Saving Country Music’s Worst Country Albums of 2015
As an addendum to Saving Country Music’s Worst Songs list, 2015 necessitates we also single out some of the worst albums released in 2015. Take note that in most years, such a list is not necessary. Not that there aren’t bad albums, but even when you’re speaking about country music’s worst offenders, many actually release fairly decent songs on their albums. Take Luke Bryan’s 2015 Kill The Lights for example. It’s not a good album by any stretch, and includes some of the worst songs released in 2015. But believe it or not, the 2nd half of the track list is not as terrible as one may suspect.
Many of country music’s worst artists didn’t release albums in 2015. Sam Hunt, Jason Aldean, Chase Rice, Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell, and others spared us this year. That also means we’re likely to get new albums from these dudes in 2016, but it generally thinned the herd for who could release bad albums in 2016. But still, the permeation of the new Metro-Bro trend caused some of the most terrible, most non-country albums to be released in the genre’s history. Where someone like Luke Bryan will spare listeners by at least trying with a few songs, artists like Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett, and Brett Eldredge, include one R&B-inspired abomination after another.
READ: 2015 Nominees for Saving Country Music’s Album of the Year
Old Dominion – “Meat & Candy”
There’s not a single song on Old Dominion’s new album Meat and Candy that shouldn’t have been aborted in the womb. This is the type of material professional songwriters throw together to crack themselves up in writing sessions to lighten the mood. But in an utter breakdown in the system, it somehow found its way completely unabridged onto a record, encompassing the entirety of the material from cover to cover, and offered with the hopes of being taken seriously by idiots whose first introduction to country music ever was Luke Bryan.
Old Dominion is the music people with $700 cars with $7,000 rims paid for with a payday loan listen to while they work at the prepaid phone kiosk in a pawn shop. I’ll give them this: Meat & Candy is about the perfect title for this audio abomination since it offers nothing more than an artery-clogging sugar rush with no nutritional value for the listener whatsoever. (read full review)
Chris Young – “I’m Coming Over”
Look, Chris Young has a tremendous head of hair, seems like a super swell guy, and heretofore has never done anything to run afoul of Saving Country Music for any particular reason. But man, listening to this record was like the most non-listening experience ever. That’s about the only way I know how to put it. It’s not that this album is bad necessarily, or wrong. Those things would still be senses one feels and would raise the pulse, even if it was adversely. And that’s not what’s going on here. I didn’t think you could get more generic and Wonder Bread than Cole Swindell, but Chris & Company have figured out how. At least Cole Swindell is so lily white it gives him some modicum of character and uniqueness. With I’m Coming Over, there’s no character at all.
The lyrics of I’m Coming Over are incredibly whitewashed with cliché, beset with predictable turns, and fall back on often used default hooks. It’s like a living compendium of popular country love song tropes. The vocals are so aggressively pristine and perfect, it’s jarring. Not a speck of dirt, or a drop of sweat could ever be gleaned from these recordings. (read full review)
Thomas Rhett – “Tangled Up”
The hubris, the insult of calling Tangled Up “country,” the effrontery to the institution and the brazenness of the act are unparalleled, and start country music down a brambled path towards a terrible demise where it can’t define its own borders or distinguish itself from the rest of American music. For the first time, we ask the question, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” and cannot give ourselves a reassuring answer.
A product of nepotism and an incarnated machination of the Nashville machine, Thomas Rhett doesn’t possess particularly impressive songwriting skills. Rhett has not ascended to his station in music from the strength of his vocal prowess or musicianship. Thomas Rhett isn’t especially pretty or charismatic, or artistically talented as a performer. Thomas Rhett’s ultimate gift is his ability to relinquish his free will unconditionally, suppress any and all inclinations to express himself artistically in anything resembling an original form, and allow producers to do their worst with his name and likeness as their fully indentured economic vehicle, with the ultimate result being capital acquisition on a grand scale. (read full review)
Easton Corbin – “About to Get Real”
2015 has been especially sinister in how it has turned the knife in the heart of steadfast country fans by making turncoats out of what used to be the last vestiges of substance and country roots in the mainstream. Where Bro-Country was at least compartmentalized, in 2015 it is sell out or shut up and go home. Virtually nobody has been spared a bite from the “commercial relevancy” bug, and you can now add Easton Corbin to the list of the infected.
About To Get Real is Easton Corbin going fake, no matter how much steel guitar you slather on the chest wound he leaves in the trunk of his core listeners. Yes there’s steel guitar, and a twang to his voice. There’s also Easton giving Florida Georgia Line a run for their money for the amount of times he says “girl.” There’s also a song called “Yup” (and yup, it’s bad). About To Get Real evidences the modern resignation to rhythm at the expense of lyric and melody, and does so through unfortunate dalliances with electronically-generated sounds. It’s also about as laundry list and “Bro” as it gets. It’s Easton Corbin turning in his pearl snaps and T-shirts for a metro tie. (read full review)
Brett Eldredge – “Illinois”
We have entered a new era in country music where the ambitions and influences an artist shows up to Nashville with are patently irrelevant, and all that matters now is finding a seat at a shrinking table and making whatever concessions one must to secure your spot. It’s a cutthroat version of musical chairs, with the participants most willing to sell out the hardest having a distinct advantage, though nothing is guaranteed. As the window shrinks, the prospect of jettisoning your entire image, sound, and principles, and still just being one of many vying for attention who gets lost in the shuffle while losing whatever fan base you showed up with, are very real.
It’s not that this R&B style of “country” is remarkably worse than its Bro-Country predecessor. Truth be known, it’s probably degrees more palatable. But it doesn’t make it any less offensive in the way it flies in the face of truth in advertising. Illinois would be a much more natural fit in four or five other genres before you would get anywhere near country. I fail to identify one song on the entire album that would be considered to have even country leanings. (read full review)
Dishonorable Mention:
Eli Young Band’s Turn It On EP
(Note: This list only includes albums reviewed by Saving Country Music)
December 9, 2015 @ 9:59 am
Did Sam Hunt not release an album this year? I legitimately don’t know. I would have just expected it to be on here. And didn’t Luke Bryan release his? Of the 30 seconds of the one song I heard from it, I’m assuming it wasn’t good.
December 9, 2015 @ 10:09 am
No, he didn’t. “Montevallo” was released in 2014.
See above for comments on Luke Bryan.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:15 am
Did that win worst album of the year last year?
December 9, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
I didn’t run down the worst albums last year. This is the first year I’ve done it.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:18 pm
Explains why I couldn’t find it then
December 9, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
My mistake; I didn’t read the intro.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:43 am
Trigger reviewed Bryan’s album.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-luke-bryans-kill-the-lights
It “only” got 1 3/4 guns down, because its has a couple decent album cuts despite his horrifyingly, disgustingly terrible singles.
December 9, 2015 @ 10:24 am
Funny, Rolling Stone Country had Thomas Rhett and Old Dominion in their top 40 albums of the year. Their perspective, along with journalistic integrity, must really suck.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:14 am
LOL! That list was a joke, and not a very funny one. Kelsea Ballerini AND Thomas Rhett ahead of George Strait, the Turnpike Troubadours, and Jason Boland and the Stragglers. They would have been better off just listing the albums in no particular order as opposed to ranking them.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:45 am
Kip Moore at #6, Chris Janson #17, Kid Rock #18 really chapped my ass. Who did they have to sleep with to get on that list?
December 9, 2015 @ 2:08 pm
Yeah, the Kid Rock inclusion was almost as big a WTF moment as what I mentioned. I didn’t hear anything off that album, but I feel pretty comfortable saying it was most likely at least nothing to write home about as far as its quality as a country album goes. Kid Rock has been just that disappointing.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:17 am
Their top 10 was pretty good I recall. And they will alway have to fill in lists with at least some portion of mainstream music so it’s not all that surprising. I don’t know how they can justify having Turnpike Troubadours all the way at #36 and Thomas Rhett be much higher though.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:42 pm
Or how about Kelsea Ballerini ahead of Lindi Ortega? But hey, I suppose I should be glad that Lindi was on the list at all.
I think from #22 down was quite good, with maybe a handful or so of exceptions. And I mean the albums included, not necessarily the rankings. I think all of the top five were solid albums. And that includes the Eric Church album.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:34 am
Don’t know what #1 was but I’m sure as hell happy that Hold My Beer vol. 1 hit #7 on Rolling Stone.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:43 am
Jason Isbell at #1.
December 9, 2015 @ 4:13 pm
My apologies I didn’t see the list yet
December 9, 2015 @ 5:16 pm
No issues! Love Hold My Beer, too.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:03 pm
Eh, it’s a mainstream rock magazine. They probably put everything outside of the Top 15 into a random order.
In that Top 15, the only people that are notably too high are Kristian Bush, Kip Moore and Eric Church (Cam’s debut album could be great, for all I know). Moore and Church both released good rock records (I could even buy an argument for slotting Church in the 14-20 country range), and they are, again, a rock magazine.
The Rolling Stone’s lists always suck, but this really wasn’t especially offensive.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:14 pm
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this. When Rolling Stone Country doesn’t include Whitey Morgan’s Sonic Ranch, or Cody Jinks’ Adobe Sessions, then, yeah, it is offensive.
December 9, 2015 @ 3:14 pm
Again…mainstream rock magazine.
December 9, 2015 @ 5:42 pm
Perhaps, but when RS Country was getting started, they made a BIG deal about having a presence in Nashville, being in tune with all things country. Massive fail on their part.
December 9, 2015 @ 4:03 pm
Thought the same thing. I had moments where I thought: (1) that record isn’t even country; and (2) in addition, it is horrible. I also had moments, for instance, where I thought “Damn — John Moreland at no. 13 — at least they know who he is.” Good to see Moreland noticed on any mainstream list. Would think I’d died and gone to heaven if I got to see one of those shows on the Isbell/Moreland European tour next year . . . . .
December 9, 2015 @ 8:16 pm
Ask UVA about Rolling Stone’s journalistic integrity.
December 9, 2015 @ 10:29 am
I disagree about the inclusion of “I’m Comin’ Over”. It’s dreadfully boring from front to back and we know Young is capable of so much better, but it just doesn’t merit inclusion among the very worst either.
Same with “Illinois”. It’s more insulting to the intelligence to those who already know Eldredge is capable of so much more as he proved with songs like “Raymond” and “One Mississippi”, but it’s just frustratingly below average.
Everyone else deserves inclusion for sure.
Here’s mine:
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1: Old Dominion: “Meat and Candy”
2: Chris Lane: “Fix” (EP: Hoo boy, will you be in for quite the rant when this eventually reaches your ears! -__- )
3: Canaan Smith: “Bronco”
4: Luke Bryan: “Kill the Lights”
5: Easton Corbin: “About To Get Real” (I’m ranking this above Thomas Rhett because we know he is better than this, and yet has constantly lowered himself further and further to the most shallow of trends and tropes. There is NO excuse for “Damn Girl”, “Guys and Girls”, “Just Add Water”, “Yup”, “Baby Be My Love Song”, etc.
6: Thomas Rhett: “Tangled Up” (You KNOW it has been a brutal year in the mainstream when this somehow pops in at #6 instead of the top spot! -__- )
7: Eli Young Band: “Turn It On” (EP)
8: RaeLynn: “Me” (EP)
9: Alabama: “Southern Drawl”
10: Gloriana: “Three”
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*****Biggest Disappointments*****
Mainstream: Zac Brown Band’s “JEKYLL + HYDE”: Not a bad album certainly, just a very frustrating one when we know they’ve been capable of much more with its two predecessors. Brown’s tycoon ego this go around hasn’t helped matters and has soured what really is an album with its impressive moments nonetheless marred by questionable attempts at mainstream appeal.)
Outside the Mainstream: Jason Boland & the Stragglers’ “Squelch” (I expect beer bottles to be thrown at me for this one. No, it’s not a bad album by any stretch and I do admire their attempt at candor and rawness. But the end result is such a choppy and hit-and-miss album that is bogged down by hot air without that much purpose to it. Admittedly I prefer nuance in my songwriting and, thus, I’m almost never a fan of polemics. Needless to say, they’re too much of a distraction from solid musicianship and a handful of standout tracks. Again, “disappointment” is the key word. It’s obviously much better across the board than almost anything in the mainstream as of late, but it doesn’t change that I know they’re better than this.
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December 9, 2015 @ 11:33 am
Switch Easton Corbin with Brett Eldridge and your list is pretty accurate
December 9, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
Easton Corbin’s album pissed me off, while Brett Eldredge’s let out more of a long, sad, exasperated sigh.
At least Eldredge was never hyped up to be the next neotraditional wonder and worthy successor to George Strait like Corbin was in releasing his solid (if short of great) debut album. I get that Eldredge is, unfortunately, a product of the Nashville songwriting machine as evinced by the best tracks being cut and/or over produced for “Bring You Back”.
With Easton Corbin, I’m much less sympathetic. He has allowed himself to devolve era to era where he had a chip on his shoulder initially. And I consider his album the worse of the two.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:04 pm
I am with you on the Boland album, I was really disappointed. From a lifelong fan starting in the late 90’s when they first hit the Stillwater scene, this was one of my least favorite albums from them. I have always been able to count on basically every album they have released, but this one just did not do it for me, it was almost like they were trying too be hard to be raw.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:18 pm
I’m glad you can see my point was made candidly in good faith, and you’re not clamoring: “You take that back! How dare you rate his album among the worst!”
That’s why I separated biggest disappointments from the worst category. Because I think it’s important to address efforts that, while not bad, left a lot to be desired. And Boland left the most to be desired among the most anticipated non-mainstream country releases of 2015. Plenty of solid musicianship and I can applaud Boland for never half-assing anything with his raw passion. The songwriting and long-term appeal was just lacking on too many tracks. But I get why others would beg to differ.
Lindi Ortega’s album, honestly, was the second greatest disappointment of 2015. Still pretty good, all things considered. I just thought she had the momentum to produce her best album yet at her back, and instead I thought her latest was a pleasant effort that nonetheless won’t be remembered as an essential listen like “Tin Star” and earlier efforts.
Don Henley’s “Cass County” runs away easily with my Biggest Surpassed My Expectations kudos of 2015 honor. I knew he would produce a respectful, genuine effort unlike many other performers known for hitmaking in other genres, but his album blew me away and is my fifth favorite country album of 2015.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:56 pm
My biggest disappointment was the Turnpike Troubadours. It’s growing on me, though, so I think the disappointment will lessen somewhat in time. I do love The Bird Hunters and also the two old songs, which I didn’t know.
I don’t think Lindi’s latest is such a disappointment. Not quite as good as Tin Star, but still good enough to make my personal top 10. I was more disappointed in Ray Wylie’s and Corb Lund’s latest, but even then, disappointed feels like too strong a word. It’s just that I clearly liked their preceding albums a lot better. Loved them, actually.
Eric Church is my biggest surprise. I was firmly of the “he’s such a posing tool” mindset and then he goes and makes an album that I thoroughly enjoy.
I finally bought Cass County yesterday, along with the Alabama Shakes album. Haven’t sat down with them yet.
December 9, 2015 @ 2:01 pm
You’ve had a presence here for a while, Jack, I will be anxious to hear what you think of Cass County. I’ve enjoyed reading the feedback on this project. For me, one of the best releases of the year.
December 9, 2015 @ 2:13 pm
Thanks, Scott. I’ll be sure to weigh in. I have almost bought it on numerous occasions and then didn’t, for whatever reason. Took the plunge at the Walmart yesterday.
December 9, 2015 @ 2:26 pm
I wasn’t disappointed by the self-titled Turnpike Troubadours album. It just doesn’t attain year-end best album list caliber. That, and from a broader career standpoint, I just don’t see it having the same essential punch as “Diamonds & Gasoline”.
I felt Ortega’s album to feel too transitory to my ears. You can’t go wrong with her vocals any day, but it was noteworthy seeing her continue to shift stylistically further from country gold to more of a general singer-songwriter vein outside of genre confides kind of like Neko Case has after “Blacklisted”. By that I’m meaning to say the quality is still there, but the production is blander and thus leaving results that aren’t as essential.
Oh, give “Cass County” a listen when you can! =)
December 9, 2015 @ 1:57 pm
I’m surprised nobody talks about Fix. It’s one of the most confused, sloppy, cliche, and alarmingly inhuman album around. Here’s a game: find one thing on the EP that isn’t completely assaulted by an unnerving amount of electronic elements.
I’d add Cole Swindell’s new EP as well, it’s the same rehashed garbage he tends to push, this time even more generic.
December 9, 2015 @ 2:06 pm
Errrrr, I did! 😉
It’s #2 on my list. Just sayin’
December 9, 2015 @ 10:36 am
Sad, considering I once thought Chris Young, Brett Eldredge, and Easton Corbin were taking country in a positive direction. You can tell Easton’s “bout to get real” though cause he put on a tie with his denim jacket. SMOOTH.
Is that first one a Blink-182 album?
December 9, 2015 @ 10:50 am
I said the same, exact thing on Twitter in reference to Blink 182
December 10, 2015 @ 2:34 am
I think Chris Young is about to get real himself. He has been chasing a number one album for awhile, he tried going bro-country with AM and it still didn’t get number one, this new one finally did. So now he can go back to his Neon day’s and before. That is where he was at his best. But I’m Comin’ Over is growing on me, not a bad album, but I understand the critic.
December 10, 2015 @ 2:28 pm
And I’d rather listen to Blink, at least they have some personality.
December 9, 2015 @ 10:54 am
As an aside, these record companies also need to take a serious look at their album art. The photos on these albums are all rather creepy, in that Chester The Molester sort of way.
December 9, 2015 @ 10:57 am
I haven’t bothered to listen to Old Dominion – mostly because like the new Kid Cudi album, I’d like to pretend this year could go out on a high note – but I don’t think I’m going to find a record that depressed and infuriated me than Thomas Rhett’s ‘Tangled Up’. He’s a thieving hack who made some of the worst musical abortions of this year, and it’s tied with Rae Sremmurd as one of the worst albums I’ve ever had the misfortune to cover.. in 2015. I’d listen to Miley Cyrus, Cole Swindell, Lana Del Rey, and Chase Rice over his offensive dreck.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:19 am
I absolutely agree, and if it seems like I’m going easy on Rhett when his album is “only” #6 on my Worst List, it’s by no means a backhanded endorsement but a sobering reflection of how unprecedented a terrible year it has been for mainstream country/’country” music.
Trust me: try and avoid Chris Lane at all costs, along with Old Dominion’s album.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:56 pm
Chris Lane is opening for Dustin Lynch this winter and I saw the show a few weeks back. Dustin was great, but Chris Lane was another story.
His set was heavy on early 2000s pop covers and there was nothing remotely country about him. Later in the show, Dustin brought Chris back out onstage for a few cover songs and Chris had to read the lyrics to “Check Yes or No” and “Indiana Outlaw” from a piece of paper….but he had a completely choreographed dance routine identical to NSYNC during his rendition of their hit”Bye, Bye, Bye.”
December 9, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
Chris Lane: “Now wait a minute, man! THAT’S George Strait, the guy I always hear other country guys goin’ gaga all the time over in their songs? Man, he’s so boring, dude! Do I HAVE to sing along to this?”
Dustin Lynch: “Look, Chris, we have to prove our street cred to the country world by playing a couple songs every show that are all twangy and s***! Yeah, Chris, we’re doing this!”
(Chris Lane fidgets irritably with twitching)
Chris Lane: “…….aaaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh, why can’t it at least be “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”? At least that twangy song was catchy and s***!”
Dustin Lynch: “I hear ya! But shut up now and take my lead!”
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December 9, 2015 @ 3:51 pm
Chris was opening up for Florida Georgia line a few years back. I figured he was catering to that sort of rap loving country crowd. I tweeted him I liked their stuff at the time but I came to see a country show. When they tried to do country it wasn’t half bad. I’ve not given him a listen since, doesn’t seem like I’m missing much.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:15 am
Easton Corbin cd not that bad but the others are terrible. Kristen Ballerini cd is not that great.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:23 am
Kelsea Ballerini was spared from my list because, as a POP album, “The First Time” is actually fairly decent with a number of songs that have surprising nuance like the title track, “Secondhand Smoke” and “Stilettos”.
Definitely fails as a “country” album, though. And she has picked the worst, horrid tracks for the singles thus far except for “Yeah Boy”.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:23 am
Why do they have to turn country into R&B? Why can’t they just start calling themselves a different format? I recommend the term “Douche Music.” Then country radio can actually play real country. Country can actually be country, and douche music can be considered something different. That way everybody who likes douche music gets to listen to it to their heart’s content, the people who make the music can make a lot of money, they won’t have to worry about folks ranting about them not being country, and real country fans are happy that this isn’t considered anymore and country is now finally worth listening to. Everybody wins.
December 9, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
Because douches don’t negotiate with people who love music! They spare no one! =P
December 9, 2015 @ 2:27 pm
I would love to hear the radio station promos. “All douches, All the time!” “We’ve got the hottest new music by all your favorite douches!”
December 9, 2015 @ 11:25 am
This is the most harsh list I’ve seen. My list would be lead by Chris Lane and definitely include Alabama.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:38 pm
I almost put Alabama here, but that album actually had a few decent songs, just like (gulp) Luke Bryan’s. Not a good album by any stretch, but the above ones were the ones I considered not have a truly good song from cover to cover.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:34 pm
You raise a good point about Alabama, and I can understand where you are coming from.
With me, “Southern Drawl” pissed me off more as a whole than either “I’m Comin’ Over” or “Illinois” did. The fact it even had a couple good songs actually pissed me off more because you KNOW they could have taken all that warm nostalgia and tributes, as well as lengthy time out of the spotlight, and produce a much more essential comeback album of relative quality. Whereas with Young and Eldredge, it’s essentially hoping they’re at least part for the mainstream course.
I figure Chris Young is perfectly content settling for being the Daughtry of country radio at this point, and Brett Eldredge to be country radio’s ambassador for bland soul-pop. But while Alabama has always been more adult contemporary than anything, I do expect more from them than “Southern Drawl”. And that’s why they made my list over Young and Eldredge.
I get what you’re saying, though! =)
December 9, 2015 @ 2:26 pm
I’ll add that I think Alabama generally sounds its best when Cook is playing fiddle. I did see the band perform this fall. Their current drummer is a guy my aunt’s family has known a long time. My brother was in the school band with him, but several years younger than him. He’s a good guy, by all accounts.
I must admit laughing to myself a little when the “video boards” at the Alabama concert started out with taped bits of interviews with Bryan, Aldean, and FGL all singing Alabama’s praises. I thought about my friends on this page and what funny comments they would make.
December 9, 2015 @ 11:35 am
Easton Corbin shouldn’t be on there in my opinion. Fill that spot in with Kelsea Ballerini or some other clown. Easton is still one of the good guys.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:12 pm
I cut Easton some slack on “Baby Be My Love Song.” Despite the stupid lyrics, it still had his warm vocals and pretty damn organic production for a song with “buzz in my dixie cup” in it. There’s no apparent autotune or other machiney sounding elements, and it sounds pretty country. It feels like he still tries, and cares, even with lesser material, so I’m rooting for him to return for form.
He kinda lost me on “Yup.” …I mean really? We already had a “yep yep” and a “yeah,” there just isn’t room in my heart for a “yup.” I still might check out the album from curiosity though. The man’s got a sweet voice.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:41 pm
This is not a list of artists, it’s a list of albums. I think Easton took a really bad turn with “About To Get Real,” and the fact that we know he’s capable of better arguably makes the listening experience worse. It may be the least worse album here, but it’s still not very good, in my opinion.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:44 pm
If he were one of the “good guys”, he wouldn’t be lowering himself to the most shallow (and considerably outdated by now) trends of the Nashville songwriting machine. Especially when his sophomore record “All Over The Road” was a commercial failure and, itself, relied on the most interchangeable fluffy love song cliches.
A “good guy” would easily dissect those poor sales figures, understand digging deeper is key to your long-term fanbase cultivation, recalibrate and produce material that’s true to yourself that doesn’t even have to abandon radio appeal.
Instead, he and his management repeated the mistakes of “All Over The Road” and doubled down on disposable trend-chasing.
And for what? Even lower sales and failing lead and third singles (the second succeeded at radio but was a weak seller)
December 10, 2015 @ 5:55 am
Easton’s first two albums were great albums. Very traditional and strong lyrically. You don’t like “All Over The Road” but songs like “A Thing For You”, “Only a Girl” and my favourite song of his “Tulsa Texas”, are absolute gems.
For some reason you like Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Eldridge but hate on Easton. Doesn’t make sense.
December 10, 2015 @ 7:28 am
I’ll take your word on it regarding his first two albums, but that’s irrelevant to this discussion. And Nadia just laid out very clearly what her problems were with this particular album. All I know is the song in the video included in Trigger’s review. If your man really did make two solid country albums before this album, then he really sold out hard on that song.
December 10, 2015 @ 10:51 am
Interestingly enough, my criticism of Easton Corbin is what pinches the most nerve out of all recording artists. I’m not sure how many times I’ve summarized it here and on Country Perspective and formerly the Pulse Music Board, but basically it comes down to this.
Easton Corbin was hyped up everywhere at the time of his arrival in having a voice strikingly like George Strait’s and drummed up being a worthy baton-wielder for the neotraditional country community. I thought his debut single “A Little More Country Than That” was lyrically shallow, but had some appeal for the warm production and his vocals.
Then I heard his debit album. It was by no means one that blew me away, but quite good in my opinion in terms of the production and vocals primarily. The songwriting was a bit light in my opinion, but I figured being a debut album, I couldn’t complain much there and we’d have some deeper follow-ups.
Then he released “Lovin’ You Is Fun” as the lead single to his sophomore album. Again, pretty lightweight songwriting but very likeable all the same and thought: “I’ll take it! I’m sure the album will be better too!” Alas, I was very disappointed when I listened to the album and happened upon tracks that were overly lovey-dovey banality across the board with production that, while holding true to some neotraditional influences, was done so in a rather bland, autopilot form.
Now, he has devolved further with outdated bro-country songwriting choices, and even the production is caving into generic sonic trends, on “About To Get Real”. Seriously, “Like A Song” is the only track remotely worth listening to on the album, but even that is distant from the quality of “This Far From Memphis” or “Leavin’ A Lonely Town” from his debut (I agree “Tulsa, Texas” is the standout moment on his sophomore album.)
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Which summarizes my issue with Corbin as a whole and why he pisses me off compared to most mainstream male country artists this past decade: his ceiling is higher, but he insists on selling himself shorter. He had a chip on his shoulder and did a bare minimal to take advantage of it.
And when you look at his singles to date, there is an utter lack of depth between them. Honestly, as much as Luke Bryan deserves all the heat he gets for having no substance in his singles discography to date, Easton Corbin’s record is just as abysmal. He may have the style and voice, but he doesn’t have the substance. He just comes across as a shallow trend-chaser in terms of choice songwriting themes and tropes. Proving your country credentials? Check! A beach song? Check! A slew of songs about how “crazy” your girl makes you feel? Check! A song comparing your girl to a drug of choice?
……….uh oh, your label called, Easton! They say you’re slipping! =P
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I dislike Eldredge’s new album overall, and I also resent that Ballerini’s album is being marketed to country when it clearly isn’t.
It’s funny you mention Eldredge, because I think both he and Chris Young are having Easton Corbin-problems in terms of career management and failing to truly put their strengths on full display. Chris Young, incidentally, pandered to bro-country with “A.M.” just as Corbin is doing now…………and it obviously didn’t do him much in favors commercially so he has since distanced himself from it in pursuit of other trends.
And I don’t like “Illinois” as a whole. But you know what? I’m admittedly more merciful with Eldredge than with Corbin because I never saw anyone hyping him up to be the next baton-carrier for traditional country music and trying so hard to emulate that style but with a lack of identity and substance otherwise. Eldredge is more someone who demonstrated he can write songs but nonetheless caved to the Nashville songwriting machine as a willing accomplice, but at least doesn’t carry larger expectations.
And Ballerini? She belongs nowhere remotely close to country airwaves and I’ve regularly objected as such. But as a pop album in its own merit, “The First Time” is pretty decent. If the title track or “Secondhand Smoke” or “Stilettos” were released to Pop radio, I would cheer them on without any hesitation at all.
December 11, 2015 @ 1:30 pm
You know what something in your comment just made me realise? The first (and IMO best) country music didn’t talk about itself, it talked about life (whether funny, sad, or just everyday). All the songs I’ve heard that were self-referential about how “country” the singer, or the song, or the life they’re singing about is, have mostly been in the last couple of decades. OK, there was Loretta and “If You’re Lookin At Me, You’re Lookin At Country”, but that was her statement of pride to anyone who thought she might be ashamed of her obvious countriness. She wasn’t telling the world how country she was because if she didn’t tell them, they’d never know it, she was telling the world that yeah, I know I sound like a hick, but that’s who I am and I ain’t one bit ashamed of it.
December 9, 2015 @ 5:07 pm
Corbin deserves being on the list for his album cover picture alone
December 9, 2015 @ 12:03 pm
I still fill the need to defend Eldridge. I feel that fact that he tied himself to Rhett, who has no friends on here, by doing a duet (by far the worst song on the album) and touring with him docks him points on this chart. It also doesn’t help that he’s releasing dumb singles. But I still say half the CD is really, really good. And this year, few acts can say they released an album with six quality songs: Fire, Wanna Be That Song, Illinois, Lose it All, Going Away For Awhile and Time Well Spent (okay Time isn’t really a Country Song, but I still like it.)
I also want to say I thought Kip Moore’s CD was really overrated. He trying to be Eric Church and it’s not working for me. I just didn’t enjoy the CD.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:43 pm
Kip’s album works for what it is. But I don’t understand the praise either. It’s definitely a rock album, even more than Eric’s is, and by the end every song runs together.
December 9, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
Though I found more to dislike than like with “Illinois”, I agree with you for the most part.
I thought two songs were particularly strong: the title track and “Lose It All”. And “Going Away For Awhile” isn’t far behind. So there’s that. And Eldredge still has one of the better male vocals in mainstream country radio (though his performance on “Drunk On Your Love” is insufferable)
The other eight tracks did nothing for me, though. “Fire” and “Wanna Be That Song” didn’t stand out in any way, shape or form to me alongside all other dime-a-dozen fluffy love songs or lust anthems. And then when he does try to switch things up with “Shadow”, it was a cacophonous mess.
Eldredge would be wise to realize most of his breakout appeal is attributed to his voice: which is reminiscent of James Otto. I would have no problem with Eldredge going with a soul-country lane. All I ask is that it be am honest effort at style cross-pollination and he seek out much better material that does his vocals justice and let’s them breathe. Because his producers are holding him back.
December 10, 2015 @ 10:19 am
I agree with Drunk on Your Love. I have no idea why he picked that as a single. At least Lose My Mind kind of fit with what radio is playing, but I just don’t see Drunk doing much. I wish he would have picked Time Well Spent or Lose it All. Oh, well what do I know.
December 9, 2015 @ 12:52 pm
The cover art of that Meat & Candy nonsense is enough to put me off that album. What a mess.
December 9, 2015 @ 1:04 pm
Zac Brown Band “Jekyll & Hyde”
December 9, 2015 @ 2:40 pm
Chris Lane was that bad thank goodness I haven’t listen to him yet. Old Dominion is a another story. How about Tyler Farr new cd? How about Haley Georgia?
December 9, 2015 @ 5:08 pm
Tyler Farr’s album “Suffer In Peace” is actually a significant improvement from his debut.
Yeah, it does have an atrocious opening track with “C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.”, and an insufferably dishonest and jingoistic album closer with “Why We Live Here”. Plus you have the lame current come-on single “Better In Boots”.
But overall, there’s plenty to appreciate on that record as far as signs of maturity is concerned. The title track is definitely recommended as is “I Don’t Even Want This Beer” and the lead single. And then there are agreeable moments like “Poor Boy”.and.”Damn Good Friends” which I wouldn’t go do far as to recommend, but it’s unlikely I’ll change the station should they become singles.
So yeah, I’d either recommend streaming the album minus the tracks I panned, or else download the title track, lead single and “I Don’t Even Want This Beer” then preview “Damn Good Friends” and “Poor Boy”.and decide if they work for you too.
December 9, 2015 @ 7:40 pm
I am not a Tyler Parr fan, but if a song saying what a singer loves about America is now “jingoistic” then there is no point in even attempting to sing about America unless it is a bashing song. I am scanning the lyrics again. He doesn’t bash the rest of the world, he just states why he (we) live here. Yes, he uses we because it is not going to flow as well if he uses some of us, a dozen times. Good grief, has it reached the point where saying something positive about America now equals radical nationalism?
December 9, 2015 @ 9:13 pm
Of course not. I’m all for well-written odes celebrating one’s country, culture and heritage.
I just happen to think “Why We Live Here”, as well-intentioned as I do think it is, is undermined by unfortunate lines alluding to fighting wars we haven’t “finished” yet.
It is definitely vague and obviously draws no specifics, but it soured the song as a whole for me. Then there’s a bridge that does try to go for the “Kumbaya!” populism, but when you read around it, the earlier lyrics just smack as decidedly bleak in comparison. Hardly a defiantly empowering anthem nut more a pensive semi-dirge on his lifestyle.
I get it is quite certainly coming from a sincere place on behalf of the writers, but it did absolutely nothing for me.
December 9, 2015 @ 3:39 pm
I haven’t heard any of them, I just don’t like Thomas Rhett so I will completely unfairly trash his album because it has his name on it haha.
December 9, 2015 @ 4:39 pm
I really feel for all you folks that actually listened to all of those albums. I’ve had to hear the stray song here or there over the year, but I can’t even imagine how bad the non-radio cuts are. I don’t know if you all get off on the torture or what, but kudos to all of you. May god have mercy on your souls.
December 9, 2015 @ 4:40 pm
i think jeremy isbells record should be on this list… I baught it and cant stand it… no autotunes or fresh electronic dance beats.. not cool
December 9, 2015 @ 5:09 pm
Chase Rice, is that you? 😉
December 9, 2015 @ 4:41 pm
In terms of quality rather than quality + commercial impact…..
1. “Meat and Candy”
With every album I’ve ever heard, there’s something, ANYTHING that makes the album at least an tiny bit redeemable, whether it be just that one good song, or even a line, cool instrumentation….anything. This album offers absolutely nothing whatsoever and even throws in the most god-awful cover I’ve ever seen (and honestly that may be better than the songs here). Without a doubt, the worst album I’ve ever heard, as well as the worst album in Country music.
2. “Fix” EP
Why is this #2 instead of #1? I’m one of those guys who looks at the fact that this is an EP rather than a full album (like Meat and Candy). I figure we’ll have plenty of time to rip Chris a new one in 2016 (since of course, this song will just shoot straight to the top of the “Country” charts). But yeah, fuck this shit.
3. “Three”
No pun intended 😉 An underrated candidate for this contest if there ever was one. Like the first two albums, there’s just nothing here.
4. “Tangled Up”
You know it’s a bad year when this is #4…..
Aside from “The Day You Stop Lookin’ Back” and “Playing With Fire” (which is only a good Pop song), this album was complete shit.
5. “I’m Comin’ Over”
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Seriously what else is there is say about this?
I will say that I didn’t hate “Kill The Lights” as much as a lot of people did *ducks for cover*
The first 5 songs are shit (actually if “Razor Blade” actually featured an instrument it might not be so bad), but I actually liked “Fast”, “Love It Gone” and “To The Moon and Back”, and would have said that the rest of the songs minus “Move” were at least average. Not defending him or anything, just starting my opinion.
December 9, 2015 @ 5:30 pm
Ha! Our top two matched!
And good call on Gloriana’s train wreck of a comeback attempt. I thought I was going to be the only one to call that record out! 😉
*
To my ears, “To The Moon And Back” was the only good song on Bryan’s album (though the track “Little Boys Grow Up And Dogs Get Old” is a solid cut on the deluxe edition that is also his first damn good song since his debut album).
I guess “Love It Gone”.is agreeable as is “Way Way Back”. But the vast majority of the album (including the aforementioned “Way Way Back”) is tarnished by eye-bogglingly sterile production that squelched any vestige of organic instrumentation and personality. And then on rare moments it doesn’t, like “Huntin’, Fishin’ & Lovin’ Every Day”, his producer gets it right for once but the problem becomes shallow songwriting. Between the recycled Flint River and Muckalee references and inability to resist jabbing at city slickers in the bridge to the obligatory “Hey, put your lighters in the air if you wanna come with me!” outro…………..the committee-written screaming of the writing just didn’t work at all for me. Same with “Scarecrows”, which desperately tries to ape what Florida Georgia Line achieved with “Dirt” but coming across as well inferior because of the bland production and lyrics.
And then there’s two more tracks that will inevitably be singles that rate among the very worst that’s out there on “country” airwaves: “Move’ and “Kill the Lights”. If those are somehow released in succession after “Home Alone Tonight”, that will make for five especially awful and useless Luke Bryan singles in a row (his streak of singles I haven’t truly enjoyed is now at a woeful 17: going all the way back to “All My Friends Say”, with “Rain Is A Good Thing”.and “Play It Again” being the only ones in that stretch I kind of like in a way).
December 10, 2015 @ 2:34 pm
All great points Nadia. Admittedly I haven’t listen to this since it came out so I forgot about a lot of the minor details. Looking at your list, I can see I forgot about “Bronco”. Maybe it’s because it was relevant for like a day 😉
Also, I forgot to mention Michael Ray’s album. Nothing stand out-ish about it either and it comes with the shit storm singles to boot!
December 9, 2015 @ 4:46 pm
i think jeremy isbells record shou ld be on this list… I baught it and cant stand it… no autotunes or fresh electronic dance beats.. not cool and no songs about trucks or beer Ugh
December 9, 2015 @ 4:50 pm
The irony between the male album covers is too much to handle.
Fuck, they are simply running out of ideas in Nashville.
December 9, 2015 @ 4:56 pm
I would never be qualified to vote on the worst album of the year, because I would never subject myself to that type of torture.
December 9, 2015 @ 8:23 pm
These bad cd’s makes the Carter Family cry and Hank, Roy Acuff, and Patsy Cline roll over their graves.
December 10, 2015 @ 6:10 am
Trigger, your $700 car with $7,000 rims and payday loan comment is just one of the reasons why I love reading your blog. It’s laugh out loud funny and brilliant.
December 10, 2015 @ 6:41 am
Why do you guys listen to this stuff? I can barely keep up with the good country music being put out by indie labels or self-released, I just don’t have the time to listen to, let alone analyze, the commercial stuff. My rule of thumb is that anything on a major label isn’t worth listening to, which means I missed out on what? Chris Stapleton, a track or two here and there that aren’t too bad and a couple three performers who may, or may not, be a new wave of traditionalists. Seems like a reasonable trade-off to me.
December 10, 2015 @ 10:27 am
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
December 10, 2015 @ 7:29 pm
Because? I assume you have some reasoning behind such a dumb, pointless comment.
December 10, 2015 @ 8:14 pm
Sorry. Dumb is the wrong word. I understand your point. Most of the artists on major labels I can agree that you hear them and know you automatically want to skip them. For others, like a decent artist (your example, Stapleton, which is a very good album) I would much rather listen and get a few great songs. To skip them because of their label is ludicrous, in my opinion. Sorry, didn’t mean dumb, because I do see your point, to an extent.
December 10, 2015 @ 8:48 pm
Seth, my point, to put it another way, is that the musical satisfaction return on major label albums is so small that it’s hardly worth investing any time on them. The downside is that one might miss someone like Stapleton, but the upside is that you can spend the time on indie labels and acts that give you a much higher chance of hearing good, even great music. Sorry, your comment did sound like an ad hominem attack. To be honest, I rely on Trigger to tell me what to avoid.
December 10, 2015 @ 12:15 pm
Someone has to offer a voice of dissent. I don’t blame anyone who wants to avoid this type of stuff. But the sad fact is my “worst” posts get quadruple the traffic the “best” posts do. So either people would rather read about the music they hate, or possibly I’m a one trick pony, and if I’m not being snarky, my writing is boring.
December 10, 2015 @ 12:40 pm
I avoid any mainstream releases but appreciate you covering them(the good and bad). I will listen on youtube to any of the 0/10 to have a good laugh at the comments or if there is a good mainstream like Mo Pitney I’ll listen.
December 10, 2015 @ 3:07 pm
I think not everyone agrees on the music we like. But a lot of us agree on what we dislike. There is music you praise on this site that sounds horrid to me. But we can all agree that Luke Bryan is terrible. Maybe we are all more United in what we know is bad than what we think is good.
December 10, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
Trigger, you listen to the commercial crap so the rest of shouldn’t have to, which I totally respect and admire, even if I couldn’t possibly do it myself. What puzzles me is how many of the comments are from people who obviously follow and to an astonishing extent appreciate some aspect of the stuff you trash so eloquently and which is precisely what country music needs saving from.
December 10, 2015 @ 7:16 am
You can bet that I’m gonna be working on a new album that will make these ones sound like Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison! You think you hated me before? Well my next album is going to make you all want to commit seppoku!!!!
December 10, 2015 @ 12:59 pm
the difference is that you are an also-ran one-trick-pony without the star power, influence or talent to even matter, even compared to the losers up above.
And I know ‘cuz I’ve been listening to the losers up above.
December 14, 2015 @ 10:37 am
U r jus a h8r. I player in the ACC and I was on Survivor so I’m cool.
December 10, 2015 @ 9:36 am
I’m inclined to cut Easton Corbin some slack – I actually enjoyed his album, and his comments around the time of its release indicated he was under some serious label pressure to move in a more “Bro” direction. It feels like he was stuck in a “conform or sit in music purgatory forever” situation (which seems to be where Josh Turner is stuck these days).
What are people’s early feelings about 2016? Based on the 4-single (or more) rule of thumb, I’d expect new records from Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, and Kenny Chesney, so those should be a plus. I also hope Turner receives a “get out of jail free” card so his album can finally see the light of day.
December 10, 2015 @ 3:02 pm
What about Zac Brown?
December 10, 2015 @ 3:16 pm
Though there are some terrible moments on the new Zac Brown album, there’s also some decent songs. Therefore I’m not sure I would qualify it as a terrible album overall.
December 10, 2015 @ 4:47 pm
He covered Dress Blues on that album, didn’t he? That takes him off the worst album of the year automatically I think.
December 10, 2015 @ 11:46 pm
And even if it isn’t country whatsoever, both “Junkyard” and “Heavy Is The Head” are damn well-written songs with some surprising visceral punch.
That’s fascinating too, because generally you expect lyrical substance in country music and more hard-driving musicianship and odd time signatures in rock music. But on “JEKYLL + HYDE”, the two hard rock songs also happen to be the two best original songs of theirs in terms of lyrics, while some of the more decidedly country moments as far as band originals are concerned are the weakest lyrically (“Wildfire”, “Young & Wild”).
I honestly hope that, should the band insist on continuing to dabble with styles besides country, they mostly explore their rock influences. There’s just something that impresses me when they rock out as opposed to, say, clumsily trying to channel Frank Sinatra or, worse, a Jamaican patois on “The Island Song”.
December 12, 2015 @ 5:19 am
Putting Chris Young’s ‘Im Coming Over’ album in the worst 5 albums of the year is complete nonsense.
As for Thomas Rhett, I have heard only the two singles from his album – Die A Happy Man, Crash and Burn – and they are both good songs.