WTF? Big and Rich
So, I gather that none of you who faithfully read this also regularly listen to country music. But there is this duo called "Big and Rich" or maybe "Big & Rich." They are two guys, Big Kenny and John Rich--thus the clever name. In appearance and affinities, they seem to be two very different men. Maybe that's what contributes to my overwhelming sense of WTFF? every time I hear them.
John Rich used to be a member of Lonestar, I guess, although I try not to hold that against him. He is also without doubt one of the most talented songwriters in mainstream country these days. Out of any given week's Top 10 list, he will have written at least one of them, and there have been weeks that 3 or 4 of the Top 10 have been his songs. Some of these are cowritten by Big Kenny, too. They've included hits by Gretchen Wilson, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, and a whole bunch of other people.
So, obviously, these two guys--especially Rich--have talent. Which just begs the question: WTFFF?
The songs that Big & Rich write for themselves and then sing for themselves are a very, very mixed bag. I've liked some of them very much, and I sincerely appreciate their efforts to integrate country music by foisting Cowboy Troy (a black, rapping cowboy--yes, that is as terrible as it sounds, though Troy himself seems an amiable sort). I dig the whole "Country Music without Prejudice" scene. I like that they don't give a damn about mixing their country and their rock, because (as I've said before) I think the distinction is mostly artificial. I like to ride down the highway and shout, "Save a horse, ride a cowboy." I mean, who doesn't like that?
But then some of their songs are so horrifyingly bad as to be country music travesties. "Lost in this Moment" is one of the most objectionable songs I've heard in years (right up there with that Faith Hill song "Like We Never Loved At All" which I think John Rich also wrote). "Holy Water" is also appalling.
So...what's the deal? What's with the "good song-horrifying song" routine? I've heard some people say that Big & Rich are too commercial and sellouts and that sort of thing, but that seems to me untrue. It is obvious that John Rich can write super-commercial megahits; he does it all the time. All he would have to do is keep those songs for Big & Rich instead of handing them over to Jason Aldean and others. Instead, he and Big Kenny sing, um, an odd collection of songs that I can only assume represent some sort of personal artistic vision. But...what that vision is, other than the anti-racist message, is mysterious to me.
I wish they'd get it straightened out and send a consistent message so I could decide if I like them or detest them or find them just kind of meh. Of course, if they ever release a sequel to "Lost in this Moment," they will be officially dead to me.
Oh, and also...Kenny and John: You guys don't really sing very well. Like Montgomery Gentry, y'all do fine on the uptempo barn-burners where a smooth, melodious voice isn't necessary. Save the crooning for someone who can croon, though, alright?
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Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Jones. Maybe throw a little Willie Nelson and some Don Williams in there. Best listened to on 8-track in an old Chevy truck driving the back roads of Montana with a half-rack of Oly on the seat. Or maybe hungover on a Sunday morning with a full pot of coffee and nowhere to look but up. But that's just me. Disclaimer: Itchy Dawg does not advocate drinking and driving. Nor does he own a Chevy.
Oooh, yeah, that song was ...bad. I've listened to country all my life, and it goes through good times and bad ones, although there are always horrible country songs. It's always weird to me that the bad songs make people shun the entire genre--not just you, as I've heard other people say they don't like country based on a couple of songs they don't like. Don't all genres have great songs and terrible ones, like you pointed out with hip-hop (I personally find hip-hop to be quite a roller coaster--the bad ones are really, really awful, while the good ones can be sublime)? But if I shunned all of hip-hop just based on a few songs, people would generally enjoin me to give it another chance. For some reason, though, it seems like the cool thing to do to dismiss country. Eh, whatever.
Sorry--tangent. You may be right about Big & Rich's visions clashing. It's hard to say. They just puzzle me.
That's a very strange mix. While Itchy's recommendations are good ones, the sort of ultimate classic ones (except for, dude, Willie is an absolute must--Redheaded Stranger? Poetry with guitar, man), I would probably want to recommend a list based on your taste. For instance, my mom loves country music, too, but she can't stand George Jones, as his voice is, um...distinctive, let's say. Of the 4 artists and 1 soundtrack you listed, do you like any of them? For me, the Dixie Chicks are pretty freakin awesome, and I love the old-time country on O Brother. Tim McGraw...hmmmm...I really like some of his songs a lot, I think he sings well, but others of his songs are offensively bad. Reba ---ack. I can't even bear to think of her, though that is blasphemy in some country music circles.
Anyway, I'd say Hank and the Outlaws (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson) are the classic country musts. Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, though not the 1980s Dolly Parton--I'm thinking more "Jolene" era. If you like more the O Brother sound, you'd probably want to go more bluegrass-y. The Chicks get bluegrass-y sometimes, too, and so does Dolly Parton. If you wanted more contemporary music, something that's country but also might be readily available for downloading or whatever (do y'all have country radio down there? I can't imagine), I like Josh Turner, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson's first album, Rodney Crowell, Jack Ingram, Dwight Yoakam. The Wreckers and Little Big Town seem very promising. Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Patty Loveless, Hank Williams III, Lyle Lovett and some of the other artists considered "alternative country" are also popular enough that their music should be available in various outlets online. Oh, also Trisha Yearwood has a great voice and I often like her songs a lot. Sara Evans is also pretty good, although a lot of her music sounds more like pop than country to me.
Uh, I could go on and on about this. "Country" is a pretty big field, so it kind of depends on what sorts of things you like. If you listen to Willie Nelson and hate it, there might be some other kind of country music that you would like, see? Although, really, it's a sin to hate Willie Nelson.
I've never quite forgiven Willie for his duet with Julio Iglesias. I'd recommend current country but I'm woefully uninformed. I quite like Dwight Yokam, but he's been around for some time now.
We've been listening to a country station at work because my co-worker likes it. I tend to block it out unless some old school honky tonk comes on, which I think has happened exactly twice in the last month. It seems some of the songs are blatantly geared to the "God/Bush without question" demographic. Seriously, they sound like some sort of Pro Tools formula in which the "songwriter" clicks a God icon and the USA icon a couple times and out pops this wretched song. If I catch the titles/artists I'll send them.
I failed to mention Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. My bad. Dolly Parton is a great songwriter but her chipmunk voice is a glass sliver to the eardrum for me. Seriously, I constantly expect Alvin, Theodore, and Simon to chime in at any minute. I've just never been able to get over that. Oh, and the hair. I must admit that the giant hairdos women country singers favored in the late 60s and throughout the 70s scared me a bit. They just seemed so unnatural and, well, stiff. I think, perhaps, that hairspray is the root of all evil. I did, however, have a crush on Tanya Tucker, the country version of Leather Tuscadero (see Happy Days re-runs). I'd have been happy to ride around in a pickup truck with her. But then, I also had a crush on Marie Osmond (she was a little bit country. You know that right?). Go figure. I guess she was maybe a bit naughty in a naughty Mormon kind of way. Sigh. I digress.