Commixtary: PM Reviews Countrypolidan

Ahh, to have been the drummer in a Countrypolitan band. Almost nothing asked of you other than the requisite bolo tie and crisp white shirt, and the relentless heart of a metronome. Life was good.

So where to begin in this, our second collection of country inspired tunes? First, some personal history. I hated country music almost universally as a child. I made no distinctions amongst the various sub-genres (how could I?) but sensed in them a pessimism that my young heart rejected. I had no capacity for understanding love lost, and was (and remain) an unabashed optimist. That said, I certainly have found a capacity for understanding heartbreak, as almost anyone our age would, though perhaps to a greater degree than some. And I like a good sad song.

My father loved this music, but my strong opinion allowed me only to mock it. And piled on top of the other aspects of my rejection of country music was (and is) my natural inclination to deride anyone with a southern accent as inferior or uneducated. That sense is hardly universal, but there are more than a few examples of why I have that prejudice - some so obvious that I won't bother to mention them.

This collection has brought my thoughts on the southern accent into sharp focus as I've listened and has led me to a few conclusions and one (slightly rhetorical) question. First the question - why is it that people who sing in English with almost any other accent have that accent diluted or eliminated altogether while a whole crop of country artists seem to have their accents accentuated while singing? My answer - the accent is a bullshit marketing ploy.

We all know bands from England and Sweden who when interviewed are almost unintelligible, but when they sing would make your 3rd grade teacher proud. I've heard bands who don't speak English at all sing perfectly in English with no accent at all. Do Canadians sound like Canadians when they sing? I am skeptical of the southern accent in country music.

Luckily, most of these artists do NOT have what I would call a southern accent. There are traces of their likely origins, but generally they do not sing like most people in country music today sing, with a complete emphasis on their accent. The most extreme example of the southern accent on this collection would be Mike Ireland (and he has a degree in English for crissakes). I think he's a faker. Sadly his faking has not helped him to find success in the world of country music superstars like Kenny Chesney or Garth Brooks. (big ol' soup spoon pot stirring there)

So what generally have I gotten from this? An appreciation for the sub-genre to be sure. It appeals to me in a way that contemporary country does not, though not generally enough for me to pursue it in much greater depth. But onto the songs....

1 - You're Stronger Than Me - Patsy Cline
You can hear a bit of 'country' in a few of her phrases but generally you hear whatever style she had, including the gentle tremor that flows through most of her sustained notes. It gives her an air of vulnerability which certainly fits with the lyrics of the song, but also flows through the other works of hers that I know.

This is the first of a nearly non-stop collection of love-gone-wrong songs, interspersed with spurned lover songs. These are people for whom love and happiness is always a distant goal. Sitting on a bar stool and crying in a beer is the natural state of listening.

It's a perfectly fine song, and it's hard not to like Patsy, both for her voice and for her sad story, but it doesn't leave me particularly affected.

2- I Know One - Jim Reeves
OK, here's a guy raised in Texas who grew up poor and generally uneducated, worked hard jobs amongst the great unwashed and seems to have no accent at all. Hmmmmm.

A great soothing baritone and probably my favorte song of the collection. I have a soft spot for the funny 50s/60s arrangements, the sorts of things found on Nat King Cole records and a Johnny Mathis Christmas Album I've listened to since I was little. It has a feel that is easily mocked, but it finds a sentimental place in my heart.

And yes, a song of spurned love, although from a point of view completely devoid of bitterness. This is a guy watching his love self-destruct and waiting for her to realize he'll always be there for her. This perfectly describes the love relationship in Forrest Gump. Very sweet.

3- Crazy Arms - Ray Price
No southern accent, despite all of his formative years spent in TX. And that's not to say his voice doesn't have a country feel, but it avoids the cartoony inflections to be found in so much country music.

He seems to struggle hitting the notes in the first line, but then seems to warm up nicely. I don't have the same erotic reaction to the harmony that Dan does. It's a perfectly serviceable harmony but not ejaculatory by any stretch of the imagination. All in all, another perfectly fine song, but one that doesn't get me wound up in any dimension.

And yes, another sad sad song of lost love. (we're three for three)

4- Raindrops Falling in a River - Johnny Bush
Another TX guy, with a bit more of a perceptible accent, though still avoiding the cartoon. This accent sounds authentic to me since it's fairly unique.

As a song, this one is among my least favorites. I find the lyrics pretty dopey and the music uninspiring. Of course it's another song about lost love, though this time more mutual. Damn these guys struggled to find joy. No wonder so many were alcoholics.

5- Success - Elvis Costello
Clearly no southern accent here, though no British accent either.

I'm a big fan of EC, though his adventures in country music have befuddled me. He clearly gets it and the song Almost Blue shows up on all of his various Greatest Hits collections. With EC you get a bit more lively drum part, with some subtle fills and other more adventurous offerings. And as a piano player he seems to bring that part into greater prominence than in some of the others, though the arrangement remains of a kind with the others.

Good stuff, though it remains segregated from other EC stuff for me. I appreciate his chameleon nature, a tribute to his musical ability, but I like is more ironic rock and roll better.

6- Long Walk Back to San Antone - Junior Brown
Not sure about the accent - clearly a hint of southern, but again not cartoony. He's from Indiana, the southern reaches of which dip their toes more than a little into Dixie.

This song cracks me up. Why oh why is he walking back to San Antone? Didn't Texas do him enough wrong? Isn't it time to give another state a chance? C'mon man! You're setting yourself up for heartbreak again. Something about the way he says 'somewhere near Dallas' is really funny to me, though in a pleasant way.

I like this song for its loping arrangement and its funny lyrics. Not at the top of the list, but strongly in the second tier. And yes, there are some fine guitar parts in there.

Don't backtrack! Keeping walking OUT of Texas! For your own sake!

7- Worst of All - Mike Ireland
Ooof. The accent is painful to me in this song. He's got it all. The voice breaks at the end of words. The almost relentless accenting of the first syllable of words whether you'd normally do that or not. If you were teaching someone to sing country music with an accent you could learn from this. And I think it's total bullshit.

And I can't get past it to evaluate the other aspects of the song. Of course it's about love gone wrong, how could it not be?

8- Blue - Leann Rimes
A hint of southern, but not like old Mike. She from MS and TX.

No shortage of country songstresses coming from the early teenage years, including Tanya Tucker and Brenda Lee, but even without that particularly thing to make her unique, her voice is remarkable. I don't sense quite the vulnerability (oddly) that Patsy had though perhaps it's just the song. This is more forthright in its declaration of spurned love.

She seems to have never achieved the success of this song, either by my consciousness or in reading her Allmusic biography. Strange.

Fine song, though no sprinkles to be found.

9- Lock Stock and Teardrop - kd Lang
No accent.

kd Land has always intrigued me, though never enough to buy an actual album. I could be a sucker for critical acclaim, despite my derision of music critics. I think I've learned to distrust all art critics in my post college years, having seen enough architectural critics praise total bullshit to finally get the inside joke nature of the critic industry. If everyone likes it, it can't be good. Once everyone does, well, time to move on and cry sell-out.

She has a lovely voice, one that I'll be surprised to hear from amongst the CMC cognoscenti doesn't strike some as being that of a man. Sam Phillips sings in a much higher register than kd, and isn't a lesbian. Not that any of that matters. But still, both Dan and TClog though SP was a guy.

This song probably takes second place among those on this collection. The words are good and the singing and arrangement complement them nicely. And oh yeah, love lost.

10- I Can't See You Lovin' Me Again - Johnny Paycheck
Some sort of an accent, but not southern exactly, or at least not solely. You should read his Allmusic biography just for the humor in the first paragraph if you haven't.

The rest of his story is pretty sad, sad enough to justify a lifetime of sad songs, unlike some of these other folks. His voice is certainly unique and one that's likely to turn off large numbers of people. I can dig it, even while I don't really get into the song. Still, it finds it's way into that lofty second tier. The arrangement complements the mournful nature of the song, and the snaps are a nice percussive device.

Recapolidan!
There was only so much room in my heart for a collection such as this. I just don't hear it the way Dan does. Still, I'm glad to have had my accent revelation (and to have beaten its dead horse in my comments) and to have heard many of these songs for the first time. Only the accent of MI really curdled my milk. The rest made for pleasant listening, and Jim Reeves in particular brought some warm memories of my father back. That's pretty worthwhile.

You and I seem to be the yin and yang of this club. Keep on keeping on.

BS - I Know One
SIWHI - not my genre

Bring on Men Without Pats!