My Country Influences
I love a variety of musical genres. When it comes to country, my favorites come from two eras. What I refer to as 70s pop-outlaw (Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank Jr, etc) and what is often referred to as "New Traditional" or the New Traditionalists (artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Brooks and Dunn). For me that's probably nostalgia since I grew up listening to those artists in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Current Controversy
There is a lot of backlash against many of the current "New Country" acts on the radio which include more pop, hard rock and hip hop influences than traditional country. Some are ok with most stuff on the radio until we start rapping. Many country music fans are purists and think we should be playing things the way Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Faron Young did.
I can see all of these points, but like Blake Shelton pointed out, the labels have to chase what sells, and most album sales come from people under 25. If I had my way, we would meld new influences with the traditional sounds. For me, Miranda Lambert and Zac Brown Band stand out right now as two artists who are doing an exceptional job at that. That's not to slam any other artists, but a lot of what plays on country radio sounds, to me, like 1980s pop rock. For example, although I like Eric Church's Springsteen, I could hear that on a The Police reunion album (that's a compliment).
I'm not personally a fan of most of the guitar driven 'New Country' for one reason. I've grown to love a certain superstar's hits because they are spun and spun, even though they are essentially the same band song for the first 4 bars. Say what you will about pop-country, at least the songs generally sound different. I can usually name that Taylor Swift song in a bar or so, which I can't say for a lot of "New Country" artists.
This grungy guitar stuff, though, it sounds very similar. That's ironic, because if anything, I like more guitar and distortion, having grown up on classic rock. It reminds me of rock music in the late 1980s when all of the hair bands sounded the same. You still had exceptions but for the most part, there were a lot of sonic similarities between say Warrant and Winger beyond the band names. Then alternative rock completely changed the soundscape, starting with Nirvana, then dozens of others like Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains followed.
Is Country Music About To Change?
My personal opinion is that country music is on the precipice of a change like that seen in rock in the early 1990s. The best thing that country artists have going for us is that our music always has been and generally still is, about the song itself. There are obvious exceptions like the current fad of 'laundry list' songs that all talk about trucks and name drop rap artists. For the most part, though, country lyrics that tell a story worth hearing are still being heard everyday, even if the music sounds like it could be from the 80s.
I think there are a few artists and bands leading that charge in addition to the ones I mentioned. Certainly Vince Gill has helped Ashley Monroe realize a wonderful fusion of new and old, and the popularity of many 'organic' sounding bands seems to signal a change in tastes. For me that's a good thing.
My Sound
For my country Christmas album, "Born This Day", I worked hard to give a preview of what my artist sound will be. I prefer to have traditional country elements, although I can't deny modern influences. Two contrasting songs that exhibit how I balance the new and old are my cover of "Blue Christmas" and an original song "Stealing Mistletoe Kisses".
I purposefully produced Blue Christmas to be more towards the classic Ernest Tubb recording with an unapologetically traditional steel intro followed by Floyd Cramer style piano and hints of Bob Wills in the fiddle. In contrast, there is a more rock influenced "Stealing Mistletoe Kisses" but it sounds more like Brooks and Dunn honky-tonk than the New Country grunge.
These choices are intentional and not a fluke just because it's a Christmas album. In fact, there are as many originals on this CD as covers. When it comes to the music and style, all of the originals sound more like straight ahead country songs than Christmas songs--with the exception of the title track, Born This Day.
Show Me!
In short, this style is what you should expect more of from me, so I hope that you enjoy it. If you like traditional country, then support traditional artists. I certainly hope that all of the traditionalists out there will support this album and others like it. It's like voting--you can't complain about the person who got elected if you don't vote--so get out there and support me and similar artists!
PS. And by support, you don't have to buy anything, just go like me on facebook.com/jamesrobertwebb or follow me on Twitter @jamesrobertwebb. Hope to see you soon!
