The Musical Divide

Perhaps a stupid idea for a feature, but I met up with some family last night at Cracker Barrel and decided it’d be fun to share my thoughts on the music I heard while I was there. It’s kind of like live blogging country radio, only after the fact and with a *slightly* (only slightly, though) more diverse selection of songs.

A few classics and stinkers await, and I’ll admit there’s one bluegrass song they played that I didn’t recognize. I believe the hook went something like, “I never met a girl like you,” or something like that. Given that they tend to lean more conservative with their bluegrass pickins’ and probably won’t be playing Billy Strings anytime soon, I’m going to assume it was a Dailey & Vincent song and move on with things. And yeah, might as well label this as volume one, just in case I ever feel like doing this again. I wouldn’t call these reviews; they’re just my scattered thoughts on a lot of older songs, listed in order of when I heard them. Onward!

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Alan Jackson, “You Go Your Way”

A fantastic start from my favorite country artist, and the reason I decided to keep a note on what was playing for the evening. This is a tried-and-true neotraditional cut that has that timeless Alan Jackson charm to it, like it could have been released during any one of his album eras. It’s just a shame it happened as his chart success started to dwindle. As far as heartache songs go, it’s not his most cutting (maybe aside from that hook) – but it is one of his most lighthearted and charming cuts. It’s musical comfort food of the best variety that still has a clever twist in the hook to keep things engaging. Classy as ever.

Maddie & Tae, “Your Side of Town”

In all seriousness, if there are two things I’m hoping for from this duo, it’s to get back on a normal release schedule and stop releasing everything *but* new studio albums, and to veer away from the sleepy pop-country of their most recent releases. Their debut album was a needed breath of fresh air in 2015, and a playful, 2000s-esque neotraditional rocker like this gave them an edge they owned – even outside of just “Girl in a Country Song.” A pretty straightforward kiss-off all in all, but it’s very fun and solid; shame it was never a single.

Carrie Underwood, “Spinning Bottles”

An odd choice for a Carrie Underwood song to play at an establishment like this, but certainly not one I’m going to complain about. The muted, understated production really allows her voice to shine in ways it hasn’t gotten to much in several years, which also benefits the heartbreaking look at the breakdown of an alcoholic relationship here. I did not see anyone crying into their chicken and dumplings, at least.

Dan + Shay, “Speechless”

Look, this duo’s most recent album has its moments and feels like a good step forward for them, but I find pretty much all of their previous output to be fairly indistinguishable. This has a good hook, but the production unfortunately neuters it. It’s still far from their worst, but I’m speechless as far as notable things to say about this.

Tim McGraw, “Humble and Kind”

Alright, I like this, and it’s got a good message courtesy of songwriter Lori McKenna, but it’s the third slightly more muted song in a row and is killing the usual whole cornpone, Hee Haw vibe. Anyway, this may be cheesy, but McGraw’s earnestness and charisma both go a long way toward helping it hit effectively. And kudos to him for scoring a huge career hit three decades into this ride. I’m not sure I needed to revisit this song after so many years, but I don’t mind it, and it was a bright spot at radio during its release.

Jo Dee Messina, “Bye Bye”

The sort of killer melody you recognize right away, even if it’s been a while since you last revisited it. I feel like all of Messina’s few big hits are like that, actually; she’s an underrated artist in country music history. As far as kiss-offs go, this is a bit more detailed and memorable than the Maddie & Tae selection from earlier, but I like where this is going overall now. Let’s keep it up.

Florida Georgia Line, “Smooth”

… Welp, cancel that. I think this is around the time where the wheels started falling off for the duo and even the diehard fans got tired of the formula. Anyway, this song’s groove is anything but smooth and its tones may be even worse, filled with croaking frogs, a choppy banjo accompaniment, fake snaps and claps, and Tyler Hubbard telling us how his girl goes down good. I’m not nostalgic for these guys by any means, but I especially don’t miss hearing them compare sex to a brick road in Kansas or a cat daddy driving a cadi to Cali, whatever the hell any of that means anyway.

Eddie Rabbitt, “I Love a Rainy Night”

This, on the other hand, is a bright, bouncy classic that’s sold with so much earnest charm, that it holds up well as a classic pop-country tune from another underrated figure in country music history. It would have been welcome at any point on this playlist, but it’s especially needed as a palette cleanser for what came before it. I was bugging the people next to us tapping my toe and singing along to it.

Trisha Yearwood, “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl)”

And we’re going to keep the fun going, it looks like! I’ve written about this countless times and why it’s a favorite Yearwood cut of mine, so I’ll just call this delectable ear candy with something to actually say. Looks like Cracker Barrel is into this whole ‘90s country resurgence, too. Good.

Jason Aldean and Alabama, “Tennessee River”

They really took one of my favorite Alabama cuts and played the friggin’ Jason Aldean cover of it. I didn’t even know this existed until then, and I was happy with that. The only reason I knew it was different was because I recognized Aldean as one of the croaking frogs from “Smooth.” Granted, given that the original Alabama members do eventually show up and steal the song back, this isn’t all that bad – just completely inferior to the original in every way. The ending fiddle breakdown is even more welcome here, too.

Keith Urban, “Kiss a Girl”

I’ve said it before, but Keith Urban’s 2000s run is pretty much golden for me. Sure, he operated on a familiar formula of breezy, hook-driven pop-country, but as far as radio fluff goes, this is still great enough. Urban’s oversold charisma is a charming little asset to nearly everything from this era, and I’d slot this as another case of that. Essential stuff? Not really, but a ton of fun and always capable of making me grin from beginning to end.

Toby Keith, “Tryin’ to Fall in Love”

Another obscure cut, and admittedly one I had to look up, given that this is an album cut from Toby Keith’s Clancy’s Tavern album, released in 2011. Really fun stuff, though – a cute little neotraditional cut with enough stomp and fiddle to work as a lighthearted lament for a hapless fool looking for love. Say what you will, but Keith is definitely a talented songwriter, and his detailed accounts of where things went wrong is a blast to listen through here.

Tim McGraw, “Where the Green Grass Grows”

Another McGraw cut, and the one I honestly prefer, if just for that opening fiddle work alone. As far as further positives go, what I said before applies here, too. Even if McGraw’s dreams of a better life are just that – dreams – he’s still so earnest and sincere in his intentions to make it big, that you either believe him or root for him every step of the way. Cheesy once again, but that’s not a bad thing here.

Darius Rucker, “This”

Given that I just reviewed an album of his not too long ago, I feel like I can say the same thing for Darius Rucker that I said about Tim McGraw: His charm and charisma has saved many should-be weaker cuts. This is a breezy little cut with some nice mandolin and fiddle work to keep things rollicking, even if they feel a bit tacked-on and of-the-era, and even if the “what if” questions posed here never poke all that deep. Not the most memorable selection here, but it’s fine enough.

Rhonda Vincent, “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin”

See, this is a cover selection I actually enjoy – a bit on-the-nose for what you’d expect in this establishment, but this fiddle-filled bluegrass take on an old Ernest Tubb song is very welcome. And I’ll certainly take any Rhonda Vincent song as opposed to none.

Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”

You see, I definitely miss Easton Corbin’s early sound and especially his first album, but I don’t really miss this song. It just always came across a bit smug and corny as opposed to endearing like it was probably meant to be. Another very on-the-nose selection for what you’d typically expect, and for the background noise it was meant to be here, it’s not bad – I just wouldn’t call it anything more than that these days.

Gary Allan, “Get Off On the Pain”

This is about as edgy as it gets, and as our final selection … eh, it’s definitely not as edgy or interesting as Gary Allan gets, but it’s probably a fitting way to describe his entire discography. Not as vulnerable or cutting as his best, but for a record with a bit more drive to it, this is still solid, familiar territory for him. Very fitting that I started and ended with some of my favorite artists, too.

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Just for fun, my rankings of the above songs, listed in order from favorite to least favorite:

1.) Eddie Rabbitt, “I Love a Rainy Night”

2.) Trisha Yearwood, “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl)”

3.) Alan Jackson, “You Go Your Way”

4.) Jo Dee Messina, “Bye, Bye”

5.) Toby Keith, “Trying to Fall in Love”

6.) Tim McGraw, “Where the Green Grass Grows”

7.) Carrie Underwood, “Spinning Bottles”

8.) Maddie & Tae, “Your Side of Town”

9.) Gary Allan, “Get Off On the Pain”

10.) Rhonda Vincent, “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin”

11.) Keith Urban, “Kiss a Girl”

12.) Tim McGraw, “Humble and Kind”

13.) Darius Rucker, “This”

14.) Dan + Shay, “Speechless”

15.) Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”

16.) Jason Aldean & Alabama, “Tennessee River”

17.) Florida Georgia Line, “Smooth”

Overall, as far as providing listeners with music that’s easy to digest and pleasant on the ears, this is a solid group of songs, with enough classics and guilty pleasures thrown into the mix to make it even better for me. The last four or selections are the only real duds for me – especially those final two. Sound off below, if you’d like.