Josh Gracin – “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)”

Here we go again with hit/not-hit discussion…

I agree with this review–I probably would have been a bit tougher. The song is like water.

Can I make a request that you all include the names of the songwriters when reviewing singles? I’d like to know if Gracin wrote this, because I’ve seen a few singers perform “intensely personal” songs that were written for them by a couple of Nashville pros.

I’m guessing the song started from a writer putting together all the “un-” words he could think of and building the song around that. Too bad he left off unremarkable and unoriginal.

That said, I can see this thing having a future as a first-dance wedding song.

I thought the wife’s name thing was cute initially, but it is hard to see it as anything other than calculated when the lyrics are so generic. (And when there’s such a premium these days on men singing songs about how much they love being married.)

That said, I think there’s a much better love song on the album that he wrote — “Invisible,” and it’s more explicitly about the day-in, day-out kind of love.

I agree 100% with this review. Gracin’s voice sounds a bit stronger than normal, but otherwise this is utter blandness. How can people write something so gratingly cliché and not realize it?!

When it comes to Gracin doing love ballads, I don’t think he’ll ever be able to top “Stay with Me (Brass Bed)”. Sure, it had a clumsy parenthetical title as well, but the unusual 6/8, minor-key melody, mandolin runs, and haunting string section made up for it nicely. That, and the lyrics at least tried for *some* originaility lyrically.

I really agree with your review, Brady. At some points, like Jim said, you were even nicer than I feel about Gracin’s music at this point (or at any point in his career, really).

Someone put this song in the category of a song about loving to be married. I would argue that this song doesn’t even go *that* far. It’s so generic that it doesn’t even have to have anything to do with marriage, just lust, boring lust at that.:)

Interestingly, I really hated that song too.:)

I guess the only one that I allow in my extensive rotation is “Nothin’ To Lose”, though I still prefer Marcel’s version.

I suppose Marcel is plagued with the fate of many songwriters who simply become singer/songwriters rather than commercial artists. I think Darrell Scott’s versions of his own songs are often times more appealing than the commercial recordings of them (though I’m admittedly a big Scott fan), but he’s stuck in the background like so many other songwriters.

My bad, I thought you guys were saying Marcel sang this song instead of the other one that you clearly mentioned. Carry on.

LeeAnn — I agree totally that it’s not clear from the lyrics that the song is about marital love. That’s why I thought adding his wife’s name made it seem calculated. (”This isn’t just a boring love song! It’s about his real wife!”)

I’m a Marcel fan, too. I tend to think his voice is too unusual for radio’s taste. (Which is maybe also Sarah Buxton’s problem?) It’s kind of nasal and very distinctive.

Craig R,

You obviously haven’t heard Craig Morgan’s albums. He’s country. Luke Bryan too. Actually it’d be hard to classify any of those you listed as ‘rock’ or ‘pop’ singers. So, I guess the question is, who is country to you?

Rick, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Marcel’s name isn’t his fault; I think his parents are to blame for it…if blame even should be assigned. I really doubt that the guy’s name has anything to do with his lack of radio success. His last name is Chagnon, so maybe that’s why he chose to only use his first name rather than it being a matter of arrogance.

“Marcel should NOT have used a one word name and especially one that makes people think of a famous French mime! Country fans don’t appreciate that type of perceived arrogance as we prefer to nickname the artists ourselves.”

To clarify, my point is that while I’m a fan of Marcel’s, there are probably many any number of reasons that Marcel hasn’t made it, but I don’t think that something as insignificant as his name is the cause. I don’t think country fans are quite so sensitive as to decide not to like an artist based on a name.

Okay… I see your point… But I’m still not convinced that people think “I kinda like this Marcel guy’s music, but his name kind of sucks, so I guess I don’t really like him too much after all. How dare he go by just one name. I’m not buying that punk’s record! I think I’ll buy a Josh Gracin album instead, even if he’s dull and uninteresting. At least his name is normal.”:)

Oh yeah, I was going to mention Sylvia too.

If Jewel ends up picking up, she could be another.

What I wonder is if out of the people who haven’t made it in country music but have tried, how many of them tried to go by just one name?

Ultimately, I know this is an unimportant subject. I’m just not convinced that Marcel’s name really is the part of him that country music fans haven’t appreciated. I suspect that it’s his odd voice and maybe even his songs, though they’ve been hits for others, just not his name. In fact, if a unique name does anything to me, though names really don’t play a factor in my musicc choices, they intrigue me.
I suppose I’m wondering if we can think of ot

Hmmm…I never intend to be friends with the artists I listen to, just like with presidential candidates.

It’s not

I suppose Marcel could’ve used his middle Name to call himself “Marc Francis” or something. But then people would probably say “Oh, he spells his name with a “C” he’s not normal….

Thomas,

I assume they use that name because it’s French and all French people are gay right? Pretty standard-fare morning zoo bs.

One or two songs out of a person’s catalog doesn’t make them NOT country. I guess Lee Ann Womack isn’t country because she recorded two or three ‘pop’ songs? Ditto Gary Allen (”Best I Ever Had” and “The One”). Craig, You still didn’t answer my question about who IS country to you.

Yeah, but their music wasn’t compelling either.

Like I said earlier, a strange name would intrigue me rather than make me run the other way. Maybe that’s just me though.

I meant to add that I don’t think that Mica Roberts or Blakely didn’t break through because of their choice to push one name, but rather because their music wasn’t at all compelling.

Country music fans sure require a lot: their artists have to be skinny, they can’t be too liberal and they need to have names with which people can connect.

Craig R.,

I appreciate the response. I just don’t see how the majority of Garth Brooks stuff ISN’T country but it’s fine if you do. The great thing about any music is it means different things to different people.

This is a BEAUTIFUL song and I love it!

The problem I have with these “Hey look at me, I’m country!” songs isn’t just the cynical marketing behind them. Though that is troubling enough.

Its also that they claim to be celebrating country life, but they wind up being really lame celebrations. “Country Man,” “Holler Back,” or “Redneck Yacht Club” don’t exactly make “being country” sound attractive. Its as if a rapper tried to entice me into living the city life by bragging about the wonders of the daily street sweeping service and the new graffiti proof glass on the subway windows.

Honestly, its hard to tell if “Redneck Yacht Club” and “Country Man” are embracing the lifestyle or making fun of it.

There is so much to love about the country and the people who inhabit it, but these songs sell both short.

Also, some of these songs, especially, “Country Man” throw in unnecessary insults at city-dwellers. These insults weaken the song, not strengthen it.

Hey Everyone,

Yeah it’s really me Josh Gracin Normally I would keep my mouth shut but I ‘M inclined to speak up on this. First of all the song is unique!! The Melody is nothing like country music today! The structure of the song is totally not typical country verse chorus verse chorus (which apparently you seem to like by reading your posts). As for the words those are the first things I think about when I think of my Wife. I won’t this song on my own if original is coming up with a gimic then I’m sorry. Country music is about personal life and I gave you mine in this song. I wrote Unbelievable (Ann Marie) on my own because I didn’t want someone else’s spin on my emotional feelings. I’m sorry If it’s not original enough for you. I guess the next time I write a song I will take your advice in to account. Before I do that, tell me how many songs you’ve written or how many hits you’ve had or what degree’s in music you have so I can be sure I’m getting good advice? All that matters to me is what my friends and fans think! The only reason I had to comment back is because this song is MY WIFE you have a problem with it then you have a problem with her and that’s a big problem with me!!!! Oh and last time I checked It’s not the instruments or melodies that make a Country song. What makes a country song is the honesty and sincerity of a life emotion or life experience the lyrics sing! Thank You for your time I know I haven’t changed your minds!!!!! But Frankly My Dear I Don’t Give A Damn! (Yes that’s not Original either! Send songs you’ve written to joshgracinfans08@yahoo.com so I can make sure to have good original content for my next album.

I completely and totally agree with Josh. Why? Because everyone can be an armchair quarterback when it comes to critiquing someone else’s work…but until you do it yourself, stand alone on a stage and bare your heart and soul to thousands (who may dig it or may not get it at all)…then you really have no grounds.

The whole point behind my book was that while some people attack country music and call it hillbilly, redneck, stupid, pointless, etc…there ARE people out there who embrace it because it is fun, REAL, the entertainers are REAL PEOPLE not manufactured “sugary pop sex sells this minute and then gone the next flavor of the month” performers. That allows country music fans to relate to the singers.

And c’mon – while some people rail on one song…to someone else in the world it has made all the difference. I have stories galore from fans who have one song or one moment that changed their lives in a deep meaningful profoundly positive way.

So my final note is this – if you don’t like the song, don’t listen to it – BUT you don’t know what is inside Josh Gracin’s heart and soul, so don’t go there. If you don’t like the song – move on or change the station. But don’t theorize on what was in his heart, soul and ultimately transferred onto paper.

Yeah, I did write a book and it is called Good Music is Better than Sex: My Search for the Old Blue Chair. Maybe you agree, maybe you don’t. And that’s cool but to Josh Gracin I say, “F* the haters Josh, you are one of my faves because you are REAL, HONEST and PERSONAL so keep on keeping on!”

Judy Core – website http://www.goodmusicisbetterthansex.com

Josh: I don’t plan to listen to it. Singers like you are a lot of the reason I stopped listening to the mainstream in the first place, so thanks for making the genre unlistenable. Once upon a time country music was a thing that mattered to me, but as a country fan I stopped mattering to people like you so I moved on to Americana. Have fun singing your candy coated tripe and if, at the end of the year, you and your label are trying to figure out why sales are so low–its not us, its you. And finally, there used to be this country artist who was bigger, in his day, than Garth Brooks. His name was Hank Williams–you might give him a listen sometime.

Judy: If music is better than sex, if ANYTHING is better than good sex, you aren’t doing it right. Loretta Lynn and Jack White weren’t country–they were Americana. Like me, they had to leave the genre to the sugar coated pop acts. In the middle of Kenny Chesney biting lines from Tom Cruise movies and songs like Josh’s there’s no room for a song that opens, “Now Portland, Oregon and sloe gin fizz/If that ain’t love then tell me what is?”

As for judging, yes I can. I used to spend HOURS in my bedroom listening to country music. All I have to do is pull out a cd to tell the difference in quality between Merle Haggard and Josh Gracin. Or even Justin Townes Earle and Josh Gracin. And here is the thing, Justin doesn’t have a bag full of excuses and a list of hoops I must jump through before I can judge his songs because–and here is the kicker–his songs can stand up to critiquing. I’m not a song writer, I am a story writer. The first thing you do with a story is take it before other writers so it can get picked apart. Judy, as a writer you should know this–if your writing is not strong enough to survive critiquing, its not strong enough period.

Judy, way to be subtle with the whole “I hope people dont notice I am plugging my book instead of just making a comment on a blog” approach…I doubt anyone was able to see through your carefully disguised effort….

Brady: My man crush on you grows stronger by the day.

Oh, and have I mentioned my book, ‘Bad Sex is Better Than No Sex’?

I, too, am dubious about “Josh’s” identity. I know this is the blog where the elite meet, but still …

Kelly – I don’t give a damn about publicizing my book…hence the reason that I self-published it and I really only use word of mouth because I don’t have the time to market it and I did it for me, not to make money. Oh, and when I actually have money to buy my own books, I give them away for free because I like to hear back from people who can relate to the story. And….the point that I was trying to make was that regardless of what some people view as common, ignorant, bland, boring, etc…a song can make all the difference to one person out there.

I thought that by giving my own example would support my statements…however I now see that I should have just come out and said Buy My Book Because My Broke Ass Needs to Pay The Bills And Here is a Fabulous Opportunity to Market Myself…I’m sorry that my transparent efforts at trying to sway the reading population of The 9513 to buy my book were so obvious. I guess I will have to pad my own pockets elsewhere…LOL

You guys are very entertaining! Oh and Stormy, ironically I do make fun of Chesney and that stupid Tom Cruise song in the book. Mainly I hate Tom Cruise, but that’s another story. There is a reason behind the title of the book – you don’t even have to buy the book…you can see it on my myspace page. It is kind of long or I would paste it here…www.myspace.com/goodmusicisbetterthansex – My writing probably isn’t strong enough to be a “Real” Writer and make a living, I say the F word too much, I like to use ya’ll, and other redneck phrases that don’t fit too well in academia or mainstream.

And…I get the whole critic angle – I was defending Josh on the part that when you put your heart and soul out there – you have to take the attitude of F’ the haters because if not, you will end up being eaten alive.

Okay, I gotta run and go have some bad sex now…or maybe just listen to some music, or perhaps sit and theorize some more on Americana, Bluegrass, Folk, and Death Metal. But, I am kind of shallow – so I am probably just gonna go listen to me some Lost Trailers, cuz Holler Back is just really fun to dance to and I am kind of having a bad day due to real world adult crap like lawsuits, defaults and other negative, non-entertaining shiz.

Peace out my music bloggin friends…
Judy “PLEASE BUY MY BOOK OR HAVE SEX WITH ME AND SHOW ME WHAT I AM DOING WRONG!!!”

LMAO (Seriously, thanks though for making me laugh on this here crappyass day!)

Judy:
1. Self Publishing only works if you have nothing BUT time to market yourself.
2. Why are you buying your own books for other people? You SELF published which means you own all the copies and already paid for them once.
3. Literary publishing has no problem with Western characters or with the f-bomb.

oh, i am catching on now…you are PERFECT STRANGER, arent you?!?!??!!?

Stormy – yeah I know, I know…I guess I should say I published with POD (print on demand) so for instance I can buy in bulk for a deep discount and they do all the printing, etc…(it is booksurge – and they are owned by amazon), and most of the time, I tell people if you want a copy just holla and I will send you one for free like on the Chesney fan club or whatever…then other times, when I mention the book people like Kelly attack me and I am forced to go into a curled up fetal position sucking my thumb crying about hate in the world. (Pls note – I am sarcastic as hell! LOL) The same thing happened on one fan site and I pretty much said…F’ that. No free books for you freaks and I have not allowed them to be enlightened by my literary work of art! LMAO!

Hmm…I’m probably just lazy too…

I am starting to fall in love with this website…I have been reading the mailbag…

Judy, I am sacrastic as hell too. Just not used to such agressive self-promotion on the comments section here (thats not a criticsm, it is what it is and that is fine by me) ;-)

Chris – you are absolutely right. I am going to do that, and in fact for you – it is required reading material because you think even bad sex is good sex!!!!!

Kelly – stop hurting my feelings and making my cry damnit! “Aggressive” I always thought I was the shy quiet type. LOL Okay, my intent was not to aggressively self promote but I can see how that came across.

I do think the reason I reacted so intensely to posting was because the song is about his wife. You know, so it is kind of hard (if we just assume that the comment actually was from him)to not step to his defense. If the song wasn’t personal (i.e. his words about his wife) then he probably wouldn’t get so riled up nor would I have cared or bothered to post. And again…not for self promotion – but I referenced my book because it is about a very personal subject (i.e. Me… again not self promoting just giving context) and if someone read my book and said it wasn’t deep or personal I would be a tiny bit crushed. Because it’s about me so it is kind of hard to not take that personally, if whatever I wrote was fiction and someone said the same thing, I probably be okay with the feedback. Which, again if we assume that was really Josh Gracin, I could understand how he would get his drawers in a dither. Feedback is good, yes absolutely that is how we grow.

Okay I have to go, I cannot concentrate on having a profound musical debate while The Backyardigans are on tv.

I’m not talking to you…

I do think the reason I reacted so intensely to posting was because the song is about his wife.

Lines like that always get my knickers in a twist. If you have to emotionally blackmail me to like a song, why would I want to bother with it?

You’ll find that resorting to the “But It’s About …” defense gets you nothing but shame and derision around here.

My family saw Josh Gracin in concert a few days ago. It was better than the George Jones concert I attended as a teen in the late 80’s. I own both of his CD’s and voted for him on American Idol. His fourth place finish attests to the fact that I was not alone in my voting. He has had a #1 hit and more than one top 10. Every song on We Weren’t Crazy is great. “Unbelievable” expresses how much Josh loves his wife using words that enter his mind when he looks at her. Those feelings and his choice of words are intimate expressions that I find sweet and sincere. Country music is a mere reflection of all that we are and this song mirrors the contentment and love Ann Marie brings to Josh. I can identify with his love, intimacy, and commitment. In fact it is exactly why I love the song. Josh has a unique voice, different enough to propel him for weeeks on American Idol. He is a family man who is willing to risk his life for our homeland and so each of us can express these very opinions. There is plenty for him to write and sing and I will be right here buying his music as he does. When you attend a concert he promises to entertain each fan for the entire time and he is true to his word. I have met artists who were “putting on” for the fans this man is not one of those artists. Josh and his songs are honest and heartfelt…..which today is in itself completely original.

Wow you guys are assholes. I can guarantee you that this song will get lots of airplay and be a big hit for Josh because it IS a good song. Sometimes a good song doesn’t need to be creative or all that “original” by your terms but just a good song that people can relate to. THAT is why people love country music. It’s full of songs about life and just livin’ life.

Love his new release Unbelievable and this entire CD. I had to recently buy a second one-I wore the first one out! Wow, are we just a little over the top here with critisism over Gracin and his music? I think he has such a beautiful baritone voice, in my opinion one of the most impressive voices in country music today. It’s fresh and alive! His Album is passionite and sincere, listen to his lyrics to Invisable. His voice has such a warmth to it and it really delivers when it comes to the simplier arrangements and melodies. I find Josh Gracin and his music to be spellbinding, his concerts are even more electrifying. Yes, country music does really sound and look like this! Thank Goodness!

I hope you guys didn’t think that was the real Josh. XD That can’t be Josh. Now, I really like Josh. He’s one of my favorites. But I have to admit, this isn’t one of his best songs.

I’m going to be honest and say that I like the song in a cotton-candy kind of way.
It’s way too repetitive and it doesn’t say much more than “You’re unbelieveable!”, but I still enjoy it.