Your Take: Sentiment vs. Sentimentality

The song, the songwriter, the singer, has to come from a sincere, genuine place for me to be affected by the emotion of the song. Either in the vocal performance or backstory of the song, or past experiences from the singer. You can usually tell if they are sincere or not. ‘Where Were You (When The World Stops Turning)’ was written sincerely with a sentimental message to get across. On the other hand, songs like ‘It’s Not Supposed To Go Like That’ by Rascal Flatts and ‘I’ll Walk’ By Bucky Covington come across as cheesy, trying to be sincere, and have me wondering why they recorded them, to make money, to fill the ‘sad song’ quota for their album, or some other reason.

Jason Isbell’s TVA.

I’ll be ultra-obvious/mainstream here. “The Dance” by Garth Brooks.

Andrew,

The song is even better with Tony Arata singing it.

Sunday Morning Come Down – Kris Kristofferson
The emptiness of recovery and observation on a Sunday afternoon. The imagery is genius.

Rascal Flatts: “I’m Movin On,” “My Worst Fear, “Like I Am,” “Why,” and a few live performances of “Skin. I don’t agree with your assesment of “It’s Not Supposed To Go Like That,” but when putting it next to “Why” it does sound considerably less genuine. Gary and Jay had an uncle who commited sucide; I don’t think they recorded it for sake of money or to get people to cry.

Carrie Underwood- “Just A Dream,” in both the recorded and live instances; the 2008 CMA performance is probably one of the most geninue displays of emotion I’ve seen in a long time. Her covers of “I’ll Stand By You” and “How Great Thou Art are beautiful examples as well. Although I’m not a fan of the recorded version of “I Told You So,” I felt geninue emotion when she performed it at the 2008 ACM’s, on American Idol, and in the “duet” with Randy sent to radio. She also connects with “Don’t To Remember Me very well; I feel her connection to it when she sings it live.

Leeann Rimes: Her acapella cover of “Amazing Grace” is a prime example of connection and emotion.

Bombshel: “Fight Like A Girl.”

I think Kenny’s “Don’t Blink” sounds contrived, while “There Goes My Life has geniune emotion behind it. Jason Micheal Carrol’s “Alyssa Lies” sounded convincing at first, but I quickly changed my thinking on that one. Martina’s “God’s Will” sounds contrived to me as well; it was one of the first songs I thought of when this topic came up.

Tim’s “Live Like You Were Dying” has always sounded somwhat fake and contrived to me as well. On the flipside, I think he shows connection in all his duets with Faith- especially “Angry All The Time.”

Brad’s “She’s Everything” sounds geniune to me- but that’s all that comes to mind.

Although Taylor hasn’t done any particularly heavy material yet, I think all her songs, either live, or recorded, sounds 100% geniune.

I think a lot of geninue connection can only be seen live, because so many records, songs, and unbelievable singers get their emotions and connection mistakenly buried under too much production or layering for sake of making the perfect, slick soud so many millions know.

You can’t infer the motivation of a musician from your perception of sincerity – or a lack thereof – in his or her performance, because it’s just that: your perception, informed by all manner of things. If “you can usually tell if they are sincere or not” were true, there would be many fewer disagreements here and in any other collection of discussions of music than there actually are.

As for standout songs, here are three:

1. “What I Learned From Loving You” – Russell Smith’s original recording is my favorite, but it’s been credibly recorded by Lynn Anderson, Martina McBride and Tammy Cochran, too. It’s pretty much a perfect song.

2. “Your Haunting Goodbye” – written by Craig Market, recorded in a beautifully emotional, yet restrained performance by Ronnie Bowman.

3. “It’s Getting Better All The Time” – Brooks & Dunn did a fine version, but co-writer Ronnie Bowman’s is a must-hear.

I do think one can make an inference about the motivation of a musician based on one’s perception of his/her/its performance, just as one can make inferences about any person’s motivation based on all sorts of information (body language, comments from other people, et cetera).

But I do suspect that some of these inferences are wildly unreliable and in many cases the claim that a musician is “insincere” (or otherwise guilty of being motivated by something unattractive) may be little more than a disguised way of saying “I don’t like this particular song or entertainer.”

So while I think it is possible to make inferences about motivation, I think its something done with extreme caution, especially when the person making the inference has little real knowledge about the person they are making the inference about.

Vince Gill. “go rest high on that mountain”

Earl Clifton’s – Broken Flower. This guy captured the emotion of a breakup like no other song I’ve heard, it truly is a jukebox tear jerker. Porter Wagner’s – Lonely Comin’ Down is an awesome song about the same subject and Dolly Parton did a great version of that song as well. You can feel the pain of the words and even in the flow of the musics dynamics. Get yourself in a quite place and check these tunes out. I also love Jason Aldeans version of “Asphalt Cowboy” that’s a great modern day song about a truck driver and the loneliness of the road. Sad songs seem to capture hearts if there done right they can really break your heart

Martina McBride’s “Concrete Angel” is so moving. She tackles a very serious topic and does so while being truly genuine and sincere. Her music video for the song is the saddest one I have seen, especially when you see the shadows of the little girl and her mother.

I also believe that Carrie is always genuine with the songs that she sings. “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, “So Small” and “Just A Dream” are three of the more obvious ones. Also, the 1-minute clip I’ve heard of “Mama’s Song” on Billboard seems that she will still be doing the earnest and genuine ballads alongside the more fun and upbeat songs such as “Cowboy Casanova.”

Phil: If you’re that interested, you can head over to “Cowboy Casanova”, October 4th, 5:39. Start with the end of line 3.

Well, of course you’re not interested. I knew you wouldn’t be. So, I didn’t waste my time rewriting something I have already said.

You do your best to change subjects don’t you? The writer asked for people to comment on songs that you felt fit within what she wrote – based on opinion. I did that just like every other poster on this particular post. You did that too until you decided you wanted to stir up trouble, that’s obvious.
So, you ask a question that you don’t even care about. You’re 38 and you still need to grow up.

First off, on this post I talked about Martina and Carrie. I mentioned nothing about Taylor. But, you probably just overlooked the first word of my post, which was Martina.

Second off, Carrie is going to be long term, just like contemporary country (or New Country) is going to be long term. I’m sorry for you that you can’t deal with it like most others can. Oh well, no loss in losing you as a somewhat fan, since you’ve even stated that you were never that huge in Country music to begin with. Adios!

For the life of me, I will never understand why people bother to tear down, let alone debate, something they do not enjoy. There is still plenty of tarditional, bluegrass and Americana music for non-mainstream listeners to enjoy.

It seems like like logical sense to me. People happen to enjoy this brand of “new” country, get over it. It’s bringing new listeners and a broader audience everyday.

If this country is so terrible, why are so many artists like Carrie, Rascal Flatts, Taylor, Kenny, Lady A, Sugarland and others doing so well right now? If this country is so bad, why aren’t millions demanding and screaming at radio stations to play the tarditional music it once did?

K…it’s called promotion, marketing and Popular opinion. And popular opinion does not make something good. It’s obvious what the Industry is doing and what their strategy is. They are making no bones about it. I just happened to disagree with that strategy and think it is foolish. Time will tell. But you do make some good points and I understand what you are saying. I just hope you understand that what you and I are talking about are two very separate issues…at least to me they are. :)

I half agree with “K.” The fact that many people buy Carrie, the Flatts, Taylor, et cetera suggests that these artists are doing something right for some people. These artists are creating value, as many people would rather have a Carrie single on their iPod than the $1.29 or so they pay.

Of course that doesn’t mean that I (or you!) have to agree that the music of these artists is good. But to dismiss these artists as “the Fast Food Hamburgers” of music is a bit quick, for two reasons. First, fast food certainly has its place. Fast food isn’t even necessarily a bad thing. Second, I have seen people dismiss, say, Taylor Swift’s music as junk. But when I ask who they think is so good, they mention another singer whose vocals aren’t that great, who tends to sing about the same topic over and over, et cetera.

I think the difference between, say, Shania Twain and Randy Travis is not the difference between McDonalds and fine dining. Rather, the difference is more akin to the difference between a Whopper and a Big Mac (or, if you prefer, Ruths Chris steakhouse and Morton’s steakhouse).

Agreed Sam…but again I think you miss my point as well. I am not comparing the artists to fast food, just the music being put out by the industry to appease that one certain audience that just so happens to like fast food, and then marketing it as if it is steak, when there is no steak on the menu being served.
Anyway, as I have said before, the music of the time reflects the values of a society at any given time. I have my interpretations of what that means about our society in general today, and others will have theirs.

Thanks Dan for clearing that up for me. :)

Phil: Having respect for something and being a fan are two different things. Since you have NEVER been a huge fan, the little portion of your soul that was a fan must have gone to the decades you pronounced. But, you can’t have it both ways. Never is a word that can’t be easily discarded. You were either a bigger fan than you suggested or you weren’t.

It must be rough for you though because you always seem put down and in the negative. Maybe some cinnamon toast crunch will cheer you up, but then you would probably prefer them without the cinnamon swirls because they add a new freshness that you wouldn’t be able to stand. Plain and boring cinnamon toast crunch should do the trick for you. NO CHANGE REQUIRED.

Yeah…I saw a commercial for the new “Black Jack Taco”. Maybe I’ll go out and try one of those. I’ve never been a huge taco fan, but I respect the history of the taco. The fact that they changed the color of the taco must mean it tastes so much better than a normal taco.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen that commercial Dan…but it’s just a marketing gimmick being used by Taco Bell to bring new people into the restaurant. They aren’t necessarily loyal to Taco Bell, but they want to try the “new” taco. Most will probably try it just to see if they like it, but won’t return.
That’s all the Country Music Industry is doing with the strategy they are employing as well. Serving up a new flavor and color of “taco” to bring in new people to the genre…only difference is it is too bad they took the normal tacos off the menu in the process so the faithful and people who like normal tacos who don’t want the new taco don’t even bother coming back. That is the dilemma the industry is facing…the new people they are bringing in just to try the new taco won’t return, and the faithful will end up looking elsewhere for their normal taco.

K…I honestly don’t mind that Country Music is bringing in new fans…but they are alienating a huge portion of listeners in the process. I think it’s pretty obvious who the Industry is marketing its product to exclusively. And its not just Country Music. When I look at shows like American Idol, I am flabbergasted that the artist’s it signs, are then marketed exclusively to the audience that watches American Idol. And it seems the entire industry has followed suit in their marketing strategy, and are marketing its product to that same audience. There is a huge audience they are completely ignoring in the process. Today it’s more about finding a person who can play the role of the artist the industry is looking for, rather than an artist creating themselves. In the process, what happens, is everything starts sounding the same, and everybody just ends up copying what worked for someone else because that is all the Industry is looking for. There is no long term strategy (only looking ahead to short term profits) and artists are relegated to singing songs that appease that one audience. That is why I don’t take many of today’s “artists” as being serious artists. They are simply marketing creations designed to play a role the Industry is looking for.
Anyway, to me the Industry is killing itself with this Top Down strategy…rather than looking for artists it can cultivate from the Bottom Up, and who can build their fanbases gradually, and create themselves and their own music. Now they get one chance, and are relegated to serving one audience to make an impression. It’s no wonder nothing new gets created…it just gets recycled with a new shiny package on it, and sold to an audience who doesn’t even bother to see if there’s actually anything inside. The package is the message today.
I will agree that every decade has it’s share of bad music…but to be quite honest, I’ve noticed a huge difference in the quality of music being produced overall ever since the Industry consolidated in the late 90′s, and Reality TV shows became so prevalant in our society. I can’t be the only one who has noticed.
Oh, and don’t forget the song “Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter. At least I like that song. But I guess that’s subjective to each listener.

sentiment vs. sentimentality – the new black jack taco or the traditional one? steak or beer? stop posting with empty stomacks, guys.

Dan and Phil you both need to calm down. Why can’t you two just respect what the other is saying?

Dan think about it, maybe Phil isn’t as stuck in the past and afraid of change as you would make him out to be. Look at what he said and it is clear that he simply doesn’t think that the industry executives are doing their jobs effectively. He is merely suggesting that by superficially over promoting entertainers as better than they are and hyping them up has created a disincentive for artists to work to create a fan base with the quality of their work overall, and it is making quality music harder to come by. Not to say that all music today is bad, but to say that the quality expected generally has diminished, though it is not totally gone.

Phil, the same goes for what Dan said, think about it. Maybe the songs today seem to lack quality to you, but to others who listen to modern country find it entertaining, but also find other, less popular songs, from the same artists to be better in quality. Another point he raises is that maybe tastes have changed for the better, in some ways (If that is what he means, I hope he would explain further).

I would suggest enjoying what good songs are available regardless of what artist is singing it, or when it is from. I do agree that the past had some great songs but let’s not overlook the quality songs produced today. One last thing, perhaps time will reveal musicians from today to be great, just as it did with the greats of the past. We would never know of the longevity of the emotions in any of Hank’s music if we didn’t have decades to hear it, evaluate it, and re-evaluate it. Classics are not made over night.

Enjoy the music.

That’s about right. I am just playing catch up, and I’ve gotta say, it’s kinda fun.

I’m glad, you’ve both cooled down.
Thanks for letting me know that I’m a little late, I honestly never look at the dates on posts, I just respond. I mean the point being made by any one post should get the same amont of consideration as any other, so I look at the arguments being mad and evaluate them, regardless of when they are from, and I post so that others, like you, can do the same.

Keep Writting.