music, but of some of the standards from country music’s sainted past, and not just by herself, but as duets with the very stars that made the songs popular in the first place; the same stars who are very much being forgotten in modern country’s obsession with youth. Think of the possibility of how this could open up an entire new world of music to listeners who are too young to remember where country music came from, ostensibly bridging the future and the past.
Now, open your eyes back up, and you’re ready to enter the world of Mary Sarah and Bridges.
Other Decent Albums
Eric Paslay –Eric Paslay
It’s real easy to lump Eric Paslay and his debut self-titled album in with the Bro-Country crowd because of singles like “Song About A Girl” and “Friday Night,” but a deeper listen to the project reveals a lot of depth of songwriting and some tasteful arrangement and instrumentation. A song like “Country Side of Heaven” isn’t too bad.
Jon Pardi –Write You A Song
Probably a little more fairly lumped in with Bro-Country than Eric Paslay, but still with much more to offer than most of the mainstream.
Tim McGraw – Sundown Heaven Town
Not a good album, but was surprisingly more good than bad from the Big Machine artist. (read full review)
Brett Eldredge’s Bring You Back isn’t completely terrible either.
Best Song – Carrie Underwood’s “Something In The Water”
“A wide, sweeping undertaking, ‘Something In The Water’ sees Carrie Underwood carve out the sweet spot for her voice and make an inspiring and faith-based composition the vessel to illustrate the mighty ferocity of her God-given vocal prowess, along with instilling the moments with an elegance and grace that in unison swell to achieve one awe-inspiring performance height.
“’Something In The Water’ is purely pop country from a stylistic standpoint, but draws heavily from country’s Gospel roots and the ritual of river baptisms to create the compelling narrative at the song’s heart. Though the “something in the water” colloquialism is not wholly unique in this context, the content is nonetheless refreshing in the way it disregards all concern for trends or tropes and instead shows confidence in Carrie’s voice to carry a tune to the top levels of widespread appeal. Resolving with the verses of “Amazing Grace” intermixed with the song’s melody, ‘Something In The Water’ traces a lineage directly back to the very primitive beginnings of country music, intertwining old roots among the song’s otherwise pristine and nouveau passages.”
Very, very powerful. (read full review)
– – – – – – – –
And yes, if we’re talking about the top songs Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt” deserves a mention.
December 18, 2014 @ 10:10 am
OT: No comment about the Voice winner? Or did I miss it?
Thx.
December 18, 2014 @ 10:53 am
I ran some human interest stories about Craig Wayne Boyd and how his success on “The Voice” has lent to renewed attention for Johnny Cash and Wayne Mills, but when it comes to the winners of these shows, I take the Missouri stance: show me. So many times these people win only to fade back into obscurity. And even if they don’t fade away, their music is generally unremarkable. Not saying that will happen with Craig Wayne Boyd, but let me hear the album, then we’ll see if it’s worth remarking on. His recent “single” “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” is pretty unremarkable in my opinion.
Has anyone heard from Jake Worthington from last year’s finals lately?
https://savingcountrymusic.com/jake-worthington-the-great-reality-show-hype
I’ve got one eye on Craig Wayne Boyd, but let’s see what happens outside of the confines of “The Voice.”
December 18, 2014 @ 10:23 am
Love your site, Trigger. Always appreciate the things you do on here, and I usually find myself agreeing with you a lot more than I disagree. I do have to say though, I don’t think its really fair to lump Jon Pardi in with the bro-country crowd. I hadn’t really heard of him until this past summer, but listening to his album I was struck by how in-mainstream it seemed. I was actually surprised it didn’t recieve more attention from critics. The album seems to be in the tradition of neotraditional country in the 90s tradition (he is touring with Alan Jackson after all). Is it a good old fashioned country album from start to finish? No. But it has some extremely strong moments. I really didn’t get a hint of bro-country from Pardi.
December 18, 2014 @ 11:02 am
Maybe I worded that poorly, but please don’t think I’m calling Jon Pardi Bro-Country. What I was trying to say is that if you give his music a quick sniff, you might get that impression. But if you listen deeper, there’s something deeper there. That is why I included his name here.
Take for example the first song “What I Can’t Put Down.” It starts off with crunchy rock guitar, and here’s the first two verses.
“I knew the first time should’ve been the last time
I ever let the whiskey touch my lips
‘Cause the devil wears black and he goes by Jack
And he’s really good at helpin’ me forget
I thought it was cool when I was a kid
Walkin’ around with that cigarette lit
On that ol’ dirt road, I lit my first smoke
And I knew right then it wouldn’t let me go”
You hear “Whiskey” and “that ol’ dirt road” and all of a sudden you’re rolling your eyes thinking, “I’ve heard this before.” So my cautionary words were to keep listening.
All that said, and using the same above example, there are certain traces of mainstream formula in his music. But nonetheless, it is better than most.
December 18, 2014 @ 11:30 am
While I don’t necessarily disagree with what you’re saying here, I think Eric Paslay has more songs with that bro-country feel to it than Pardi does. ‘What I Can’t Put Down” may have familiar themes, but I think of it more as hard-hitting country rock, and it’s found a very large appeal amongst people my age. I’m delighted when someone plays it at a party instead of something by FGL or Luke Bryan. I certainly here the Bakersfield influence in his songs, and I love it.
December 18, 2014 @ 1:10 pm
I agree with this. I’m 21 and my friends and I love listening to Jon Pardi on a Friday night. I really like his style.
December 18, 2014 @ 1:40 pm
I think that the song “Love you from here” off Jon Pardi’s album doesn’t get recognized as much as it deserves to. Probably the most pure country song on a mainstream album that I’ve heard.
December 23, 2014 @ 11:31 am
couldn’t agree more, the song “love you from here” is definitely one of his most powerful songs and easy-listening songs on his album, however it DOESNT get the praise it deserves in my opinion. that being said i could listen to Jons album from beginning to end, i mean hell i bought his album when it came out, but “what i can’t put down” is probably my least favorite song on the entire album. I’m disappointed he released it as a radio single. i kind of like Jon a little more just because he’s from a town in northern california about an hour from my town and we don’t get a whole lot of country artists from up here. i kind of am scared though about how his next album will turn out, i mean he did tour with justin moore earlier this year if I’m not mistaken.
December 19, 2014 @ 1:13 am
I love this article, but Trigger, I also have to disagree about “bro country” and “Jon Pardi” even being close together in a sentence, let alone slapping Jon with the “feel of” the bro country label. When I got tired of hearing bro country, the one artist I always turned to for a fresh, modern REAL country sound was Jon Pardi. As a young man myself, I PRAISE and RESPECT Jon for not selling out and going full-blown mainstream just to make money and get attention, because most young guys (FGL is a great example, Brantley Gilbert too) would sell out real quick just to make a quick buck and fit in with that “bro” crowd to be cool like all the other guys. Jon deserves way more attention and respect than he gets. I would go as far as calling him the most under-rated and over-looked “mainstream” country artists of this decade. I do not understand how you get the bro country feel from “What I Can’t Put Down”, i can strongly relate to this song and listen to it on a daily basis and never once have I thought of it being a bro country song. He mentions lighting a cancer stick on a dirt road and whiskey, how does that automatically make it bro country? Bro country is strictly about tail gating, trucks, dirt roads, drinking, partying, etc…..the entire songs are ABOUT those topics. Jon MENTIONS a dirt road and alcohol but the song is NOT about those subjects, which would be bro country. Jon tells a story with that song, its not a mindless song that FGL writes within probably half an hour about partying, it has some depth to it and I’m sure many people can relate to it. The song is about addiction, and i know millions of people out there have addictions including myself. It’s a real shame that someone as awesome as Jon never gets any airplay, none of his songs get out of the top 40 anymore, as with most good artists like Josh Thompson.
December 19, 2014 @ 10:27 am
I remain completely perplexed about how including an album on a list titled “The Best” is being taken as such scathing criticism. If I didn’t think the album was worthy of mention, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. This is not a review or a negative critique of his album. This is saying, “Hey, I think this is one of the BEST albums released in the mainstream this year.” I understand that you and others that are fans of this album are familiar enough with it that no qualifiers are needed, but when the very first song starts off with crunchy rock guitar and verses mentioning “whiskey” and “old dirt roads,” I think it is proper form to WARN people who might have never heard the album before to listen through and expect something deeper than what you normally get from mainstream Bro-Country fare. That is why that comparison was offered up, as a cautionary warning, NOT as a criticism. I am NOT calling Jon Pardi Bro-Country.
All that said, there is a trend amongst traditionalists in country music to give a pass to rock influences infiltrating the genre, but criticize rap and EDM. I also think there’s moments on the Jon Pardi album that sway towards mainstream pandering. Nonetheless, I’m recommending the album. The Jon Pardi comments were offered as an extension of the comments on Eric Paslay where I said, “It”™s real easy to lump Eric Paslay and his debut self-titled album in with the Bro-Country crowd because of singles…,” meaning people should listen beyond their first impressions. Maybe I could have explained that better, but I don’t see how including him here on a list meant to highlight albums thought worthy of highlighting is being taken so negatively.
December 18, 2014 @ 10:50 am
It is too much to expect an album’s worth of material from a Music Row act. I am more interested in singles. And why fuck around with these fringe acts? What about the heavy hitters?
Blake Shelton? I don’t mind ‘Neon Light’ for some reason. ‘Lonely Tonight’ has some appeal. (I set a very low bar for this guy, evidently–sheepish grin)
Luke Bryan? ‘Roller Coaster’ was released this year. That’s a good song.
Eric Church? ‘Talladega’ is a fine song.
Jason Aldean? ‘Too Fast’ sounds very promising, believe it or not.
The Band Perry? Nice job on ‘Gentle On My Mind’.
Cull out the 20% worst acts (FL/GA Line, Colt Ford, Jerrod Nieman, etc), keep the loose definition of country, and one can usually find 2 or 3 songs from the remaining 80% of the artists’ catalog that are downright enjoyable. Just sayin’.
December 18, 2014 @ 11:07 am
In my opinion, none of the songs you listed are worth separating from the crowd and shining a spotlight on. They may be better than the worst, but that’s not what I was going for here.
And it’s definitely a stretch to label Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Maddie & Tae, and Carrie Underwood as “fringe acts.” I did include a few lesser-known names here, but it’s because I thought they released cool projects that were worth highlighting again. The point of exercises like this is to hopefully turn some folks on to cool music they might have missed, not to reinforce people’s opinions about music they already know about.
December 18, 2014 @ 1:50 pm
are you joking right? roller coaster is not bad but it’s nothing compared to Something in the Water or Fly by Maddie and Tae. and aldean is the most talentless and overrated hack in country music. too fast is good but it’s just one good track out of 15 and nothing compared to Hurt Somebody or Damn These Dreams by Dierks Bentley. Eric Church is a good rock artist but he’s so overrated too: Talladega is good but Tacoma by Garth Brooks is way better!
December 18, 2014 @ 11:09 am
I haven’t done so, but I can only imagine that listening to “the best in mainstream” would be like sniffing the bottom layer of a hamper full of my dad’s smudge-stained underwear. And he’s been dead for 19 years.
December 18, 2014 @ 11:35 am
There is no question that our respective definitions of the country genre are highly influenced and informed by the ‘sound’ the genre was successful with when we are first exposed to it . That’s not to say that many of us haven’t explored the history and the trajectory mainstream country music has taken to bring it to where it is now and that, of course , is not only important to our understanding and appreciation as listeners but paramount to the genre surviving at all .In light of that comment , its interesting to me that of probably none of the music cited above would have been remotely considered country 20 years ago .
December 18, 2014 @ 12:17 pm
Have you listened to the Mary Sarah album?
Also, what was considered country 20 years ago (1994) probably wasn’t considered country compared to what was out in 1974. And since we’re talking mid-nineties, the Garth album would’ve fit right in.
December 18, 2014 @ 12:50 pm
‘Also, what was considered country 20 years ago (1994) probably wasn”™t considered country compared to what was out in 1974. ”
Yeah …that’s what I’m saying Hayden . Most of us have our own definition of what country ‘should’ sound like based on our introduction to it . The important thing , I think , is trying to find the common thread in all of its manifestations . Much of the country music I listen to personally has that thread- a strong narrative , varying themes , traditional instrumentation , traditional values and a singer that always serves the intent and emotion in the song and not his/her voice . And of course there has to be a strong , well-crafted song to start with . I think most of us would agree that much mainstream country falls short in many if not all of these areas .
December 18, 2014 @ 6:32 pm
I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s my theory too on what we all define as “real” country. I grew up listening to Johnny Cash with my dad, Hank Sr., gospel, and traditional bluegrass with my grandpa, and late 80’s, early 90’s type country on the radio, and I’ll be damned if those ain’t the sounds I lean towards now. Well put bud.
December 18, 2014 @ 7:11 pm
While I agree that we all have our own idea of what ‘country’ should be, I don’t really think it has much to do with how we were introduced to it. I grew up with late 90’s and 2000’s country, and when I was young, country was whatever the radio told me it was. It wasn’t until my mid- to late-teens that I started to explore country music and it’s past. My opinion of what country music was included all of it, because despite being ever-evolving, certain things just sounded ‘country’ to me. Now, how I view country music, what it is and isn’t, is far different from my peers, my older friends and relatives, and even my parents.
These people grew up on the same or even older, more traditional sounding country music. Yet our views are very different. They still call FGL country, or Sam Hunt, or whatever. I’m not sure what it is that causes these stark differences in opinion, but it certainly isn’t what we grew up on.
December 18, 2014 @ 12:18 pm
That said, I do get what you’re trying to say.
December 18, 2014 @ 12:08 pm
Grohl Sessions. Hands down. I just wish they put more tracks on it!
December 18, 2014 @ 1:01 pm
Agreed. It should have been a full album.
December 18, 2014 @ 12:09 pm
These days “The Best In Mainstream” is like getting the best dish at an awful restaurant. The food’s still mediocre compared to other establishments, but better than the rest of that particular menu. I do agree it’s worth shedding a light on the acts that released some substantial material though. Hopefully there will be more of this kind of music on the radio in 2015 ”“ Maybe even Sturgill?
December 18, 2014 @ 12:21 pm
Compared to last year, I thought this was a weak year for the mainstream. You must’ve really had to dig to come up with this list. I had forgotten about Riser though, I guess that was my favorite mainstream album this year.
December 18, 2014 @ 2:07 pm
I agree, but I also thought 2013 was sort of exceptional in the amount of decent albums, especially from females that came from the mainstream. Also, I think 2015 is setting up quite nicely for some better mainstream albums. When you consider none of the above projects I would consider in the Top 50 albums in country, that’s saying something for the mainstream selection this year.
December 18, 2014 @ 2:45 pm
Besides ‘Riser,’ it seems like the most highly regarded mainstream country album this year was Miranda Lambert’s Platinum, which I’ve seen pop up on a bunch of different year-end lists. I’ve only heard the singles, one of which was pretty rotten (“Somethin’ Bad,”) so I’m wondering if I should actually give the album a listen.
I guess the other supposedly good mainstream album this year was ‘The Outsiders,’ though it seems to be more divisive.
December 18, 2014 @ 3:27 pm
Personally, I love Miranda, but Platinum doesn’t hold a candle to some her prior stuff. It’s an ok album relatively speaking, but not really worthy of her. A couple good songs, but nothing too exciting.
December 18, 2014 @ 4:21 pm
“Platinum” has some good songs and I give it that, but I don’t think it was a good album. It was the critical favorite from the mainstream in 2014 by default. I actually think the dearth of worthy mainstream albums in 2014 is one of the things leading to Sturgill Simpson’s inclusion on so many lists.
December 18, 2014 @ 12:31 pm
Just wondering your thoughts on David Nail. While he may not be overly country, the guy has a hell of a voice and did a bang up job on a duet of Galveston with Lee Ann Womack. Just curious what you think of him, as I don’t recall seeing your opinion of him, neither positively or negatively.
December 18, 2014 @ 1:55 pm
totally agree, Riser by Dierks Bentley was my second favourite album of the year, but my absolute favourite one is I’m a Fire. such a great record, impressive vocal performances and very good pop country music. I loved galveston and my favourite track is Brand New Day, truly amazing album!
December 18, 2014 @ 2:08 pm
I honestly need to give him a deeper listen to form an opinion. He’s on the list.
December 19, 2014 @ 11:50 am
Glad I scrolled through the comments before going to post about David Nail. I think his album is a lot better than Riser. Good to see you have him on your list Trigger.
The first single on the album was a #1 but is probably in the bottom third of the songs on the album if you were to rank them. The second single stalled and probably wasn’t the best single choice. Brand New Day, Burnin’ Bed, Countin’ Cars and I’m a Fire would have all been better single choices.
December 19, 2014 @ 6:58 pm
I love David Nail’s first two singles, Red Light and Let It Rain. His voice is unreal and he sounds like he sings with so much passion.
December 19, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Scratch that, they are not his first two singles. Regardless, those songs are very good.
December 20, 2014 @ 9:54 am
Nail’s first single from his debut album was actually “I’m About To Come Alive” which is a cover of a Train song from 2003. It’s actually one of my favorite David Nail songs and is definitely worth checking out. The original is good too.
December 18, 2014 @ 12:45 pm
I think you need to tap the breaks a bit on Garth’s comeback. It has been one album and a couple months. Sure, a big build up, but you are already writing it off as if the life of it is as short as an NFL analyst commenting on best teams week to week.
Garth just got back in the pool and whether it is the deep end or shallow, he just got in. I agree the expectations were lofty, but can we really measure them yet? Let alone write off the comeback????
Garth has the money and now the time to reintroduce himself to the new way music is marketed, sold, heard, etc… I would say start judging things in 2-3 years. If he wins a few awards, the whole industry will get in line behind him.
December 18, 2014 @ 2:14 pm
This seems like a very strange place to share this opinion. I just said his album was one of the best in the mainstream for the year. I did include a synopsis of my original review for the album that mentions his comeback, but I still think it is relevant to the current climate. Yes, I think his comeback could have been managed better, but that’s not the topic being broached here. It’s sort of water under the bridge at this point.
December 18, 2014 @ 5:20 pm
Your analogy of: But in hindsight, this was sort of like thinking Mike Tyson could still be heavyweight champion in the early 00”²s, or that Brett Favre could still win a Super Bowl.
We are already in hindsight? You hindsight Tyson losing after the fight. You hindsight Favre after the season.
This album/tour/comeback isn’t even done with the first round/quarter of the game.
No reason to think that Garth’s money/continued draw/his drive and now time on his hands, he can’t return to the winner circle and change the course of country music, even if not as obvious or as big as in the ’90’s.
I know you were positive on the album, but seemed you were giving up because it didn’t shatter the world we know.
December 18, 2014 @ 4:25 pm
I have Jon Pardi’s “Write You A Song” and I really don’t think its that bad of an album at all. Some of the songs (well that is most of the songs) talk about some sort of relationship with a woman. I like his music more because it has that Bakersfield sound, not the pop-country sound that dominates the airways. Again, not an absolute perfect album, but I would change it to Pardi’s CD in a heartbeat than listen to the radio, personally speaking.
Plus, it was cool how inspiration from Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Dwight Yoakam helped set his wardrobe in his video for “What I Can’t Put Down”.
December 19, 2014 @ 7:01 pm
My favorite up and comer. I love the whine in his voice. His songs are really fun to sing along to as well.
December 18, 2014 @ 4:32 pm
I’m looking forward to the day when that ridiculous Garth cover gets shelved out of the reach of the media. He should seriously be sending out checks to anyone who inadvertently ends up looking at that thing.
December 18, 2014 @ 8:35 pm
When I first saw that cover, I thought it was a Farce the Music creation. No shit.
December 18, 2014 @ 8:55 pm
That other one Trigger uses sometimes is even worse. It doesn’t even look like a younger Garth. More like a computer generated mix of Garth and Tim McGraw. Wouldn’t want to look like a 50 something year old man now would we.
December 18, 2014 @ 5:04 pm
My favorite mainstream song was “What We Ain’t Got” by Jake Owen. The album it’s off is pretty bad in a lot of spots, but man did he knock that song out of the park and kill it.
I would probably put that above the Underwood song, even if that is very solid as well.
As far as albums go, I guess Dierks would finish first, there are some low spots in the album where he panders to country radio, but it has more emotional depth behind it to make up for the low spots.
December 18, 2014 @ 5:27 pm
Trigger, I just found this site and I must say I agree wholeheartedly with most of your statements. I have been looking through the site and haven’t read everything yet. I would love to hear your thoughts on Justin Moore and also the red dirt and texas country scene.
Keep up the good work.
December 18, 2014 @ 6:32 pm
🙂 Forget I asked about Justin Moore. I did a search and found some articles. I would still like to hear your thoughts on the red dirt and texas country scene though.
December 18, 2014 @ 7:15 pm
I would suggest looking up the individual names of artists. Lots of Texas/Red Dirt guys I’ve covered over the years, including Wade Bowen, Adam Hood, and Stoney LaRue in the last few months. Overall I think there’s great stuff in that scene, but like with any scene there’s good and bad.
Glad you found the site Peavyman. Thanks for reading.
December 18, 2014 @ 6:33 pm
As in Jake? As in responsible for playing Sturgill in the clubhouse post Game 7?
If so, welcome Bulldog! White Sox fan here, class way to say leave town, much appreciated.
If not, welcome anyway!
December 18, 2014 @ 6:51 pm
Trigger must not have heard “I’m a Fire” by David Nail. Much better than some of the records listed here. It’s hard to hear them all, honestly. @Trigger–give that album a listen, if you get a chance. Only 2 completely forgettable songs in Whatever She’s Got (which is catchy and not nearly as bad as other pop country, anyway) and whatever that awful track with Little Big Town is. Everything else is great, from the dark but tangible Burnin’ Bed to the wonderful cover of Galveston.
December 18, 2014 @ 9:03 pm
And his previous album was even better yet. ‘The Sound Of A Million Dreams’ is one of the best singles by a mainstream artist in the last five years.
December 18, 2014 @ 8:03 pm
Am I the only one that noticed that these albums either released weak singles or didn’t release singles at all?
“Riser” was a pretty good album but radio got “I Hold On” and “Drunk On a Plane” from it. Neither song is terrible but they aren’t worth as many repeat listens as other tracks from that album.
“The Grohl Sessions” didn’t produce any singles.
“Man Against the Machine” was a solid album but one of the worst tracks was released as the lead single.
“Eric Paslay” had some decent tracks but “Friday Night” and “Song About a Girl” were sent to radio. “She Don’t Love You” is better but I’m not sure if it’ll be a big hit.
The best song Brett Eldredge has, “One Mississippi,” was kept on the album but “Don’t Ya” was released. His next two singles were pleasant but not great.
“Sundown Heaven Town” had some good tracks but the more forgettable stuff, and the worst song on the album, were used as singles.
I love Jon Pardi’s album but “Up All Night” was the album’s most cliche song and “What I Can’t Put Down” was kind of forgettable compared to other tracks on that disc. Pardi is the mainstream country artist I am most excited about currently.
Overall, while there were a couple good-but-not-great albums released by mainstream artists this year, you wouldn’t even know by listening to radio because the best tracks are kept on the albums and the singles are the more generic songs.
December 18, 2014 @ 8:23 pm
Actually, “All Alright” was released off the Grohl Sessions and scraped the top 20.
As for “She Don’t Love You” off ‘Eric Paslay’, it’s off to a great start at radio, and digitally.
December 19, 2014 @ 12:13 am
Love “That Man” and “Love You From Here” from the Pardi album. 2 fantastic songs that’ll never see radio, unfortunately.
December 19, 2014 @ 1:17 am
In my opinion, the first half of 2014 was a wasteland, but the latter half of the year featured significantly greater quality. The highlight of this year in mainstream country has been the rise of the “airy” sound, which serves at the heart of the productions for Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy” (released in May 2014, but gained popularity later in the year), Brad Paisley’s “Perfect Storm”, Justin Moore’s “This Kind of Town”, and Eric Paslay’s “She Don’t Love You”.
I credit this trend at least partially to Kacey Musgraves’s “Keep It to Yourself”, which itself did not attain a high chart position but probably got the industry’s attention due to Kacey’s critical appeal.
December 19, 2014 @ 12:07 pm
Good call on Randy Houser’s album. One of my favorite country albums this year. I’m not sure how he isn’t more popular in mainstream country. He puts on a hell of a show too. I think Randy might be the only country act I saw live this year that had a pedal steel guitar in the band.
December 19, 2014 @ 2:21 pm
I know Dierks Bentley has a pedal steel in his band, at least part of the time. Ditto Miranda Lambert.
December 19, 2014 @ 2:09 am
I noticed this list was chock full of women. Makes me smile that the women are taking charge in mainstream music since men seem clueless as to what to do… in the mainstream anyway… and in country. The women in mainstream outside of country leave much to be desired, oh so much to be desired…. Unless you count St. Vincent as mainstream.
December 19, 2014 @ 7:44 am
Trigger, why is there no forum on here? I would LOVE to be able to chat with people who love good music
December 19, 2014 @ 10:05 am
There was a forum on the site for years and it was mostly ignored. Then amidst the constant cyber attacks the site was under in 2012, it got lost in one of the numerous reboots. There is a plan to try and reinstate the old board or start a new board with an upcoming redesign, but if nobody uses it, it might have a short leash. Nothing more lame than a message board nobody uses.
December 19, 2014 @ 2:45 pm
I have a bunch of general questions that I never know where to post them.
If I read the SCM news feed, then look away, I get spots in my eyes. Does that happen to anyone else?
Trig, is tequila your choice of poison?
Stuff like that.
December 19, 2014 @ 3:03 pm
Yeah there have been times when I’ve seen something interesting elsewhere and would like to mention it but I always feel it’s kind of bad form to drop it into the comments of a totally off topic article.
Sort of like this comment right now.
Can we get a forum to discuss whether SCM needs a forum?
December 19, 2014 @ 3:43 pm
I actually have that same problem many times when there’s a topic that’s probably not worth an entire article but is too significant to dump into the news feed. I would love to host a vibrant forum but it seems like they either take off or don’t.
December 19, 2014 @ 4:00 pm
I know you don’t like the idea of an ‘open thread’ but in some ways it could address this issue. Maybe you mention a few things in the original post to get people started and then it goes where it goes.
December 19, 2014 @ 3:04 pm
Another small suggestion is keeping SCM’s yearly essential albums an on-going updated list linked on the front page of SCM. I did a real good job keeping up with you this year and still had to get 6 albums after the essential list was published. If it was a link readers can visit when they have some extra money or looking for new music it could be more beneficial for all parties – linking it to Amazon???
December 19, 2014 @ 3:42 pm
Yeah, I sort of have that with the “Best Of Lists” button in the right column but I’m hoping in the future to have more easy access resources for music suggestions. There’s some stuff in the hopper let’s just say…
December 19, 2014 @ 2:48 pm
Im wating for she tried of boys to be released as a single. Glad to see man against machine is expected to sell 80-85K this week, while other albums released at the same time has totally fallen off the charts.
As the review said, its a good solid Garth album, worthy of a listen.
April 28, 2015 @ 9:45 am
I know this post is 5 months old, but I would like to express my opinion. Slow Me Down by Sara Evans was a great mainstream record, and unfortunately I don’t think it got the push it deserves. One of my favorite country voices out there, and definitely descended from the same line as Reba. I would love to hear your opinion on that record.