Rolling Country 2021

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/afro-americana/the-insidiousness-of-afro-americana/

This was a response to the Himes article.

That's a very measured & thoughtful response.

The Himes article was odd. He lumped a bunch of artists together as Afro-Americana (rather than just calling them Americana), took a shot at some attention he said they were getting, hailed a few and dissed many others strongly (Alison Russell) , and then added odd phrases about how some black artists need the opportunity to fail first before they can release good records (tone-deaf re what Black folks face in life)

Thing I don't get is why Himes is the only one who can conduct this poll. You'd think Nashville Scene -- after making the decision to end their partnership with Himes -- would just figure out how to do a poll. According to Saving Country Music, it's a much bigger lift than one might expect, but I don't really buy it. It doesn't have to come out on Nov. 28th. Just do it now and put it out when it's done?

Yep. He might have done the heavy lifting for the poll, but one would think a Nashville Scene editor could take the lead , and they get interns to help count the ballots and put the results out in January. But since it was his baby they decided to give it to him and he couldn’t find another site to handle it.

I started thinking about responses to the article, as it's described by curmudgeon---then remembered some of his year-end Scene Poll commentary, and realized that I might be over-thinking it...is this piece still available anywhere?

Indeed provided a web archive link to Himes' piece upthread.

INDEXED

Thanks! I'd tried the others, but overlooked the Web Archive save. He does a good (better than expected) vivid and carefully detailed description of the albums he likes, incl. the obvious observation about extended range of Giddens' latest---but to say that the albums he doesn't like are up for awards and how can such things be, must be inverse racism---is the most kneejerk-at-best default---it figures that Trigger/Saving Country Music jumped right in there, not that it isn't a good story, newswise. There are sites that would never say a bad word about any of these artists, but they wouldn't say a bad word about almost any other artist, not in reviews; more like, It is our sad duty to report that So and So has been charged with/arrested for this and that---at most.

I'm digging the fuck outta the Lainey Wilson album several months later.

― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, October 29, 2021

I fully expect the same to be true for me, now that I've finally checked out Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'. In the wake of that, Spotify is floating "Two Story House," which isn't on the album, but goes w many of its sufficiently poignant tunes, though not as much their usually rock-inclined guitars: the album's a primo example of how to do that in service of accessibly expressive pop mainstream country, with that voice, them tropes, and "Small Town, Girl" even goes toward psychedelic crossroads while making its point, "Straight Up Sideways" is truthfully titled, like all the rest, like romantic ballad "Dirty Looks"("good on you boy, good on you boy, good om you.") "WWDD" is Stonesy if not Ac/DC-y intro with rueful musical question, "What Would Dolly Do?"--followed by vibe-y, Dolly-worthy "Rolling Stone." Rec to fellow fanz of Maren and Miranda.
How the hell did I miss her previous? Also good?

The opener,"Neon Diamonds," so far seems clunky, but I always appreciate getting the duds out of the way right away(and it may grow on me).

Now I'm getting the memo on her duet w Cole Swindell, "Never Say Never": uneasy sex drama ballad w guitar shadow imperative, "I told my mama when it comes to you, 'Never agaiiin"--"Should say that none of this is inflationary;the album is 12 songs in 38 minutes and change.

Her music always conveys a sense of people singing while getting undressed and dressed, or at least getting ready to thinking about it (in "Sunday Best," by the sound of it), never dropping whatever tempo, can't afford that.

Speaking of wakes, I was wondering if I should audition Willie Nelson Family right after Lainie, and thinking I might just be relieved if it wasn't too marginal, but enjoyed it pretty much, in a calm December way. Religion-associated themes overall, but 7 out of 12 are very Willie originals, and the rest fit. Also wondering of offspring vocals might be too duffuse, but no they mostly lend good enough, unobtrusive support (ditto bass, drums, occasional harmonica) to Dad's vox & guitar, Bobbie's keys. Lukas sounds okay lead-singing "All Things Must Pass" (couldn't tell you how compares to orig. track, sorry George), also Keep On The Sunny Side," and, although not seeing his credit,think also "I Thought About You, Lord," which seems like Willie might be reworking the presumably secular shuffle of almost the same name (good Willie picking here and all over). Dad sounds just as hale on penultimate "Too Sick To Pray" as he does on the rest. although it's about no longer being like it says in the title, so now checking in (while he can, is the inevitable read-in at this late date, of course) Upfront, no tarrying (12 tracks, 31:55)
But I can't listen to the closer, "Why Me; Lord"; it really is too much of a tearjerker for me. and I was scarred at a tender age by KK's original vocal. Sorry, son Micah.

Always discover at least a few new gems on this list. Not a fan of his writing or his brand but his selections are often undeniable.

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/saving-country-musics-2021-album-of-the-year-nominees/

Thanks! Not seeing Capps' I Love San Antone anywhere, incl. his site---???

It's on Spotify for me?

D'oh! I was looking for Grayson Capps---in my defense, they look alike and so do their albums. Anyway, I went on to Billy Strings, put a brake on that halfway through, went to Melissa Carper's Daddy's Country Gold--title in part re her sonic sense of humor about her retrophilia,I take it---music folds and flexes bits of western swing, freight train boogie, bluesy inflections, in what is, yes, still trad country gold: tight, but didn't know there were drums 'til saw credits--steel and pedal steel are most prominent, answered by fiddle---no banjo, no uke, no horns (though accordion and guitar can fill in for those, passing through), occasional piano and/or organ, moving right along, following the boss's cute, slightly worn little voice---some Texas dust in the pipes, Appalachian hardness at ends of lines, sometimes: it's a tad more simple-subtle than Sierra Ferrell, but one for her fans (and she contributes harmonies).
"Back Then" reads kinda bleak, but the person who recalls workin' and wishin' and hopin for one who accepted her marriage proposals "now and then" ain't sorry.
The exploiter and appreciator of "My Old Fashioned Gal" has no regerts either: "I do as I please" while MOFG writes a letter, and on paper, puts it in an envelope, puts a stamp on that. takes it to the mail---also makes violet jam, lots of other things: the song has so much calm fun with the prismatic detail of the classic early 20 Century styles--slightly undersold, just slipping in there, as always.

Yeah, I can see how the Capps gets played in the SCM office a lot: it moves right along in an agreeable way, not distracting, because singing and some of the songs are agreeably limited, though always detailed, thoughtful---modelling your approach this close to Doug Sahm, a miss is as good as a mile, because normie Doug still sounds more intense than this, and is gonna go somewhere else pretty soon---a good faith offering, though---I'll listen some more, but right off seems more Hon. Mention than Top Whutever. (Does make me want to visit San Antone, which Doug never did.)

The opener,"Neon Diamonds," so far seems clunky, but I always appreciate getting the duds out of the way right away(and it may grow on me).

― dow, Tuesday, December 7, 2021

It's the weakest song, yeah

Went back to The Marfa Tapes this weekend. Put it on while sitting outside with the sun going down and had a whole experience there for a bit. Special album. Will be listening to it for a long time.

― Indexed, Monday, November 29, 2021 9:26 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

been kinda dabbling more in country over the last handful of years and just dropping in to say i love the marfa tapes release. love how raw and unpolished the whole thing is.

yeah that's a really good album that i've revisited a lot throughout the year

here is a really good article about a song that i doubt anyone here likes and which will certainly not be getting written up in any of the year-end lists we're reading lately (i checked to see if anyone had posted it on rolling worst music 2021) but which nonetheless managed to be kind of an interesting phenomenon this year (walker hayes "fancy like" -- co-produced by shane mcanally if that matters to anyone)

i find the song a bit painful to listen to -- it really does sound like it was spawned from the ad, rather than the other way around. nevertheless hayes seems pretty self-aware and has a few surprisingly insightful quotes in there. it must indeed be odd to have toiled as a mid/low-tier artist for years and years waiting for that first 'real hit' to come, only to finally come across one whose success was so obvious and sudden that the so-called 'mainstream' (radio) gatekeepers weren't sure whether to trust its demonstrated appeal

I think we have a lot of people rooting for us because the norm is, you release a song that maybe isn’t your favorite song, but you think it plays the game well, so you put it out there. And you’re not surprised that the reaction is lackluster, but you agree that it’s safe and that it’s not polarizing. And then it hits radio and again, it’s vanilla — but no one changes the station, they just leave it on. Do they stream the song? Not really. And then you sit and you wait for 50 weeks and you get a No. 1 and everybody cheers, but you know what it took to get there. You know it was a political process and product. It wasn’t the public driving the train, responding to something great. You hit a bullseye, and the bullseye was the perfect level of mediocrity.

again i shudder at the implication of this song being 'great' (though it is certainly great in the way that industry hacks use the term) but his incredibly sad and unfortunate description of how music must very slowly gain favor w/ the upper echelon of broadcast gatekeepers nowadays, and be tailored for that process, is accurate -- and not just for country radio. the broadcast format landscape for current music in general is now so atomized/siloed/whatever that even outlets chasing the attention of a putatively 'mainstream' audience tends to be suspicious of a song's success if it seems to emerged from the wrong type of mainstream and/or comes too quickly. tbh the suspicion, i suspect, when a song cracks open on streaming or social media first is that the audience, while 'mainstream', is a little too young and possibly-not-white for programmers' comfort, b/c frankly the artists that have this 'problem' (to the extent that it is one -- radio is becoming more irrelevant when it comes to hitmaking every year) tend to be black artists vying for top 40's attention

As Miranda just now reminded me, with a tap on the shoulder and a brunchnog, this is tonight at 7 Central--might try to watch, if Fecebook doesn't harass me out of the building for not being a member:

Pistol Annies plans to go live.
December 13 at 6:53 PM ·
It’s gonna be a hell of a holiday...special! 📺 December 15th, Pistol Annies are performing songs off the 'Hell of a Holiday' album, sharing some memories and chatting with host Blair Garner.

Watch it right here on Facebook!

The special benefits an incredible organization that keeps the music community healthy, Music Health Alliance.Facebook dot com slash Pistol Annies

I thought this piece about the/a state of country (pegged to Isbell but about more than just him) was really good:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/jason-isbell-ryman-country-music-mickey-guyton

related:

wild how many people I’ve spoken to — music fans! — who flat-out do not know who Morgan Wallen is, let alone his controversy or the fact that he has by far the most popular album of the year — as in like 500k more than Olivia

— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) December 17, 2021

December 16, 2021—“Music For Paradise: A Benefit For Western KY Tornado Relief,” a concert event supporting the Muhlenberg County Disaster Relief Fund and Team Western KY, will take place Saturday, January 1 at The Burl in Lexington, KY with a simultaneous livestream broadcast presented by Oh Boy Records. The fundraiser will support those affected by the devastating tornado that crossed the region last week and feature performances from artists with close ties to the area, including Abby Hamilton, Brit Taylor, Brother Smith, Cole Chaney, Eric Bolander, Grayson Jenkins, John R. Miller, Justin Wells, Kelsey Waldon, Leah Blevins, Logan Halstead, Magnolia Boulevard, Nicholas Jamerson, Scott T. Smith, Senora May, Wayne Graham and Wolfpen Branch.
Tickets for both the livestream and in-person concert go on-sale today at 2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT. Details for the livestream can be found HEREhttps://boxoffice.mandolin.com/products/music-for-paradise-livestream-ticket and the concert https://theburlky.com/event/music-for-paradise-a-benefit-for-western-ky-tornado-relief/.
Of the event, Oh Boy Records’ Jody Whelan shares, “We are heartbroken at the devastation that has hit Muhlenberg County and so much of Western Kentucky. It’s a place that the whole Prine and Oh Boy Records family holds dear to their heart. But it’s been incredible to see how many people have come together, so quickly, to help in any way they can. In particular, John’s fans have continually shown us how willing they are to honor him by their acts of generosity for those in need. ‘How lucky can one man get.’ The folks at The Burl have put a lot of work into putting this show together, and we’re really grateful to be able to help out in any way.”
In continued support of the community, Oh Boy is offering several additional ways to raise money for Kentucky Tornado Relief including new merchandise—such as Muhlenberg County and “Kentucky Is Pretty Good” t-shirts and “Paradise” prints—as well as a limited number of 7-inch vinyl bundles featuring John Prine signing with Kentucky’s own Tyler Childers and Kelsey Waldon, all of which have been signed by Childers and Waldon. Additionally, a raffle to win a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl of “The Kentucky Sessions,” signed by Prine and Waldon, is now live—full details here:https://go.rallyup.com/kentucky2021/Campaign/Details

Hope they add some better-known performers, though Kelsey Waldon may be enough for my livestream ticket.

Miranda also reminds me:
Don't Forget To Love A Shelter Pet!
Miranda surprised 3 lucky animal shelters in Nashville with donations from her MuttNation Fueled by Miranda Lambert pet collection at Tractor Supply!

If you’ve got a fur baby in your life, treat them to food, treats, toys or another product from the MuttNation collection! Proceeds from the line benefit MuttNation Foundation.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/brand/MuttNation+Fueled+by+Miranda+Lambert

If you’ve volunteered, fostered, or adopted a dog this year, you could get a $1,000 grant for your local shelter from MuttNation Foundation!
https://muttnation.com/sharethelove/

I liked every song on the Hayes EP more than "Fancy Like."

I bought Wallen's album before the news broke; still think it's the freshest beer-bro album in ages. The first six or seven songs bury the genre as far as I'm concerned.

Did anyone read the original Himes piece on "Afro-Americana" in Paste? The first one, before it got edited after it blew up?

A couple of thoughts on the Himes-Nashville Scene contretemps.
I can't speak for the Scene. But I would think they simply don't have the staff to do their own poll.
The paper has been angling to coverage of country that basically advocates in favor of more diversity in country. It hasn't covered mainstream country, except negatively, for a while. Basically, the paper writes about Americana.
I think Jake Blount's reply to the Himes piece says a lot about what's going on in country-Americana and provides a clue to why the Scene cut ties with Himes. Obviously, the paper had to think practically about the situation. Even if you think the reac

Ah, sorry. My post continues.

Even if you think the reaction to Himes' piece was out of proportion to its actual tone or import, it seems like the paper had to make the call as they did. This isn't the climate in which you can make a stand that would prove so unpopular.

As to Blount. How he takes Himes to task is by citing a book from the 1960s that says Black music uses disconnected verbal material, and that the artists Himes critiques do the same thing.

It's as if Blount somehow believes theory from 60 years ago is relevant to a discussion of a commercial art form. I attended an Allison Russell show in Nashville. The audience was 99 percent white. They were there to see a hyped, rising star. They may have known about the theories of a long-ago writer on Black music. However, I doubt it.

The essential fact about both country and Americana is commerciality--pop. The Scene doesn't cover country because it's considered disposable pop music. The Scene does cover Americana because they think, like Blount, that it's the necessary antidote to country itself. The real outrage the detractors of Himes feel arises from their dislike of pop. Yet Russell functions as a pop star. As usual, the earnest, outraged proponents of Americana get to have it both ways: popularity and meaningfulness. Russell deserves her popularity, but she's also a hype--her white audience (I'm sure she has a Black audience too, but I didn't see it in Nashville, a city where young well-heeled folk are marginalizing its Black citizens day by day via help from the people who run a real-estate bonanza) wasn't at Third Man's Blue Room.

Ah, correctly, I'm saying her white audience was who was at the Blue Room. My apologies for the typo.

Hi Edd, Indexed posted this link after Paste removed the original post from their site:
https://web.archive.org/web/20211011051918/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/afro-americana/the-insidiousness-of-afro-americana/
Some responses upthread:
The Himes article was odd. He lumped a bunch of artists together as Afro-Americana (rather than just calling them Americana), took a shot at some attention he said they were getting, hailed a few and dissed many others strongly (Alison Russell) , and then added odd phrases about how some black artists need the opportunity to fail first before they can release good records (tone-deaf re what Black folks face in life)

― curmudgeon, Friday, December 3
He does a good (better than expected) vivid and carefully detailed description of the albums he likes, incl. the obvious observation about extended range of Giddens' latest---but to say that the albums he doesn't like are up for awards and how can such things be, must be inverse racism---is the most kneejerk-at-best default---it figures that Trigger/Saving Country Music jumped right in there, not that it isn't a good story, newswise. There are sites that would never say a bad word about any of these artists, but they wouldn't say a bad word about almost any other artist, not in reviews; more like, It is our sad duty to report that So and So has been charged with/arrested for this and that---at most.

― dow, Friday, December 3, 2021

Also, since you brought it up again:
What if Himes had said that, or something equally stupid and amateur, in his essay for the Scene Poll? Even if he hadn't, this Paste piece would have been a major distraction, and there would have been others like Charles Hughes, quoted upthread who wouldn't have participated, and said why, and the Scene, regardless of whether they cover non-Americana or not, would have looked almost as foolish as Paste (whose "editorial" uh-so seems to have been not looking at it before it was posted, or---not closely enough--a couple of snips would have fixed it---and he could have ended the "She sucks" part by saying she's up for awards, period: the perfect, wry punchline. But also please spare us the Bill Cosby Black People Must Be Allowed To Fail Tough Love, Himesy.

uh-oh, not uh-so.

Yeah, Himes wrote a tone-deaf piece and Paste didn't have the editing to smooth it out. The response to it was out of proportion to its actual badness as opposed to clumsiness. As usual, any hint of actual dissent from the party line of how-wonderful, and the dissent was a bit pompous, evokes s response like the one we see here.

Accusing other people of inverse racism because they like something you don't like is more than tone-deaf(it was also the last straw for JazzTimes, re Stanley Crouch)---now, accusing other people of/muttering dark insinuations about having ulterior motives for claiming to like/voting for something you don't like/may never have heard but just know it's shit--is something that happens on ilx every year about this time (at least)---but going as far as he did (don't recall ilxors actually coming right out w that), and as professional critic (rewarded at least w professional's platform space), with some responsibility to your colleagues and readers to at least seem like you might have turned the critical lens on yourself/have thought about what you're saying for more than 30 seconds---that's the big fail here.
I do wonder, though, if the published, edited piece had been like, "In sum, she sucks---and is up for awards," which would be a reasonable anti-party line dissent (though I wouldn't agree, since I agree with you that her record is good, got hooks even)---would that have gotten a big pushback, do you think---?? Maybe so, but seems like it wouldn't have killed the Poll--

Accusing other people of inverse racism because they like something you don't like is more than tone-deaf, unless you provide verifiable supporting evidence, of course, like quotes that could be checked.

Although even then, would be hard to make a convincing case w/o a significant number of quotes, and what would that be.

Oops got that opening aside wrong: Crouch accused other people of straight-up racism, not "inverse"(for praising Dave Douglas so much etc).

Russell was good at the show I saw. Her cello-violin thing was interesting and often inspired. I'd already written a brief preview of the show and had figured out she was going to be big. But the praise she's getting is as out of proportion as what Margo and Jason and the War and Treaty and Sierra Ferrell have gotten. I've written about Ferrell and said she's retro, but I guess my take on the gig I got covering Americana is that there's no point in belaboring that point, since it's all more or less retro. I'd still like to see what Himes wrote originally. It's a tough genre to write about intelligently. With Ferrell, you can say she has a style and the music has integrity, and it's the same with Russell, who might break thru aesthetically in time. I think the fault of the Blount reply is that he simply gives her a pass for her subject matter-- and I think it's an honest album. For Blount there isn't an aesthetic at work I see other than Folkie, and I think the big issue with Americana is overproduction and a whole lot of things that are just very similar. How can you make informed calls? I have trouble with this and may not be so consistently good at it. It's like trying to differentiate between Tom Rush and Ralph McTell, in the olden days, or Joni and Judee Sill? What are you *hearing* as opposed to *what do you wish the world was like*?

I think if Himes had canned, or the editors had, "Afro-Americana" itself, and as dow says tweaked the take on Russell--she is a developing artist who does has something to say, and her success speaks to the aspirations of the genre--maybe the response would have been different. But note Blount says he already doesn't like writers on music. I wrote the show review of Russell and noted the mostly white audience and talked about the class and race issues surrounding the genre. That got cut and I figured it might. Fair enough, but those are really the issues re country and Americana right now.

I'd still like to see what Himes wrote originally.
Sorry! I meant to paste the Web Archive capture of Himes' original, not Blount's response---here's Himes--
"Afro-Americana: The Good, the Bad and the Transcendent
A Curmudgeon Column"
By Geoffrey Himes | September 21, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211004191432/https://web.archive.org/web/20210922050157/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/americanafest/nashville-americanafest-rhiannon-giddens-charley-c/

Now, if Himes had said it like you do,
she is a developing artist who does has something to say, and her success speaks to the aspirations of the genre-, that would have been fair, and if he then said something like, "But it doesn't speak to me; let me count the ways," and ended with "Yet she's up for awards," and maybe listed those too, would have been a cooler exit, if still, like he says in front, somewhat curmudgeonly, and could still have been objectionable to some, but not as objectionable to more, the way he did do it.
I wrote the show review of Russell and noted the mostly white audience and talked about the class and race issues surrounding the genre. That got cut and I figured it might. Fair enough, but those are really the issues re country and Americana right now.
I'd like to read the uncut version! If you'd like to post it here, or, if you'd rather, could send it to me personally.

Actually, as I said before, he did start off fairly carefully, but---just kept going.
Anyway, um, https://www.nodepression.com/no-depression-reviewers-and-writers-favorite-roots-music-albums-of-2021

I bought Wallen's album before the news broke; still think it's the freshest beer-bro album in ages. The first six or seven songs bury the genre as far as I'm concerned.

― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, December 18, 2021 2:04 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

Morgan Wade > Morgan Wallen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABxFciR980o

Dow, I'll see if I can pull up my original Russell review. I think it was flawed because I tried to put too much into the thing. I'm having trouble retrieving it in the e-mail thread.

I wrote this on Loney Fred Hutchins' demos, recorded at House of Cash in the '70s. Despite the subtitle, Buried Loot isn't outlaw country so much. It is straight country in a mode that was already maybe a little dated in 1974, but Hutchins had a feel for the pathos of big-city life as experienced by all the country women and men who left home for the bright lights. Hutchins worked for Cash in the '70s, and he's still out there doing the occasional show, and writing songs.

Here's one from this summer, on alt? trad? country? singer-songwriter with country leanings? Jon Byrd, who's been around in Nashville for 20 years. His EP replicates his live show, and Byrd plays guitar in a sort of post-Willie, somewhat eccentric mode that works when it works.

And here's a piece on Shannon McNally's Waylon Jennings album.