"Body Like a Back Road" is Every Way We Shouldn't Talk to or About Women

Welcome to 2017, folks, a year in which men are supposed to be a little more aware of the ways in which they objectify women, and should perhaps understand just how demeaning it is to speak in certain ways to a woman. If you'd like to know how realistic that idea was, Sam Hunt's truly horrifying "Body Like a Back Road" has become a number 1 song with no real indication that it'll be slowing down any time soon.

If you listen to mainstream country, I'm going to assume that you've heard "Body Like a Back Road" by now, but here are the basics. Guy likes girl. Guy makes truly ridiculous comparisons between girl's body and objects or places. "Hips like honey" and other cringe-worthy lines that'd kill the mood instantly in most intimate scenarios.

It's not that each individual line is the worst we've ever heard from mainstream country, not even in the last 5 years. It's what this song represents in today's day and age. We like to think we're making progress in the way we treat women, but when some dude who looks like he just stepped off the modeling runway sings a song like this to massive acclaim and gets away with it, it's hard to believe we've made any progress at all. And that's what really drives this message into the ground, for me. If a normal looking dude had written and recorded this song, it wouldn't be surprising if there was a massive media firestorm condemning him and effectively ending his career. If a normal looking dude making country music were to come out and criticize this song for calling it what it is, the media would likely scoff and make allusions to the probability that he's just bitter about being rejected at some point in his life.

It's the things we allow to happen for unjustifiable reasons that sabotage any progress that might be made in our efforts to raise young men who respect women.

Sam Hunt gets away with this because he's not a normal dude. He's a traditionally good looking former athlete with some real songwriting chops (though you'd never know it by listening to this song), a pleasant voice (for the most part--he gets a little breathy, at times, but he's not the first to deal with this issue), and, despite this song, genuinely appears to be a decent human being. I don't personally dislike Sam Hunt, and I don't even hate all of his songs, though I wish they were being played on pop radio where they belong. "Make You Miss Me" is exceptionally catchy and very tangible to any person who's ever turned the other cheek on somebody who ditched them. "Take Your Time" is slightly awkward with its monologue verses, but the chorus is impeccably catchy and the instrumental arrangement is haunting. Sam Hunt is not a strictly bad artist by any means. He's just being played in the wrong format, and now he's unknowingly written and released a song that represents every way in which we don't want to treat women in today's world.

I don't honestly think Hunt realized what "Body Like a Back Road" symbolized when he and his co-writers wrote it. I think this is ignorance in full force. That's the unfortunate point, though. We still don't know what we do wrong. We still don't know how not to speak to women, how not to speak about them. One could argue that "locker room talk" is a reality of the world for both men and women, and maybe it is, but it should stay in private circles, and when it does leak out into our art, we should understand what is wrong with it and, you know, maybe not celebrate it like we're a bunch of dimwitted morons.

There are so many factors in play that caused the success of this monstrosity. Ignorance. Tolerating such ignorance for stupid reasons like a person's appearance. The lack of focus on the arts in schools (teach kids what good art is and they'll be able to identify drivel like this and let it die quickly like it should have). There's really no redemption to be had for "Body Like a Back Road." It's the "Blurred Lines" of country music, even if music fans aren't smart enough to realize it isn't a country song. Please, people, learn from this horrid mistake. Think about it this way. Would I want to be spoken to like this? Would I want any of my loved ones to be spoken to like this? Would I want my daughter to be spoken to like this? Would I want my son to speak to a woman like this? 

Those answers were all no, weren't they?

Brantley Gilbert Needs to Give Up on This Bad Boy Bullshit

Every time an extremely talented artist achieves success, one of two things seems to happen. Either the artist drastically changes the landscape of their art form through the things that make them unique, or that artist clings to a newfound image so loyally that their art suffers at the hands of it. Brantley Gilbert falls into the latter category.

Before mainstream country fans knew Brantley Gilbert's name, it was well known to the fans lucky to stumble upon his music that he does have a rough side, and a past that speaks volumes to just how dangerous alcohol is. He has since claimed to have kicked the sauce, and yet the two lead singles from his last two albums promote binge drinking. Seems ass backward, doesn't it?

Friday saw the release of Gilbert's new album The Devil Don't Sleep, and while there are 2-3 tolerable songs and maybe one great song, most of it is radio drivel highlighted by awkward hip hop beats, Gilbert's ridiculous growl-singing that sounds like shit live, and a seeming need to remind us of how much of a badass Gilbert thinks he is. None of it is even remotely believable, which makes some of these songs awkwardly hilarious, and quite frankly, count me among the people who miss the Brantley Gilbert that sang about real things and actually sang, to boot, as opposed to this vocal style that makes it sound like he's gargling gravel.

I find so little redemption for this record. There's too much posturing, too much flag waving and chest beating. This is music for that guy compensating for something by putting a lift kit on his truck that jacks it up into orbit. Gilbert's songwriting--once his greatest asset--has devolved into pure silliness. Even the more serious songs are ridiculous. "Outlaw in Me" is poorly titled, considering the connotations of the word "Outlaw" in country music. Brantley Gilbert is no more outlaw than Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean. He's chasing trends with the rest of corporate Nashville.

"Three Feet of Water" is a breath of fresh air, and doesn't come off as preachy, but unfortunately it's the very last song on the album. Track 16. Please don't ask me how I even made it that far, because I honestly don't know. After 15 songs of terrible growl-vocals and one mainstream lyrical trope after another, even a song as great as "Three Feet of Water" couldn't do much for this record.

The Devil in Me is the continued devolution of Brantley Gilbert. He no longer writes good songs. He no longer sings properly. He's no longer a bright spot in modern country music. It's a shame, and hopefully as he ages he comes out of this Sons of Anarchy cast-off phase and begins to release good music again. 0/10

2016 Award Winners

I've finally found the time to write again, and announcing my picks for 2016 award winners is long overdue. I'd like to once again mention just how tremendous 2016 was for substantial music, and hopefully 2017 follows suit.

2016 Song of the Year: "Fighter" by David Nail
David Nail has been open about his struggles with depression, and "Fighter" is his way of thanking his wife for being a "fighter" during the worst of times. The greatest thing about this song is that anybody can apply it to their life because so many people have struggles with depression and anxiety. The sheer power of this song is incredible.

2016 Album of the Year: I'm Not the Devil by Cody Jinks
The rise of Cody Jinks is oddly reminiscent of Sturgill Simpson's ascent. His fans are incredibly loyal, and his sound is so authentic that there seems to be no way that he'd fail to connect with any listener. I'm Not the Devil is probably the best traditional country album released since Jamey Johnson's That Lonesome Song, and that is very high praise.

2016 Concept of the Year: American Band by Drive-By Truckers
The greatest threats to the progression of American society are the collective ignorance of glaring problems by politicians and the public, as well as the suppressing of creativity and culling of expression. Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley tackle all of these topics on the very, very timely and relevant American Band. Music fans needed this album in 2016. Even the album cover, depicting an American flag at half mast, speaks volumes.

2016 Artist of the Year: Cody Jinks
It was hard not to pick Sturgill Simpson for Artist of the Year, but considering the embarrassing state of popular country music, the most important individual at any time is the person standing in line to take the torch if needed, and Cody Jinks has quickly placed himself alongside artists like Simpson, Chris Stapleton, Margo Price, and Jason Isbell. And I can't wait to see who's next.

Mo Pitney's Sound is Great, but Behind This Guitar is Too Damn Cheesy

I want to be a huge fan of Mo Pitney. He has everything we want in a young country star--a throwback sound, songwriting chops, wit and charm and, most importantly, a voice of gold. All that being said, his first major label release Behind This Guitar is like an unending audio Hallmark card and for those of us who can't stand overly sentimental bullshit, it's almost unbearable at times.

Make no mistake, there are a handful of great songs on the album, but it's the hokey nonsense that drowns everything else out. I found myself excited during one song only to be cringing repeatedly during the next. Songs like "Clean Up in Aisle Five" are obnoxiously melodramatic. Art is meant to be a medium through which we can express things we can't in every day life--we're free to use hyperbole, to be melodramatic, to flirt with certain lines we can't normally, but there's a way to do it, and Mo Pitney can't seem to find that balance.

Even lead single "Country" has its eventual downfall in the latter half of the song when an arbitrary nod to our military members is added out of the blue. It's blatantly disrespectful to use others' military service as a means to sell singles and albums, and while I don't think Mo Pitney knows any better and did not do this intentionally, I'm hoping that in the future he'll just release songs specifically about being respectful and thankful to our veterans and those currently serving our country. This whole arbitrary "thanks guys" thing has gotten out of hand in country music and reeks of ignorance and nearsightedness.

Album highlights include "Come Do a Little Life," perhaps the only sentimental song where Pitney doesn't take it too far, Current single "Everywhere" leans in a more contemporary direction but it's well done and very interesting. "I Met Merle Haggard Today" is funny, endearing, and, considering Haggard's death in 2016, very timely. "Boy & a Girl Thing" has a nice groove and is easy to sing along to. Aside from these four songs, however, I find the album either too melodramatic or very uninteresting.

Mo Pitney has plenty of potential, and I certainly think he will be a great artist at some point in his career. Unfortunately, he's currently missing the mark. Thankfully, his current issues are very correctable and shouldn't be hindrances later in his career. 4/10