George Knows What He Needs

They Don't Care About No Trends

Monday Morning Memes: Joe Diffie, Dustin Lynch, Band Breakups

Don't Wanna Diiiiieeee....

When You Drop Her Off Early

Charlie Robison Memes

If it Weren't For Trucks, We Wouldn't Have Tailgates

Monday Morning Memes: Halloween, FGL, Kane Brown

Blake Shelton is In His Feelings

Make the Right New Music Choice Today

The Roots of Modern Mainstream Country

The Roots of Modern Mainstream Country

The roots of modern mainstream country music run deep… well, not deep, but long. All the way back to the 70s anyway. You hear the disco beats of ABBA and others in the slick sounds of Chris Lane and Thomas Rhett. There's not a ton of 80s influence in the current sound - though you'll hear a little hair metal flourish from time to time. The 90s is where 2010's country really finds its 'soul.' From the chillaxing flow of Jack Johnson to the gleeful boy band harmonies, to the danceable pop rock of Sugar Ray, it's undeniable that the generation of music the most popular artists and songwriters grew up on is a huge influence on their sound.

So what about country music? Is modern country influenced by any of that? Well, sure. If you call Shania Twain and Rascal Flatts country. (Yeah, we have a few outliers with a semi-traditional sound, but even Jon Pardi only releases his most dance floor ready tracks to radio)

Check out this Spotify playlist if you don't believe me. You'll hear some really familiar sounds if you're a consumer of iheartradio's commercial country soundscape. If you're not, you'll just get a knowing laugh out of it. Oh, and don't think I'm saying all this music is bad… I like some of it; it's just not necessarily the well a genre called "country" should be drawing most of its water from.




Here's the tracklist if you don't wanna put your ears through all that.

Smash Mouth – All Star
Drake – Take Care
Everything – Hooch
John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland
Britney Spears – ...Baby One More Time
Sugar Ray – Every Morning
Shawn Mendes – I Know What You Did Last Summer
Winger – Seventeen
Kesha – TiK ToK
Lil Wayne – A Milli
Rascal Flatts – Prayin' For Daylight
*NSYNC – Bye Bye Bye
Limp Bizkit – Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Jack Johnson – Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Nelly – Country Grammar (Hot Shit)
Eminem – The Monster
Zedd – Stay (with Alessia Cara)
Montgomery Gentry – Hell Yeah
Bloodhound Gang – The Bad Touch
Dave Matthews Band – Ants Marching
The Pussycat Dolls – Don't Cha
Warrant – Cherry Pie
Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
Crazy Town – Butterfly
ABBA – Dancing Queen
Calvin Harris – My Way
Shania Twain – That Don't Impress Me Much
Nickelback – Something In Your Mouth
LFO – Summer Girls
Ariana Grande – The Way
G. Love & Special Sauce – Cold Beverage

Honest Country Tweets: The Rock, Rascal Flatts, Drake, etc.

Drake’s a Millionaire, and I’m Still Broke: A Review of More Life

Drake’s a Millionaire, and I’m Still Broke: A Review of More Life

by Robert Dean


I have a complicated relationship with Drake. Sometimes, he’s the baddest dude in the room, with a swagger that’s incredible, and then, in one swift move drops the softest bars imaginable. To quote my man A-Town Brown, “Drake is entirely capable of folding up like a lawn chair when shit gets real.”

You know what? I ain’t entirely convinced he’s not wrong.

Drake is like a paradox of songs meant for the club, but like, not partying hard, but slow dancing with a dude who’ll get mad if you insult his cologne. Drake is like an expensive purse that people want, but are kinda weird about taking out of the house due to embarrassment.  And, just when you’re like, damn, he’s finally done it, he releases some super lame tracks, then fucking Drake comes at you a million miles per hour with a track that slays. (See: "All Me") Shit is weird.

On his new record, More Life, it’s like half of the hardest tracks ol’ Mr. Wonderful Smile could conjure up, and then a bunch of club track trash. "Free Smoke" immediately sets a tone, but then a few turns later, we’re at "Passion Fruit." And "Passion Fruit" almost made pour water on my computer to stop the wack.



When Tribe Called Quest is still dropping records that destroy and Young M.A. is coming up as the best thing outta Brooklyn in forever, what’s the point of More Life?

It certainly doesn’t feel cohesive - it seems like a bunch of stuff slapped together to say there’s new music out there in the streets.

Since More Life is 22 songs, it’s considered a “playlist” vs. a mix tape. Whatever it’s called, people are buying it. It’ll be number one for the second week in a row. But, people think Five Finger Death Punch is good music too, so whatever. Views was commercial, but More Life feels trying to please too many people with too many styles. And what’s up with this Jamaican accent? You’re from Toronto, dude.

I think being from Canada finally caught up with Drake. Cuz, even as a casual observer, this one just ain’t working for me in the slightest.

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More Life is available anywhere and everywhere.

Tom T. Hall Goes Bro-Country

 I Love

(Parody of Tom T. Hall's "I Love")

I love Powerstrokin' trucks, Swingin' truck nutz
Wearin' camo tanks, and skanks
I love blinding LEDs, wearin' skinny jeans
Calling people gay, Axe spray
And I love big boobs

I love tatted up skin, Instagrammed rear ends
T-shirts of Merle, but not Merle
I love Fireball in a cup, getting turnt up
Miller in a glass, and ass
And I love big boobs

I love making bitches smile, rolling coal for miles
Watching fights on Vine and stuntin'
I love unprotected sex, not sending child support checks
Music when it's Drake and Plies
And I love sweet nudes

Hip-Hop Country Memes

Views From a Nashville Writing Sesh

What are they coming up with in writing rooms across Nashville right at this very minute?

Prepare Yourselves

John Rich's Songwriting Tips #75

In this, the 75th(!) edition of Rich's Tips, I'll give my retort to a few bits of stupid advice from other songwriters. I mean, who are you going to listen to? Them (who I won't name so as to not embarrass them, even if they've had lots of success), or yours truly - the crackalackin-cowboy co-writer of such eternal gems as "Comin' to Your City" and "Fake ID?" Alright then. Here we go.

1. There's no right or wrong way to write songs.

JR: Bullshit! There's a right and a wrong. There's first place and there's losers. This songwriting tip is akin to saying little Johnny deserves a trophy for being on the damn team, even though he can't hit a slider and his throw to the plate is suspect, and his team came in third place. This country's a bunch of whiners and enablers and I'm sick of it. Sit your ass down with just your guitar and a pad …and your 6 best songwriter friends, and write a classic! Don't experiment. Don't f*** around with a proven formula. This ain't Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and "you being you" don't pay the Audi lease.

2. Write from the heart.

JR: Again with this sissy crap. Yeah, go ahead… get out your My Little Pony notebook and your gel pens. Sprinkle some potpourri around the room. Turn on some Enya and pour your little feelings out in glittery bits of subpar Dead Poets' Society nonsense. Cry a little while you do it, you little wuss. Now, if you want to make real art, the kind that sells millions and makes drunk b**ches dance, listen to me. Write from the ballsack. That's it.

3. Don't fake it.

JR: Did Johnny Cash shoot a man in Reno? Hell no! Do I put the moves on college girls in pickup trucks after leaving frat parties? Not that you know of! So let's dispense with this tip quickly. Be as fake as you want. Writing a song isn't the same as giving a legal deposition - which motherf****ers lie on anyway;  I'm here to tell you from experience. Hell, I write rap songs for a certain artist from a country north of here and nobody can even tell. Do I have "beef" with rappers? (Yes, but for purposes of this article:) No. Do I party with scantily clad stoned girls? Well, maybe these aren't the best examples… but you get my drift, Pedro. I've got about as much street cred as Jeb Bush, but I drop them bars like B.I.G. (rest in peace, my homey). So, do what you gotta do, especially if you started from the bottom. Play a part. Lie. Make dem Franklins. I'm out!




*Not actually written by John Rich

Bro Mixtapes

If bro's released mixtapes (in the style of Drake's If You're Reading This).

Covers created here.

Luke and FGL Just Won't Stop

This Is How We Roll (feat. Luke Bryan) - Florida Georgia Line - Lyrics