Boo Ray's Songs to Cure Your Christmas Hangover

Americana artist Boo Ray shares with us his Christmas playlist of some of his favorite holiday tunes. See what he has to say about these great song below and his Spotify playlist is directly below that. 

While you're there, make sure to check out Boo Ray's new song "Don't Look Back" from his forthcoming (Feb.15) album Tennessee Alabama Fireworks (which can be preordered here)! 

Boo Ray – Don't Look Back

Elizabeth Cook & Boo Ray "All Strung Out Like Christmas Lights" 

Because Elizabeth Cook is the coolest

Dwight Yoakam "Santa Can't Stay" 

I love the line “he threw a present really hard and almost hit mama’s new boyfriend Ray”. This song’s full Yoakam’s signature rockabilly vocal licks too, which I love. That 80’s production will complement any Christmas sweater, from the gaudiest candy-cane/snowman aplique to the homeliest moth eaten Uncle Fester pea-green cardigan.  

Merle Haggard "If We Make It Through December" 

Since I was a kid i’ve always liked how contemporary and musical Merle Haggard’s arrangements and songs are. There’s a singer songwriter quality to Hag and an virtuoso ensemble sound akin to the way James Taylor, Leland Sklar and Jim Keltner made music sound. 

Erin Enderlin "Cowboy Christmas"

Cowboy songs have some specific criteria for me. The language, vernacular and meter have to be just right. I heard a Tommy Lee Jones interview where said the language of Cormac McCarthy’s characters is perfect. Erin’s Line “Barb wire and fence posts like garland on trees” gets right to me.  

Nikki Lane "FaLaLaLaLove ya"

I totally dig the song. The Christmas bells, the production, the melody and Nikki’s vocal are real stylized like a Hollywood Christmas TV Show number with fake snow falling and lens flares in holiday colored lights.   

John Prine "Everything Is Cool"

John Prine’s meter is kind of like what Brandlford Marsalis said about Louis Armstrong’s minimalist trumpet playing, “There’s a whole lot of information in those couple of notes.” “I was walking down the road... man” is so plain t’s actually funny” almost like a Steven Wright bit. In contrast, the next verse “I saw a hundred thousand black birds just a flying through the sky- they seem to form a teardrop from a black-haired angel’s eye” is brooding poet/ bleeding heart romantic territory. I love that Prine covers those two nearly opposite poles

of perspective with complete dexterity. 

JD McPherson "All The Gifts I Need"

Great sounding recording. I dig JD’s songs and style, the way his vocal melody rides on Jason Smay’s drum beat is a thing for sure. The songs got a smart lighthearted spirit to it. 

Johnny Cash Family Christmas "Opening Dialogue" 

The first thing that really got to me about Johnny Cash was that antique automotive/farm equipment machine sound that he made with his band, seeming to emulate the sound of V-8 motors, tractors, horses hooves, and the click clack of trains. It's powerful, clever, creative, real singer/songwriter sounding, intricate and simple at the same time. Then I got into his rockabilly look and wearing all black. But it's always really been about the sound of his voice and his story telling. Even as a kid I'd watch that gospel series he filmed in Jerusalem because I just liked the sound of his voice and listening to the way he'd spin a yarn.   

Corb Lund "Just Me And The Ponies"

Excellent cowboy Christmas song. Corb's cowboy correct to me like Wynn Varble, Willie Nelson & Chris Ledoux are. That stuff has to be handled just right; the meter, vocabulary, vernacular and stoic nature of the story teller.   

The Band "Christmas Must Be Tonight" 

Rick Danko's bass sound just slays me. It's the deadest, most flatulent sounding thing ever. I'm damned crazy about it. I dig Danko's vocal on the verse a bunch and I love how Levon's accent and tone jump out on "how a little baby boy"... Yeah man this is a perfect ramblin', good stiff eggnog of a song. Cheers!!!

Little Feet "Six Feet Of Snow"

It'd makes sense to me if someone called Lowell George a musical humorist. His subtle, clever impish wit is my favorite. The honk, plink and twang of the guitars on this track are funny as hell to me. It's absurd and wonderful because of it, and Lowell leans into it too with lines like "It's raining in stilettos from here clear down to Mexico". Maybe if you could trace the DNA of a particular kind of humor Lowell George and Billy Gibbon might be kin. 

Lindi Ortega "Blue Christmas"

The 6th tuned lap steel/dobro can't help but suggest the Hawaiian pacific sound. And who doesn't want to waller in the extra bittersweetness on another holiday not spent on a deserted island with Lindi Ortega. Can you imagine what she'd look like wearing coconuts and palm leaves? For real though, Lindi Ortega's Christmas album "Tennessee Christmas" is a blast. 

The Mavericks "Baby Please Come Home"

I'm crazy about The Mavericks and think they're on fire right now musically. Raul sings with a belting cheers and the Christmas bells and sleigh bells through the whole song deliver a fully manic holiday experience. Their whole Christmas album is a must have. 

Dale Watson "Santa And My Semi"     

Yep, lets finish off this playlist with a swanky texas sounding Dale Watson number. I dig when certain Texas singers have a particular kind of crooning voice and the way their accent sounds real Trucker. Merry Christmas and shiny side up to all the truckers out there working in tough weather this holiday season.  

New Country Act "Megadeth" Signs With Big Machine

"David" Mustaine

by Trailer - Originally posted on Country California March 03, 2011

Scott Borchetta today announced the signing of Megadeth to a three-record deal with Big Machine. Lead singer Dave Mustaine was on hand for the press conference, wearing a Megadeth logo-emblazoned (now in the Bleeding Cowboys font) pearl snap shirt and cowboy hat. 

"We're just excited to explore this awesome genre. For years, Megadeth has been a mainstay in hard rock and thrash metal, but we've always had a soft spot for the music that truly makes this country great," explained Mustaine. "If you look back at uh, well... the liner notes for Peace Sells... you'll see that we've always thanked people for their support... and uh, that kind of appreciation is a tenet of country music." 

The newly clean-shorn Dave continued: "I've got all of Johnny Cash's records, and I just love the subject matter of country. Murder, drinking, death, spirituality, murder... you know, those are things I love to sing about." 

"We'll have to maybe dial down some of the political rhetoric and bloodshed a bit, but I think this established band's work translates well to the country market," said Borchetta. "Besides, most of the older demographic we're shooting for grew up listening to Metallica and Megadeth, so that's where the money is!" 

He added: "Oops, did I say that out loud?" 

Megadeth's single "Sweating Budweiser" will be sent to country radio on April 1, with a full album entitled Vic Rattlehead Loves America to be released in early summer. A supporting tour for Rascal Flatts will follow. 

Bobby's 20 Worst Country Songs of 2024

 By Bobby Peacock

20. "Revelation" by John Rich feat. Sonya Isaacs

To John Rich's credit, he doesn't really say anything politically polemic this time. (At least not in the song. I've found several interviews where he rails against "practicing witchcraft" at Super Bowl halftime shows and... Eminem, on whom he is only a good two decades late.) And I could go on about his desperate right-wing grift or victim complex, but neither is (surprisingly) relevant to the content of this song. He may claim "most pastors" don't talk about the last book of the Bible, but I've worked in a church since 2003 and I can guarantee you Revelation has come up often. Some delve into the rich symbolism, or offer messages of hope and inspiration. Not so with John Rich, whose exegesis is focused entirely on judgment and wrath for the un-converted. There isn't a single shred of positivity in his interpretation for those not already on John's side. (Granted, I've had some doom-and-gloom spirals the past few months too. The difference is I'm not putting mine out there as a product.) Compared to the mix of assured warnings and gentle pleas for forgiveness in Josh Turner's eternally stunning "Long Black Train," this just sounds like some guy rambling on a street corner. To his credit, the sound design is on-point. There are some neat dips into Dorian mode, I like the hand claps, Sonya Isaacs still sounds great, and his voice is surprisingly commanding. If not for the blathering interviews and excessively negative tone, this might have actually missed the list this year. But as it stands, he's got the least-bad of the bad this year which I guess is... progress?

19. "Mamaw's House" by Thomas Rhett and Morgan Wallen

I've never bought Thomas Rhett's attempts to be a backwoods boy. We all know he wouldn't have a career if it weren't for his dad being such a popular songwriter (and singer; "That Ain't My Truck" still kicks ass). The way he says "mamaw," "tarnation," and "I reckon" feels almost Tommy Wiseau levels of stilted and stiff, further proving how contrived this song's conceit is. I also don't like the dip into preachiness in the chorus -- "if every nightstand had a Bible... every front door had a screen, well, maybe this crazy world would straighten up and slow on down." Not everyone who has a Bible follows what's in it or has even read it. Not every crime occurs in the city. And not everyone has a good relationship with their family. I'm sure Thomas and Morgan both had fine enough mothers, but their respect doesn't come across in this song at all. It feels like a Norman Rockwell painting set to music. To be fair, it's a bit refreshing to hear Morgan Wallen singing against production that isn't so murky or Auto-Tuned for once, but he adds literally nothing to this song other than name recognition. And either way, it's still cartoonishly contrived and preachy. 

18. "Gonna Love You" by Parmalee

Why does this sound like if Chris Tomlin tried to do a country cover of Harry Styles's "Sign of the Times"? For the fourth song in the row, Parmalee strings a bunch of romantic clichés together with zero craft or originality. ("The second I looked into your eyes," "on the worst of days, it's gonna be okay," "my last breath".. how many stale lines can one song have?) Matt Thomas always had a voice so plain that he makes Mike Eli sound like Freddie Mercury, but here, he's instead straining way the hell out of his range. Those drawn out "gonna love you"s on the chorus are painful to listen to. (Side note: I see they've also taken the Alabama approach of "we have a drummer, but he does fuck-all on the albums.") I'm honestly sick of Parmalee being so painfully bland all the time, and once again, I wish they'd at least release something as entertainingly bad as "Hotdamalama" -- or something genuinely decent like "Carolina." Also, I'm going to point out that this song is the first #1 Country Airplay hit since 1998 not to enter the Hot 100, and it didn't have a Wikipedia article until it hit #1. That shows you how much of a nothing-burger this song is.

17. "4x4xU" by Lainey Wilson

Just when Lainey finally had me with the genuinely fun barn-burner "Hang Tight Honey," we're back to me wondering why she gets to have airplay hits and Ashley McBryde doesn't. As usual, I get zero sense of personality from her vocal delivery; she sounds like all the independent females I used to hear on WATZ back in 2010, such as Skylar Elise. The lyrical content is a generic "anywhere with you" motif that leans dangerously close into "I want to be the pretty little thing in your truck with zero agency" in the vein of Maggie Rose's "Girl in Your Truck Song." So not only is bro-country refusing to die, it seems like the females who actually submit to it are refusing to let go, either. I will give her credit for possibly the first Kalamazoo name-drop since "Della and the Dealer," but that's taken right back by the skeevy premise and the agonizingly slow production. Oh yeah, and that "because poor literacy is kEwL" title bugs the crap out of me, too.

16. "Cowboy Songs" by George Birge

Why was George Birge allowed to have a career after Waterloo Revival bombed? This one has terrible production with snap beats and echoing guitars, and George really isn't a strong performer on his own. His voice is thin and nasal as all get out. The premise doesn't even make sense -- you think it's going to be a twist on "Straight Tequila Night" or "She Only Smokes When She Drinks," but instead the mysterious woman "only dances to cowboy songs," whatever that means. We don't learn a single thing else about her. This song also shows a fatal misunderstanding of what a "cowboy song" even is, as the only name-drops are "Three Chords and the Truth" (Sara Evans or Chase Rice?) and Waylon Jennings, neither of which is even remotely "cowboy." I just can't see any modern-day woman getting her groove on to "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" or "Home on the Range." I haven't seen a song's premise have this little do with its own hook since David Nail's "Let It Rain.".. but this one is worse by the hook not having anything to do with itself, either. By the way, this was the second song this year to get all the way to #1 on the airplay charts without hitting the Hot 100... or having a Wikipedia article.

15. "Drinkin' Buddies" by Lee Brice, Nate Smith, and Hailey Whitters

If I had a nickel for every formerly-good Curb Records artist whose voice has vastly deteriorated in the past decade, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right? This one starts off with a weird banjo and snap-beat production backing a very herky-jerky melody. The lyrics can't even keep a sense of setting, as they abruptly jump from a hunting blind to the lake in the middle of the first... only to jump into an abrasively shouted chorus. Look, I get it; sometimes things aren't going right and you need someone to drink with. But I think you need slightly higher stakes than a bad day of hunting. Enter the second verse, where Hailey Whitters complains about her "boy toy up't and goned," which is one of the most cringe attempts at folksy grammar I've heard in my life. And I can't even tell which lines Nate Smith is singing, because the vocal mixing is somewhere between "too loud" and "way too loud." To be fair, I do like the lines "downtown clowns" and "cheers you up," and the central sentiment is fine. It's just the execution here that really misses the mark.

14. "Wind Up Missin' You" by Tucker Wetmore

Hey, Tucker? We already have a Morgan Wallen; we don't need another one. Seriously, he's got the raspy fake drawl down to a T. To be fair, the production isn't quite as crunchy or Auto-Tuned, but he's still pretty shameless. This is another scuzzy bro-dude in a bar hitting on a woman with such clever lines as "If this night don't turn into two, you look like I'm gonna wind up missin' you." She's only a one-night stand, but he's acting like she's about to be the one that got away, all while claiming his bad-boy past is behind him. When he says "it ain't what it looks like," I just don't buy it. I know this kind of guy, and I know the kind of woman who'd fall for his bullshit. It's just a grody, pushy, uncomfortable song all around. But the Morgan Wallen-ness of this song feels less like any sort of creative endeavor, and more like a bald-faced attempt to trick casual listeners. And to me, that's almost worse than any of the things he says in this song. Hey, Tucker, if you really want to get through to her, just try being yourself.

13. "This Is My Dirt" by Justin Moore

I'm not afraid to admit it: I love "Dirt Cheap" by Cody Johnson. So it's galling to see how blatantly this song copies its template, only without the heartfelt message (I've been told Cody did indeed write his song first). Country Universe posted on Bluesky that Justin seems to have a fear of things getting taken away from him, and that's the impression I get. "Dirt Cheap" is a rich narrative from a man who sounds wistful and gently pleading, as he tries to hang on to the memories of the land he's worked for so many years and all the stories that go with it. Justin, however, isn't nearly as detailed -- just generic phrases about "hard work." But what kills the song for me beyond its blatant copying is how butthurt he sounds. He comes off as a pouting brat who wants to keep things the same just because he doesn't know anything else at all, and his harsh whiny vocal tone doesn't help either. When he gets to the hook, it feels like he's having a temper tantrum right in my ear. "This Is" not a good song.

12. "Different 'Round Here" by Riley Green and Luke Combs

Just like "Mamaw's House," this is preachy and makes zero sense as a duet. I'm at a loss as to why Riley felt a need to resurrect this song four years later and tack on Luke Combs -- who, while maybe not the best mainstream artist, at least has a layer of respectability and authenticity to him. The "X is what you Y" motif wears off fast, ranging from a painfully out-of-date Lost name-drop, shoehorning in soldiers and the flag (I find that when people say they "don't care," it means they really do), to not making any goddamn sense ("hard work stops at the fence row" -- I thought your whole shtick was everything is hard work 24/7/365?). It's preachy, it's narrow-minded, it's contrived; it's the same defensive, butthurt rural pride anthems you've heard a billion times. The only reasons it's so low are 1.) both Riley and Luke are genuinely good singers, and 2.) I wanted to cut Riley a little slack for having not one, but two decent follow-ups in "Damn Good Day to Leave" and "You Look Like You Love Me." I think the lesson here is that unless it's by Sawyer Brown, don't put "'round here" anywhere in your lyrics.

11. "Love You Again" by Chase Matthew

Fun fact: this guy didn't even have a Wikipedia article until the song was in the top 10.. despite already somehow having gone platinum with a previous single I'd never heard of. Also new to this list, we have someone trying to be Bailey Zimmerman, down to having the same producer. Chase Matthew can't even navigate the song without an ungodly amount of Auto-Tune, which is never a good sign. It's such a tired narrative, mixing neon lights, trucks, and little black dresses into the same bro-y one-night stand you've already heard a million times. When he gets to the chorus, he lapses into a raspy strained delivery backed by blaring, compressed guitars, making for a genuinely harsh listening experience. I don't think he quite crosses over into sounding like a total scumbag in the vein of "Ready Set Roll." But sometimes a song becomes bad entirely by the absence of anything good, and this one truly has nothing at all going for it.

10. "Boys Back Home" by Dylan Marlowe feat. Dylan Scott

If Cole Swindell's "Chillin' It" was the poor-man's "Cruise," then this is the poor-man's "Chillin' It." It has the same "open on a mildly catchy chorus" trick and a similar chord pattern, cadence, and banjo-guitar interplay. I genuinely don't know how Dylan Scott has had a career for so long, other than by being the most generic and radio-friendly bro out there. And somehow he got on a track by another generic nobody with the same first name. Marlowe awkwardly talk-sings through lyrics about Carhartt jackets and diesel, and then gets outshone on his own record by Scott, who -- again, despite being bland -- is noticeably a better singer, even when he's rattling off clichés about dirt and hard work. I just looked up this song and already can't remember a single word outside the chorus. If there's nothing to do in this nothing to do town, then maybe you should move out and get some fresh perspectives.

9. "New to Country" by Bailey Zimmerman

I honestly thought Bailey Zimmerman was onto something with the genuinely interesting "Fall in Love," but he fell off fast. His voice is as this most nasal yet on the verses, switching up to an ear-splitting shout on the choruses. The production is the same power chords and banjo you can find on almost any Brantley Gilbert record, and the lyrics? The dude who smokes, has tattoos, and listens to Guns 'n Roses is still a country boy, even after all the big hit singles. It's a tired argument, this defensive "oh, I'm still country" argument. (I also think it's pretty bad optics to have the word "Dixie" in a song in 2024.) I also think it's weird to title the song "New to Country" when the intended argument is the exact opposite ("I'm anything but new to country") -- an anti-title like that was genuinely clever deception on "Fall in Love," but here it just feels like "short titles are better." In short, it's just another laundry list of bragging about country-boy tropes we've heard a billion times, shouted over too-loud guitar, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

8. "Cowgirls" by Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST

How 'bout them cowgirls? From the title and artists involved, I knew what I was getting: snap beats and Auto-Tune for days, combined with a bunch of meat-headed post-bro-country babbling about hot women who exist solely to break your heart. It's almost like they wanted to make a countrier rewrite of "Bitches Ain't Shit" but instead ended up closer to "Bitch Came Back." Also, just like the last time ERNEST hopped on a Morgan Wallen song, it makes literally zero sense as a duet -- there's no interplay between the two, to the point I can barely tell where either of them starts or ends a line, nor is there a thematic reason for it to be a duet. The utter lack of country instrumentation, combined with their vocal tone, just makes this song sound skeevy in a way a lighter read might not have done. I think it's clear by now that I no longer judge Morgan Wallen by his personality, but rather by his music... and he's really doing me no favors (although I will grant "I Had Some Help" wasn't that bad). Let the cowgirls run... away from these two bozos and into someone with better material.

7. "Miles on It" by Marshmello and Kane Brown

My recent pivot on Kane Brown isn't a bit just to piss off Trailer and/or other Farce the Music readers; I really did grow to like his music more. However, this was a massive step backwards. First and foremost is that I just don't like Marshmello. Like his name indicates, his brand of EDM always came off as flavorless fluff to me. And in this case, I'm not sure what he even did on this song, as there isn't a distinctive beat or melodic riff or even a solo that I felt worthy of a feature credit. My own bias against this subgenre aside, the lyrics also feel like they're absurdly beneath Kane. "My baby's push to start" sounds like the kind of single entendre Florida Georgia Line was too embarrassed to put in "Sun Daze," and the woman as usual has literally zero agency. She's just there for Kane to ogle over and drive out in the country with her, as if we hadn't already heard that same premise six zillion times. Between the genuine romantic chemistry of "Thank God," and the sincere familial bonding of "Grand" and "Backseat Driver," it felt like Kane was embracing a newfound maturity. But this is just skeevy frat-bro machismo, exacerbated by sterile lifeless sound design.

6. "Darkest Hour" by Eric Church

I hope I don't come off like an asshole for ripping a charity single a new one. I have no problem with the fact that Eric Church set up a fund to help those affected by Hurricane Helene; I just think the song he chose to accompany it is the worst thing he's ever cut in his life. It's got this weird lounge-pop production that sounds like if Almost Vinyl tried to use AI to make a Burt Bacharach or Frank Sinatra pastiche... only instead of "I Only Saw This Play to Get Some Ass," we get an endless jumble of mixed metaphors. In the first line alone, the person in need is both homeless in the snow and a rudder-less ship in low tide. Then they're in the burning sand with their hair on fire and thrown a rope to get out of their head. (I think this finally supplanted Miranda Lambert's "Bluebird" as the most incoherent jumble of mixed metaphors I've heard in a country song.) Even worse from a sound design standpoint is Eric's vocal delivery -- a weird mix of Christian pop fake-raspiness, Jana Kramer level fake twang, and absolutely ear-bleeding falsetto. This is the most egregiously I've heard someone sing way too far out of their range since Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved." I'm sure his heart was in the right place, but his sense of songcraft really went out to lunch.

5. "True South" by Rodney Atkins

I still believe If You're Going Through Hell was a solid album. That album finally found Rodney Atkins's image as a laid-back father who's seen some hard times and is now enjoying a fairly positive Southern lifestyle. But after that, he really lost his way with increasingly desperate and personality-deprived bids for radio airplay, such as "Take a Back Road" or "It's America." Additionally, his singing and sound design got way worse. This one starts out massively on the wrong foot with the line "we don't smoke meth, smoke brisket," which is jarringly tone-deaf to the methamphetamine epidemic across rural communities. What follows isn't nearly as insulting, but it's still very pandering. Yes, we get cut-off jeans, kudzu, dogs, church, and hard work -- you could make a "country cliché bingo" card and no matter how you distribute the slots, you'd still easily get a double-bingo by the second chorus. What's worse, Rodney sounds awful on this. His voice has always been polarizing, but prior to "It's America," I never had a problem with it. There's no force behind his tone anymore, and he sounds exhausted when he gets to the hook. Much like on "It's America," he's also mixed way too low relative to the backing vocals and instruments. (Surprisingly, he's got someone other than Ted Hewitt behind the boards for once.) By the way, did I mention that frequent Farce the Music punching bag Redferrin wrote this?

4. "Stick to Our Guns" by Craig Campbell

I admit, I have a pretty serious gun phobia. Some of it comes from the wave of public shootings after Columbine, as well as the stereotype of gun-toting rednecks who make Yosemite Sam look reserved -- I have seen trigger-happy idiots shoot literally anything that moves! In Craig Campbell's world, the cities are good for nothing but crime, but the country means the door can stay open as long as somebody with a .44 is on the other side of it. Justin Moore in "This Is My Dirt" may sound whiny, but at least he doesn't sound like he's fishing for an excuse to pump someone full of lead. (See also Josh Thompson's "Way Out Here" or Tracy Byrd and Mark Chesnutt's "A Good Way to Get on My Bad Side.") Craig doesn't help his case by throwing in an out-of-nowhere mention of the flag (because shooting everything in sight is "American"?) nor his use of the word "troubadour" (so he's an 11th century French poet? Seriously, stop using that word). The fear of the city continues to such a psychotic degree that he's even afraid some "bigwig" is gonna dig him up after he's dead. At least unlike "Try That in a Small Town," it's not as angry and dour sounding, and he doesn't cross the line into overt racism. But this is still a pretty troubling message.

3. "Just Like Johnny" by Redferrin

Hey, Redferrin? We already have a Morgan Wallen and a Morgan Wallen wannabe; we don't need another one. And what we also don't need is a fatal misunderstanding of Johnny Cash's personal life. The person who was working cotton fields at age five, served in the Air Force, battled amphetamine and alcohol addictions on a number of occasions, performed concerts in prisons, was an activist for Native American rights -- a very conflicted human being, but also a musical talent so great I have never met a single person who dislikes him -- is reduced to "I'm just like Johnny Cash because I also screw up and do drugs." There's no understanding of the Man in Black's career, of the personal struggles that caused the demons to keep coming back. (Did you know June would sometimes flush his drugs down the toilet?) Instead, he staples on an "I messed up, it's all my fault" narrative and claims he'll still love her like Johnny and June until he dies. Nothing ties into Cash's legacy or shows even a superficial knowledge of him beyond "singer who did drugs." Compare "Johnny & June" by Heidi Newfield and its well-placed invocation of "Ring of Fire" to draw the focus toward Johnny and June's legacy as a power couple even after their deaths. And of course, it's all done in a Morgan Wallen-styled nasal drawl (with slightly less muddy production), but you probably knew that by now. Far more than how it's sung, this song actively angered me by its mere concept being downright blasphemous to one of the greatest musicians of all time.

2. "Made in China" by Aaron Lewis

I don't get Aaron Lewis. Sure, Staind is a punchline, but I still stand by some of their songs. But his deep dive into right-wing grift is head scratching to the extreme. (Just as baffling is Bobby Pinson's dive into the same, although I guess the flagrantly racist Toby Keith song "Made in America" was just the first domino there.) I already went over a lot of that when he did "Am I the Only One," but here, it's outright racism to the forefront. "I ain't made in China from all the cheapest parts" is the same racist bullshit I've heard for years, even though in modern times, China is responsible for a lot of very important technology such as semiconductors. He may claim he's more American because he buys locally and even shoehorns in a flag-waving sub-chorus... but this whole "not made in China" ignores that some goods are difficult to make or produce locally (coffee comes to mind) and more importantly, that we absolutely can support the economies of other countries as well as our own. ("I ain't selling 'em any of mine / I ain't buying theirs, either" -- racism and selfish in one fell swoop!) "America first and only" never made sense to me, as it seems blatantly contradictory to any sense of freedom and growth. How can we "grow" as a country if we're not lending a helping hand? Even just the fact that this song is nothing but vocals and Dobro suggests he's trying to pick up where Oliver Anthony (how quickly we forget) left off. If you want a tasteful song, about foreign-made goods, put on Buck Owens's "Made in Japan," which has aged amazingly well.

1. "Make America Great Again" by Brian Kelley

I'd like to make one thing clear: this would have been my least-favorite no matter who won the election. In fact, I had this instantly tagged as my least-favorite of the year well before Election Day. It's easy to point to politics as the reason behind Florida Georgia Line breaking up, given that Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley are known to be politically opposed. But I don't think there's enough hard evidence to cite that as a reason behind their breakup, and the fact that both musicians' solo output is markedly different from FGL indicates a sincere desire to focus on solo careers. Furthermore, I still believe Tyler's pleas for unity in "Undivided" came from a place of sincerity; if party lines were dividing FGL, it seems like Tyler was at least trying to reach across them. But even without all of that, there's no denying that this song is full of the hateful rhetoric that I thought we were better than by now. "Streets are full of drugs and illegals / It's time to finish that wall," "try to take our free speech and our rifles," and "back to United States...we ain't messing around with other countries' wars" show the same kind of xenophobic, hate-filled bullshit that the more toxic parts of the right have been spewing for decades. I'm not looking forward to the next couple years, and songs like this give a good indicator as to why.

Already made last year's list: "Chevrolet," "Truck Bed"

Dishonorable mentions: "Different 'Round Here," "Back Then Right Now," "Pretty Little Poison"

The Worst Country Songs of the Decade (2000-2009)

The Worst Country Songs of 2000-2009

By Bobby Peacock a.k.a. TenPoundHammer

"Bob That Head" by Rascal Flatts

If Gary LeVox screeching "BOB THAT HEAD!" at full blast doesn't scare you away immediately, then you must be the most stoic person alive. Not that the rest of the song is any better. Even after the label wisely sent out an edited version, it still didn't change the dopey, meatheaded proto-bro-country lyrics about riding around town with a hot girl in your car -- a theme that fits Gary LeVox about as comfortably as a pair of size 36 slacks from Ross Dress for Less.

"Bonfire" by Craig Morgan

Like I pointed out in the 2010s list, this is the point where Craig decided that screaming everything in an over-exaggerated drawl was the same thing as singing. To be fair, "party in the woods" songs weren't nearly as omnipresent as they would be in later years, but the harsh sonic surroundings do nobody any favors. Can you believe Kevin "That's Just Jessie" Denney wrote this?

"The Bumper of My SUV" by Chely Wright

As the AV Club once pointed out... how does Chely in the song know that she's being flipped off because of her bumper sticker? Why does she act so bluntly defensive over something she's only assuming? Why does she turn around and make such broad assumptions about that person? Maybe that person doesn't go to a private school. Maybe they don't give two shits about your bumper sticker. Or your stance on war. Or that fact that this song just drones on and on without any melodic changes.

"The Christmas Shoes" by NewSong

Most CCM is just too slickly produced and stridently sung for my tastes. But rarely can I hate it on message alone -- if you find something like "I Can Only Imagine" (which I took off this list at the last minute) uplifting, then I won't fault you for it. But what exactly is uplifting here? We've all heard the Patton Oswalt routine so we all know what's wrong with its message. But the sterile production, the pompous lead vocals, and the zombie children singing on the last chorus just really send it over the top, don't they?

"The Climb" by Miley Cyrus

I hate motivational songs. I hate pop songs being sent to country radio for no reason. I... actually don't hate Miley at all. But this is just a mountain of motivational clichés with no real narrative thought or emotion, and it certainly feels like a climb to listen to.

"Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride

I would never make light of child abuse. But like so many of Martina's songs, it feels like it was inserted into the song just to manipulate a bleeding-heart fanbase instead of tell an actual story.  Every second of this song is bombastic and overwrought and, as I've said before, it's like watching a Lifetime movie where everyone is screaming their dialogue.

"Country Boy" by Alan Jackson

When the first thing a 50-year-old man says is "I'm not a stalker", and then he follows it up with a blatant innuendo like "climb in my bed, I'll take you for a ride", all I can ask is why Herbert the Pervert got to record a country song. Not that the clunky melody, God-awful slant rhymes (asphalt/red dirt, help you/take you), and overlong verses (why does the song have two bridges?) do it any favors.

"Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" by Toby Keith

Spoiler alert: this list will have a lot of 9/11 and Iraq War songs on it. I have no problem with love of country. I have no problem with anyone who is pro-war or anti-war. What I have a problem with is over-the-top jingoism. (You do know that the Statue of Liberty would have to set down either the torch or the tablets to shake her fist, right?) But what really sent this song over the top for me was the "boot in your ass" line. It just promotes an aggressive, violent, xenophobic mindset and to me, reinforces all the negative stereotypes of the "MURICA" crowd.

"Girls Lie Too" by Terri Clark

I ultimately took the cringeworthy Gretchen Wilson knockoff "Dirty Girl" off this list (come to think of it, "Gypsy Boots" was pretty dreadful too). I decided that two factors make this song even worse: 1.) uninspired attempts at battle-of-the-sexes humor that are either trite or misandristic, and 2.) the blatant chart manipulation that got this song to #1 in the first place.

"God Bless the Children" by Wayne Warner and the Nashville All Star Choir

This guy's slick, strident, overly touchy-feely delivery makes the lead singer of NewSong sound like Leonard Cohen. He both looks and sounds like that child counselor that ends up flashing you. The song was done for an adoption charity, and as my sister is an adoptee I have no issue with his support. But as a musical product, this is cringeworthy in how unlistenable it is.

"God Only Cries" by Diamond Rio

"God only cries for the living 'cause it's the living that are so far from home." So He doesn't cry for the dead because they're no longer with their loved ones? He doesn't cry for the living because He wants them to be comforted in their loss? Does He want everyone to die so the angels can all be happy and no one has to cry anymore? The more I look at that one line alone, the more problematic it comes off.

"The Good Lord and the Man" by John Rich

I was way too soft on this song when I reviewed it for Roughstock in 2009. Where do I even begin? Describing Pearl Harbor as a "sucker punch"? Or how about saying that we'd "all be speaking German / livin' under the flag of Japan" if not for our soldiers? Maybe it wouldn't be too bad from another singer, but from someone who released a song called "Shut Up About Politics" and never managed to follow his own advice, this seems like a fine line between pandering and trolling.

"Have You Forgotten?" by Darryl Worley

Tired of hearing me rant about political songs yet? Just about everyone's picked this one apart for how much of a wrongheaded straw-man argument it is. And I agree -- regardless of the intentions, the song just adds up to a confused mess of patriotic rah-rah lines. And WHY IN GOD'S NAME am I still hearing "You say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden" on the radio in 2020?!?

"Here for the Party" by Gretchen Wilson

I actually kind of liked Gretchen Wilson. Her grit was refreshing even if a bit calculated at times. But this song was easily the weak link in her debut. It was one of the only times that she sounded forced and over-the-top, instead of letting the fun come naturally, and the whole song just fell flat. And it's probably also her shrillest vocal performance.

"I Ain't No Quitter" by Shania Twain

"My man does literally everything wrong, including excessive womanizing and infidelity. But I'm not getting rid of him because... uh, I'm stubborn?" What a wonderful positive message to send out. Especially when Shania gives one of the most deadpan, lifeless deliveries of her entire career.

"I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack featuring Sons of the Desert

I hate songs that consist entirely of motivational platitudes with no narrative or through line of any kind. This is one of the biggest, and one of the most infuriating simply for how antipodal it is to the rest of her discography. Even if I weren't as vehemently opposed to this kind of song, I would still find it as out-of-character as I would if George Strait suddenly started recording gangsta rap.

"I'm a Survivor" by Reba McEntire

Starting off the song by declaring yourself to be a premature baby when you clearly weren't absolutely smacks of manipulation. It's the only thing that even gives this song any semblance of flavor, as the rest is sub-Jo Dee Messina level "you go girl" empowerment the likes of which does not fit Reba at all.

"I'm Already There" by Lonestar

Usually in the "when you coming home, Dad?" kind of songs, the father actually does come home at the end. But instead, this one just has the father coldly dismissing the family's valid pleas to come home. (At least I can see how "My Front Porch Looking In" could be uplifting...) Add some of Dann Huff's most bombastic, string-drenched power ballad production and Richie's overwrought singing, and you're just left wondering how this is the same band that did "No News".

"In My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride

In my daughter's eyes, everyone lives in peace and harmony with puppies and sunshine and rainbows. My daughter is going to be so sheltered and doe-eyed when she becomes an adult, because she thinks such syrupy drivel is the truth. Maybe her daughter in this song is actually RaeLynn? This explains so much. At least this one wasn't an ear-splitting belt-fest.

"Iraq and Roll" by Clint Black

Yeah, you probably don't remember this song. It was only on his website for a short time. But lucky for you, the Wayback Machine saved it: Link... if you dare

The song actually starts off inoffensively enough, but then launches headlong into some absolutely laughable lyrics ("If they won't show us their weapons, we might have to show them ours / It might be a smart bomb, they find stupid people too") that seem like the insane ramblings of someone who's been locked in a pod watching nothing but Fox News since 2002.

"Jeep Jeep" by Krista Marie

What would happen if you made a bro-country song before bro-country was even a thing, but flipped the sexes? And gave it a really dumb dumb hook hook that repeats repeats words words for no reason reason? You'd get "Jeep Jeep", of course course. At least she ended up making far better music in The Farm.

"Kiss My Country Ass" by Rhett Akins

Country pride songs are a dime a zillion. Most of them are inoffensive enough, or sometimes even guilty pleasures. Some are even quite well-written. But this is infuriatingly dismissive from its title alone, and it only gets worse with the overly MURICA second verse. It's okay to be country; just don't be a dick about it.

"The Little Girl" by John Michael Montgomery

Nothing good can come from a song based on one of those sickeningly manipulative e-mail stories that got circulated in the early 2000s (nowadays it'd be on Facebook). Even at the time, I read Snopes enough to know how manipulative (both parents get murdered!) and unrealistic (how does he know that's Jesus?) the story is. In the words of Weird Al, "Stop forwarding that crap to me."

"Love Is" by Katrina Elam

Getting back to the subject of ear-splitting belt fests... how about an oversung, over-the-top power of love anthem that brings literally nothing new to the subject other than awkwardly shoehorning in the word "bling"? This sounds like the kind of Celine Dion/Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey knockoffs my mom used to listen to back in the late 90s, only at least 10-15 years too late.

"Loud" by Big & Rich

Horse of a Different Color is one of my all-time favorite albums for how balls-to-the-wall madly creative it was. But as early as the second album, I could tell that Big & Rich were starting to run out of ideas. And by "Loud", they were reduced to a bunch of party-hearty clichés without any semblance of creativity other than a couple of interesting guitar textures. Even their voices sound strained and off on this.

"Mr. Right Now" by Povertyneck Hillbillies

Hey, remember that time you heard what sounded like a local bar band that somehow got on your radio? No, not "I Loved Her First". That one's actually okay. This one, however, just sounds like an utterly uncreative bunch of guys who somehow snuck onto a few playlists. From the unoriginal title to the groan-worthy dance/chance/romance rhyme to the name-drop of Popeye the Sailor Man, this song just screams "not ready for prime time".

"One Voice" by Billy Gilman

Yet another entry in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" country song movement sparked by "Holes in the Floor of Heaven". Lyrics about as subtle as a ten-pound hammer to the face (mom won't watch the news, meaning she's sheltered and oblivious), all sung by a kid too young to even know what's going on in the world as it is. Maybe an adult singer could have made this at least palatable, but Gilman just wasn't ready for prime time yet.

"Sideways" by Dierks Bentley

One of the most atonal guitar/banjo intros I've ever heard, a chunky melody that flows like a year-old container of cottage cheese, a weaksauce hook, and one of Dierks' dullest deliveries. Maybe on the surface it just sounds mediocre, especially considering how phoned-in the entire Feel That Fire album was, but this song just has that extra degree of not caring that sends it over the top for me.

"Streets of Heaven" by Sherrié Austin

Another song with a perfectly valid topic: a mother's grief about possibly losing a child. But where it fails is in its attempts to browbeat God ("Don't you know one day that she'll be your little girl forever / but right now I need her so much more"). I'm an atheist and I still know that's not how you talk to God. Also, I thought Heaven's streets were made of gold. Not exactly the kind of thing that has a lot of traffic.

"Then" by Brad Paisley

This is actually one of Brad's better vocals and it has a good arrangement. Shame that the lyrics are absolutely unimaginative pap. (No lie, I correctly predicted nearly half the chorus, down to the insipid whole life/whole world/without you, girl rhyme on the first listen.) Even "When I Get Where I'm Going" had some flavor to it, but this is just beyond bland. What makes it worse is that overplay of this one kept the massively superior "Welcome to the Future" from going to #1.

"This Ain't Mexico" by Buddy Jewell

"You can call me a closed-minded, old-fashioned, flag-waving gringo". Yes, because that's what you are. By stapling on stereotypical mariachi sounds to your xenophobic rant against immigrants, along with head-scratching namedrops like Johnny Rodriguez (who was born in Texas, by the way). Oh yeah, and your desire to have that wall built... how's that working out for you 12 years later? I'm surprised you didn't work the word "wetback" in there somewhere.

"This One's for the Girls" by Martina McBride

Can I nominate "living on dreams and Spaghetti-Os" for one of the worst lyrics of all time? If not, then that still doesn't help this song's case. Messina had already beaten girl-power anthems into the ground by this point, and Martina makes it worse with some of the cheesiest lyrics I've ever heard, combined with a gaggle of girls on the obnoxious chorus.

"Troubadour" by George Strait

No, that's not a typo. Everyone hypes this up as one of his best, but I really, really don't get it. This song just feels like it barely exists. Like they just came up with 10% of an idea and left it at that. So you're a troubadour -- what does that mean in this context? Why doesn't the mirror tell the whole truth about you? Why did you rhyme "mirror" with "mirror"? What's your backstory? Why are you telling us so very little?

"The Way You Love Me" by Faith Hill

"If I could grant you one wish / I wish you could see the way you kiss." Um, that's not how wishes work. How did nobody involved in the creation process catch this? While there is an admittedly very clever use of key change on the chorus, that is instantly snuffed out by the bubblegum-pop lyrics (baby/crazy, never seen that one before) and the incessant "ooh"ing to stretch out the meter.

"What I'm For" by Pat Green

Yay, a list song of stock country-boy tropes. Never heard that one before. Let's see: technophobia? Check. Jingoism? Check. Random regional food and drink name-drops? Check, twice actually. Respecting your elders? Check. God? Check. And this is the song you pulled "Country Star" for?

"What If She's an Angel" by Tommy Shane Steiner

One of the last waves of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" movement and one of its worst. Ripping off "Don't Laugh at Me", a song I already dislike, in its first verse, and then somehow also forcing in abuse and cancer. It's like a genderflipped Martina McBride.

"When It All Goes South" by Alabama

Hey, who wants to hear a band of middle-aged men strain for cred by doing a G-rated ripoff of Kid Rock's "Cowboy"? Nobody, that's who. Not even their collab with 'N Sync was this embarrassingly bad.

"Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews

I tore this one when I wrote about Jessica Andrew forRoughstock back in 2013. It's always felt like two men writing what they think teenage girls think about because they haven't seen any teenage girls in 20 years. No teenager is going to be upset about not seeing the Seven Wonders or not winning a Grammy. Jessica did have good songs in her, but she just sounded dull and lifeless on these facepalm-worthy lyrics.

"You Are" by Jimmy Wayne

When it comes to cliché storms, this is Hurricane Katrina. (Too soon?) "It breaks my heart in two". "You are my love, you are my life." "Heart and soul." "My fantasy, my reality." It's like if you tried to write a country wedding song with a random number generator.