So I spent several days in Nashville last week, which meant I got to spend a lot of time with Country radio. And while I like country music just fine, I can't stand country radio. I tend to like classic country and alt country, which are the two things are seem to never be played on country radio.
There are a few newer things out there I dig. Alan Jackson is fun, and Clint Black has some good songs. I like the Dixie Chicks, especially when they're getting a little more bluegrassy. But most of what Nashville puts out right now is absolute crap. Its way more formulaic and overproduced than even the pop queens are, as Timbaland and the Neptunes and such are quite creative.
Here's the modern county formula.
--Take any pop culture or homespun country wisdom catch phrase.
--Use the music from one of your other songs, or one of somebody else's songs. It helps if it sounds "country" although, that's not even all that important if you've already got some singles on the charts, like Shania Twain.
--Write some kind of lyrics that roughly approximate the idea of the phrase you've stolen.
I miss both Hanks. I miss the Man in Black. I miss Patsy. I miss Willie. I miss Waylon and Merle and Loretta and June. Hell I miss David Allen Coe and Johnny Paycheck.
Which isn't to say there isn't anything new happening in country to keep it alive and interesting. There is: it just doesn't come through the Nashville filter. Alt-country bands like Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt and BR5-49 and 16 Horsepower and many others I'm not thinking about are doing lots of cool stuff with country. (I've deliberately left off Wilco as I'd say they've crossed all the way over by now, although the early stuff still applies. This is defintely not to say I don't recommend Wilco's new albums. I absolutely do, they're fantastic, they just don't really fit alt-country anymore.)
Which is all just a long-ass way to introduce this central point: "Nashville Star" should suck. It should suck much more fiercely than American Idol and deserve its USA Network status. But in the little I've seen, I love it.
The number one reason is Miranda Lambert. Miranda was a contestant last year and came in third, for which she (and I) is grateful. Because coming in third allowed her the exposure to get known and have record companies be interested, but had she won the 1st place recording contract she would have been expected to release the album in a few months to take advantage of the timing. And having the extra time allowed her to put together an incredible band and write almost all of the songs on the album (with help from her dad, next door neighbor, and fellow Nashville Star contestant Travis Howard).
As can be seen from several profiles, she's very driven and spends no time pretending to be unconcerned about her music career. Which doesn't bother me at all, as anyone who has a chance to set themselves up for life with a job playing music in front of people, but claims to not be paying attention is either faking or a fool. But what she hasn't done is made a "typical" country album, and I've really enjoyed it.
Which isn't to say its perfect. Of the 12 songs on
Kerosene, there are about 5 that really get me ("Kerosene", "What about Georgia", "I can't be Bothered", "Me and Charlie talking", and "Mama, I'm alright" for those of you keeping score at home. Actually, "I wanna die" is pretty good too, so that's 6.) and parts of the album drag. To be fair, though, I've never been much for country ballads anyway, and that's most of what I'm leaving off. But its such a delightful surprise to see something like that come through the system, and to see it actually working that I can forgive some inconsistency. By all rights, I should expect an album with this background to be a straight Shania ripoff.
Which is what made me even more surprised when I was in my hotel room in Nashville, watching Nashville Star on USA to see Jody Evans, a young rockabilly cop from Arkansas, with a love for Elvis and Buddy Holly, absolutely rocking out.
He's my favorite on the current competition, which is extra ridiculous as I don't get cable and as such can't actually see any of the episodes besides the one that I watched.
In all the show is pretty fun to watch anyway. For one thing you get the brilliant commentary of country expert Bret Michaels from Poison. (Excuse me? you say. Yep, I don't get it either, but it is funny.) And there's no shortage of excitement. From the vomit incident in Episode 1 to the incredible embarrassment of one poor bastard being determined less entertaining than vomiting onstage, to Bret Michaels repeatedly hitting on the *just* 18-year-old 12-grader in the competition there's fun for the whole family. Extra fun is the super-snarky reviews found on launch by Lyndsey Parker, with lots of swipes at the competitors and judges alike. The show is worth existing just for the recaps, I swear. (Read them here.)
So anyway, if you've gotten burned out by modern country the way I have, give it a shot and see what you think. And consider picking up "Kerosene", too.
Have you caught Robbie Fulks? Yep, need to get on that.
The video of "Me and Charlie Talkin'" can be found in its entirety on launch as well...call me biased, but I like it :)