Granger Smith’s #1 “Backroad Song” Is No Victory for Texas Country
It was inevitable. Granger Smith’s first major mainstream single “Backroad Song” was going to go #1. After being chosen last October as the first single from his upcoming album Remington, and then being selected to receive the “On The Verge” treatment from iHeartMedia, it would have been more of a story if “Backroad Song” had not hit #1. “On The Verge” is a program that guarantee’s spins for a song across iHeartMedia’s country music radio network, virtually cementing a song’s #1 place.
It was a personal victory for Granger when “Backroad Song” officially hit #1 last week. Despite being a new name and a fresh face to many in the mainstream, Granger has been around regularly releasing records since 2004 in the Texas scene, scratching and clawing for attention, and splitting sides with his alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr. It’s been a slow and steady march to the top for Granger, but he finally made it.
But what’s the fun of getting to the top when you’ve compromised everything to get there? Despite some declaring the #1 for “Backroad Song” as a victory for Texas country, it is anything but. It was Granger’s abandonment of Texas country and the values of that scene, and walking away from the decent songwriting evidenced earlier in his career that finally got him the commercial success he has clearly craved over the last few years.
In getting to #1, Granger ditched Thirty Tigers—the label/distribution company for many other Texas country artists including Randy Rogers Band, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Aaron Watson, The Josh Abbott Band, and the Turnpike Troubadours—and went with the newly-minted imprint of Broken Bow Records (Jason Aldean, Randy Houser) called Wheelhouse Records. There’s nothing Texas about Granger Smith’s #1 except that Texas was the scene he left behind to get there. It’s a shallow victory, if a victory at all; like proclaiming Kelsea Ballerini’s #1’s for purely pop songs at the top of the country charts as a victory for female artists.
And the song is terrible. “Backroad Song” is as Bro-Country and list-errific as they come. Bro-Country is dead, but helped by “On The Verge,” it has seen a remarkable resurgence on the radio via Granger. And the use of Auto-Tune may never have been more egregious in a studio track than it is here. Anything that might be akin to what people think of when they think of Texas country was scrubbed from “Backroad Song” unceremoniously.
READ: Granger Smith is “On The Verge” of Becoming the Next Bro-Country Sensation
Texas country is in no way perfect, and certainly has a deep and rich history of many of its artists trying to sell out to gain more support for their careers and families, traveling to Nashville in pursuit of the bigger deal, and usually turning back around with a bad story to tell after a few albums. And yes, one of the defining elements of the Texas country sound is a softening of edges, and a sensible approach to country music instead of strong, ingrained roots and hard country honky tonk sounds. But “Backroad Song” is in an entirely different stratosphere, and neither it nor Granger should be mentioned in the same breath as the Lone Star State to distinguish him from the sound and influence of Nashville.
If you want to hear what Texas country sounds like, go listen to the aforementioned Thirty Tigers artists mentioned above, or artists like Wade Bowen and Stoney LaRue. “Backroad Song” is purely a machination of Nashville and Music Row from an artists looking to get popular at all costs.
February 25, 2016 @ 9:45 am
Holler and swaller!
February 25, 2016 @ 9:51 am
It’s all bought and paid for,,the song is never a factor in the equation. Same goes for Stapleton.
February 25, 2016 @ 9:53 am
Gawd it’s just the same song over and over and over again…
March 6, 2017 @ 4:26 pm
And the same song they are all ripping off is “God Gave Me You” by Dave Barnes. I swear every other modern country song on the radio has that vibe.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:06 am
A couple of years ago my wife and I went to a concert in Nashville. The concert was Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Josh Abbott Band, & Stoney LaRue. It sold out. There was people at the door who couldn’t get tickets. People were offering 2 to 3 times the face value of the tickets if someone would give their tickets up. Point being that was a win for Texas country and in my opinion real country music. Some schizophrenic clown from Texas who just happens to get radio play is not a victory.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:15 am
Aside from Josh Abbot, that is a pretty damn solid lineup. I just can’t stand Abbot the person and human being, guy seems like a total sleezeball.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:38 am
I saw that show too. Only in Tuscaloosa. It was damn fine. I believe they called it the ” Four on the Floor” tour. They hit several places over this direction and along the east coast. I love all those bands with maybe Abbott being my least favorite. I’ve seen them all many times and every time I’m always the most impressed with Wade. He always is on point and sounds even better live then on albums.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:07 am
I think this is called selling out?
February 25, 2016 @ 10:18 am
Nice write up Trigg. Same story for the Eli Young Band and it seems that Sam Riggs has taken that route with his new album. Was actually disappointed about Sam Riggs there was some genuine talent show in his prior efforts.
Lots of great young talent in the Texas Music scene (William Clark Green, Shane Smith, Dalton Domino, John Baumann, etc) right now but it was inevitable that the Bro-country/EDM infection would spread down here eventually.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:24 am
Yeah, the new Sam Riggs album is pretty damn depressing. Though, honestly I wasn’t blown away by his first album either. Best stuff he ever put out was that EP from a couple years ago that had “Six Feet Under” and the like.
I counted about 2-3 decent songs on the new Riggs album, led by Second Hand Smoke, but that’s about it. The rest of the album is all aimed at trying to get played between the FGL, Bryan, etc/ on Texas radio stations. Quite sad, because like you I think Riggs has some talent as a songwriter that we have only seen hints of.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:14 am
I had never heard of Sam Riggs until this week, but I am really enjoying his new CD, with the exception of one or two songs. I love the fiddle and steel guitar that is present throughout his CD. I also feel like his voice reminds me a lot of Lonestar and his music reminds me of late 90s early 2000s country. I’ll be the first to admit, though, that I don’t mind a little pop in my country (to an extent).
Honestly, I love stuff from all over the Country/Americana board. I love stuff from the old greats (especially Willie, Johnny Paycheck, David Allen Coe, Johnny Cash, etc.) to current traditionalists like Whitey Morgan, Sturgill Simpson, Eric Strickland, etc. But I also enjoy a lot of stuff that’s been played on radio (although it’s been harder and harder to find good country at radio over the last couple years).
I guess my bottom line is that I do enjoy a lot of radio country, but at the same time I absolutely love more traditional-leaning country, which is why I am so thankful for sites like this that can point me in the right direction of good new music.
February 26, 2016 @ 10:40 pm
I really liked his previous stuff. I would never call “Outrun the Sun” pure hard charging country, but I thought it was very solid and true to itself both lyrically and sonically. He has great vocals and lots of talent on a variety of instruments (not many lead vocalists play their own fiddle), but the new album hasn’t impressed me outside of a few songs. Very disappointing and frustrating.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:49 am
Yeah, new Sam Riggs is awful.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:21 am
Smith’s sound has changed somewhat, but basically he is the same artist. He smoothed whatever little “edge” he had when he went to Nashville, but I honestly don’t see a big change in him. You can call it selling out if you want, but let’s remember that Granger Smith was never really a “serious” Texas artist. He was in the same company as some tool like Kyle Park or Casey Donahew, guys who basically made diet-Nashpop Country and sold it to the Texas audience by promoting their Texas “roots” and name dropping some Texas town in a couple songs.
Hell, prior to landing a record deal in Nashville, Granger Smith was probably better known as the dude who made the Earl Dibbles Jr. YouTube videos.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:54 am
I can about guarantee he’s STILL better known as Earl Dibbles Jr., and probably will be for the rest of history.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:43 am
Yeah I have a lot of friends on fbook that are always sharing Earl Dibbles quotes. I would guarantee u that they have no clue who Granger Smith is.
February 25, 2016 @ 12:08 pm
I was going to bring Facebook into this as anecdotal evidence, I will now. 16 friends like Earl Dibbles Jr., five like Granger Smith. I think that means something.
February 25, 2016 @ 1:18 pm
That’s right, Spoony. I love Dibble’s FB page, and it has thousands of followers/likes. If you peruse his quotes, especially going back to the last couple of years, he has some hilarious stuff.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:28 am
Backroad song is my guilty pleasure
February 25, 2016 @ 10:46 am
The music is great, I gotta come out and say it. I think the score is great, overproduced, but it wouldn’t be so bad with a bit of proper arrangement. The melody to the verse is enjoyable, but the chorus is really dumb. Lyrics suck too.
That said, the problem isn’t the content or quality of the song, it represents something bigger. The problem is a metaphorical throwing-under-the-bus of traditions, and more importantly, existing fanbases by artists who are pursuing the dollar.
Zac Brown did it, Gary Allan did it, and TBP did it. They all walked away from their existing sound, and they drove their fanbases away in droves. Sturgill could be next, if his HBO theme is any indicator.
We may have a deeper problem of musicians who are only here for fame and money, and the people who actually care about the art have been sidelines altogether. The sheer number of sellouts is overwhelming, and the manufacturing (and more importantly, marketing) has become more important than quality.
The music industry may well be overrun by interlopers who want the spoils the industry has to offer, and the people who built the industry may have to just wait until the inevitable implosion to try and rebuild.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:13 am
And the follow-up to Joe Nichols’ “Yeah” 2.0 isn’t any better either.
“If The Boot Fits” (one of two songs Smith didn’t write on his forthcoming album) has been announced his next single, and it is a straight-up, generic bro-country hook-up song.
I’ll reserve judgement on “Remington” as a whole until after I’ve heard it, especially since Smith insisted there will be plenty of deeper cuts on the album. But when you already have this, “If The Boot Fits”, and two other tracks from the “4X4” EP that I consider ranging from unnecessarily lame and schmaltzy (“Tailgate Town”) to outright embarrassing (“Tonight”) constituting four of the fifteen tracks…………………..it just isn’t worth purchasing a full-length album to slog through that claptrap even if the other remaining eleven tracks are solid or at least enjoyable (“City Boy Stuck”).
And you’re right: this has no place in the same sentence as Texas country just like the Eli Young Band’s horrendous recent EP and Pat Green’s misguided “What I’m For” era before retracing his footsteps.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:17 am
I was curious as to whether or not “If the Boot Fits” was written by Granger because it sounds so underwhelming. I feel like that’s a track that Granger was forced to cut because it would be good radio fodder. I really hope it’s not representative of his album either.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:41 am
As much as I dislike “Backroad Song”, at the very least I can admit it thematically fits right into his wheelhouse. Though Smith’s back catalog is marked by its share of deeper songs he has, as a whole, kept it simple on his choice of themes and “Backroad Song” isn’t really a deviation from that lyrically (though the “Ooooohhh ooooohhh oooohhhhs” and vague hip-hop cadence are stylistic deviations).
“If The Boot Fits” doesn’t even achieve that. It SCREAMS written-by-committee
February 25, 2016 @ 3:16 pm
I carped to high heaven back in the day about Pat Green’s Nashville output, but…Man. “Backroad Song” makes even the worst of that sound like the second coming of Jason Boland and the Stragglers in comparison.
February 25, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
“Tonight” is even worse than “Backroad Song”. =P
At the very least, “Backroad Song” doesn’t smack as particularly puerile in its lyrics and presentation. Just shamelessly milquetoast more than anything.
But with “Tonight”, you could swap it out with something out of Cole Swindell or Chase Rice’s catalogs, and you wouldn’t even notice the difference. KC Lights? Check! Diamond plates! Check! Fireball (cited as “fire in a cup” in this case). Check! Getting horny over a country girl by the end of the second verse? Double check! And obviously doubling down on the “Put your hands up!” and “Whoa oh oh!” cadences! =P
February 26, 2016 @ 8:30 pm
Well that’s just a shame. I’ll be sure to stay far away from that!
February 25, 2016 @ 11:42 am
My God. As if having to hear the same old song regurgitated by a different artist week in and week out isnt’t bad enough, please tell me I’m not the only one completely sick and tired of these stupid “lyric videos”. When did this become the accepted norm for artist? I never wanted to think of 35 as being old, but I long for the days of a “classic” video in the vein of The Thunder Rolls. Then again, I guess it shows the simplicity of the artist when they completely misinterpret the concept of using a music video to tell a story.
February 25, 2016 @ 1:05 pm
I have seen multiple negative comments about lyric videos.
I have no problem with lyric videos whatsoever.
Probably because I care about going for length in my fecal stool much, much more than I care about music videos–of any kind.
February 25, 2016 @ 2:36 pm
Lyric videos are actually most helpful when reviewing songs, and you need to know exactly what the lyrics are when the vocals are muddled or unintelligible (or the audio quality is diminished)
February 25, 2016 @ 4:37 pm
Granger Smith does have a regular video for this song as well. One of the reasons I usually post lyric videos in my reviews is because I think it helps people focus more on the lyrics rather than the images, so they can reference the lyrics as they’re listening to the song, etc. etc. I don;t especially like them or hate them, but for review purposes they are a better illustration to a song than a full action video, unless the full action video is worth a damn, which it usually isn’t.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:20 pm
Simply put, lyric videos are the modern day equivalent of putting lyrics in the album booklet. With nobody buying physical copies of albums anymore, there’s nowhere to find the “official” lyrics to songs except lyric videos.
February 27, 2016 @ 6:41 am
They also serve as a close caption kinda thing for those who may have hearing problems too.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:53 am
This is one of the worst songs in country music history in my opinion given its success. 5-10 years ago I may have felt different about it. But to write a song like that today out of the blue is like getting on your knees and getting deep throated by the long dick of mainstream country music.
March 4, 2016 @ 7:48 pm
LOL!! Well put!
February 25, 2016 @ 12:05 pm
There is absolutely nothing I can add to this post but to say, “Well said as always, Trigger.”
February 25, 2016 @ 12:09 pm
Well, one thing: I think it would be interesting to see just who (other than Granger Smith ass-kissers ) is proclaiming this as some kind of victory for Texas country.
February 25, 2016 @ 4:39 pm
I saw a few posts either in the title or the verbiage that gave Granger or Texas country credit for the win. The point here was not necessarily to call those outlets out so I don’t feel comfortable linking to them. I more wanted to clarify my perspective.
February 25, 2016 @ 4:44 pm
Oh, that’s fine! I was just curious. I could probably guess at least a couple of them…
February 25, 2016 @ 12:46 pm
This song was on the EP released a few months ago. I’m curious to hear the other songs on the album to see if it is all like this. I’ve been a fan of Granger for a while. Hoping this is the exception on the album, but have a feeling it’s probably not.
Following the footsteps of Brian Davis, another sellout to bro country.
February 25, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
I saw Brian Davis open for Blackberry Smoke. Very weird choice for an opener. Their set was pretty bad. Met him after the show and can say he was a nice dude, but his show came off as a knockoff Brantley Gilbert.
February 25, 2016 @ 1:14 pm
We dis music award shows–until somebody we like wins.
We dis radio play lists–until somebody we like gets heavy rotation.
Aren’t all who swim in polluted water tainted?
I say fuck’em all. It ought to be like Olympic boxing: if you have been played on a major media outlet 15 times or more–or won an ACM or CMA award–then, see ya. Buh-bye. Go play a nice game of hide and go fuck yourself.
February 25, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
Off topic but what did you guys think of Jack Ingram’s “Wherever You Are” as a song because it hit number one but what got me curious I found a few of his hardcore fans accusing him of selling out. I got his older stuff and I think it holds up with it.
February 25, 2016 @ 3:49 pm
Great Song
February 25, 2016 @ 4:02 pm
I thought “Wherever You Are” was fine. Where Jack Ingram lost me was “Lips of an Angel.”
February 25, 2016 @ 2:18 pm
No it just sucks along with Casey Donahue and the aforementioned diet Nashville pop.
February 25, 2016 @ 2:33 pm
Two other thoughts here.
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Firstly, in hindsight, Smith’s Earl Dibbles Jr. alter-ego looks like a gift and a curse.
On one hand, despite the line between the artist Granger Smith and the running gag that is Earl Dibbles Jr. becoming ever blurred since Smith started pandering to hypertrends………….I still enjoy the Earl Dibbles Jr. character sketches and videos. They still hold up on their own even as Granger has decided to manifest the parody.
On the other hand, I’m most convinced the massive success of the Earl Dibbles Jr. act is what’s most responsible for Granger getting greedy. It eclipsed his own success, and he apparently thought the only way to stand out independently from that as a serious artist was…………….not being an artist and pandering to the lowest common denominator.
That’s the thing with alter-egos. When they attain the upper hand, they can greatly risk defining YOU entirely. Leonard Nimoy is a perfect example. Anyone who knows him well knows his personal life is replete with extraordinary accomplishments, marks of immense character and integrity and other compelling creative side projects including his empathetic photography. But the insane popularity of Dr. Spock has kind of held his legacy hostage to the extent he usually gets addressed as Spock instead of Leonard.
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Secondly, why does Smith even feel the need to pander to these hypertrends in the first place?
It just seems rather odd to me to see someone who has been recording music for over a decade, and has been performing it even longer……………to suddenly, at age 36, wake up and think: “Oh no, time is running out! I got to get in on those KC light shinin’, hot country girl wooing trends before it’s too late!”.
It’s much more understandable when you see youthful up-and-coming newcomers rely on those cliches with their debut singles. That’s forgivable. But what point does it serve those with established track records exactly? What, are we going to expect seeing Smith drop “Spring Break” EPs at age 40 next?
I mean, Smith has definitely paid his dues and if he simply wants more name recognition and money, no problem. More power to you. But I’m just questioning how his offerings from “Remington” are even going to fulfill that goal for him. Despite his established fanbase in Texas, I won’t be the least surprised if “Remington” has a most woeful chart debut much like Canaan Smith and Kelsea Ballerini’s albums because they’ll see through the shallow facade. All while the likes of Blackberry Smoke and Joey + Rory are topping the country albums charts off of doing what they do best.
February 25, 2016 @ 4:42 pm
Yes, I think Granger Smith may have Earl Dibbles Jr. envy.
Perhaps when he had kids, he felt like he needed to do everything he could to provide well for them. Not that he couldn’t do that already, but maybe that’s the Devil’s advocate perspective.
February 25, 2016 @ 6:18 pm
(sigh) That’s actually a reasonable, sound consideration.
Having admitted that, though, I don’t see his albums and singles under this new capitulation to mainstream trends covering the costs of childcare and kindergarten enrollment. That’s going to come through corporate tie-ins through his tours and merchandise. Which, of course, may be why he felt the need to take the leap! =/
February 25, 2016 @ 7:23 pm
Before backroad song was even out aeg had picked up the rest of his tour for open dates. I seen him in a local club in October maybe 450 there. I know most of the major country fans in the area and I don’t think I recognized ten people at the show. He did some good covers Garth, Keith Whitley if I recall, and George strait (run since I remember tweeting Anthony smith). Now he’s booked for the local radio station show in June where there will be 20k there. the closer is billy currington who couldn’t even sell out the other club that holds 1,500 last year.
February 26, 2016 @ 8:25 pm
Well, to play devil’s advocate in turn, one could bring up Aaron Watson. He has a wife and kids too, and I’m sure he’d like to provide for them just like Granger Smith wants to provide for his family. And you see how radically different their respective approaches were. They yielded different results, to be sure, but I think Aaron Watson’s approach probably worked out better when everything is taken into consideration.
February 25, 2016 @ 9:31 pm
Seems to me there may be a lot more money in Dibbles than in Smith. Creating a “character” that people love is very difficult. Many have tried and failed.
If he was me, I would focus on Dibbles, and sprinkle the “good stuff” all thru the show, educating the fans, and tugging the hearts.
But then, I may be a little touched in the head 😉
February 26, 2016 @ 10:02 am
Off topic- but I just want to say Nadia that I really enjoy reading your comments and I’m glad I get to.
February 26, 2016 @ 11:45 am
I should be paying Nadia for the intelligence, depth, and insight.
February 25, 2016 @ 4:01 pm
I have seen Granger twice in concert, one time in college then the other was a few months after graduation. I liked his music then even though it was right when his music went from deeper sounding to what it is now. The first show had mostly the deeper songs with Earl Dibbles doing The Country Boy song, then the next show was all the new clichés and no more songs like Living Like a Lonestar, I’m Wearing Black and etc. It is a shame he didn’t keep his original sound. I met him both times however and he is a great guy. Hopefully he will go back to his original sound soon as I can’t even listen to the newer stuff.
February 25, 2016 @ 4:14 pm
Good for him hope he’s getting that good money instead of that crap Texas money
February 25, 2016 @ 4:21 pm
I don’t really care for this song and Granger Smith was 4th artist that have abandoned Texas country. Pat Green and Jack Ingram which they both came back to Texas Country, Eli Young Band put out couple horrible songs I heard they will go back to their roots on their next cd. Randy Rogers Band made 4 mainstream cd’s but they kept it Texas country, Cross Canadian Ragweed made 5 mainstream cd’s and kept it Red Dirt/Texas country, Sunny Sweeny made two mainstream country cd’s with 1 top 10 hit and after she was dropped from Big Machine she came to Texas Country with her excellent cd “Provoked”, and Josh Abbott Band had an Ep on Atlantic Records eh I leave it like that.
February 25, 2016 @ 5:15 pm
This is like putting out a disco song in 1982.
February 25, 2016 @ 5:30 pm
Doesn’t somebody have to buy a song for it to go to #1? And you say this song is #1? If you ask me, the fact that some guy cut this song isn’t half as scary as the fact that a lot of people bought it.
February 25, 2016 @ 5:37 pm
#1 on the country airplay chart, which only measures radio play. But it did go to #4 in country sales.
February 25, 2016 @ 5:56 pm
Ah! Thanks for the explanation. I feel a little better — it’s been painfully obvious for a long time how dumb the gods of country airplay are. Still, the #4 sales figure is scary enough.
February 25, 2016 @ 5:50 pm
Love me some bro-country. Love Backroad Song. Go Granger.
February 25, 2016 @ 6:08 pm
Fact: back road song comes on. My little girl sings and is happy.
Bash it all you want but if it makes my little girl happy, it makes daddy happy.
February 26, 2016 @ 12:47 am
Imagine how much happier she could be if she listened to REAL music Daddy ….
February 26, 2016 @ 9:05 am
So you’re saying I should take the joy away from a 5 year old because the song she likes isn’t country enough for you?
February 26, 2016 @ 11:04 am
Kids take what they’re exposed to. Our five-year-old sings along with Reckless Kelly and Jason Boland.
February 26, 2016 @ 11:16 pm
Not at all Brian . By all means buy her a McDonald’s hamburger once in a while if she likes the taste and it makes her and her daddy happy . But just about every burger house makes a much better tasting, and arguably more nutritious burger than Mickey D’s . You ‘ll never know how much happier she may be until you let her taste them . We live what we learn .
February 26, 2016 @ 10:06 am
I have a seven year old daughter, and she really loves Maddie and Tae’s album. Just thought I’d mention it because it’s nice to find something she likes that I also feel totally comfortable with her listening to, and that has some tracks I can enjoy as well. Might be worth checking out. 🙂
February 26, 2016 @ 11:17 pm
Amen , Stephanie . Maddie and Tae’s album was one of my favorites in the past several years.
February 26, 2016 @ 10:58 am
Don’t worry …. she’ll probably outgrow it. 😉
February 25, 2016 @ 6:12 pm
What’s more is that “Backroad Song” won’t even help people get acquainted with Granger’s early material (which I haven’t heard but have seen others regard as decent).
That’s the thing about these Texas sell outs, they’re a whole new animal. Why, just the other day a buddy of mine asked if I knew who Granger was, since he’s coming around to a venue near me. I say to him, “yeah, somewhat”. And he goes, well how long could he possibly play? He’s only got the one song!
Perhaps it’s fitting that they can’t go back. Maybe because the artist they used to be is dead.
February 25, 2016 @ 6:38 pm
One other thing that truly bugs me about these “bro country” tyros, Granger Smith included, is the stereotypical cap so many of them wear; it’s practically a fashion symbol, and a generic one at that. But I guess it’s perfect to go along with generic songs about making out with women (usually blondes) that they call “Girl” even if they’re over the age of twenty-one; dirt roads; pickup trucks; faux rap/hip-hop; and having traditional country instruments be barely noticeable under a wall of loud arena-rock guitars.
But the other thing about bro-country that’s bad that few people talk about is how these guys, whether consciously or unconsciously, limit it to really terrible stereotypes and tropes about small-town Southern life–as if they all live like that down there, which I doubt is anywhere near accurate.
This is about as generic as it gets, I hate to say it, but bro-country isn’t dead; it seems to be all too much alive and well, and reports of its demise, to use an old phrase, seem greatly exaggerated (IMHO).
February 25, 2016 @ 7:25 pm
I’ve heard worse. However I’m definitely not digging the song by committee thing though, as usual. This is definitely bro but not as bad as “Burnin it down”, etc. I thought it was ok until a model showed up. Where are Maddie and Tae when you need them.
February 25, 2016 @ 8:05 pm
My biggest issue with him for the past couple years has been that his songs sound like the exact type of music he is making fun of with his alter ego.
February 26, 2016 @ 11:08 am
Yeeeeeeup. I have said it before and will say it again: between Granger Smith and Earl Dibbles Jr., I still haven’t figured out who’s making fun of whom.
February 25, 2016 @ 9:56 pm
That chorus reminds me of Taylor Swift, “We are Never, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever…”
You know the drill.
Oooh, but I hope he doesn’t do the real video in his jammies…
February 25, 2016 @ 10:09 pm
It’s not the worst song I’ve heard but it’s not good. I mean, is there a reason for this song to exist because it’s got absolutely nothing to say and musically sounds like pretty much everything else.
I’m in the wrong business, I should have learned to play an instrument and moved to Nashville to become a session musician. It is probably the easiest job on the planet. Might be boring after a while but you don’t have to worry about pushing yourself or anything.
February 25, 2016 @ 10:19 pm
Just want to defend Granger on the “ditching Thirty Tigers” thing. He and his brother/manager were completely up front with us about their goals for this album, discussed whether those goals could be reached with us, really tried to work things out with us, but they decided they would be best served elsewhere, and they went out and found a deal that met their needs with our complete and utter blessing. They were a complete class act in how up front they were about everything, and we are really appreciative of the time that we worked with them, and I’m sincerely happy for the success that they are experiencing. I can’t say that about every act we’ve worked with. You can think whatever you will about the music, but I can tell you that Granger and his team are excellent people.
February 25, 2016 @ 11:05 pm
Perhaps “ditch” was too strong of a word. I didn’t mean to imply that there was any type of drama or bad blood with leaving Thirty Tigers. The overarching point was to illustrate that that #1 song was the result of things like the “On The Verge” treatment that really have nothing to do with what people consider “Texas country.”
February 26, 2016 @ 12:19 am
Granger Smith is just a country frat boy that only wishes he was a real country kid. Most of his fanbase is a bunch of morons that know nothing about country music, and can be spotted in public wearing camo head-to-toe, spitting cheap chewing tobacco, and driving around lifted piece of shit 90’s Dodge Rams and 90’s Jeeps that are covered in mud because they thought it’d be awesome to rip up someone’s yard with their hunks of shit. In other words his fanbase is a bunch of fake wanna-be country kids, country frat boys in other words that think they are country because they wear camo and have a lifted truck. I saw some of his fans commenting on his facebook asking him to not start making “pop country crap” and keep doing real country music like “Backroad Song”. No joke, I laughed for like ten minutes straight.
Backroad Song is one of the most generic songs I have ever heard. I’m sorry to say but I strongly believe this guy has NO TALENT and he’s about as exciting as a piece of bread….no character at all. I would compare him to Cole Swindell, another talentless idiot that has no vocal range and no real type of talent. However, theres one difference, I actually like Swindell a little bit and would buy his albums, Smith I would not. I’m sick of seeing everyone say “bro country is dead”. No, IT ISN’T. Remember, Florida Georgia Line is still around, and now with Granger ‘country frat boy’ Smith on a mainstream label, bro country is not going to die. Also keep in mind that there are many country newcomers that are making bro country, like that Southern Boy song with Jason Aldean in it and that worthless excuse of a song ‘Fix’ by Chris Lane.
February 26, 2016 @ 12:38 am
Generic bro shit …. unremarkable voice with no character …..obligatory background chanting , no trad instruments , cut time un-danceable rhythm, WEAK melody , no narrative , no movement in the lyric , very little dynamic in the production .
ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR A NUMBER ONE RECORD ON TODAY’S MAINSTREAM ” country music ” CHARTS.
shit
February 26, 2016 @ 8:11 am
He’s such a limited vocalist it’s unbelievable.
February 26, 2016 @ 10:41 am
What’s up with all the hate on people who wear camo or drive trucks?Or calling people hillbilly, rednecks, or country folks? I served my country and do other outdoor things which makes camo and driving a truck comfortable to me. I like my camo baseball cap, and the American flag on it. Does that make me less able to determine good music? How about critiquing the music instead of the stereotyping the fans?
For the rudeness, I am going to post Granger’s new video Merica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb1b0tAR-3s&feature=youtu.be
February 29, 2016 @ 8:22 am
Why? This is because 95 times out of 100, it makes you a poser who is simply trying to latch on to a trend. This is why.
February 29, 2016 @ 11:26 am
I drove a truck long before bro country came along. I live in a farming town. Most people drive trucks around here. Been wearing camouflage since I joined the army in the 80s, though I wouldn’t say it’s an everyday thing. Been listening to country music since my dad played it in his car when I was a kid.
Who are you to judge me?
February 29, 2016 @ 11:58 am
If your story checks out, then my quarrel is not with you. However, it is with all the trendy posers who only say they started listening to country music when it got cool about 6 years ago. Also, I have a problem with “trendies” who all of a sudden wear camo and dip and talk about hunting so they can feel trendy, not to mention buying a truck and getting their parents to pay for the lift kits. But if you are none of the aforementioned, then you are cool in my book.
Oh, and being you were in the army, hopefully you are not one of those who has a wardrobe full of 5.11 “tacticool” stuff and listens to Drowning Pool’s “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor” ad nauseum…..Those kind of people are deserving of a throat punch too!
February 27, 2016 @ 5:39 am
Nice review Trigg. The song reminds me of Old Dominion’s first hit, Break Up With Him. Same sound and same groove with the lyrics. But, at least Old Dominion knew when to stop repeating the lyrics over and over.
February 27, 2016 @ 3:14 pm
Old Dominion is WAY BETTER than this clown. I don’t hear Break Up With Him in this, but i will say one thing most big hits on country radio usually use the same formula, chords, and melody….it’s very easy music to play and not much change is needed from song to song to make it a big hit.
February 29, 2016 @ 8:25 am
Hey Earl Dibbles Jr. I mean Granger Smith. I understand your alma mater, Texas A&M, is in the SEC now. This does not mean that you have to make crappy bro-country music that SEC frat boys looooove listening to. Come on, man. Be original.
June 4, 2017 @ 3:07 am
Texas music is marred by people who cannot and will not ever leave the state and make money making music