Review – Maddie & Tae’s “Girl In A Country Song” on Letterman
Despite their “new kid on the block” status, Maddie & Tae and their timely tune “Girl In A Country Song” are leading the pack when it comes to the anti “bro-country” movement in the mainstream. Though the song has maybe not done as sensational as label owner Scott Borchetta was hoping for from the singing duo, it’s performance so far has been quite solid on the charts for an non-established female act. On Friday the duo stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman for a performance of “Girl In A Country Song,” and Letterman announced on the show that their debut EP will be released through Big Machine’s Dot imprint on November 4th. Unfortunately though, their performance did not live up to the hype this song has been receiving.
From the start, it was clear Maddie & Tae were playing to a pre-recorded backing track. Immediately you were hearing instruments (or non-instruments) that were not present on stage. “Girl In A Country Song,” like so many of today’s “country” hits, starts with an electronic beat. So did their Letterman performance, but there was nothing on stage responsible for it. There’s also other electronic drops like a whistle that have no origination point on stage. And for the record, drummers can be supplied with trigger pads to re-create electronic drum beat sounds in the live context, and this would have been completely appropriate for this setting. Even though it wouldn’t have been very “country,” it would have been better to even have a DJ on the stage adding some of the electronic accoutrements if necessary. Or here’s a novel idea: not have them at all. A side shot of the drummer early in the performance shows an open laptop, so perhaps this is where some of the unmanned sounds were emanating from, but the more likely scenario was most everything was played and mixed at an earlier time.
The other dead giveaway that little to no of the instrumentation was live was an acoustic strum at the 1:27 mark that in no way sync’s up with what we see on the screen. Playing to a backing track is not highly unusual on a show such as this, but it plays right into the hands of Maddie & Tae critics who say they’re not a bro-country alternative, they’re just an alternative version of the same marketing, especially when it was executed so poorly and obviously as it was done in this case. The girl playing the fiddle was also way too over-the-top, flashing her $700 teeth whitening procedure, and generally diverting attention from where it’s supposed to be: Maddie & Tae. This may have not been Ms. Fiddle’s fault and may have been the call of a stage choreographer. Either way it seemed inappropriate to the performance.
For Maddie & Tae’s part, they were perfect when it came to their singing parts, and there’s no indication that they didn’t perform their vocal parts live. Both of these girls are great singers, and this was the one redeeming element of the performance. And ironically, I thought the pre-recorded performance they mimed to was not a bad mix of the song. However I still wish there wasn’t such an effort to doll these girls up so much. I can’t tell you what either of these girls look like in real life beyond the peroxide and poof poof. Their authenticity is being drowned in glitz.
READ: Maddie & Tae Respond to Florida Georgia Line’s Criticism
Though I cautiously root for Maddie & Tae and “Girl In A Country Song,” if they’re going to make it big in country, and in the space vacated by an artist like Taylor Swift who won over America by being the “girl next door” songwriter who wasn’t afraid to bare her flaws, they’re going to have to work less on being perfect, and more on being real.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Down.
September 13, 2014 @ 3:06 pm
I don’t like this song, and never did. First, anyone who wants to release a song criticizing pop country should record something more country than this. New mainstream country acts in general don’t have a lot of credibility on songs bemoaning the state of country music. I think this is a subject better handled by experienced country music old timers. “Murder on Music Row”, Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country”, and even the Dixie Chicks’ “Long Time Gone” hit home. This song doesn’t.
For country music’s sake I hope Maddie and Tae do not fill the vacuum left by Taylor’s departure from the genre. Memo to Kacey Musgraves: This is your big opportunity, don’t blow it.
September 14, 2014 @ 11:11 pm
Radio should make room for this duo, Kacey, Kellie Pickler, and many more talented, proven female country artists. Radio’s old “who will fill Taylor’s old spot or 1 of just 3 solo female spots,” shutting almost all women out of the top 20 after their debut single, and never playing 2 women in a row crap will never get mainstream country music or women anywhere.
http://www.mjsbigblog.com/the-country-radio-climb-how-are-major-labels-serving-new-acts-male-female.htm
September 13, 2014 @ 3:20 pm
Haha that girl playing fiddle cracks me up. She looks so ridiculous
September 14, 2014 @ 12:26 am
1:32 LOL
September 14, 2014 @ 8:35 am
I know the fiddle player. She did NOT have a $700 whitening job as the reviewer claims. That smile is all natural. She is a very down to earth, classically trained, and highly skilled fiddler who was excited for her performance. What you saw was true emotion- genuine joy over performing on stage. It was lovely.
September 14, 2014 @ 9:57 am
Eh, I can see where you’re coming from, but I think if you’re not one of the names on the ticket, don’t try to draw attention away from them and make the performance about you. Try being a little more tasteful and not try to upstage.
September 15, 2014 @ 10:33 am
After the attention Letterman gave her, and the looks that M&T gave, my guess today is that you can call her “unemployed”.
September 14, 2014 @ 11:13 pm
Don’t care how she looks, only how that fiddle sounds and it sounds great.
September 13, 2014 @ 3:28 pm
Their accents… ugh. They are Justin Moore overdone. “Gurrell in Kuntry Sawung”. I live in WV and we have some thick accents here, but no one talks like that in real life.
September 14, 2014 @ 12:05 am
Amen brother! I cringed every time they pronounced “song”. They sound so corny.
September 16, 2014 @ 7:36 pm
Wow how can you think they sing with a heavy accent if you’ve heard heavier? They are from the south and I love their twang. There’s no way it’s fake or exaggerated but they aren’t trying to hide it and that’s good. They sound better than Justin and probably outsing him.
September 13, 2014 @ 3:43 pm
Just as JC noted, these girls really over exaggerate their accents. It reminds me of Jana Kramer or something.
I agree with Trigger on their image. They talk about not wanting to be your typical girl in a country song but they do their makeup and hair just like any girl in a country song. I feel like their image should somewhat reflect the ideas in their song.
I really want to know what else these girls can do. Scott Borchetta said they were signed on the strength of this song, and it’s not even that good. I think he really wanted a new blonde female act to replace Taylor Swift after she decided to go pop. I feel like these girls were just Borchetta’s attempt to replace Swift, minus her distinct songwriting voice.
September 13, 2014 @ 4:21 pm
Oh yes, Jana Kramer… Born and raised in Michigan but somehow manages to have one of the thickest country twangs going when she sings. I would like to add Sheryl Crow to the list as well. She sang for 2 decades without twang but as soon as she crossed over she was Minnie Pearl.
September 13, 2014 @ 6:35 pm
When the Nashville TV show introduced the Layla character, my first thought was it was patterned after Jana Kramer. Plot lines, aside, probably.
September 13, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
Minnie Pearl. Good call 🙂
September 13, 2014 @ 11:56 pm
Interesting example with Jana Kramer. My first thought was that she might be overcompensating for her northern roots and Hollywood actress past.
I think Kramer is a bit like Shania without the marketing muscle – a sexy, dark haired northern girl who has to try to “fit in” to the country scene at the beginning of her career. Mainstream country hasn’t had a big female star who went the hot and sexy route for the past 10 years or so, but Nashville will keep trying and Kramer is their latest attempt at this.
September 14, 2014 @ 4:32 pm
Does anyone else wonder why it’s commonplace for people to assume having a southern accent makes people more “country?” I’m sure it derives from the stronghold of country music being in the south, but the Midwest and the West are just as rural, if not more so. It’s always puzzled me that the south in particular is viewed as being the most “country.” I’m not replying to or disagreeing with anyone in particular, nor am I saying these places are more “country” than the south. Just thinking. It’s the instrumentation and themes, not the accent, IMO.
September 15, 2014 @ 12:07 pm
Frankly, how other people do their makeup or hair is absolutely none of our business. We should just be focusing on the music.
September 15, 2014 @ 12:09 pm
Also, if Borchetta wants Maddie and Tae to replace Taylor, I would think that it is a very bad idea. Maddie and Tae seem to feature a much rowdier attitude than Taylor.
September 13, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
Trigger, I have to seriously question your taste (and sanity) when you describe Maddie and Tae’s vocals as “perfect” and “great”. What the hell is wrong with you?? They are flat and tuneless. Are they the worst singers I’ve ever heard? Not by a dirt road mile but they in no way should garner such praise. And frankly, I’m not convinced that they weren’t singing over a track. They were awfully breathy and behind the beat the few times that the sound dropped away so how they kept up with the music for the entire song is… unlikely at best, a miracle at worst.
And as JC Eldredge already pointed out, those accents. Lord have mercy.
September 13, 2014 @ 4:48 pm
” What the hell is wrong with you??”
I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure it out my entire life. 🙂
Look, this was a pretty scathing review. Don’t jump on the one thing I said positive and act like I’m lauding this performance. It is my job as a reviewer to try and be impartial, and even when I think something is terrible, try to find something positive about it—just like when something is great, try to find something negative about it. I really do think they did a good job singing this song, and it was the most real part of the performance. I didn’t feel like they were flat at all, or off-the-beat in any way. If it was a little wonky, then good. That would be the most real thing about the performance.
” And frankly, I”™m not convinced that they weren”™t singing over a track.”
I’m not sure what this means. It is my assertion that the music was pr-recorded, and they were singing live.
September 14, 2014 @ 6:11 am
I always love your reviews, Trigger! For what it’s worth, I do appreciate you trying to find the good in the bad, or the bad in the good, to try keep things fair and objective. I don’t always agree with your reviews (definitely agree with this one!), but I always appreciate the approach you take and the effort given to each. If I ever feel like you’re being too biased, I just remind myself you were able to find flaws (even if they were little more than just minor critiques) in Sturgill’s albums-takes an incredibly unbiased dude to do that!
September 13, 2014 @ 4:30 pm
I agree with everything Trigger said here. The production really takes away from the point of not being the typical girl in a country song. I just have a quick bone to pick with some of the comments- the ripping of the “fake” accents. With so much wrong in Nashville today, the way someone sings should be the least of our concerns. Sure, Maddie & Tae’s accents are heavier. So is Justin Moore’s. Hank Williams, however, had a twangy accent, about as twangy as someone can get. Listen to Loretta Lynn. She’s straight out of a holler in Kentucky, and her accent shows as much. Country music is a wide net. Performers could come from the panhandle of Florida and not have any semblance of an accent. On the other hand, a performer could come West Virginia just south of the Mason-Dixon and have an extremely heavy accent. I guess my point is just to state that even though some of these mainstream artists can release crap songs doesn’t mean their accent are insincere. There’s a lot to criticize in Nashville, but concentrating on their accents seems a little silly.
September 13, 2014 @ 4:55 pm
I tend to agree about the accents. I’m no Justin Moore fan, but there’s no reason to believe that his accent is fake in any way, or that Maddie & Tae’s are. I think there’s some latitude singers are given to slightly inflect their voice for style. Sometimes it can get out-of-control, and I’ve complained at times about Miranda Lambert doing this. But if you hear her talk, there’s no denying she has a thick Southern twang naturally. Maddie & Tae’s accents didn’t particularly bother me here. They’re from Texas and Oklahoma, and surprise surprise, they sing with an accent. Maybe it was a little overdone, but I didn’t find it out of the ordinary in this performance.
September 13, 2014 @ 5:08 pm
I think our point was, well as least MY point was, that the overdone accents are unnecessary. Having a thick twang isn’t a requirement to be a country singer so I don’t understand why some feel the need to over-exaggerate their accents to the point of sounding farcical. Loretta Lynn has an accent authentic to where she was raised and it never came across as a put on to make her seem more country.
September 13, 2014 @ 6:48 pm
I also have no problem with having an accent, but there is a point where you milk your accent too much. Jana Kramer, FGL, sometimes Blake Shelton, Jennifer Nettles and Maddie & Tae are several that do this. It doesn’t add value to your singing if you have a thick accent, be it southern, British or otherwise. Most people can sing without their accent, whether they’re from the south, New York City, Scotland, Australia or Sweden.
But I would agree, there are many bigger issues in country music than what accent they sing with. The accent I think is sometimes overdone now because it is the one constant signifier today for country music.
September 14, 2014 @ 6:56 am
Indeed a certain amount of license is allowed when it comes to accents. I’m thinking of the scene from The Commitments.
Jimmy: And don’t use your real accents. It’s Ride Sally Ride. Not Roid Sally Roid.
September 13, 2014 @ 7:34 pm
I don’t like overdone Southern accents either, and regularly address them in reviews. However I don’t think you can just assume that just because someone has a think accent, that it is being done purposely for emphasis or to show how “country” they are. No doubt that with some artists, this is probably the case, but since we’ve only heard one song from Maddie & Tae, I’m not sure it’s fair to say their accents are exaggerated. One of the reason’s I’ve made this criticism of Miranda Lambert for example is because the degree of her accent seems to come and go. With Justin Moore, who gets slaughtered by some people for faking it, he’s consistent from song to song, and speaks with a very heavy accent too. Maddie & Tae could very well be turning the twang on. I just need to see a greater body of work to come to that conclusion.
September 14, 2014 @ 8:38 am
It’s weird, I feel embarrassed when I say that I like country music and then Blake Shelton or Luke Bryan perform on TV. For some reason this performance makes me feel almost more embarrassed than watching Luke Bryan. I think, as a general rule, I don’t like country songs that have the word “country” in them.
September 14, 2014 @ 8:39 am
Oops that wasn’t supposed to be a reply, just a comment.
September 13, 2014 @ 6:10 pm
Well, the song is still climbing at Mediabase. It’s just outside the Top 20, so I’d say that’s a pretty decent hit so far.
September 13, 2014 @ 6:47 pm
Maybe Dave will book Melody Williamson next week. You know for some authentic country singing…… Ain’t gonna happen.
September 13, 2014 @ 7:12 pm
The Image : Ya gotta sell , sell , sell it …so sex-em up and let ’em loose. ( See “DONE” by The Band Perry …acousticy, folky borderline trad country band who became sex-ed up pop complete with choreography and pyrotechnics almost overnight . YA GOTTA SELL IT ( Shania , J-Lo , Madge , GaGa..etc.. )
The Song : This song is an inside industry joke that rhymes . No legs whatsoever . Its built to address an “in” music biz concern and NOT to relate to , echo , move or reflect in ANY artistic way the emotional state of a listener . It ‘s clever , its cute …its a novelty song …here today, gone today! There is no memorable chorus or melody . The lyric is congested like Friday traffic on a holiday weekend and travels by WAY too quickly for most listeners to even remotely clue into what its about . Great tune at a guitar pull , writer’s round …terrible song to try to launch a career with .
Maddie and Tae did a GREAT job vocally….looked like they were having fun and seem like real good kids with , hopefully, some better material in ’em .
September 13, 2014 @ 11:44 pm
Albert, you hit it on the head. This song does not relate to regular people, and probably not even to its intended audience. How many women have personally experienced the situation described in the song, of appearing in a country music video and being unhappy about the way she is portrayed in the video? Very few, I think. Girls who listen to bro country listen to it because they like parties, drinking, and boys.
I agree this is not a good song to launch a career with.
September 14, 2014 @ 12:18 am
They have a big ass band for being newcomers. I don’t really like them because I feel like their success has been handed to them on a silver platter rather than actually earning. Know a couple people in Nashville, get a record deal somehow?
September 14, 2014 @ 4:54 am
From their official website:
“On one such trip in February 2013, Maddie and Tae performed for (Big Machine Label Group”™s SVP/A&R Allison) Jones, who had a big piece of advice for them. “She said, ”˜If you really want to pursue this, you will need to move to Nashville”™. I knew that was what I wanted, but moving to Nashville also meant I had to figure out how to graduate from high school early and Maddie had to turn down college,” recalls Tae.”
Maddie made the wrong choice.
That said, they had their shot on Letterman and milked it for all they could. To hell with having to pay dues; they are trying to put as much money in the bank as quickly as possible. They probably know they are a flavor of the month.
And yeah, the fiddle player was over the top, but she made an impression and 95 percent of the people watching at home probably didn’t care that she was over the top. (I’ve played with some very good fiddle players and if any of them acted like that, I’d have a word with them.)
September 14, 2014 @ 8:08 am
Ha! I happened to catch this performance on Letterman Friday night. The thing that jumped out at me was that the girl on the left with the acoustic (not sure who is who) looked to be just waving her hand in front of the guitar and not actually strumming it.
And those “yeah baby’s” during the song made me cringe.
September 14, 2014 @ 11:16 am
Not a fan of the song, sounds like all the songs it is trying to criticize. Now back to listening to Waylon to cleanse my ears. If you want to have a protest song about Country music now, make it sound country not whatever this is. Just my .02
September 14, 2014 @ 12:20 pm
I have a beef with people that play a ganjo, a 6-string banjo that is set up like a guitar. If you want to play a banjo, learn to play a damn 5-string banjo. No shortcuts.
September 14, 2014 @ 11:30 pm
I play both. Mostly standard 5-string. But there are some cool things you can do with a 6-string banjo sound in standard guitar tuning that you can’t really get out of a 5-string in G. I do agree though, that it’s annoying when it’s used just as a short cut to learning.
September 14, 2014 @ 1:41 pm
“Though I cautiously root for Maddie & Tae and “Girl In A Country Song”
I’ve felt the same way since the first time I heard this song. I don’t necessarily like the song, but I like the merit of it. I also agree with what others have said about the best way to fight bro country is with quality music like Sturgill Simpson or Justin Townes Earl, but we all know that their just not getting played on FM radio. You have to start somewhere. With all that being said, I thought this performance was just plain terrible. The fiddle player looked like a clown. The girls sounded alright, but the showmanship just reminded me of the music they’re singing against. I was extremely disappointed to see this performance.
September 14, 2014 @ 2:47 pm
This is like a repackaged rap “battle” where both sides are in on it and it all amounts to just another marketing push. As unscrupulous as it is obvious. That the author knows this — based on his “Scott Borchetta” references — makes him just another cog in the big machine….
September 14, 2014 @ 2:59 pm
Please.
Yes, Maddie & Tae are marketing, but this idea that the music industry is propping itself up by phony feuds is absolute conspiracy with positively no evidence to support it. And if I had any inclining that this was the case, obviously I would not be helping to fuel the flames by posting anything about it. Conspiracy theories are just an excuses by people who want to believe they don’t have the power to change their own destiny.
September 14, 2014 @ 10:50 pm
No this is like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Wasn%27t_God_Who_Made_Honky_Tonk_Angels
At least half the country world is fed up with bro-country due to so many generic copy cat songs and radio overplaying them for so long so this is nothing fake. No one said the other bro-country response songs that have been posted here were fake. We’ve seen in old videos that Big Machine has been planning to sign this duo since long before they wrote this song.
September 14, 2014 @ 10:35 pm
I’d give this at least 1.5 guns up plus extra points just for responding to bro-country checklist lyrics on national TV. I prefer no synthesized music in country but this sounds better than the synth in the bros songs. The focus was on Maddie and Tae most of the time. Can’t we be happy that they prominently featured fiddle instead of criticizing it? Dave even asked about it and I love when country artists have fiddle, steel and banjo players in their touring bands. I love this fiddler and wonder if she played on the studio track. Don’t all TV shows use makeup artists?
September 14, 2014 @ 11:38 pm
As far as the accents go, I also, the first time I heard the song, thought that they were completely faking those accents – or at least exaggerating them – BUT – I myself have a bit of a southern accent that I got from living with my Arkansas girlfriend for 8 years. I’m from San Diego originally, and have lived most of my life in California, Arizona, and now Oregon.
My voice naturally changes depending on what I’m singing. Especially if I’m singing country or blues – the accent really comes out. I’m not intentionally forcing it at all – it just happens. I can’t even forcefully prevent it. It just is. Knowing I’m a Californian though, to someone who didn’t know any better – I guess it could easily sound like I’m faking it.
If I was to try singing bro-country though, I doubt any accent would come out. Maybe my Justin Bieber accent, but not a southern accent…
September 15, 2014 @ 5:42 am
I’m not sure that I agree on the abundance of premixing. There are SEVEN gaddam instruments on stage. Add a couple effects pedals and several drum pads and I think it is very realistic to achieve that sound live. Although I’ll certainly agree that the “rapid strum” guitar sound (that she blows at 1:27) is either an electronic percussive effect or a prerecorded guitar track that does not emanate from that guitar.
If you’ve seen Rush live, you’ll know that a few people can make a very big, complex sound. And this music is not nearly as complicated as Rush music.
Funny, too that while we’re all piling on the inorganic elements of this performance, we’re making fun of the aesthetics of the only person that is quite clearly actually playing an instrument. I wonder if we would be so critical if it was a male fiddle player.
September 15, 2014 @ 12:23 pm
What a freakishly stunned looking band, this fucking bullshit isn’t Country. Is this supposed to be the new image of Country music?? If you want a banjo sound play a fucking banjo. Dancing around to this complete utter bullshit dumbass fucking shit music!!
Review – Maddie & Tae’s Self-Titled EP Reveals More of Who They Really Are | Country Perspective
November 10, 2014 @ 9:00 am
[…] They hurt their standing with the traditional country crowd even more when they had that sub par performance on Letterman back in September too. I didn’t want to pass judgment on them based on one song, especially […]