Red-state music - Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music - NEW BOOK FUELS THE BIG AND RICH DEBATE

      kansascity | 25 Aug 2005 | TIMOTHY FINN

Red-state music

Blue language gets messages across in traditional country

By TIMOTHY FINN

The Kansas City Star


In the second verse of �?¢â�??¬�?�??Hicktown,�?¢â�??¬�? the first song on his debut album, Jason Aldean goes where no country singer would have dared seven or eight years ago: to a man�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s buttocks.

Well you can see the neighbor�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s butt crack/Nailing on his shingles/And his woman�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s smokin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ Pall Malls/Watchin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ Laura Ingalls/And Granny�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s gettin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ lit/She�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s headed out to bingo/And my buddies and me are goin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ muddin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢/Down on Blue Hole Road �?¢â�??¬�?¦

Aldean is a native Southerner with earrings, tattoos and a white cowboy hat. He is also one of the many new faces of New Country music, which is also the sound of the South. Not the Old South of Jim Crow or Lester Maddox, but the blue-collar, small-town South of booze and bar fights, love and infidelity, country twang and Southern rock, trailer parks and broken homes, of God and ungodliness, sin and redemption.

It�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s a place where single entendres like �?¢â�??¬�?�??save a horse, ride a cowboy�?¢â�??¬�? pass as clever innuendo, where gals pull airtight jeans over their shapely hips, drink the hard stuff on the rocks, and fight with their fists to hang on to their men; a place where the vehicle you drive better be large and good for hauling something �?¢â�??¬â�?� whether it�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s water, hay bales or your kids�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ soccer equipment �?¢â�??¬â�?� and made in the U.S.A. or you�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ll be scorned as an outsider.

At a time when the man in the White House is an hombre with a Texas ranch and a cowboy swagger, country music is showing its red-state roots and glorifying its redneck heritage, and the effects are being felt and heard (and appreciated, even) in the bluest of states.

Redneck tradition

For the second week in a row, Faith Hill�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s �?¢â�??¬�?�??Fireflies�?¢â�??¬�? is the best-selling record in country music. Hill has been atop the country charts before; since the late 1990s she has been one of its best-selling artists. When Hill looks down the charts these days, however, what she sees ought to make her queasy.

Nine of the top 18 albums are by artists or performers who either explicitly or implicitly are selling something she isn�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t �?¢â�??¬â�?� the redneck tradition: Aldean, Toby Keith (who�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s in there twice), Big & Rich, Montgomery Gentry, newcomer Keith Anderson and the comedian Larry the Cable Guy.

You can also throw in Van Zant, featuring kin and progeny of Lynyrd Skynyrd�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s first lead singer, Ronnie Van Zant. Its debut album, �?¢â�??¬�?�??Get Right With the Man,�?¢â�??¬�? is at No. 12. Also worth noting: The �?¢â�??¬�?�??Dukes of Hazzard�?¢â�??¬�? soundtrack is at No. 26 on the Top 200 chart and rising.

But if Hill is going to keep an eye on anyone, it ought to be the hurricane that won�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t dissipate: Gretchen Wilson, whose album �?¢â�??¬�?�??Here for the Party,�?¢â�??¬�? released in May 2004, is at No. 7 and holding steady, having cracked the 4 million mark in sales.

The biggest hit off �?¢â�??¬�?�??Party�?¢â�??¬�? has been the single �?¢â�??¬�?�??Redneck Woman,�?¢â�??¬�? Wilson�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s declaration of faith in all that she was brought up to be: a no-frills, Wal-Mart-shopping, beer-drinking, tailgating gal who loves Skynyrd and Kid Rock and who can sing any Charlie Daniels song you ask her to.

Wilson was introduced to the world of country via the Muzik Mafia, a group of performers led by Big & Rich. That duo�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s album, �?¢â�??¬�?�??Horse of a Different Color,�?¢â�??¬�? is a dazzling and dizzying mix of country, classic rock, Southern rock, spaghetti Western and rap, and it gets into some of the same themes Wilson does on her album: bar fights, religion, drinking and sex. That�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s no accident: John Rich co-wrote many of the songs on �?¢â�??¬�?�??Party.�?¢â�??¬�?

The big single off �?¢â�??¬�?�??Horse�?¢â�??¬�? was the bawdy �?¢â�??¬�?�??Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),�?¢â�??¬�? which is populated with pretty ladies guzzling longnecks and lines like �?¢â�??¬�?�??So I took her out giggin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ frogs/Introduced her to my old bird dog�?¢â�??¬�? �?¢â�??¬â�?� not the kind of line you�?¢â�??¬â�??¢d have heard in country radio a few years ago.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??Party�?¢â�??¬�? and �?¢â�??¬�?�??Horse�?¢â�??¬�? came out in 2004, which was also a presidential election year filled with talk of red states and blue states and Dixiecrats, analyses of the monolithic South and images like the red-faced, flag-waving rant of an angry Southern Democrat like Zell Miller. After the election George Bush declared a mandate, and the winners gloated.

So is it far-fetched to say that the election, or at least the climate it fostered, made it easier for songs like �?¢â�??¬�?�??Save a Horse�?¢â�??¬�? and �?¢â�??¬�?�??Redneck Woman�?¢â�??¬�? to get played on the radio and accepted into the mainstream? If Al Gore had won the 2000 election, would Big & Rich be big and rich?

�?¢â�??¬�?�??It�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s hard to say because so many issues are at play,�?¢â�??¬�? said Chris Willman, a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly and author of Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music, which will be published this fall by New Press.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??Al Gore was a Southerner, but he seemed out of touch with country music and its audience, even though his campaign was based in Nashville. When he kicked off his campaign there, he hired (folk singer) Jewel instead of a country artist. His campaign manager said he did that because he needed to be contemporary, but I think it showed how out of touch Gore and people like that were with not just the South but with Middle America, too.�?¢â�??¬�?

�?¢â�??¬�?�??Early on after Sept. 11, a lot of artists put out songs that capitalized on everyone�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s sentiments and feelings,�?¢â�??¬�? said Mike Kennedy, an on-air personality and programmer at the modern-country station KBEQ-FM (104.3). �?¢â�??¬�?�??I don�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t think that�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s the case now. I don�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t think music artists are capitalizing on politics or the election. But, yeah, you might say this kind of (redneck) music is more acceptable in the mainstream now because of the political climate, but it�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s tough to say for sure.�?¢â�??¬�?

It�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s tough, too, to reconcile songs about cheating and hard-drinking coming into fashion when religion and morality played such a large role in the 2004 election.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??There is an interesting tension there,�?¢â�??¬�? Willman said. �?¢â�??¬�?�??Country music is red-state music, and voters in red states said morality was their No. 1 concern. Is that a contradiction? Some people think that�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s ridiculous, that country music has traditionally been associated with sin, so why change it?�?¢â�??¬�?

Wilson isn�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t changing it, but she is playing to both bases. In concert Sunday at Kemper Arena, she sang a new song, �?¢â�??¬�?�??Politically Uncorrect,�?¢â�??¬�? in which she praised the Bible and espoused issues like school prayer.

All Hill breaks loose

The role of politics may be ambiguous, but one thing is certain: The music coming out of Nashville and country radio has shifted hard and far the last two years or so �?¢â�??¬â�?� from soft and safe material that was as pop as it was country to music that reeks of alcohol and Southern rock.

To understand how far and hard things have shifted, you need only to look at what has happened to Hill since she released the album �?¢â�??¬�?�??Cry�?¢â�??¬�? in October 2003. By then country radio was already becoming more �?¢â�??¬�?�??traditional,�?¢â�??¬�? thanks to several artists and factors, including �?¢â�??¬â�?� oh, the irony �?¢â�??¬â�?� the Dixie Chicks, who put the comical murder ballad �?¢â�??¬�?�??Goodbye Earl�?¢â�??¬�? on their �?¢â�??¬�?�??Fly�?¢â�??¬�? album and songs like �?¢â�??¬�?�??White Trash Wedding�?¢â�??¬�? on their acoustic/bluegrass album �?¢â�??¬�?�??Home.�?¢â�??¬�?

�?¢â�??¬�?�??There was a period when there were few modern standard bearers,�?¢â�??¬�? Willman said. �?¢â�??¬�?�??There were Randy Travis, Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakam. And the feeling was if all three died in the same plane crash, traditional country might die out all together. Now lots of people are doing traditional country, and they�?¢â�??¬â�??¢re bringing back its Southern traits. Listen to the lead singer of Sugarland. Her Southern accent is so hard it almost sounds exaggerated.�?¢â�??¬�?

So when Hill�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s smooth and un-country �?¢â�??¬�?�??Cry�?¢â�??¬�? album came out two years ago, radio programmers scoffed.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??We played two cuts but nothing happened,�?¢â�??¬�? Kennedy said. �?¢â�??¬�?�??That album was so far from what she was. (Adult/contemporary) radio picked it up faster than we could.�?¢â�??¬�?

Willman said: �?¢â�??¬�?�??That album was just rejected outright by country radio. It was like an open revolt against one of country�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s biggest superstars. By and large, country radio said, �?¢â�??¬�?�?There�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s nothing here for us.�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ If she�?¢â�??¬â�??¢d made another album like that, it might have been the end of her stardom.�?¢â�??¬�?

Instead this year Hill made a record filled with traditional country instrumentation. And for some surefire help, she turned to John Rich to write a couple of songs, including �?¢â�??¬�?�??Mississippi Girl,�?¢â�??¬�? the first single. Willman likens that song to a certain hit by Jennifer Lopez.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??It�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s transparently her �?¢â�??¬�?�?Jenny From the Block,�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ �?¢â�??¬�? he said. �?¢â�??¬�?�??It was her way of saying, �?¢â�??¬�?�?Don�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t worry, I�?¢â�??¬â�??¢m still down with you. I�?¢â�??¬â�??¢m one of you.�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ Clearly the pendulum had swung away from her. The new album is her attempt to jump back on that pendulum.�?¢â�??¬�?

That pendulum is about to get another big push in the same direction: Wilson�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s next album will be released next month. She has already released the wild-eyed video to the title track, �?¢â�??¬�?�??All Jacked Up,�?¢â�??¬�? which features cameos by Charlie Daniels and Kid Rock. It was made to offend.

Have another drink

If redneck is the trend in country, alcohol is the trend in redneck music.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??What I worry about now,�?¢â�??¬�? Kennedy said, �?¢â�??¬�?�??is that so much coming down the pike is another drinking song.�?¢â�??¬�?

Wilson�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s �?¢â�??¬�?�??All Jacked Up�?¢â�??¬�? is one of those. It�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s about a woman who hits the bar at happy hour. Several hours, a few dozen shots and a fistfight later, she�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s out in the parking lot, smashing in a window to her truck (she locked the keys in it) and trying to make it home.

In the video version of the song (see www.CMT.com ), Wilson gives the wheel to a friend, who backs the truck into a light pole and then plows through the front of the bar as Wilson sings: �?¢â�??¬�?�??Don�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t drive your truck when you�?¢â�??¬â�??¢re all jacked-up.�?¢â�??¬�?

Brad Paisley�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s latest single is �?¢â�??¬�?�??Alcohol,�?¢â�??¬�? a lighthearted song written from alcohol�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s point of view. Joe Nichols has �?¢â�??¬�?�??Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off�?¢â�??¬�?; Neal McCoy has �?¢â�??¬�?�??Billy�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s Got His Beer Goggles On�?¢â�??¬�?; and Trick Pony leads off its new album with �?¢â�??¬�?�??Ain�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t Wastin�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ Good Whiskey on You.�?¢â�??¬�? Drinking is back hard in country music, drinking and driving, even. Are listeners complaining?

�?¢â�??¬�?�??No. There has been little or no negative reaction,�?¢â�??¬�? Kennedy said. �?¢â�??¬�?�??People connect with those songs not because they go out and get hammered every night, but because they meet friends at a bar or go to a show and have a beer or two.�?¢â�??¬�?

That identification with the singer and song isn�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t always so direct. Take another trend that�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s building in country music: small-town tales like Aldean�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s �?¢â�??¬�?�??Hicktown�?¢â�??¬�? (co-written by Big & Rich) or Little Big Town�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s �?¢â�??¬�?�??Boondocks,�?¢â�??¬�? a song about gravel roads, crawfish holes, tin-roofed porches and poker games. Songs like that perpetuate notions or stereotypes that resonate in the South and elsewhere, which, Willman said, generates sales outside country music and among rock and pop fans.

�?¢â�??¬�?�??When the Gretchen Wilson album hit,�?¢â�??¬�? Willman said, �?¢â�??¬�?�??a lot of people in New York and Los Angeles bought the album who hadn�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t bought a country album in years. It�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s not because she sounded like everyone else; it�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s because she had a voice and presented a character that was distinctive and that represented their idea of the Southern culture. To some urbanites it was like buying a world music album.�?¢â�??¬�?

Or like white suburban kids buying gangsta rap or a college-kid indulging in Charlie Patton: The music represents a romantic, one-dimensional, archetypal, sometimes comical, notion of another lifestyle, another culture, even one that no longer exists.

In a recent essay about the �?¢â�??¬�?�??Dukes of Hazzard�?¢â�??¬�? movie and the TV show, Los Angeles Times Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dan Neil wrote: �?¢â�??¬�?�?? �?¢â�??¬�?�?Dukes�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ belongs to a resonant tradition of white Southern parody, a self-deprecating tradition that reaches from Mark Twain to John Kennedy O�?¢â�??¬â�??¢Toole.�?¢â�??¬�? He then wrote: �?¢â�??¬�?�??The South is not actually a place but an imagined construct, a collection of themes and stereotypes that don�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t have much to do with people�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s experience but satisfy as a narrative.�?¢â�??¬�?

In this case the parodies and stereotypes and self-deprecation often includes people in inferior positions, morally, economically or physically: a guy with pants drooping, a grandmother drunk at her bingo game, a �?¢â�??¬�?�??jacked-up�?¢â�??¬�? gal breaking into her own pickup truck or the guy in Aldean�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s �?¢â�??¬�?�??I�?¢â�??¬â�??¢m Just a Man,�?¢â�??¬�? who swings a hammer all day, sometimes into double overtime but still can�?¢â�??¬â�??¢t buy his gal her dream vacation. Those may not be the kinds of people that hang out in Faith Hill�?¢â�??¬â�??¢s notion of the South, but she ought to get to know them. Chances are they�?¢â�??¬â�??¢ll be hanging around country music for a while.


http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/12464087.htm

Posted 02/09/2010 07:02:44 am CST by TLBSHOW

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