Merle Haggard Sues The Green Train

I think C.M. Wilcox is, at best, showing signs of an overactive imagination. I’m certainly not arguing a lack of calculation on Arista Nashville’s part, but Wilcox should have waited to see how Arista Nashville and Carrie frame the selection of “I Told You So,” before writing this piece. So far, the release is quite low-key and Carrie has certainly not claimed the traditional country mantle in any interviews on account of this song.

The failure of Wilcox’s piece is that he doesn’t leave room for the possibility that Carrie covered “I Told You So” because she happens to love that song and Randy Travis and thought she could do something with it. Wilcox also fails to leave room for the possibility that all involved realized that this is the best written song on Carrie’s album, and that alone is good reason to release it. It’s the fifth single from her album, not exactly a showcase time for the album. Arista Nashville initially tested “Flat on the Floor” and “The More Boys I Meet” for the 5th single, as it was looking for an uptempo follow-up to “Just a Dream.” Then, it tested “Crazy Dreams” and “I Told You So.” “I Told You So” apparently won out. Seems simple enough to me.

I’m not denying that the choice of “I Told You So” has potential strategic implications for Carrie’s positioning in country music. It is, after all, the song that resulted in Randy Travis being the one to invite Carrie to join the Opry (of course, the other side of that is that it probably made the song mean even more to Carrie, and that might be another part of why it was chosen as a single). But Wilcox makes a sweeping declaration of motive without a shred of evidence to support his claim. He would have done better to address his comments to fans and bloggers who might be overreacting to or just overthinking the selection of “I Told You So” as a single.

I’m glad Carrie chose “I Told You So” as a single because it’s the best song on her album, because I feel she does a good job interpreting the song (though her live version is more mature, in my view), because it’ll be nice to hear a bit of Vince Gill on the radio, and because it’ll be nice to see Randy Travis get some attention on account of this. I also feel that Carrie’s love of and ability to deliver pure country music is genuine. But from reading around, I feel like the significance of this choice is being wildly overstated, both by those who think this is a bold strike in favor of traditional country music and by those who think it’s a cynical attempt to pull the wool over traditionalists’ eyes.

Since my last comment was long enough, I’ll add separately that while I’m not at all impressed by “Feel That Fire,” I am looking forward to hearing Dierks’ work with Patty Griffin, Rodney Crowell and Ronnie McCoury. I want to like Dierks’ music more but have been bored by a lot of his single choices. I still feel like he has a strong upside and could make some interesting music.

Lady Antebellum is another artist that seems to have a good upside, but I find their debut a bit frustrating. I quite liked their lead single and also “Slow Down Sister,” but much of the rest of their debut is riddled with platitudes and melodic retreads (I hadn’t thought of the similarity between “All We’d Ever Need” and the Tony Rich Project’s “Nobody Knows” until Jon Caramanica mentioned it, however). Their stage energy is infectious, though, and I really like Charles Kelley’s voice and usually, Hillary Scott’s harmonies. So I root for them to come up with better.

The comments about Dierks’ new album are contradictory. First, Mike said that the album is full of uptempo party songs, then he goes on to say that you hear a maturity in Dirks’ music and that he’s grown up a lot from the partying frat boy stuff. Huh?

I like Dierks’ music though, so I guess I don’t care which it is.

Dudley: The marketing of a song isn’t the reality of that song.

Nashville: Actually, it explains a lot about how neutered Dierks has been sounding lately. The Waylon inside of him and the Dale Watson inside of him keep kicking him hard.

Matt B. summed up the reaction of some of the folks here with this line in his review: “there’ll be some traditionalists out there who will hate the song for the simple fact that it was Underwood”…nuff said.

Dudley:

You acknowledge that “the choice of ‘I Told You So’ has potential strategic implications for Carrie’s positioning in country music” but believe them to be merely coincidental? You don’t think they’re known to Carrie’s team and were a factor in the decision to release this song to radio? I’d like to think that they’re on top of this sort of thing, given that that’s sort of their job.

I understand why you might think my editorial premature. You’re right that there hasn’t been a direct statement from Carrie or the label proclaiming this a great shift toward traditionalism on her part. But the thing is that no such statement is necessary if the action of releasing the song, in itself, is already inviting that interpretation. If they can get people to talk about Carrie’s traditionalism without seeming to promote it themselves, isn’t that infinitely more effective?

I thought I heard quite a bit of wanting to sound like Waylon on Dierks’s second album. I haven’t ever heard any Dale Watson in his music, but maybe if he puts some pretty red panties on….

“There’ll be those out there that will love this song and defend it to death for the simple fact that it’s Underwood.”

True some will but like Matt B says, most Carrie fan sites were very disappointed in the choice of ITYS as the next single although that won’t stop them from supporting it.

Leeann,

I think you just emphasized why I wrote what I did in my review (I was probably thinking of Rick at the time). People will hate that song for who is singing it because they see Carrie Underwood as one of the signs of the apocalypse for country music (perhaps the way you do RF?). I don’t blindly love any artist (not even Collin Raye or Diamond Rio) but I do see where my loving a record (take Jimmy Wayne for example) can cloud my judgement. I try to give every artist a fair shot. Hell, I listened to and loved the Zac Brown Band CD so much that I gave the review over to another writer. I just couldn’t be unbiased enough to write a review of the album.

That reaon is why I typically don’t ‘live with’ an album when reviewing. I review it after one to four times listening through it. I find that, for me, it’s better to do things this way. These reviews are always the most honest review you’ll get from me. I also generally can find something positive to say about an album (there are rare occasions like Laura Bryna where it’s not possible).

Oh and Leeann, my first Vince Gill album was “When Love Finds You” followed by “I Still Believe In You.” Both of which are probably still my most favorite albums of his (though “These Days” and “The key” are quite good as well.

“North Texas, you just proved Brady’s point. Carrie Underwood’s uber fans didn’t like the song choice, yet they’ll still support it?”

Yeah, I suppose so but they won’t be as enthusiastic as they would have been with a more upbeat song like “Flat On the Floor”.

Personally, the only songs I like off of CR are “I told You So”, “Just A Dream” & “Get Out Of this Town” so I don’t blindly love everything she releases but I’m at least 30 years older then her average fan.

I’ve seen Carrie fans still be pretty enthusiastic about this song outside of the private message boards; they put on a good front.:)

“You acknowledge that “the choice of ‘I Told You So’ has potential strategic implications for Carrie’s positioning in country music” but believe them to be merely coincidental?”

Nope. But C.M. Wilcox, your blog entry leaves no room to think there might have been other (possibly more important) considerations, and that’s where you overreached. Examples: the label could have made the selection based on callout research that suggests “I Told You So” would make a good single or genuine belief on the part of the artist and/or label that the song is the best one and deserves a release. I just think reality is more complex than is convenient for the argument you’re making.

So I believe you’ve oversimplified the situation, and personally don’t believe any one explanation accounts for the selection of “I Told You So.” More to the point, I think you’re being unfair in assuming that the reason you advance for the song’s selection is the single or even primary reason for its selection. There is nothing yet to suggest that it is.

I don’t think “I Told You So” would have been considered if it hadn’t tested well in label research, nor do I think Carrie would be singing it or wanting it to be released if she didn’t love the song and hold the songwriter in very high regard. If I’m not mistaken, we’re talking about someone who, a couple of years ago, was on the same bill as Randy Travis and who, despite being advertised as the headliner, insisted without fanfare on Travis getting the headlining slot at the concert itself. If I’m wrong about that, I’m sure a bigger Carrie fan can correct me.

I’m sure the label won’t object to people praising Carrie’s “traditionalism,” or, at least, her respect for a country music great. But if other considerations had them leaning toward “I Told You So” anyway (note the “if”), was the label supposed to reject the selection because of the “unseemly” appearance that Carrie is stealthily courting traditional country cred? That would be silly. At the moment, none of us has any grounds to privilege one consideration over the other. That you went ahead and did so anyway strikes me as a reflection of kneejerk dismissiveness than anything else.

Leeann Ward, I’m with you in having no use for the super-fan mentality or the anti-fan mentality. Neither is conducive to interesting conversation.

Dudley:

There’s a reason I didn’t title my post “a review” or “an objective consideration of the factors contributing to the selection of Carrie Underwood’s new single.” It wasn’t intended to fulfill either of those purposes. It’s an off-the-cuff editorial (read: opinion piece) about what the selection means vis-a-vis traditionalism. That’s all. Anything beyond that is outside its scope.

I don’t think I argued, nor do I believe, that “the reason [I] advance for the song’s selection is the single or even primary reason for its selection.” Obviously, lots of different factors come into play and nobody can claim to know all of them. I just chose an angle that interested me and wrote about it. I’ll leave being comprehensive to someone else.

Matt B: why is it so bad to write a review on an album that you went nuts over? is it so bad to gush and then explain exactly why you gushed?

“I’ll leave being comprehensive to someone else.”

And making an accurate and fair representation of the situation, apparently. The lack of supporting evidence is merely an inconvenience to be brushed aside in service of an angle, huh? In my view, an editorial based on a faulty premise is meaningless and frankly, irresponsible.

Dudley, you are the voice of reason.I really appreciated your remarks. Whether Carrie is “traditional” or “new country” her voice is “fabulous, fabulous” as Vince Gill said.
She is extremely talented and I think does not get the respect she deserves based on the usual Carrie bad comments expressed here.

It’s interesting how polarizing Carrie is. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point though. I just don’t have much passion about her either way, I guess.

“Real Country” News: Miss Loretta Lynn is currently working on two albums! (Fom Billboard.com)

“Loretta Lynn Busy With Two New Albums
January 09, 2009 02:52 PM ET
Tim Donnelly, Savannah, Ga.

Country legend Loretta Lynn is preparing two projects this year to follow up her 2004 crossover hit, “Van Lear Rose.” Lynn, 74, is working on an album of new material that she says could be ready by late spring. The album will be in her traditional country style but will deal with modern issues. “(A friend) told me: ‘Loretta, don’t quit writing, because if you do, no one in Nashville is writing songs,’” Lynn tells Billboard. “I write about what’s happening today and how I feel.”

The second project, an album of re-recorded versions of her No. 1 hits from the past four decades, is being produced by John Carter Cash and could hit stores this summer. Lynn says the idea for that album came out of her live performances, at which she finds crowds clamoring for old favorites, particularly “Dear Uncle Sam.” Lynn released that anti-Vietnam War song (“I hate war,” she said) in 1966, and it became her first self-penned track to make the top 10. But, she says, it has gained new resonance with anti-war crowds today.

“I want to make sure that they get all the old No. 1 hits over the years,” she says. “They holler for them.” Lynn’s children and grandchildren usually join her on stage for live performances these days, and have also been in the studio to help with the album. John Carter Cash, the only child of Johnny Cash and June Carter and a country music singer and songwriter himself, is easy to work with because Lynn and his father were close.

“Van Lear Rose” was produced by the White Stripes Jack White, who also contributed vocals and guitars. The two stay in touch, but Lynn says she doesn’t get to see him very often. But she says she plans to call him soon “see what the devil he’s up to.”

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/loretta-lynn-busy-with-two-new-albums-1003929034.story

You nailed it, Razor. It doesn’t make any sense.

Dudley: If she wants to be contemporary country then why does she seem to model her sound after Celine Dion?
See, the thing is I am not a traditionalist. I am merely a country fan. I have close to 500 cds and probably less than 100 of them are by pre-1990s country singers. But the bottom line is that Carrie Underwood doesn’t even get played on the same stations as contemporary country. She already doesn’t get played, and would sound horribly out of place along side of Neko Case or The Greencards or Kasey Chambers or Bruce Robison or Son Volt. My biggest problem with “contemporary country” is that it seems stuck on this mid-ninties loop that Tim McGraw stole from John Mellencamp and Faith Hill stole from Celine Dion. What bugs me most about those who pout about being contemporary country is that not only are they not country, they aren’t even particularly contemporary.

Kelly,

I have written about stuff I’ve loved, I just find that if I get too invested into someones music, the ability to get critical is sometimes lost. So I’d rather go by ‘gut reactions’ when reviewing stuff.

“She did what? 137 concerts in large arenas this year? It takes it’s toll.”

And how many concerts did other people do? Are we going to start making excuses for them as well? Isn’t it their job to sing in large arenas?

Dudley,
Because CMW is truly one of my favorite country music bloggers, I kinda feel like I should come to his defense a little. What he does here at The9513 is done in a different tone than what he does over at his Country California blog. Here, he’s more straightforward, but over there, his observations/insights are often deliciously quirky. While I took issue with a point or two that he made on this Underwood subject on his CC blog, I don’t think he meant his piece to be anything more than his setirical insight based off personal opinion, not, necessarily, serious journalism. Of course, CMW, feel free to correct me if I’m misrepresenting you, since it’s not exactly my place to do so in the first place.:)

I’m prepared for the hot water, but I have to spring to the defense of Dudley. The piece in question is really, really speculative about the intentions behind the release “I Told You So.” Since Underwood’s arrival in Nashville, she’s noted that Travis was one of her favorite country artists. “I Told You So,” as has been noted repeatedly, is a fine fit for her voice while also honoring him in some small way.

An overt play at traditionalist fans seems like a very small priority for her team. How many fans who purchased Carnival Ride are intimately familiar with Travis and similar neo-trad artists? Very few, I would expect.

In terms of winning over industry insiders, the inclusion of “I Told You So” on Carnival Ride shows her ability to marry a restrained vocal performance to an understated production. Does it boost her “country credibility”? Sure. But is it a grab-you-by-the-collar move to prove her devotion to country’s traditions? Surely not. And its release as a single doesn’t seem to be anything other than the result of research and the opinions of Carrie/the label/her management, at least not yet.

Painting the genre’s main female force (or her “handlers”) with such a rough brush, especially without all the evidence considered, is entertaining (The marketing behind Carrie’s career is a bit heavyhanded–I believe we’d agree on that), but also dangerous.

There’s plenty of room, I feel, for editorial content in our blogscape, but this particular piece was the second item on a news roundup on what is widely-touted as the most-read country music blog on the interwebs. Those who don’t enter daily into our insular, internet world could come to some false assumptions regarding the intent of the piece. Why do I enjoy Country California? Because it can (and does) inform, educate and entertain. Every day. And your intentions (to balance sarcasm with more serious commentary) seem clear on the site, but I think it’s still fair for someone to question inaccuracies and premature estimations that are made in the attempt at a good angle.

Also, for future reference, Dudley is female. Hi, Dudley.

Man, that Dierks Bentley article is just a sad statement about mainstream Country music. They basically say Long Trip Alone didnt sell as well because it was too serious for fans.

Really? That says a lot about the record buying public if they cant stand to listen to music that doesnt provide them with escape in these times by mentioning God, America and family and saying how great those things are all the time for 4 minutes.

Yuck. If those are the fans Bentley is supposed to be trying to get, if I were him I would rather stay away.

Also, is it really fair to blame Long Trip Alone’s sales on just the album. I mean, it’s not like record sales were exactly great when it was released and they have only gotten worse. Yeah, yeah, you can point out Taylor Swift, but that is a clear anomaly.

I think Dierks’ fans may have felt the hint of Dale Watson in the music on “Long Trip Alone” and it scared the crap out of them! (lol)

PS – Don’t forget that when Dierks got married all his little girlie fans lost out on the chance to claim the cute, curly haired mop-top as their own…

“when it came to “I Told You So”, she claimed she had always been a huge Randy Travis fan, it it was her favorite song of his, also that he was a musical influence for her.”

When are we going to hear some evidence of Randy’s influence on Carrie’s music, aside from her cover of this one song?

“On all the talk of traditional country music that the majority of the regular bloggers or constintly concerned about, what will you do with the female’s of country when the “greats” LL, DP, and TY pass or cease to make music, will you conform then or will you still continue to beg for traditional music.”

I’m never going to settle for crap music, regardless of who is or isn’t still making music.

“…her vocals on this song are in rare form …”

Since you like this song, can we assume from this statement that you don’t think Carrie’s vocals are normally good?

“Why prejudge the song before it is offically release and her and her camp can do some pr for it then most likely there will be an explination?”

Prejudge? It’s included on an album that came out in 2007.

Stormy

I dont really see what was so serious about Long Trip Alone though. I mean, Every Mile A Memory went #1, so that obviously didnt bother too many fans. Free and Easy was just that and it went #1. The title track was pretty serious and sure, it had some serious songs on it, but no more or less than Dierks’ previous albums. It also had a number of uptempo tunes as well that were pretty happy.

I dont think the reason sales went down for Dierks was the album itself, it was the fact that fewer and fewer fans really give a crap about buying a CD anymore.

Blaming it on the album being “too serious” ignored the real reason he lost album sales and shows exactly why the record companies are mostly bleeding money. The people in charge still cant accept the fact that people just dont want to purchase CD’s anymore.

Hey, I still want to purchase CD’s of new music albums I like! Its just that there is almost nothing new coming out of mainstream Nashville these days that I’m interested in. I try to seek out exceptional or interesting new country related music but most of Nashville’s current output barely merits an “above average” rating. People don’t want to pay good money to buy lackluster music regardless of the format medium.

The last CD I have purchased in the past 2 years was Jamey Johnson’s “That Lonesome Song”.

The rest have all been digital downloads via iTunes or Rhapsody.

I agree that the companies are still making money, but blaming Dierks’ loss in record sales on Long Trip Alone being “too serious” is stupid by Capitol Records. If anything, Dierks’ first album was his most serious to date with almost every song being about a broken heart, his music has actually gotten more upbeat since then.