Michael Dean Church – “Why Can’t You Forgive Me”
Songwriters: Steve Dukes and Jeb Stuart Anderson
Newcomer Michael Dean Church enters as a serious contender to become country music’s first breakthrough “MySpace artist.” While Pop has seen grassroots support for artists like Lily Allen and Soulja Boy translate into critical and commercial success, the country music circuit has remained a bit behind the curve, utilizing the digital landscape more as a part of a label’s holistic marketing plan than as a breeding and testing ground for new acts.
And a big part of that genre-based tech gap has to do with demographics; country fans trend older, more rural, and more socially traditional than pop fans.
That makes Church’s online success even more impressive. The West Virginia native has acquired nearly 20,000 MySpace friends and his music has been streamed on the site nearly 700,000 times–huge numbers for an “unknown” country artist with zero traditional label-backing.
Church is now promoting his truly independent debut single, “Why Can’t You Forgive Me,” which has played to mostly positive reviews so far–and deservedly so; Church’s voice is well-refined, and a pleasing departure from the format’s current influx of “soul” informed singers.
But what remains to be seen is whether he will be able to parlay his online success into substantial terrestrial radio airplay. Even in the Pop examples I noted previously, it wasn’t until those artists signed with majors that radio took notice. And in that sense, Allen and Soulja Boy were able to use their online success in much the same way that artists have traditionally used independent album sales–as a way to show labels that they have both appeal and a built-in audience.
Church is trying to do something different–cut out the middle man entirely, and go directly to the audience.
And that’s a tough task, especially given that this isn’t a perfect song. It is not an undeniable smash hit that radio simply can’t ignore. It covers much the same ground (though in an entirely different tone) as Tracy Lawrence’s masterful “Unforgiven” (which failed commercially). And it struggles, lyrically, with facts, declaring that “Nixon…got off scott free,” (which is true, I guess, unless you consider that whole impeachment thing). The song also features a line about having forgiven the Dixie Chicks for “all that political mess”–a statement which shows a complete disregard for reality, as the country music industry most certainly has not forgiven its least-favorite Texans, Emily, Martie, and Natalie.
But these nitpicks are songwriting issues, and Church didn’t write this song. And although I would normally criticize an artist in this position for showing a lack of judgment in song choice, I have to pay attention to context here. Because as an unsigned, unproven artist, Church simply isn’t going to get the best songs in Nashville, and certainly not every song he would particularly like to have.
And despite its questionable fact-checking, this is a clever, funny, and up-beat song–a song that a truly independent artist, especially one who is not a songwriter himself, should feel very lucky to have.
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Current Discussion
- Louise Lane: Just saw an old Porter Wagonner show with Narvel as his guest star. I've heard some of these songs before ...
- Eric Cox: Thanks for recording this song Easton. It sure is nice to hear real country music by a new artist on ...
- todd: Miranda Lambert, Jamey Johnson, and Ashston Shepherd
- K: Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, and Little Big Town. I'd love to hear Carrie ...
- Rick: Ashley Monroe, Sunny Sweeney, Elizabeth Cook, Megan Mullins, The Wrights, Amber Dotson, Lane Turner, Amy Dalley, Susan Haynes, The Jenkins, ...
- Jo Jo: Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire
- highwayman3: George Strait, Reba, and Lee Ann Womack, oh wait, that's already happening, too bad they aren't coming anywhere near driving ...
- Mayor JoBob: Or Alan Jackson, Rodney Crowell and Marty Stuart with guest appearance by Jimmy Buffett!
- JCH: Jamey Johnson, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. No idea where the heck that came from.
- Mayor JoBob: Brad Paisley, David Ball and Highway 101!!!!!!
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February 22, 2008 at 10:17 am Permalink
Nixon wasnt impeached, he resigned before that, more to your point, I don’t think that means he got off “scott-free” though. Clinton, however, was impeached AND got off scott-free….
February 22, 2008 at 10:19 am Permalink
How did Nixon have it worse than Clinton? I don’t recall him doing any jail time.
February 22, 2008 at 10:36 am Permalink
Nixon wasn’t impeached, but he would have been. And that’s exactly how it’s worse–the guy not only lost the presidency, he lost his legacy.
That’s not getting off scott-free. Nixon paid a serious price for what he did, jail-time aside.
February 22, 2008 at 10:37 am Permalink
i wasnt aware of either of them doing actual time, but for the most part, history has frowned upon nixon and clinton has become a rock star. I personally am so/so on both of them and think both of their massive ego’s and insecurities led to their respective oval office indescretions.
February 22, 2008 at 11:01 am Permalink
I would suggest that their massive egos and insecurities also gave them the motivation to become president in the first place.
February 22, 2008 at 11:02 am Permalink
I really don’t want to talk about Bill Clinton’s massive anything.
February 22, 2008 at 11:04 am Permalink
I like this song heard it on the radio here one time and thought it was good but then hasnt gotten out of my head yet so i guess that is a positive i like it tho, i googled the writers of the song and they did tim mcgraws “i like it I Love It” which was a hit
February 22, 2008 at 11:19 am Permalink
Jim,
Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to review my project, I know you probably get hit from all different angles on a daily basis, for reviews etc. And for you to take the time to review this means alot to me!!! and thanks to all the rest of the 9513 bloggers for taking a listen.
God Bless,
MDC
February 22, 2008 at 12:38 pm Permalink
Country’s first breakthrough MySpace artist? Seriously? Wake up people, the name is Taylor Swift!
February 22, 2008 at 12:40 pm Permalink
Just listened to his song… we forgave the Dixie Chicks!? I don’t get that impression when I watch award shows and all the country people go silent when they win anything.
February 22, 2008 at 12:43 pm Permalink
Taylor Swift did not break via MySpace. She used MySpace during and after her major label launch.
February 22, 2008 at 12:53 pm Permalink
You’re wrong, Taylor Swift was one of the top ranked artists on myspace long before she even had a publishing deal.
February 22, 2008 at 1:09 pm Permalink
Ok guys now lets be serious this guy is not saying that all of america forgave the dixie chicks he is saying that him and his spouse who he has apprantly made mad in the song forgave them!!! this song isnt saying that all of america forgave them. Although I think it was a shame what happened to the chicks, and had they said what they said then now there sales would have probably increased! I think this song is great its very catchy and at least it has something to say unlike alot of this TEENIE bop Crap that is coming out of Nashville at the moment. IE Taylor Swift, OH and Lucas, it doesnt hurt as an artist when your daddy owns over 50% controlling interest in the label that you are conveniently signed to. But no body ever talks about that, I am sure if this artist had millions of dollars of daddys money to cram his music down the throats of the public it would have just as good or better shot considering at least he can sing!!!
February 22, 2008 at 1:20 pm Permalink
Lucas, I have no problem with readers calling me out, but know what you’re talking about before you try.
Taylor Swift signed her Publishing deal in May 2005. Her mySpace page was created on August 31, 2005.
February 22, 2008 at 1:29 pm Permalink
I was just being sarcastic Paul. I didn’t say one bad thing about Michael Dean Church. Where does it say that Taylor’s dad has a controlling interest in Big Machine? I have been told by a reliable source that her father is well off, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Her music does. I’m a teen, and I’m good with that, haha.
Jim, you got me there. Well played my friend, well played! I think we can all agree though that MySpace has contribute greatly to her popularity.
Honestly, I don’t see why some artists that want a record deal don’t cheat on myspace with automatic hits/song plays. I don’t personally do it and never will, simply because I want my fans to trust me and don’t want to be labeled a myspace artist.
February 22, 2008 at 2:14 pm Permalink
I’m not so sure all is forgiven with Yoko or the FEMA folks, either.
But, lyrical quibbles aside, can I just call out the totally gracious comment from Church, who seems to get that any discussion of his tune — positive or not — is a good thing? The songwriters and artists who come here to bitch about the reviews ought to take a cue.
And one last nitpick: I believe it’s “scot-free.”
February 22, 2008 at 2:19 pm Permalink
Let’s be honest, critics opinions don’t really affect anything.
February 22, 2008 at 3:34 pm Permalink
Michael – Thanks for taking the time to drop by and leave a comment, it’s much appreciated.
Lucas – Here’s a comment on a Jackson Taylor review Brady wrote a while back.
The commenter purchased an album based on a critic’s opinion, is that not affecting something, even if it is on a small scale?
Have you read any of the tributes to No Depression I’ve been linking to in the news roundups? The people writing those tributes, they were affected by something.
I’m not trying to be combative, but let’s be honest, to some degree critics’ opinions can, and do, affect more than you’re willing to give them credit for.
February 22, 2008 at 3:39 pm Permalink
As a critic, that’s good to know. I’ll write that down.
February 22, 2008 at 3:42 pm Permalink
… oh, and let me know after you get your first good review whether that critic’s opinion matters or not.
February 22, 2008 at 3:56 pm Permalink
Liked the song. Others on his MySpace are pretty nice, as well.
February 22, 2008 at 4:23 pm Permalink
Lucas, I hope you write songs better than you write your comments. I am one of the guys that bought the Jackson Talyor album based upon the review here (and i am thankful as it is a pretty good disc), as well as many other albums thanks to many other reviews that were written by critics. Critics vote on awards and awards send sales and careers skyrocketing when they are announced. I imagine if a critic went to one of your shows and gave you a glowing review, thus sending more people to your next show, you would feel a bit different about this issue.
February 22, 2008 at 4:33 pm Permalink
You realize I think he’s good, right?
I apparently do need to learn to write comments better, because people get offended too easily and all of the sudden think I’m trying to mock them. What I meant to say is that success won’t be based on critics, it will be based on fans – if you want to criticize me for that, feel free, because we both know it’s the truth. For heaven’s sake, GB’s “Sevens” was given a bad review by Rolling Stone.
I hope if one day I get a glowing review I’ll have the same opinion I do now so that my head doesn’t get too big.
February 22, 2008 at 4:50 pm Permalink
Lucas its alright I suffer sometimes from the foot in mouth disease as well!!! LOL yall cut the boy a break LOL its sometimes hard to write what your thinking in your head on paper as it often reads very differently to someone else. But I have to say I really enjoy this website, its great that people have an outlet like this to express there opinions about whats going on in Country Music. I am a fan now!!!
February 22, 2008 at 4:55 pm Permalink
Haha…
I’m much less a jerk in real life, I swear it.
I seriously need to start getting more detailed when I respond and criticize anything.
February 22, 2008 at 4:58 pm Permalink
LOL yeah I would say so, I wouldnt want to mess with a couple of these people they may hunt you down and beat the B-Jesus out of You lol
February 22, 2008 at 6:16 pm Permalink
I’m even more of a jerk in real life, if you can believe that.
February 22, 2008 at 9:15 pm Permalink
Mainstream country radio stations are part of a big business mindset that caters to the big music labels in a sort of twisted sisterhood. The stations need the commercial dreck the big labels put out from their “A List” artists, and the labels need radio airplay to fuel sales. Trying to cut out the label has no appeal to either party.
Not only will this maverick approach not open doors at radio stations, I think it will slam them shut as it upsets the apple cart. Stations like dealing with just a handful of big labels that send them the new singles and send the artists to them on promotional tours. As a station manager would you want to get buried by CDs from indie arists who happen to develop a following on MySpace? Michael should concentrate on selling his music through his MySpace website and tap creative marketing approaches that completely ignore Top 40 country radio……
February 22, 2008 at 10:40 pm Permalink
You guys aren’t going to parse every lyrical historical inaccuracy in a song this fun and hooky, are you?
February 22, 2008 at 11:25 pm Permalink
I can’t help but woner if we’re going to see more and more independent labels become successful. I say, go with a big label if they give him the opportunity.
February 22, 2008 at 11:34 pm Permalink
Of course he would probably take the deal if it were a right deal with a major but if a large indie label comes around then the situation may possibly be better because then you have to only sell 50k with the indie to get the same type of money you have to sell 500-800k with if you are on a major label. But then there are other plus’s and minuses both ways but I think the days of majors running the show is slowly dwindling away.
February 23, 2008 at 12:57 am Permalink
The song kind of reminds me of the Bowling for Soup “1985″ song. It’s not quite as catchy, but it’s fun. I went to a Blake Shelton concert tonight and I have to say that I finally realized what it was I’ve been missing on country radio – it used to be fun! The ballads were actually touching and the music used to make me smile and tap my toe, not roll my eyes and change the station.
As for the Chicks, there is absolutely nothing to “forgive” them for. No apologies needed…and they’re my absolute favorite Texans.
Good luck Michael!!
February 23, 2008 at 1:20 am Permalink
Everybody wants to be on a big independent label, and I’d have to agree – that is the best route to go. In my opinion, Big Machine and Equity are the only ones really pulling their own weight right now.
February 23, 2008 at 1:39 am Permalink
I’ll second that. If anyone asked my advice (and they really, really don’t), I’d say a large proven indie is the way to go.
February 23, 2008 at 4:33 am Permalink
These days indie labels spend virtually the same amount to record an artist as the “majors” do. Especially since labels like Big Machine and Broken Bow use the same studio cats that the majors do. So the disparity comes from a ‘corporate’ label investing, oh I don’t know, say 2 million in promotion for a new artist.
Hopefully, the web is changing that practice and the fact that Digital sales eliminate the need for product ‘orders’ means that labels will begin to take more chances, and thus smaller labels can break through.
I choose to think of the current label system much like the NCAA basketball structure. You’ve got your big labels occupying the Top 25 and then there are the “mid majors” like Big Machine and Curb (which IS still an indie label after all) and then, finally the smaller labels (Lofton Creek Records comes to mind) that will squeak out a few hits now and then to the charts.
This is all a long-winded statment saying that Michael Dean Church should be proud of where he’s come from and that even signing with a smaller label than Big Machine or Broken Bow would still help him but I firmly believe he can ‘go it alone’ and still get at least a lower-level Top 40 hit.
February 23, 2008 at 11:07 am Permalink
I think over time the majors will pretty much fade away and only be used for distribution because as you can see with Big Machine, Equity, and a few others that it is more about finding your niche and with technology it doesn’t cost much at all to market and promote a release there are just the costs of manufacturing which is almost becoming the most expensive anymore.
I think Michael has a great shot at signing with a major or indie tho and there isn’t much uniqueness in the talent of the unsigned country artists right now everyone is going for the ballads and trying to be the next taylor swift, pop cross-over which isn’t as easy as many pop artists who go country or vice versa think.
February 23, 2008 at 2:26 pm Permalink
I was just watching that gone country show on cmt.com and noticed they spelt it “Chris Neil”, what the heck!
February 24, 2008 at 12:34 pm Permalink
Yeah, that was irritating. I’m used to it, though.
At least I didn’t look as sweaty as I had expected, given that the room was about 142 degrees.
February 24, 2008 at 4:51 pm Permalink
I saw it also, either way getting that exposure on television is great even tho it was on Gone Country where whoever thought to put john rich in charge is crazy to begin with.
I have also seen michael’s review and Michael Dean Church period on just about every website in country music that matters and he has no backing? I think that should be the first sign for an indie to contact him about putting alittle budget and staff behind him since the ball is already rolling so to speak.
February 24, 2008 at 6:22 pm Permalink
I don’t think labels weigh in much on any website, unless they’re getting covered by CMT and GAC which goes hand-in-hand with air time, and they don’t do that for independent artists.
Fan base and just pure talent play the biggest role in my opinion. I personally haven’t seen him on many sites yet. The fans don’t necessarily frequent a site likt The9513 for country as much as they do the two big guns and myspace.
February 24, 2008 at 7:55 pm Permalink
Lucas…dude. Seriously.
Search for “Country Music Blog”. See who comes up first. It ain’t CMT, dawg.
February 24, 2008 at 8:40 pm Permalink
I tend to think the serious fans are here. *wink*
February 24, 2008 at 11:16 pm Permalink
Mike, I think seeing a review of Michael on most country websites speaks to his work ethic and understanding of how to leverage the internet more than anything. He seems like a savvy guy to me.
Lucas, I guess you missed the memo a few weeks ago: Blog Chatter Can Triple Future Sales of Music Albums. It concludes that blog chatter contributes more to an album’s success than MySpace. Oh, and a fan base isn’t guaranteed or automatic and can be amassed slowly by word of mouth, but coverage in nearly any type of media is going to be much more effective at building the fan base that you consider to be crucial.
February 25, 2008 at 9:27 am Permalink
Yes Lucas blogs and smaller websites contribute almost as much CMT and GAC because there are many country fans that I know of that frequent this website as well as others. I checked out Michaels site too and he has regional press in newspapers as well.
But country music isn’t as cliche as other areas because blog chatter does increase sales significantly as well as secondary radio attributes for something like 65-70 percent of sales compared to major market which is opposite in most genres. Then if you look at retailers it is about 70-75 percent of country albums are bought at Wal-mart. I truly believe michael will get picked up by a label tho before he has a chance to release it completely indie.
February 25, 2008 at 11:20 am Permalink
I think Michael has a great chance of getting picked up by a label, but I don’t think it will have anything to do with blogs. It will have to do with his talent. The best indicator of the future is the past, I honestly can’t remember one CMT interview or CMA where somebody said “Big thanks goes out to all the country blog, without you, there would be no me!”
I say let’s just contribute his success to himself.
February 25, 2008 at 5:05 pm Permalink
Lucas,
You cannot use the ‘best indicator of the future is the past’ line in this case because blogs, myspace, facebook, etc. weren’t around too far into the past. His success will be attributed to himself, however, he seems like a guy who WILL thank the blogs in liner notes.
February 25, 2008 at 5:21 pm Permalink
Blogger has been open for over 8 years. MySpace for 9.
Who Michael thanks is his business.
Of course I can use that line, I can use any line I so choose.
February 26, 2008 at 3:14 am Permalink
So, Lucas, are you saying that you think that your ‘line’ holds any real water? Blogger and Myspace may have been around for that long but really it’s been the last 3-4 years that anyone knew about it. Still, even with that, you cannot discredit them. You may be young but to discredit a blog, reviewer, myspace, etc. w/r/t impact on an artist is just wrong.
Oh, before you ‘flame’ me back with calling out your age, you should know I’m still in my 20s.
February 26, 2008 at 9:45 am Permalink
I can assure you, someday an artist at an awards show will thank the country blogs and/or MySpace. Probably sooner than any of us thinks.
February 26, 2008 at 10:44 am Permalink
Matt B is right about blogs not really coming into the mainstream until the past few year and especially in the country music industry that typically lags behind.
Kevin has one of the oldest country music blogs at Country Universe–that’s still around and that I’m aware of–and it’s only three and a half years old. Even then, blogs have to build up an audience just like an artist, so that further reduces the time that blogs have really been in the game; their importance will only continue to grow.
I’d be the first to congratulate Michael on what success he’s achieved based on his own hard work and talent and don’t think anyone is trying to coopt recognition for that success.
By the way, if I recall correctly, Rissi Palmer included a thanks to Nashville Hype in her liner notes and hasn’t Taylor Swift already thanked MySpace on awards shows?
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