Showing posts with label Chris Cagle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Cagle. Show all posts

May 27, 2020

Ranking the Country Chrises With Steak



(I actually like medium rare the best, so this isn't necessarily saying rare steak = best steak. 
It's just a dumb meme metaphor. And Chris Gaines was soft rock, thus the exclusion.)

Oct 4, 2012

3 Up 3 Down: October '12


3 Up

Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go 'Round
This song is EXACTLY what country radio needs right now: an infusion of reality. I don't mean scripted reality, I mean the gritty, hard-working, regret-filled reality that most people actually live. This track reminds me of a lot of Lori McKenna songs, but Kacey definitely has her own voice here, relating the resignation of a life settled for in a small town. Also reminiscent of Miranda Lambert's quieter tunes, but "Merry Go 'Round" is more powerful than anything she's released in a while. It's getting some early buzz and adds at radio - let's just hope the powers that be don't wuss out and let this great song go the way of other recent downers.
A

Gary Allan - Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)
This song isn't particularly country sounding, but at least it gets away from the angry-sounding rock of Allan's recent work. His voice is given room to shine and shine it does, bringing back the falsetto and the feeling of some of his early work. Even if it's no "Smoke Rings in the Dark," it's comforting to have Gary Allan back on the radio, sounding as great as ever.
B+

Eric Church - Creepin'
Swampy, atmospheric and just weird, as country radio goes, "Creepin'" is a song that only someone with Church's track record could release to country radio with a straight face (okay, anybody not named Borchetta). Though the instrumentation is pretty rocked-out, the imagery and Eric's voice are undeniably country. If country music MUST stray from its roots further and further each year, this is an okay direction for it to go. "Creepin'" is well-written, strongly performed and 180° from everything else in the top 40.
A-

3 Down

Florida-Georgia Line - Cruise
See if any of this sounds new and unique to you: "Chevy with a lift kit," "farm town," "down a back road," "bikini top," "long tanned legs" …anything? Bueller? Throw in some auto-tune, poor grammar ("baby, you a song") and the fact that this song fits right into the Aldean/Bryan/Gilbert trend and you've got another band FTM's going to hate on for the foreseeable future. And I'll even admit the chorus is catchy as hell - almost guilty pleasure catchy - but all the negatives just take it too far in the wrong direction.
D+

Brantley Gilbert - Kick It In the Sticks
See if any of THIS sounds new and unique to you: "barbed wire, moonshine, whiskey" (yes, that's in ONE line), "bon fire," "Skynyrd and George Strait," "bikini tops and Daisy Duke denim," "skinny dippin'" ….anything? Didn't think so. Is this a Farce the Music parody lyric? Nope. Also, in case you haven't heard this, it's basically a metal song. Seriously. It's way heavier than Jason Aldean's "She's Country," which was basically an AC/DC castoff. And BG and Scott Borchetta have the audacity to release this to country radio? Give me a break and stop it with the motherf**king son of a b*tch ass crap sh*t damn f**k c*** d**k $#%^ trucks.
F

Chris Cagle - Let There Be Cowgirls
Yet another rock song, but at least there are some fiddles and whatnot to keep it a little country. George Strait already did this one so much better with "How Bout Them Cowgirls." "World" and "cowgirls" are rhymed here, what else do you need to know? Cliché as you imagine. There's nothing at all in this song to distinguish it, unless you count the hair-metalesque guitar solo. Cagle came back onto the scene with a country listing song, now he's trying to keep his foot in the door with a female-empowerment anthem that really has nothing to say. Cagle was never an A-lister, but he used to be so much better than this.
F


May 29, 2012

3 Up 3 Down: May '12










3 Up

Tim McGraw - Better Than I Used to Be

Sammy Kershaw did this song first, and at least slightly better, but a good song is a good song. It fits the singer, the singer performs the song more than adequately and the song has some weight and a memorable melody. That might be a low standard, but given the context of today's country charts, this is a modern classic. And honestly, I can't turn the station if it's on.


Easton Corbin - Lovin' You is Fun

George Strait v. 2.0 delivers yet another earworm. This guy has a great voice and seems to have a great ear for songs. Lyrically, this would be completely cheesy sung by someone else, but it works with Easton. Catchy, melodious and accessible to anyone who'd still be caught dead listening to Top 40 radio. I'm hoping his album tackles some weightier subject matter and songwriting, but I can't deny this is a good tune.


Chris Young - Neon

The best real country song getting airplay nowadays. It's rising verrrrry slowly up the charts. Hopefully it will follow the success of Alan Jackson's "So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore" and prove just too damn good not to play…. even though country radio secretly wishes songs of this ilk would disappear forever. It's poetic, catchy and sung with all the baritone country soul Chris Young possesses ….and it mentions Johnny Lee. Can't ask for much more than that on the airwaves these days.


3 Down

Chris Cagle - Got My Country On

I already reviewed this months ago, and hoped it would die a slow death. Unfortunately, here it is in the top 15 and still rising. You know the script by now: trucks, boots, "what I'm made of" sentiment, cowboy hats, Johnny Cash. Bullshit. Chris Cagle has a decent voice and has released some pretty good songs throughout his choppy career, but this isn't one of them. It's a transparent swipe at getting back to relevance, and it's working. Pure, undiluted garbage.


Andy Gibson - Wanna Make You Love Me

I'll make fun of the pretty Andy Gibson at any given chance. "Old people make me cry" is the opening line. 'nuff said. As listing songs go, this is as vague a thread as possible. He lists what certain people and things make him want to do. Seriously. And it's so Lifetime-reality show ready, it's not even funny. I'm a romantic for the most part, and have even been called whipped by friends at times… but this goes beyond the call of duty in pledging love. Give me a break, Andy. This song makes Chuck Wicks sound like Waylon Jennings. Claim your sack back, Andy.


Hunter Hayes - Wanted

Maybe I'm too old, or too far gone from enjoying most pop-country, but this is nearly unlistenable. Maybe it's just that he sounds so much like Gary Levox, you know… Pavlov's dog and all. Some people say there's no denying Hunter Hayes' talent. Is his talent sucking? Just because one is "proficient" at playing instruments and sings in a voice that is pleasing to young girls, that doesn't mean one possesses a universally appreciated skill-set. I'm pretty funny and I do the Photoshop okay, and I can write a decent review at times, but that doesn't mean I'm the most talented blogger in the blogosphere (far from it). Different strokes for different folks and this stroke ain't for me.

Sep 7, 2011

99 Cent Reviews: Chris Cagle - Got My Country On

Chris Cagle - Got My Country On


The People's Take:


Finally! (5 Stars)

by MrsDaniLz

It's nice to have him back and making music again. Really hope radio picks it up and supports him because he is a true artist.


Confused (1 Star)

by ASClark84

i got this song confused with every other song that is currently on country radio…


(Editor's note: Review WIN!)



My Take:

If Chris Cagle has listened to the radio in his time away from the charts, surely he's noticed by now. If he's read Chet Flippo's CMT.com articles, Saving Country Music's rants, Country California's fake news or quotes, Farce the Music's anything (unlikely), or even a few random newspaper articles (even less likely), he must have recognized the trend.


I know you're familiar with the trend. Not only is it cliché; even mentioning it is cliché. I'm speaking of the "how country I am" songs in constant spin mode on your local country station since 2003. Complaining about them is almost as common as the songs themselves.


Based on his new single, Chris Cagle is either incredibly (almost willfully) ignorant, terribly stupid or does not give one single shit about the over-saturation of the subject matter. I'm going with a mixture of stupidity and not giving a shit – you couldn't not notice (could you?).


I guess Cagle and his management/record company figure that this type of song has basically become its own sub-genre in which at least 50% of the singles of that ilk find their way into the top half of the charts. It's like shooting fish in a barrel almost, so maybe it's not stupidity, on second thought.


Whether or not it's a good business decision to follow the canyon-sized ruts in this road is not my concern. My problem is with the bull-headed resistance to originality in today's country music scene. I'm not asking for a new political bent or even a change of scenery… but surely there are stories lived on these standard-issue backroads that could provide a much more interesting and personal connection between artist and fan. Country radio has truly become McDonald's. You always know what you're going to get, no matter if you drop in tomorrow or next November. While it's expected and guiltily appreciated from a fast food restaurant, standardization is tiresome and lazy when it comes to what is supposed to be an art-form.


There's little need to critique the actual sound of this song. It's what you're accustomed to from an upbeat country song these days. Loud guitars with a rock riff, ample drums, charging vocals. Jason Aldean is the standard-bearer for the modern country male, and Cagle does little to differentiate himself from that style.


Don't even get me started about this whole "get/got my _____ on" phrase. Unless I get a letter in the mail that says "You just got your million dollars on," I don't want to read or hear it.


This song reeks of desperation. Cagle's long absence from country radio's heavy rotation has led him to be a mere follower to artists who came after him in hopes of a return to commercial success. That resumed success is certainly possible, but suck-cess is guaranteed.


Total Value: .10/.99


The Checklist:

Check mark symbolHard Work

Check mark symbolChurch/God

Mama

Boots

Check mark symbolName Dropping

Dying Person

County Fair

Lost Love

Dog

Check mark symbolLove/Sex

Check mark symbolHometown/Country Pride

Kindly Advice

Check mark symbolTruck

Whiskey

Beer

Check mark symbolLife Affirmation

USA

Soldiers

Pop Sheen

Star Power


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