Aaron Lewis and the Sinner in All of Us

Aaron Lewis represents much of what mainstream country music has been lacking over the past five years. He's an iconic vocalist, an introspective and self-aware songwriter, and the kind of individual who wouldn't be out of place in a rural setting. You take away his obvious talents, and he's a guy you might see in your favorite bar, ready to shoot the shit and a game or two of pool. When Aaron Lewis is on stage, he doesn't look like he spent 15 minutes letting somebody apply makeup to his face and picking out his wardrobe. He's just a guy with a guitar and the combination of eloquence and life experience needed to tell great stories. That much is evident on his newest album, Sinner.

That's not to say the album is flawless. There are some moments of greatness, but also moments of hollow chest beating that eat away at the overall impact of the record, as a whole. Songs like the title track and "Lost and Lonely" are refreshing and wonderfully self-aware, while songs like the very dumb "Northern Redneck" represent ideas that never should have seen pen and paper. At the very least, Sinner gets off to a strong start with the title track, lead single "That Ain't Country," and Lewis' cover of "Whiskey and You," a standard for Chris Stapleton first recorded by Tim McGraw. 

That's not to say that there aren't weak points in some of the good songs. "That Ain't Country" is a nice protest song, but includes a third verse that only serves to arbitrarily name drop country legends. It did absolutely nothing for the song and added another minute to its run time, dragging "That Ain't Country" past the four minute mark and dulling its message. It still makes its point, but I can't help but think a little subtlety would have served "That Ain't Country" well. 

There's no denying the traditional country sound of the record. Steel guitar is everywhere, and the dobro makes wonderful appearances in the background here and there. The songs in general move at a rather slow pace, which I tend to like. Upbeat songs serve a purpose in country music, but if an artist doesn't excel at writing or singing such material, the best decision is to only record them when a great idea comes to fruition, which is what Lewis seems to have done on Sinner. 

Lyrically, the album title declares the concept, and the songs tell stories of hard living, bad choices, and the cyclical nature of life as a human being. The title track is a declaration of unavoidable human fault as Lewis sings, "'Cause I'm a sinner to my core/I ask forgiveness, and nothing more." It's less of a point of pride than a point of admission, and a statement of understanding in that the narrator knows he's not perfect, but he would like to do better, moving forward. 

The missteps on Sinner are pretty blatant. The aforementioned "Northern Redneck" discusses the stereotype that you can only be truly country if you're from the south. Aaron Lewis is from Massachusetts, so where the idea generated from is obvious, but it just wasn't executed very well in any way. The other song that irritates me is "Sunday Every Saturday Night." It's an outdated, overused story of the bar being like a church. It's also so damn slow and drawn out that I found my mind drifting away before 2 minutes had even passed. It's a very forgettable song. 

The strongest tracks on the album are excellent, including the title track, and my personal favorite, "Lost and Lonely." The best surprise of the album, however, was the the wonderful closing song--an excellent cover of "Travelin' Soldier," first made famous by the Dixie Chicks nearly 15 years ago. Lewis' daughter Zoe takes lead vocals on this song, and Aaron harmonizes with her during the chorus. The inclusion of this song doesn't necessarily fit into the concept in a lyrical sense, but I think the choice to have his daughter take lead vocals is meant to symbolize redemption and the blessings life can give us despite our faults and mistakes. It was a very fitting way to close the album, and an excellent way to turn the dire mood around to show the opposite side of the spectrum.

Overall, Sinner is a very solid album from a singer/songwriter with an iconic voice and the kinds of hard-living experiences needed to carry emotional material to its potential. Well done, Mr. Lewis. 7/10

Standout tracks:

"Sinner"

"Mama"

"Lost and Lonely"

"Travelin' Soldier"

CDC Warns Public About Exposure to Thomas Rhett's "Vacation"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a strict warning to music listeners throughout the United States about the side effects of overexposure to Thomas Rhett's new single "Vacation." Along with the sudden death of numerous brain cells, sufferers develop an immediate case of TDD, or Taste Deficit Disorder.

CDC Representative Myles Jensen was even more thorough in his warnings. "Thomas Rhett's "Vacation" can affect more than a person's taste in music, it can completely strip away their ability to identify quality art in any medium," Jensen said. "Before they know it, they're praising Grey's Anatomy and proclaiming Pitbull the greatest rapper in the history of the genre."

"These are dangerous things to be stating out loud. Who's going to hire somebody that can't even identify drivel, especially if they're applying for a job that deals directly with other people?" Jensen also warned of the tendency to consume alcohol at alarming rates when exposed to Rhett's abomination. "When the art in question lacks substance to such a great degree, listeners have no incentive to control their alcohol intake in order to enjoy the moment. We're seeing alarming amounts of DUI arrests in places where exposure to the song is prevalent."

The best way to prevent the sudden onset of TDD, or the loss of brain cells en masse, is to avoid mainstream country radio altogether, according to Jensen. "That's the only way to ensure that you don't become a victim of this atrocity. I would even suggest listening to as much Merle Haggard as possible in the coming months, just to make sure that you continue to understand what good songs actually sound like."


We've got a long hard battle in front of us, folks. Don't become a victim--avoid this truly awful song.

0/10

Easton Corbin Returns to Form on "Are You With Me"

Few singles have been as disappointing in recent years as Easton Corbin's "Baby Be My Love Song." It was awkward, clumsy, and devoid of anything that resembled a melody. It also signified the presence of label pressure in Corbin's career. There were earlier signs, such as failed single "Clockwork," but fans were not prepared for a song so contrary to everything else that he has released in his career.

Unfortunately, "Baby By My Love Song" was a sign of worse things to come. Corbin's most recent album--About to Get Real--is more bad than good, and second single "Yup" was truly awful. Thankfully, it went nowhere on radio. Not that us classic country fans wish misfortune on Easton Corbin, but we know he can make it on country radio playing music that leans in a more traditional direction. Vocal comparisons to George Strait notwithstanding, he has other things working in his favor. His first two albums were traditional country gold as far as modern country is concerned, and did just fine with singles and album sales. Thankfully, his most recent single from About to Get Real leans in a more serious direction. 

"Are You With Me" builds slowly through half of the first verse with light production backing tender vocals, before percussion kicks in and the verse transitions into a beautiful chorus. Corbin sings "We can chase the wild dreams/live like crazy, love me baby/Come on, come on, come on/Just throw your arms around me/We can run like we won't run out of time/Are you with me," asking his partner to just jump in and see where things go from there. 

Production wise, the song isn't as country as some of Corbin's earlier releases like "A Little More Country Than That" or "Lovin' You is Fun," but it reminds me of the darkest single of his career--"I Can't Love You Back." Thematically, the two songs are similar, even if "Are You With Me" doesn't involve such drastic implications. In both songs, the outcome is never clarified, leaving the listener with an unsettled feeling that persists and forces them to revisit the song over and over again. 

It's that kind of lasting effect that separated Easton Corbin's music from that of his peers early in his career, and hopefully "Are You With Me" is the first sign that he'll have more creative control, moving forward. 7/10

Up next: Sinner by Aaron Lewis

Whiskey Myers Dig Into Life's Mud

The heyday of Southern Rock has long passed, and any chance at mainstream radio success is all but gone. Nevertheless, there are a handful of very talented bands keeping the genre alive, and Whiskey Myers is one of them. With the release of their new album Mud on September 9th, the band has cemented its place alongside Blackberry Smoke as the torchbearers of a genre that has fallen out of the public eye.

Based in Palestine, Texas, it's not hard to figure out how such obvious country influence creeps into their sound. While the rough-edged distorted guitar is prominent throughout the record, Whiskey Myers turn the volume down here and there with great success, turning out several new country staples in their already loaded catalog that includes fantastic songs like "Dogwood" and "Lonely East TX Nights." Perhaps that is what I find most frustrating about Whiskey Myers, as a fan. They're so good at country music that I don't understand how they can overlook that in order to primarily record southern rock songs. They're great at both, but they're better at country.

Mud is swampy, gritty, and as dirty as the album title makes it sound. Everything from the distorted guitar lines to Cody Cannon's highly accented vocals is rough around the edges in all the right ways. For songwriting fanatics, the lyrics from the album should be more than sufficient, with highlight songs like "Stone" and "Trailer We Call Home" digging into dark topics with ease and tangibility. The band turns up the distortion for grimy, dense-sounding songs like "Mud" and "Frogman." Both are a foot-stomping good time, and sure fan favorites in a live setting.

"Lightning Bugs and Rain" sits at track 3 and is a bit of an experiment for Whiskey Myers. Horns are heavy in the mix in the instrumental arrangement and they take the band's sound to a place I'm not positive that they've ventured to before. I haven't listened through this discography thoroughly enough to say for sure, though. The song, arguably the best upbeat track on the album, puts a little Memphis into tried and true southern rock, and it results in a rather charming sound. Unexpected twists often result in the worst songs on albums, but Whiskey Myers buck this trend with "Lightning Bugs and Rain."

"Deep Down in the South" is the only real misstep on Mud. It's the band beating their chest about where they're from and, quite frankly, it's a novelty worn so thin by less talented artist that it's become an annoyance. Whiskey Myers has recorded songs like this before, but they're usually better than this.

Cody Cannon continues to be the principle songwriter for Whiskey Myers, though he does write with some renowned singer/songwriters like Darrell Scott and Brent Cobb. Mud was produced by the now famous Dave Cobb, who continues to attract the brightest names on the independent scene. Cobb brought Whiskey Myers' country-fried southern rock to life in the studio, resulting in the best-sounding album that the band has recorded to date.

Overall, Whiskey Myers will always be a band that I go back to when they release new albums. I do wish that they'd dig into their country influence a bit more for at least an album's worth of songs, at some point. Nevertheless, if I have to take a bunch of fairly solid, often very good Southern Rock songs just to get to the country gems from each album, I'll happily oblige. Mud kicks ass. 8/10

Standout Tracks:
"Mud"
"Lighting Bugs and Rain"
"Stone"
"Trailer We Call Home"
"Hank"

Single Review: Rick Brantley's "Hurt People"

Rick Brantley was unknown to me until this spring when I stumbled across his music through Rolling Stone Country. Featured in the article in question was his new song, "Hurt People." Curiosity won me over and, like many times before, I had to take a listen. I was exposed to a composition so powerful I couldn't shake it for days. It was like hearing Jason Isbell's "Elephant" for the first time all over again. What songwriters aim for when dealing with heavy material is to a convey a message that resonates with listeners and in some way changes their lives. "Hurt People" is that kind of song.

The tune begins with a soft piano line that we've heard before, which initially disappointed me, but once Brantley's vocals come in and start telling the story, it becomes clear that the arrangement was never meant to stand out, anyway. The first verse details a bully from childhood that the narrator eventually gathers the courage to confront. He rides his bike over to the adversary's house only to find him sitting on the porch with his arm in a sling and a welt in the shape of his "daddy's high school ring" on his face.

"Then it hit me," Brantley sings before launching into the chorus that simply states, "Hurt people hurt people" twice. What stands out most about this song is how the power of language is displayed with simple lyrics that get to the point. To convey such a tangible message with less than ten words is not easy, but Brantley and co-writer Ashley Ray found a poignant theme and maximized it with incredible songwriting that resulted in a powerful narrative.

The second verse details the narrator's first breakup experience, the result of a relationship with a girl from an abusive home. "Well her mama popped pills, and daddy drank like a sailor on leave/Neither ever had two kind words to say to Marie" is a line that jumps out of the song and forces listeners to trace their memories back to people they know from similar situations. Later on, the narrator states "She taught me a lesson about pleasure and pain/If you don't know the difference, well it's all the same/maybe that's why" before the second chorus comes in and the simple but hard-hitting refrain captures listeners all over again.

"Hurt People" finds its high mark when Rick Brantley raises his voice for one of the most powerful bridges I've heard in a long time. "Your blood is my blood/Your bruise is my bruise/Your skin is my skin/When you lose, I lose/When you fall, I fall too," he wails, pleading with each of us to think about our words and actions and the consequences they create right now and in the future.

Brantley quiets down again for a third verse that's shorter than the first two but eloquently sums up the theme of the song. "Everybody's got a reason for losing faith/I guess everybody's got a scar they just can't erase/You live a little while, you're gonna have one too/You live a little longer, I bet you'll leave a few." Once more through the chorus and the song eases to a stop to give listeners time to collect their emotions and process what they've just heard.

At just over five and half minutes, "Hurt People" takes its time to convey a tangible message that we can observe in every day life. Hurt people might hurt people today, tomorrow, and ten years from now, but that's no reason for us to shrug and let it go, especially considering that we're all "hurt people" at some point or another in our lives. Hopefully that message reaches as many people as possible. 10/10

Drake White's Spark Doesn't Go Anywhere

I'm a big fan of Drake White's most recent single, the irresistibly catchy "Livin' the Dream." That song represents what upbeat music should be in modern country. It's catchy and happy but not completely void of substance, which seems to be what separates mediocrity from legitimate talent in modern music. Needless to say, when I heard that he was releasing an album called Spark in August, I was fairly excited. Here was an interesting, rootsy artist with a unique voice backed by mostly organic production. Unfortunately, I should have tempered my optimism.

Spark is not a bad album, and it certainly isn't aiding in the continued erosion of substance and real country music elements on mainstream radio, but it just doesn't do or say anything, either. Albums don't need to have obvious concepts for listeners to latch on to, but they certainly shouldn't be directionless, either. Spark sounds pleasant enough to the ear, but leaves no lasting impression of either Drake White or the kinds of songs he writes and sings. 

It took several listens for me to even write this review, and I hate to say that every listen after the first was wasted time. Make no mistake, when Drake White gets it right, it's great, but most of these songs are like elevator music. They aren't offensive or ridiculous, but as soon as you're out the door, they fade from memory almost instantly. If I were to describe Spark in one word, I'd call it fickle. There are only a handful of songs I remember by name. "Heartbeat" is a great opener, and while it's not particularly country in any way, it's one of the more infectious lyrics on the album. The aforementioned "Livin' the Dream" speaks to the simplicity of life when one scales back and appreciates every day things. "I Need Real" is a testament to how fruitless life is if one settles for something less than a healthy, fulfilling relationship, and is without a doubt the best song Spark has to offer. 

Otherwise, I felt that White was trying a little too hard to make his songs interesting. His vocal inflections on some of the happier songs are a little too much for me, especially "Story," which even includes some scat singing in the final minutes. At the same time, why do these things if they don't really serve a purpose to the songs? If an artist feels they need to spice up the material, perhaps that should be the first sign that the material isn't up to par. 

In the end, Spark is a disappointment to me. I think Drake White has a lot of potential, especially if he reels in some of the unnecessary excess and decides to let his songs speak for themselves in the future. In order to make that happen, I think he'll need to focus on the songs during the writing process and worry less about vocalizations and catch-lines. I think he has the potential release a truly great album somewhere down the road. 5/10

Up next: 

Single Review: Rick Brantley's "Hurt People"

Dolly Parton: Purely and Simply a Singing Legend

Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple is everything that can go right with a country music album. Every song was written by Dolly herself, adding a personal touch that is often missing when artists record songs written by other people. The music itself spans across decades, from Dolly's regular use of spoken word (which isn't something country listeners have regularly heard in years), to more upbeat songs with basic chord patterns that call to mind the country music of the '90s. There's music for fans of any country music era on Pure & Simple. 

Most of the album is stripped back to acoustic guitar, piano, steel guitar, and light percussion, which brings the subject matter to the forefront. Though Pure & Simple doesn't cover material as heavy as Lori McKenna's The Bird & the Rifle, that would be the album I would liken it to as far as production is concerned. Other instruments make appearances, but aren't so prevalent that it changes the stripped down feeling of the album in general. Overall, the production is excellent. Some songs are firmly entrenched in the sound of the '70s, such as "Say Forever You'll Be Mine," a classic tune the first appeared as the title track on a Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner duet album in 1975, while songs like the title track could have arose from any era.

As far as subject matter is concerned, what strikes me most of all is that every song appears to be a song about love in its many capacities. Some tracks follow trajectories we've heard before, but the combination of Dolly's writing and singing raise them up a few notches. In the hands of lesser vocalists or writers, songs like "Pure and Simple" and "Kiss it (And Make it All Better)" would have been disastrous. I'm not sure if I've ever heard an entire album dedicated to love songs, but I must say that had I known what it was before listening to it, I'd have wagered that Pure & Simple would be overly cheesy and melodramatic. I'm happy to say that simply isn't the case.

As a vocalist, there are very few artists in Dolly Parton's league of musical prowess, spanning across genres. From the uniqueness of her voice, to her excellent use of vocalizations and techniques like vibrato, there just aren't many singers with her capabilities. She has this uncanny ability to make every note interesting. She can hit surreal high notes with ease, which is most evident on the album closer "Forever Love." There simply aren't many vocalists like Dolly Parton out there anymore.

While there are plenty of upbeat songs on Pure & Simple, it's the moments in which Dolly slows things down that shine the most. The aforementioned "Forever Love" crawls along beautifully to backing strings, while "Tomorrow is Forever" takes its sweet time and establishes itself as the deepest lyrical masterpiece on the album. "Can't Be That Wrong" is another standout, and touches on cheating in an unexpected way. To be frank, if Dolly were to write an album of songs like these three, I'd buy two copies right away because I'm sure I'd wear out the first in a matter of weeks.

Overall, Pure and Simple is a very good album that does a great job of spanning Dolly's career in the production and offers many differing perspectives on love. 8/10

*Written by Kellen Dobmeier, edited by April Dahlgren

Up next:  Spark by Drake White

Single Review: Jason Aldean's "A Little More Summertime"

My dislike for Jason Aldean is pretty evident to anybody who pays attention to my stance on mainstream country music. No major artist has put forth more effort to erode the stylistic parameters of a long and storied genre, releasing garbage songs like the atrocious "Burnin' it Down" and the earache known as "1994." It's one thing to record songs that fans of substance don't like; it's completely different to release singles that aren't good songs in any context, and Jason Aldean found a way to do that with those two atrocities from his last two studio albums. Were there some decent to good songs released around those singles? Sure, but mediocrity doesn't make such transgressions disappear. Jason Aldean has a lot of work to do in order to rebuild his reputation for traditional country fans.

I say "rebuild" because Jason Aldean released 3 really good albums at the beginning of his career, and a fourth that was mostly good in My Kinda Party, but that's where his penchant for distorted guitar took over, and where his leanings toward hip hop came full circle with his cover of "Dirt Road Anthem." Even that song wasn't horribly done, leaning on steel guitar pretty heavily, and with Aldean choosing to have the verses act as monologues as opposed to actually rapping them like Colt Ford does on the original. It was an interesting single at the time that infuriated a lot of people. While that song may not have been terrible, it signified a drastic change in sound that would come on his next two albums. 

After two albums worth of obnoxious distorted guitar playing basic 80's arena rock riffs and horrible "experiments" that irritated more people than their chart performance would indicate, I will happily state that Aldean's second single from forthcoming album They Don't Know is something of a return to form. "A Little More Summertime" is not the most well-written song that he's ever recorded, but the scaled back production and forlorn lyrics call to mind his first three albums. There is some leftover distorted guitar during the chorus, but it's not the kind that overwhelms the vocals like some of his recent singles. Aldean still has some work to do in regard to recapturing his original sound, but "A Little More Summertime" is definitely a good start.

Lyrically, it's a story we've heard before. The narrator meets a girl during the summertime in a small community only to have her leave when the fall comes back around. I enjoyed the way that Jerry Flowers, Tony Martin, and Wendell Mobley constructed the song, with short verses that get to the point and a longer chorus that carries the mood with ease. "A Little More Summertime" fits Aldean's voice very well.

What has me most excited about this song is that I think it's the first great single that Jason Aldean has released since "Fly Over States" came out four and a half years ago. 4.5 damn years, if you can believe it. There were tolerable singles from both Night Train and Old Boots, New Dirt, but the only one that even came close to being great was "Tonight Looks Good on You."

I'm probably getting my hopes up over nothing, and am fully prepared for They Don't Know to disappoint me. And good lord, why do these artists keep picking such stupid album titles? I mean, They Don't Know isn't Kinda Don't Care bad, but it's still a really stupid title. At the very least, "A Little More Summertime" is a great single that gives me hope that the album might not be terrible. 7/10

Up Next: Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple

Single Review: Eric Church's Timely "Kill a Word"

Eric Church's "Kill a Word" is the kind of song that's needed in 2016, is the kind of song that was needed in the past. With the United States entrenched in such a divisive period, from our joke of an election coming up in November to racial tension and distrust of law enforcement, a song like "Kill a Word" could make a huge difference if it reaches the widest audience possible. Right now, American citizens are joining sides, standing at a distance and hurling insults and threats at the opposition while the opportunity for progress slowly slips away while middle ground remains vacant.

The only thing accomplished by hateful language is greater division--that much has become clear in 2016 as we approach arguably the greatest embarrassment in American history. A song like "Kill a Word" has a chance to unite people in ways no speech or campaign slogan ever could. It has the power to make people cross party lines, to make people find middle ground and have a discussion. It has the potential break down walls and create change.

"Kill a Word" is exquisitely written by Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, and Luke Dick. The verses include Church describing what he'd do to some of the most hurtful words in our language. He steers away from slurs or anything of that nature, but the collective decision between Church and his co-writers to write this song in a more general sense only expands upon the audience it can reach. While the verses are descriptive and defiant with lines like, "I'd pound fear into a pile of sand, choke lonely out with my bare hands," it's the chorus of the song that pleads with listeners to find common ground.

"Give me sticks, give me stones/Bend my body, break my bones/Use staff and rod to turn me black and blue/'Cause you can't un-hear, you can't unsay/But if it were up to me to change/I'd turn lies and hate to love and truth/If I could only/Kill a word."

"Kill a Word" was released with the album Mr. Misunderstood on November 3rd of 2015, and immediately established itself as one of the top 2-3 songs on the record for most listeners. It garnered high praise from critics as an album track, and those who have reviewed it as a single are excited about its potential and timeliness. What I find most impressive about this song is that, while it's not exactly an anti-bullying song, it avoids the issues of similar songs in the past. Not a single line is lazily written. Not one moment of the song feels preachy. At no point does Church place himself on a pedestal and act as if he's above anybody else. "Kill a Word" is Eric Church standing among the masses, saying, "I believe we're better than this."

In 2016, "Kill a Word" is much more than a single for Eric Church, it's a much-needed plea for love and peace and compromise, and hopefully it reaches as many people as possible and inspires real change. 10/10