Jake Owen: Country Needs More Than “Tailgates & F*ckin’ Cups”
Yet another big name country star is speaking out about the current state of country music. This time it is RCA Records’ Jake Owen who is out promoting his new single “Days of Gold” ahead of the release of his upcoming album of the same name December 3rd. On that album is a piano and pedal steel-driven ballad called “(We All Want) What We Ain’t Got,” and when talking to Rolling Stone about the song, Jake said:
“We need more of those kinds of songs in [country music]. “We need more songs than just songs about tailgates and fuckin’ cups and Bacardi and stuff like that. We need songs that get ourselves back to the format that made me love it . . . [like] when guys like Randy Travis released songs like ‘He Walked on Water’ songs that meant something, man!”
Jake Owen is referring to the current trend amongst mainstream country males to depend on very obvious and simplistic songwriting formulas that simply refer to artifacts of country life, known to their detractors as checklist, or laundry list country songs. His reference to “cups” may be a specific dig at Toby Keith’s recent hit “Red Solo Cup.”
Jake Owen joins a growing chorus of artists decrying country music’s current direction, including Alan Jackson, Kacey Musgraves, Gary Allan, and most notably Zac Brown who recently called Luke Bryan’s current #1 single “That’s My Kind Of Night” the worst song ever. But as it has been asserted about some of the other recently outspoken country stars, Jake Owen’s criticisms seem like a case of the pot calling the kettle black, and certainly even more so than that case could be made about Zac Brown or Gary Allan.
Jake Owen acknowledges he’s not always been the deepest of performers in the same Rolling Stone interview, saying, “I’ve definitely had moments in my career where I’ve released songs that were not necessarily the most, you know, in-depth-written song, or maybe it was a party anthem. I wanted to start adding more validity to my music.” But a few seconds into Jake’s current single “Days of Gold” and you don’t hear validity, you hear hypocrisy compared to his recent statements, however much substance the other songs of his upcoming album might have.
“Long truck bed hop in it, Fire engine red like her lip stick
Out here we can let it go, But just me and my good friends
Jug of wine little sip, Out here baby you just never know”
There seems to be little or no trouble for country music’s stars to spy the problem of constantly calling on the same tired formulas for hit radio singles, but they don’t seem to be inclined or empowered to do anything about it. It’s very likely Jake Owens’ new album will include songs with more depth, just like many of the albums of country’s top male stars do. But in a music world dominated by singles, song downloads, streams, and viral videos, it is unlikely the public will hear them en masse as they will a song like “Days Of Gold.”
Pot, meet kettle.
October 13, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
Sounds like it’s becoming a trend to talk crap about the direction of country music now. :/ As if it helps their country credibility.
October 14, 2013 @ 8:40 am
I agree completely.
We will soon be hearing the same thing from Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
I don’t mind “list songs” if they are written and sung by someone who has experienced the country lifestyle.
These poseurs are another matter, though.
October 13, 2013 @ 5:04 pm
Hes such a douche. Hes just another pretty boy with marginal talent.
October 13, 2013 @ 5:04 pm
I own 2 of Jake’s albums and I think he’s a very talented young man who respects the traditions of country music. I just wander how much say artists have in the music they record these days? It’s almost like the record executives tell them if they want to be famous they have to sing what they want them to sing. Chris Young is another example of a more traditional country artist who on his last album added one or 2 of these “Tail Gate Songs” almost like he’s being forced too.
October 13, 2013 @ 5:19 pm
I don’t know where to be with an artist like Jake Owen. I agree he can put out some deeper songs, and there’s stories of him hanging out in the parking lot after shows with his fans and being a really cool, down-to-earth guy. I tend to think he’s probably a pretty good dude, but whether he has some executives’ hand up his butt playing puppeteer or he’s purposely putting songs out like “Days of Gold” to pad his bank account, I can’t tell you. But he seems to be trying to have it both ways here, and that is very difficult to do.
October 13, 2013 @ 6:59 pm
Jake, Chris, Luke, Blake, etc. probably have to do what their labels tell them and labels control their music to some extent. Big labels might tell artists something like “If you want airplay you need to make that song more pop.” Montgomery Gentry said they left Sony because they wanted them to do things that didn’t work. I really can’t imagine them doing pop songs and I’m sure they’d be terrible. When Billboard’s Bill Werde said country is going pop, that said labels and maybe radio are behind it. Big labels and radio own pop, rap and country labels and stations. Nelly is on the same label as FGL.
THE REAL DEAL (the truth about the music industry)
http://www.bombhiphop.com/newbomb/bombpages/linernotes.html
October 15, 2013 @ 10:42 am
You haven’t heard “Titty’s Beer” by Montgomery Gentry, have you? I’m a huge MG fan, but that song was a slap in the face to mediocre country pop, much less the real stuff. I defended them in the comments on this article, but the SONG is atrocious.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/montgomery-gentrys-tittys-beer-a-rant
October 15, 2013 @ 9:48 pm
I know about Titty”™s Beer and was shocked they cut it. Every week it seems we get a new craptastic surprise song from the men. Labels pushing country artists to go pop and chase bad trends makes the music much worse since most country artists don’t do pop or rap well. Is there a fast song drive thru where they all order generic party song combos?
October 15, 2013 @ 11:43 pm
YEP!…the 16th Avenue Drive Thru.
October 13, 2013 @ 8:11 pm
Two? More like half the album.
“A.M.” is the single most disappointing release by an established artist with measurable talent this year, in my opinion. “Aw Naw”, “A.M.”, “Hold You To It”, “We’re Gonna Find It Tonight”, “Lighters In The Air” and “Nothin’ But The Cooler Left” all sound written-by-committee. Like what you expect from a Jason Aldean album. Young blows Aldean out of the water with vocal strength and he has proven he can elevate otherwise banal, forgettable material into something somewhat enjoyable. With “A.M.”, though, those moments are fewer and further between.
“Neon” was quite a disappointing album too, but my issues with that album were a bit different than they are with “A.M.”. I felt most of the songs on “Neon” faltered because they lacked a distinctive point of view and could have easily been performed by any solo male artist. With “A.M.”, Young still suffers from that same dilemma and, in addition, is marred by ridiculously loud production on too many tracks and intelligence-insulting lyrics.
October 13, 2013 @ 5:04 pm
I understand that country music is making a change, and while I don’t agree with MOST songs on country radio, I do believe that if you can look past an artists “radio singles” and look deeper into their music you WILL find good heartfelt music. Today I listened to “Lightning” and “Those I’ve Loved” by Eric Church and was reminded that a lot of people hate the guy for a couple pop-country style radio hits, but it’s NOT all that they’re about. There is still such a thing as good country music being made today
October 13, 2013 @ 5:32 pm
I agree. You take most any huge country superstar, even Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean, and somewhere on their albums is a deep, meaningful song. But what’s the point if nobody is going to hear them? Just to point back at them and say, “Hey see! I’m an artist with integrity!”?
October 15, 2013 @ 11:52 pm
Way back when,…yup, in my younger days…I would hear a good song on the radio and say to my self, “self, you oughtta go out and buy that record”. I sure as hell didn’t hear a disc suckin’ bad song and think…”Gee, I wonder if there’s any good stuff on this album”! I hate to steal a qoute, but…”Wake Up America!”.
October 13, 2013 @ 5:52 pm
When is the last time you heard a good shuffle on country radio. You know, twin fiddles, crying steel, walking bass. Everybody is saying how bad country is today and we all know it but how about stepping up to the plate and delivering real country music. Not hip hop bullshit with the word tractor and beer in it. Music you can actually dance to …… Vince and Paul just demonstated the fine work of Buck and Merle on Bakersfield now if we could bring that hardcore music back to the mainstream….boy what a world that would be and the rest that are doing the beer truck girl shit can form their own genre like pussy-country or something like that………….
October 13, 2013 @ 6:14 pm
I don’t see any hypocrisy in his interview, because he acknowledges that he is part of the problem. I’m sure there are a lot of musicians in Nashville who came in with the intention of playing real country and got swallowed by the Music execs. I honestly can’t fault them, and to be honest, if I were in the position where I had the opportunity to make millions of dollars and be a star, I may have done the same.
I don’t see any of the individual artists as the problem, rather just symptoms. And when one of them is honesty about their shortcomings, it makes me think more highly of them. Certainly much higher than Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton attacking anyone who says the obvious.
My guess is that now that Owen has a few #1 hits, he feels like he has a little latitude to make his own music.
That being said, his attempt at serious music fails. Taken for what they are: cliche summertime pop country songs, Barefoot Bluejean Night is a pretty good song, and Days of Gold isn’t terrible.
However, I listened to his attempt at a serious song with “(We All Want) What We Ain’t Got.” and it was mediocre, and frankly not really that country.
October 13, 2013 @ 7:04 pm
“I”™ve definitely had moments in my career where I”™ve released songs that were not necessarily the most, you know, in-depth-written song, or maybe it was a party anthem. I wanted to start adding more validity to my music.”
*
Owen is still sounding hypocritical because he isn’t fully owning up to the fact almost all of his single releases to date, as well as the majority of his album tracks, pander squarely to a lower common denominator. Moments? More like marathons.
“Alone With You” was the only single off of his most recent album that had a shred of depth to it at all, and even then was marred by tedious overproduction. Prior to that, he released “Eight Second Ride”………….by far among the worst singles I’ve heard to date on the format.
If Owen is serious about “adding more validity to his music”, then he needs to start walking that walk and release “(We All Want) What We Ain”™t Got” (assuming it’s even as good as he’s making it out to be) and similarly more substantive fare after the title track runs its course. Otherwise, all of his credibility is spent in my mind.
October 13, 2013 @ 7:36 pm
Do you expect him to say “my whole career is a shame and all my songs suck”?
I’m not calling Owen a hero or anything like that for his statement. But I’m glad he said it.
October 13, 2013 @ 8:03 pm
No, of course not.
But he could have said something along the lines of “Up until this point, I’m willing to be the first to admit I’ve been playing it safe. I just wanted to do what I needed to do to get myself out there and get some radio hits. Now that I’ve done so, I’m ready to dig a little deeper and take my career to the next level!”
That would have been an honest way of capturing where he has been and where he may be going.
October 13, 2013 @ 8:12 pm
I’m glad he said it too, and I think this is a really important point to make about what Jake Owen said. I also agree with Noah that it could have been different or come from a better person, but anytime anyone speaks out like this, it stimulates discussion and helps spread awareness about what is happening in country music. Jake is a huge artist. It’s not unreasonable to think that in the coming years he could be one of the top 5 males in the genre. This quote shouldn’t be taken lightly.
October 13, 2013 @ 6:38 pm
“We need more of those kinds of songs in [country music]. “We need more songs than just songs about tailgates and fuckin”™ cups and Bacardi and stuff like that. We need songs that get ourselves back to the format that made me love it . . . [like] when guys like Randy Travis released songs like ”˜He Walked on Water”™ ”“ songs that meant something, man!”
Amen to that! In other words Jake wants less shallow, narrow party songs. So tired of the pop, rap and party songs that sound the same. Bring back the unique, varied songs. Jake’s cups reference could also be about “dixie cup” songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnWUPCe_86c
Drunk On You beats the crap out of That’s My Kind Of Night though.
Chris Young’s Aw Naw is the latest party song with Bacardi and he’s on the same label as Jake.
The track list for Jake’s new album has tailgate party writers but I haven’t heard those songs so I don’t know what they are about.
October 13, 2013 @ 6:57 pm
The very moment my retinas met this headline, I was ready to tear Owen a new one for his utmost hypocrisy; considering his current single “Days of Gold” is replete with the same summer laundry-list song descriptors of iced cold beer, barbecuing, a baby by his side, old dirt roads and bumblebees…………..with a video that shamelessly plays to the generic obsession with bikini babes, cruising and water sports.
Then you have an upcoming album of the same name that includes in its track listing titles like “Beachin'”, “Life of the Party”, “Tall Glass of Somethin'” and “Tipsy”. Add to that the fact Dallas Davidson’s DNA is smothered on the writing credits of two songs, Ashley Gorey on three and Luke Laird once more elsewhere and he is setting himself painfully close to shredding all authenticity.
*
At the utmost VERY least Owen is somewhat self-aware that his career to date has lacked depth.
Even though he got four consecutive #1 hits off of his most recent album “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”, I still think it was a fluke for two reasons. Firstly, despite every one of its releases becoming chart-topping hits, the album only sold 435,000 copies to date (or less than 110,000 units per single, which is rather weak for an established chart staple). Secondly, with the exception of the title track, every other single failed to reach the Top Forty on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Alone With You” reached #41, “The One That Got Away” reached #51 and “Anywhere With You” reached #46). That suggests, in a day in age where music has become so demographic-heavy in how it is marketed and produced, that Owen has weaker-than-average appeal (so far) within and outside the genre, compared to Luke Bryan (who regularly takes his singles to the Top Thirty now), Jason Aldean and even Randy Houser.
Those three successive singles are going to be forgotten quite soon. I’m not even convinced Owen has found his signature hit yet despite “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” reaching #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It still seems like he’s struggling to find an identity as an artist and just comes across as a bit scattered and confused. Maybe he genuinely does want to go against the grain more, but he’s still doing so half-heartedly as long as he is putting out songs like “Days of Gold” and hooking up with the most paint-by-numbers songwriters.
October 13, 2013 @ 8:49 pm
While, I applaud Jake Owen, Damn I never thought I’d say that, for his actions, I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to just bag on everyone else, or jump on the Anti- LB wagon. I don’t think you can say the same for Gary Allen, or Zac Brown, but yeah, Honestly I wish he’d stayed quiet on this one.
October 13, 2013 @ 9:23 pm
Just to put it out there, Days of Gold was originally written and recorded by The Cadillac Three, formerly The Cadillac Black.
October 13, 2013 @ 10:12 pm
This from the man who brought us that wonderful, deep, meaningful, insightful song…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UpMX1OLlwq0
(I actually like the song, but it’s a pointless fun/party song, and at least a spiritual predecessor to the crap out there now, including his own.)
October 13, 2013 @ 10:22 pm
While I agree with Jake Owens’ statement, he has absolutely ZERO room to be making it. He’s just as guilty as any other number of so-called country artists for using the “Country Music Crib Sheet” to make sure he hits all of the high points to sell records.
I don’t imagine his handlers and image people are thrilled with him saying something like this, as this sort of drivel is what he’s based his mediocre career on so far.
Look, I love classic country and traditional country as much as the next person, but I’m not so naive as to think the genre doesn’t need to evolve. The problem is that guys like JO are coming in, being packaged by corporate, and using a bunch of overlapping themes (tailgates, trucks, drinkin’) set to rock lite beats to sell a shit-ton of records and hedge their bets on country and pop radio. Honestly, country is no more guilty of this than any other genre of music these days, but they’re certainly more blatant about it in some ways. The overall product is crap, in many cases, but it’s kinda stupid (and unfair) of guys like JO to start pissing all over the formula that they’ve milked to hobble other artists, even if the other artists are delivering sonic turds. So JO, you don’t like the formula that made you money to be used by others to do exactly the same thing? Well, that’s just too damn bad!
Really, when Fake Owen starts to deliver solid, consistently good music, then he can pontificate on the state of his “beloved genre” (and I say this with sarcasm, obviously). Until that time, Jakey, shut the hell up and don’t bite the corporate hand that feeds you, or they might just Curb Records your silly ass. Remember that album you just cut for us? Oh, well, we’ll release it in three years…..
October 14, 2013 @ 12:48 pm
Some “wisdom” from yours truly! 😉
*
“We went ridin’ around rockin’
To the sound of a country boy can survive
And I knew then she was my kinda girl
‘Cuz she was singin’ every single line
Then she slid on over put my hand on her shoulder
And I asked her what she wanted to do
She said, ‘It really don’t matter where we go
Just as long as I’m ridin’ with you.’
She said, ‘Hey boy, do you mind taking me home tonight
‘Cuz I ain’t never seen a country boy with tires on his truck this high!’
I said, ‘Climb on up but honey watch the cup that I spittin’ my dip inside
And hold on tight ‘cuz it’s gonna be wilder then any eight second ride.'”
*
October 13, 2013 @ 10:34 pm
As much as might want to credit Owen for his comments I find it hard when he continues to work with a producer like Joey Moi who has produced the abominable FGL(along with others) and cut his teeth producing Nickelback and Hinder. If Owen wants to back up his comments how about working with people that are more likely to produce the kind of material he claims is missing.
October 13, 2013 @ 11:37 pm
Hadn’t heard this song in a few years and I didn’t realize it was by Owen.
Interesting how in this song, he sings
“I know a place down the road,
The girls are hot, the beer is cold. ”
While in Barefoot Blue Jean Night he says
“Back down a country road
The girls are always hot, and the beer is ice cold”
A lot of depth.
It’s also worth noting, while Yee Haw isn’t particularly raditional, it sounds a lot more “country” musically than most of his recent stuff, he has a pretty southern accent, and he is dressed like a country singer, while in his more recent stuff he has no accent and dresses like Beach Bum.
October 14, 2013 @ 1:19 am
Never heard of him.
October 14, 2013 @ 8:44 am
I personally have nothing against Jake Owen and I think he’s had some good songs. Plus, he does more for his fans than 99% of other artists, underground or mainstream. But the way I read it is that he does realize he’s part of the problem and now that he’s releasing the new album / single with songs that are part of what he’s criticizing it appears that he’s realized it but the album is done and there’s really nothing he can do about it now and it wouldn’t suit anyone well to trash their own album before it’s released.
October 14, 2013 @ 8:58 am
I wish he would find a really good shampoo…the lank locks leave me listless.
Please wash your hair again, Jake.
His hair detracts from his great career. 😛
October 14, 2013 @ 10:19 am
We can go back and forth all day long about “worst country song ever” but his “8 second ride” is so bad, it makes ME feel embarrassed and ashamed. On top of that, the video is worse.
October 14, 2013 @ 4:07 pm
Barf! I had never seen or heard of that song and man, what offal. Why that song did not make the worst country song ever list is beyond me. I need to listen to the extended Waylon Live album to get that tripe out of my head.
January 17, 2014 @ 1:08 pm
I agree, I just heard that song on the radio and specifically searched the internet to gripe about it. It’s so stupid, I kept thinking it was gonna be a joke or something. Jake Owen is a obviously a puppet who sings what he is told and has no credibility as an artist.
October 14, 2013 @ 5:11 pm
While everyone bashes Jake for every little thing possible, one thing that isn’t recognized is that he is hands down the most generous artist when it comes down to reaching out to people who idolize him. Also, while everyone talks about how “country” something is or isn’t, why don’t we stop getting so caught up in the genre thing and just listen to the music? I love Waylon, I love Cash, but just because an artist doesn’t have the exact same sound as them doesn’t mean that it can’t be a good song!! there’s a ton of modern day songs that reach out to me in a way most other music can’t, same goes for a lot of classic songs as well. Being a songwriter, when people ask me what kind of music I play/write, I never give it a genre, I just say “I write the kind of music where I get home from a long day at work and put pen to paper and sing it and hopefully it makes someone feel something”…I realize it’s hard to get past the fact that the genre is changing, but nobody is going to hate you for admitting that you like a song that was made after 1980
Happy Thanksgiving from the great white north!
October 14, 2013 @ 8:09 pm
Blake Shelton get away from the Computer..
October 14, 2013 @ 8:14 pm
you had a couple hours to come up with a better insult than that, to a comment that doesn’t even say anything negative towards anyone or anything?
P.S. Blake Shelton isn’t from the north he’s from Oklahoma…
October 14, 2013 @ 8:34 pm
I doubt Blake Shelton could string together an articulate thought like that without a cheat sheet, twenty rehearsals, and a Twitter account.
October 14, 2013 @ 8:31 pm
Look, Jordan, while people may be bashing JO for “every little thing possible”, buddy does not deliver in the most important area – THE SONG! He continuously churns out tripe.
While it’s admirable that he’s “taking a stand”, it’s an idiotic move on his part. His music is mediocre, and really, that’s all that matters at the end of the day. I could give two craps less about his looks, his charity work, or if he visits his Grandma every Sunday. When he engages in speaking out about music, he, and everyone else, needs to expect that music will be the focus. I respond to this basing my criticisms on HIS MUSIC, nothing else. For that reason, I find Jake Owens and all his apologists to be grasping at straws. They are, in essence, admitting that he’s churning out crap, and making excuses for his material. I mean, cool if you want to make a buck in the music business, but let’s be honest about how you make that buck, alright?
And I DO love your answer to people when they ask what genre you write for. A good song is a good song, no matter the genre. Best of luck to you in helping turn the country genre back into a genre with some heart and soul, not simply just a genre that works on a stereotypical checklist of cliches through your songs. The simple fact that a songwriter reads this site gives me some hope.
October 14, 2013 @ 7:14 pm
Jake does look like a hypocrite for speaking out against the direction country radio is going but I think it is safe to say that Jake probably doesn’t have musical control of his career. He has probably been given the ultimatum that if he doesn’t do what they want him to do there are thousands waiting in line behind him.
I am from an hour away from Vero Beach his hometown and saw him before he had a hit. Jake is an extremely nice, charitable guy. A lot of his new songs suck but he is very down to earth and humble, it comes from his upbringing, citrus people/farm people. Jake is probably one of the few country artist that actually knows something about farming and ranching.
Todd Villars
October 15, 2013 @ 8:54 am
I’m not sure where I stand with this guy. You can say that maybe he has no right to talk, but maybe it’s not by choice. If you look back at his first couple of albums, he had some fairly decent songs. They got some airplay, but honestly I thought “Tell Me” was one of the best country songs out that year and I think I heard it on the radio once. Yeah, you can say that he sold out to get famous, but it’s his career. The record label is like his boss. If he is told he has to put out shitty music so the record executives make money, then that’s what he has to do.
I know there are tons of artists who say screw it and make their own path. and I really respect those artists you are willing to do that. But maybe this is him saying, Yeah, my music sucks, and I want it to change. If you look at his first two albums he wrote or co-wrote almost all of them. He only wrote one single song on Barefoot Blue Jean Night. So maybe he isn’t the best candidate for country music, but I don’t think that he wants it that way. He’s probably saying that he wants to be able to put out country music that actually gets played
October 15, 2013 @ 9:52 am
Jake Owen is a HUGHE hypocrite – he was one of the most vocal and strongest critics of Tom Petty after he made his recent remarks about country music. Sorry Jake – I am not buying what you are selling!
October 15, 2013 @ 11:36 am
These remarks could be seen as a result of the Tom Petty criticism. In my opinion the best thing that can come from criticisms from other artists like Tom Petty or Zac Brown is for someone like Jake Owen to take a closer look at his music and see what everyone on this site sees. Hopefully we see something better from him in the future.
October 15, 2013 @ 9:21 pm
Ah yes! How did I forget about that?
https://soundcloud.com/siriusxmmusic/highway-hang-time-tom-petty
Jake’s got some splainin to do.
October 15, 2013 @ 10:36 am
Jake Bacon Rind Owen…scary to bite the hand that feeds you.
October 15, 2013 @ 6:11 pm
This guy trashes other people for doing the same things that he, turns around and does. He’s just a liar plain and simple.
October 15, 2013 @ 8:18 pm
Well, there’s a simple formula. Get them to sing about their lives or to shut the hell up.
October 15, 2013 @ 9:24 pm
Isn’t this the same guy who spoke out about tom petty’s comments on the state of country music???
October 16, 2013 @ 7:47 am
I just found this website, so forgive me if this has already been said before about “laundry list songs”. Hasn’t country music always been accused of repetitive lyrical content? Forty years ago instead of talking about tailgates and Daisy Dukes artist were talking about ex-wives and how the only woman who loved me was momma. Nothing has changed all that much in Nashville. I”™ll give you an example.
In 1969 Coal Miner”™s Daughter and my personal favorite Coat of Many Colors were written. It is basically the same theme about a subject of growing up poor but proud. Both are remarkable songs, but they essentially tackle the same subject matter. I”™m guessing if some of you were writing about country music in 1969 you would say that these songs were generic variations upon a theme of poverty or some pretentious hogwash and disregard the writing as baby lyrics. So spare me the drama about the death of Country Music.
October 16, 2013 @ 9:55 am
Forty years ago did 90% to 100% of the country radio top 10 consist of songs that were nearly identical due to sharing the same writers? Don’t think so and those forty year old songs are now classics that blow away the tailgate party trend songs. Also none of the forty year old songs suffered from bad lyrics, synthesized pop music, pop production, and rapping. Don’t compare Dolly, Tammy and Loretta to that junk and insult them with it. I’ll listen to any GOOD laundry list song. Does anyone have a list of the country radio top 10 from 40 years ago? I’d like to see it and compare to today’s top 10.
October 16, 2013 @ 10:16 am
In regards to your comment about 90% of all Country songs are written by a few songwriters. It is not at all uncommon when you look at the history of music that a select few songwriters have dominated the charts. The majority of pop hits in the sixties were written by Linda Rodstadt or Neil Diamond. What you are seeing now is not a new trend.
I am sure 40 years from now my grandkids will look back at our present music and say, “there are no good bands anymore like the old days when Florida Georgia Line were rockin!” My major issue with independent music is all these songwriters trying to sound like Dylan with their nasal tone and whining lyrics. It’s as bad as the tight T-shirt singers going on about drinking and driving.
October 17, 2013 @ 10:10 am
I said 90% to 100% of the country radio top 10, not all songs. No one would have a problem with the same few writers hogging the charts if all those songs were great and varied. Some artists are drinking from the same well too much. Until the last year or so songs on country radio were a lot better and country. Now country is going party rock and pop, an inferior genre I dislike and the reason I listen to country. Like Jake said we need songs that get ourselves back to the format that made me love it. Women are making and releasing many of those songs to radio but radio isn’t playing them.
October 17, 2013 @ 6:27 am
Owen’s new one is louder than a Metallica song and filled with the same kind of hillbilly fratboy references he seems to be decrying here. This isn’t Gary Allan or Zac Brown, with a sound that is influenced by or veers a little towards rock or pop but has legit country sound on the majority of their songs. But it’s also not Justin Moore claiming to be the last bastion of real country music either. Not sure what to make of this, honestly. Put your money where your mouth is, Jake.
October 17, 2013 @ 4:58 pm
Remember when Jake Owen had a southern accent in “Startin With Me”?
October 19, 2013 @ 2:01 am
Just got home from seeing Jake Owen and Jason Aldean….never again! Jake Owen started rapping in one of his songs. The crowd looked like a bunch of college frat boys with cowboy hats on… and most of them were singing along to Florida Georgia Line in between sets. One of the most disgusting things i’ve ever experienced.
October 20, 2013 @ 8:02 am
Lol, might wanna write an article on Scotty McCreery too, he has a song called “Something More” on his new album calling out truck and beer songs. You were mentioned in a great entertainment weekly write-up by the way, Trig.
http://music-mix.ew.com/2013/10/01/country-music-identity-crisis/?curator=MediaREDEF
October 24, 2013 @ 8:57 am
https://twitter.com/jakeowen/status/392871246221697024
Another sign Jake knows what’s best and wants to make better country music but can’t because he’s tied to a big label pushing pop?
November 16, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
the single he puts out after that comment…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwgCBRj3dn4&feature=player_embedded
December 6, 2013 @ 9:59 am
Jake is finally combing his hair and those lank locks look better. 😀
March 12, 2014 @ 12:32 pm
As the Geezinslaws said: ‘You call it country, I call it bad Rock and Roll’.
August 18, 2014 @ 7:37 pm
First of all, I am a 68 year old female. I grew up with a Dad that played guitar and mouth organ and sang country songs. I listen to pop country music, I might be old but I really like Jake Owen, his song Beaching might not have a lot of depth, but it makes me smile and feel like dancing, it’s a happy song. Just because the new country singers, male and female don’t have the nasal and twang voices of older country artists, doesn’t mean they can’t sing country songs that sound great. It’s not for me to judge how they want to come across in their careers, they are the ones that have to decide what is best for them. The interview was very good as far as I’m concerned, I think he spoke from the heart, not trying to justify himself to anyone, by his statements, but how he thinks (his words, not us on this blog) and feels about country music. I am a big fan of Miranda Lambert, she does seem to have more old type lyrics to her songs, Blake Sheldon, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown, and a lot of others, I listen to have songs I like, some not so much, but I don’t bash any of them unless they do something totally ignorant. I smile when I hear the song, Wagon Wheel, by Darius Rucker, it makes me dance around the room and sing along with it. I think some of the worst critics of Jake Owen, maybe are a bit jealous that he is young, good looking, seems to be comfortable in his own skin, and looks like he’s enjoying life, so don’t dislike him for it. To all I say, if a song comes on you don’t like, you have the option to change or turn it off, and quit whining!!
March 23, 2015 @ 11:45 am
I just saw this this is so completely ridiculous it’s unreal there is absolutely nothing country about fake Owen and the hypocrisy on display here is mind blowing …. And for the elderly poster above its Shelton not Sheldon and neither he nor his second wife he created with are country either both of them are pop singing poseurs too lets keep it real people
March 23, 2015 @ 11:49 am
Cheated with created was supposed to be cheated with fake was married to a schoolteacher when he sang a song with duh ran duh they both had stars in their eyes hooked up and dumped the wife real classy
March 23, 2015 @ 12:17 pm
Joke Owen was never “hot” to begin with he looks like a preteen poseur boy with his cromagnon forehead wannabe hippie locks and huge s______ eating grin at least now he cut the fake as____ do little girls are forced to really see what’s underneath maybe now they’ll evaluate his pop music too
Two shotguns down