Comments on: Jack Ingram Caged By Brad Paisley

By: Natalie

Natalie — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:55:07 +0000

Speaking of Gary Allan and his new album… Anyone come across a list of the songs that will be on it? I understand it will be released October 23rd.

By: Leo

Leo — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:42:11 +0000

I love me some Gary Allan.

Does anyone else prefer Sarah Buxton’s songwriting to her singing?

By: Hollerin Ben

Hollerin Ben — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:33:25 +0000

I agree with Matt that his songwriting isn’t overrated. With songs like “Flesh and Blood”, “I still miss someone”, “Drive On”, “Don’t take your guns to town”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, and so on, the dude hits that elite level of songwriting where you can’t really be “overrated”. (by the by, if you haven’t heard the VH1 Storytellers album of Willie and Johnny Cash, stop what you’re doing and get it, it’s freaking great)

But I am consistently frustrated when I have to explain my love of country music as follows:
“so Hollerin Ben, what kind of music do you like?”
“I like country music.”
(with disdain) “oh, country music huh”
“yeah, but good country music,” (damn you Kenny Chesney)
blank pause
“like Hank Williams”
blank pause
’sigh’ “like Johnny Cash”
“Oh! Johnny Cash! Yeah, I like Johnny Cash”
“That’s cool, do you like Merle Haggard?”
blank pause
’sigh’
(by the by, if it were the 80’s I would be cursing Eddie Rabbit, the 70’s would find me cursing Olivia Newton John, the 60’s would have me cursing…I don’t know, someone lame and countrypolitan Andy Williams maybe?, but the 50’s would not find me cursing Eddy Arnold, I love that boring singing bastard)

oh, and Adam Hood’s album rocks my world.

By: Baron Lane

Baron Lane — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:12:33 +0000

Cash did on his own terms what Nash-Vegas does in a more sterile and mundane way, cross over and appeal to other audiences.

This vision is underscored by his Sun days and his rockabilly roots, his disdain for the Opry, his embrace of folk in the 60’s and 70’s to his work with Rick Ruban, a rap and rock visionary, Cash may not be in the top 5, but he wouldn’t give two shits either.

By: Dave S

Dave S — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:09:11 +0000

Glad to hear that Natalie bought a home in California. I hope she stays out there.

By: Matt C.

Matt C. — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:25:08 +0000

Johnny Cash is the most overrated artist in the genre. Don’t get me wrong, I think that he’s fantastic and I (surprise) disagree with Jim’s comment that his songwriting is overrated (at least it’s no more overrated than everything else about him). My beef is that, for many avid music fans, Johnny Cash is the only country artist that they’ll listen to or that they could even identify. This trend intensified with the release of the American Recordings albums and . A lot of new artists who really don’t perform or understand country music but want to poach the country fan base cite Johnny Cash as a major influence. Perhaps because mainstream country is always aspiring to cross over to a broader fan base, lots of artists, industry folks and even historians have really been pushing the Cash image. I’m sick of hearing every band in the window on Broadway play “Folsom Prison Blues” three times a night while never touching Webb Pierce or Faron Young. I sense this attitude evolving, particularly among those who haven’t been exposed to much traditional country, that there’s Johnny Cash and then there’s everyone else. However, if I were to rank the greatest country artists of all time, I don’t think that Cash would make the top five (though he wouldn’t be far behind).

By: Jim Malec

Jim Malec — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:28:30 +0000

From our contemporary perspective, Johnny Cash’s songwriting is overrated. But we have to remember that what he was doing at the time was more progressive than it is in hindsight.