Randy Travis Playlist Does a 180 – Adds Cody Jinks, Joshua Hedley, +Others
When the Randy Travis camp initially launched his official Spotify playlist a few weeks ago with five songs which did not seem to embody the style of music Randy plays, or the spirit with which he’s approached his music for decades, Saving Country Music (and others) went apoplectic. Five current singles from mainstream 2nd string artists such as Walker Hayes made it seem like the fix was in and this was just another way to drive streams to certain artists, despite subsequent assertions these selections were coming from Randy Travis himself.
Whether it was our vehement protestations, or simply patience revealing a more balanced perspective, the recent additions to the Randy Travis Spotify playlist have done a complete 180, and deserve recognition, if not outright praise.
Where the playlist started with an initial class of Walker Hayes, Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina, Brett Eldredge, and Luke Combs, now the playlist is started off by “Hippies and Cowboys” by Cody Jinks of all people. Joshua Hedley is also on the list with his latest single “I Never (Shed A Tear)” from his upcoming record Mr. Jukebox on April 20th. The most recent single from staunch traditionalist Shane Owens called “Lie” also makes the list.
Even some of the mainstream additions are from a much better lot. Scotty McCreery’s “Five More Minutes” was a highly-regarded recent #1 song on country radio. “Boy” by Lee Brice is one of the better songs released in the mainstream in years. And the Joe Nichols version of the old Don Williams classic “Good Old Boys Like Me” also makes the cut.
There’s also some more unsavory stuff, but hey, this isn’t any of our own individual playlists, so it will never be perfect. But to see some recognition flowing to some of the good songs in the mainstream, and some of the good artists in the independent ranks who too often get ignored, is a dramatic turn in the right direction behind an iconic name in country music whose approval behind a song or artist means something much more that it ever will from you or me.
So here’s to dramatic improvement. If your local radio station’s playlist looked like this, we wouldn’t have nearly the reason to complain.
Except for Walker Hayes. He’ll always be a turd 🙂 .
The New Randy Travis “Diggin’ Up Songs” Spotify Playlist:
- “Hippies and Cowboys” – Cody Jinks
- “Junkyard” – Heidi Raye
- “I Never (Shed A Tear)” – Joshua Hedley
- “I Lived It” – Blake Shelton
- “Lie” – Shane Owens
- “Five More Minutes” – Scotty McCreery
- “Hurt Good” – Jame Dupre
- “Boy” – Lee Brice
- “Losing Sleep” – Chris Young
- “Good Ole Boys Like Me” – Joe Nichols
- “Heaven” – Kane Brown
- “The Long Way” – Brett Eldredge
- “You Broke Up With Me” – Walker Hayes
- “One Number Away” – Luke Combs
- Doin’ Fine – Lauren Alaina
April 4, 2018 @ 10:25 am
If Country Radio always looked (and sounded) like this, people like me wouldn’t be so up in arms every day.
But speaking for myself I’ve gotten to the point where “Country” radio might play 1 Country song in a 24 hour listening period and it might not even be one I’m overly fond of.
That said, I will admit to originally tolerating some Luke Bryan. Heck I even liked one or two songs of his and wouldn’t have minded the stupid “Shake It For Me” as much except I got tired of constantly hearing it and songs like it at the expense of variety.
and when push came to shove I pushed back hard and decided there wasn’t going to be room in Country Music for Luke Bryan AND me to coexist and that meant he had to go.
It’s a case of overexposure and constant repetition.
steady drips of water will wear away a stone.
I didn’t even mind Blake Shelton until he started taking aim at me on the television.
and I think a lot of people are in the same boat, one in which we might have been more open-minded to some of the newer pop Country if it weren’t so overexposed and repetitive and constantly been part and parcel with people forcing us to choke it down because there wasn’t room for the old style anymore.
My first exposure to the debate in Country Music was an old man I admired a lot who got me into Hee Haw and he made the comment that “it’s not Country Music to me” and I parroted that because I was young, and I remember hearing the 2009-2010 “Country” Music and remembering myself thinking “well that’s not very smart” and it wasn’t it was just silly, especially compared to the Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings I was discovering in High School. I really didn’t grasp the debate and its complexities until I stumbled on here (mostly because I hated Sugarland and didn’t think they were a Country Music band)
April 4, 2018 @ 11:07 am
Fuzzy strikes again!
April 4, 2018 @ 5:10 pm
Trigger is merely the opening act…
April 5, 2018 @ 5:34 am
And yet still probably just 1.0 Fuzzies on the scale for this one (creds to Corncaster in Musgraves media mockery post). Relatively speaking, this rant is tame. Dobros and elbows!!!
April 4, 2018 @ 1:10 pm
Dori Freeman should be on any list like this.
April 4, 2018 @ 1:41 pm
Great improvement for sure. Thanks for sharing. Having said that, I would like to see a Trigger Official Spotify playlist!
April 4, 2018 @ 4:04 pm
He has one! It’s called The Current Saving Country Music Playlist and he updates it regularly. It’s awesome.
April 4, 2018 @ 4:34 pm
https://open.spotify.com/user/savingcountrymusic/playlist/7mfYm0btgVvLXdeC7wiV7K?si=t6GLQ5qIQgWPCMtYpsMp6Q
April 4, 2018 @ 5:51 pm
You’d said you were trying to put a SCM playlist on Apple. Any progress?
April 4, 2018 @ 10:07 pm
It’s there! Been for a while thanks to Country Exclusive.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/saving-country-music-top-25/pl.u-xWE3tp3y91W
April 4, 2018 @ 1:47 pm
This is an improvement, but it’s hard to believe that Randy Travis would put the Kane Brown and Walker Hayes songs on his playlist. The thing that is a pain in the ass about playlists like this is that they are too diverse in a bad way and force you to interact and skip the crap like You Broke Up with Me, instead of just kickin back and letting the whole thing play (which I can do with the SCM playlist for instance).
April 5, 2018 @ 7:23 am
It’s not made for you. It’s Randy’s picks, not Randy catering to Clyde.
April 4, 2018 @ 2:17 pm
dont thro yur sholder out pattin yur self on the back trigg
April 4, 2018 @ 3:41 pm
aww well hell trigg I reckon u shud go on in do it yur doin a reel good job savin the country music n all we appreciate ya boy
April 4, 2018 @ 3:59 pm
Personally I think we should all acecept the fact that the Walmart Yodeling Boy effect is already in full swing.
April 4, 2018 @ 4:32 pm
Please let this become a name for a thing.
April 4, 2018 @ 2:26 pm
Randy Travis, and others, can recommend all they want. It won’t make a bit of difference me. I’ll listen to what “I” want to listen to. Period. If said “others”, or Randy Travis is offended. Tough.
April 4, 2018 @ 3:51 pm
Yeah, take that you meddling playlist makers!!
April 4, 2018 @ 5:01 pm
LOL….
April 5, 2018 @ 7:24 am
What a prick
April 5, 2018 @ 10:02 am
LOL….. who? Randy Travis? List makers? Me? If me, please elaborate why?
Do you feel anyone (you included) should let others tell others what to listen to? Do you feel your opinion (or Randy’s or Triggers) will change my mind? Do you think it makes a difference- to anyone? Except obviously anonymous posters- LOL
April 5, 2018 @ 10:19 am
Why would we listen to other peoples opinions if there is no chance that they may change our minds? Don’t you come here to have your mind changed somewhat?
April 5, 2018 @ 2:04 pm
No. I come here for Saving Country Music. Once in a while there is an album or song to listen to that I’ve not heard of and I become ‘informed’ at which point I make up my mind. I’ve yet to be convinced to like something/somebody I don’t/didn’t. Matter of fact, I don’t care for the majority played here, but I do like Triggers writing.
April 4, 2018 @ 4:18 pm
SCM comentatter of the YeAr
LiL dALe’s spotify playlist:
1. Meant To Be
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
2. Most People Are Good
Luke Bryan
3. Heaven
Kane Brown
4. Singles You Up
Jordan Davis
5. Up Down
Morgan Wallen Featuring Florida Georgia Line
6. Outlaw In Me
Brantley Gilbert
7. The Weekend
Brantley Gilbert
8. Body Like A Back Road
Sam Hunt
9. My Girl
Dylan Scott
10. God, Your Mama, And Me
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Backstreet Boys
April 4, 2018 @ 4:55 pm
1 skynyrd
2 rossington collins band
3 blackfoot
April 5, 2018 @ 5:49 am
Tell ’em, Lil Dale! Take no shit, brother!
April 5, 2018 @ 10:10 am
Musbe lil dales altar eago. themz mae bee kuntry bois, but themz wrokkers. dat shit ain kuntry!
April 5, 2018 @ 3:01 pm
Ronnie was a country artist with a rock n roll backing band. Everybody knows that. I expected more out of you, Jack Williams. Thought you were a scm hall of famer in waiting, now I just don’t know.
April 6, 2018 @ 5:50 am
I don’t know about everbody, Lil Dale. Pretty sure Ol’ Clint didn’t feel that way, for starters.
April 4, 2018 @ 5:09 pm
That’s more like the Luke Bryan arm glistening session playlist.
April 5, 2018 @ 5:46 am
What? No Sugarland or Jennifer Nettles? Come on, man.
April 4, 2018 @ 4:41 pm
So you say that there is at least a small chance that the complaining about the original playlist may have made someone pull the trigger on the change in direction of the new playlist. But you say that Randy Travis’ name recommending something has more pull than this site.
I’m gonna need to see the math on this one.
April 4, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
I’ll never forget the look on Randy’s face after Adam Lambert finished singing Ring of Fire lol
April 5, 2018 @ 10:50 am
I like Adam and all, but I had the same look on my face. Was that a sitar?
April 4, 2018 @ 6:11 pm
what I wouldn’t give to be able to ‘hear ‘ what some of the REAL country artists think when they listen to mainstream radio these days . joe nichols , george , AJ ,randy , mark chesnutt , gene watson , willie ( well …we know what willie thinks….he’s written songs about it )…not to mention , of course , loretta , lee ann womack , patty loveless etc…. you just know that THEY know they came along at the right time and had amazing careers because they DIDN’T forsake their hard-earned and respected fan bases by ignoring the traditions .
in any case I hope some of them are able to have a good laugh at the shit that passes as country music and the artists that CLAIM to be singing it in these times.
April 5, 2018 @ 1:55 am
Hippies and Cowboys I can dig. As for the rest of it well…..not real sure.
April 5, 2018 @ 10:51 pm
Boy-you gonna…you gonna…you gonna
Boy, you should learn your English, you shouldn’t speak Ebonics.
April 6, 2018 @ 1:23 pm
Much better.
Although Heaven, One Number Away, and especially You Broke Up With Me will always, always, ALWAYS be shitty songs.
Hippies and Cowboys, Boy, Doin’ Fine, Five More Minutes, and especially Good Ole Boys Like Me are solid offerings.
April 6, 2018 @ 1:24 pm
And I Lived It. Good song, even if Blake is a bit of a prick.
April 6, 2018 @ 9:03 pm
Joshua Hedley just came on my radar last night. Does anyone have a media link?
April 9, 2018 @ 2:49 pm
Was this list really compiled by Randy Travis? I don’t do “Spotify” so I don’t know much about it but it seems incredible that Randy Travis would compile any kind of “playlist” without some legendary country artists still making great music or classic vintage country tracks on it unless he was forced to pick solely from new material by newer artists.