Two Lanes of Emotional Traffic

Tim McGraw and Brantley Gilbert, Pittsburgh May 18, 2013

You’d think a concert featuring Brantley Gilbert and Tim McGraw would be awesome, right?

Not so much.

Their Pittsburgh stop wasn’t so much Two Lanes of Freedom, as the tour is billed, as it was one of those traffic jams in which you keep wanting to switch lanes because the other one is going faster than yours, except both are pretty much at a standstill.

Let me explain.

Brantley Gilbert is a young, muscular up-and-comer who puts on a live show in the good old boy tradition, with crowd-rousing songs about drinkin’ and fightin’ and women and guns.

Tim McGraw is an established superstar with a 20+ year career of monster hits behind him.

A t-shirt poll of the crowd confirmed that a large percentage of them were big fans, having shelled out $30 for his current tour shirt, huge flags and the like. McGraw shirts? hardly a one. In fact, I still don’t know what his tour shirt looks like because no-one was buying / wearing them.

Gilbert’s set was great, but far too short. Half an hour is not nearly enough time for a star in his own right to open a show, especially when he has such a long set list of hits. I have seen longer opening sets by third-string acts and American Idol runners-up.

McGraw’s set, on the other hand, was not just too long, but too weighted down with back catalogue twang and new songs with which the crowd was unfamiliar. Sure, he filled in with a predictable selection of the anthems without which folks would burn the place down, but as soon as he whipped the capacity (perhaps over-capacity) crowd to a full-voiced sing-along, he slapped us down with an unheard-of number.

What do people do when the tempo is messed with? They find other ways to entertain themselves. With a crowd of folks in the mood for Gilbert’s type of music, this means getting drunk-ass drunk and socializing. I use the word politely. What McGraw might not have picked up on while he sang along to the video screens, was that no-one was paying attention. No-one was singing along. The youts behind The Inky Jukebox decided the lawn was going to be a mosh pit.

The stage was also decidedly not fan-friendly. This is the first time The Inky Jukebox can remember that an aisle or cross of some kind did not project out into the crowd; instead, the bands were compressed onto a shallow stage which kept them at a considerable distance. At one point, McGraw delivered an entire song sitting on the lip of the stage while adoring female fans caressed his legs. I’m sure they paid a lot of money for the opportunity.

The whole sex-symbol angle, which once upon a time McGraw owned, felt tired and a tad cheap. The show was bloated with ballads and slow-tempo numbers, but the emotion that should have resonated from them — from him singing them, that is — was left to the video backs instead. This was especially true of his duet with Taylor Swift, which fell flat due to technical difficulty: the video wasn’t synched to her voice, and she was filmed in profile, never looking at the crowd. It’s not easy to incorporate an absent singer into a live show, but Jason Aldean did it well enough with Kelly Clarkson.

“Mexicoma” is an abysmal tune and sticks out like a sore thumb on McGraw’s new album. It should never be played at a concert.

This was also a show without McGraw’s old backing band, The Dancehall Doctors — and the new guys played like session musicians rather than a veteran arena band, willing and able to play with the audience, not just to them. Songs began and ended abruptly.

At the every end of the night, Brantley Gilbert reappeared on stage to sing a couple of “Truck Yeah’s” with McGraw for the show’s closer. What, Tim, you didn’t want him upstaging you for the whole song? 

A Modern Day Prodigal Star

Brantley Gilbert’s “Freshman Year” Record

It’s been Brantley Gilbert’s year for a while now; his songwriting credits for Jason Aldean only gave him a leg up to the big time, where he belongs. Along the way, Gilbert has undergone quite a transformation — one which can best be seen by giving his first album, A Modern Day Prodigal Son, a spin. I expect that many of his new fans, familiar with Halfway to Heaven, will be reaching back to pick this one up, so even though MDPS was released in 2009 (it was scheduled to hit stores in 2006), a review feels necessary.

The biggest change folks will notice is that the Brantley Gilbert of six years ago was a quieter, gentler guy. The spitting image of a farm boy, he has a sweet voice and sings sweet songs, accompanied by his able and melodic guitar playing. There are only a few up-tempo numbers, notably "G.R.I.T.S," a paean to Girl Raised In The South, which has predictably remained a live show fan favorite.

Listen to “Play Me That Song,” which showcases his talents beautifully — especially his knack for writing songs with natural hooks that draw you in.

If you’ve only just heard of Gilbert because he’s hawt right now, you should take a look at this footage of a show he did at a small club where the crowd shows him some serious love. He wrote this song — "Picture On The Dashboard" — when he was just 17.

This is the album on which appears Gilbert’s song “My Kinda Party,” which became a monster hit for Aldean. Hearing the original, you’ll appreciate how closely he kept to it. Perhaps it was this very aspect which got Gilbert fans hot under the collar, thinking, mistakenly, that he’d sold the song to a bigger star. He explains the situation here.

As Gilbert makes the transition to productions with far more money, firepower, and wattage behind them (the kind that makes “Kickin’ in the Sticks” sound the way it does), he brings along some of his mellower songs for the ride. The title track is a good case in point: it sounds great run through some big stacks. The Inky Jukebox hopes that Gilbert continues to showcase that careful ear and ability to end on a soft note even as he gets harder musically.

The Inky Jukebox has some advice for country’s newest bad boy on the block: Dude — toss the dip and questionable goatee. It puffs your lip out in an unattractive manner. I don’t care how smokin’ your current girlfriend is (and she is), there’s plenty of ladies at home who’re put off by tobacco teefs.

That being said, The Inky Jukebox LOVES this guy, and strongly recommends you pick up this lovely and overlooked first album. It’s only $6.99 on iTunes. What a steal.

Brantley Gilbert: A Slice of Pure Heaven

Halfway To Heaven

I grew up south of the Mason Dixon

Workin’, spittin’, huntin’ and fishin’

Stone cold country by the grace of God

It’s about time Brantley Gilbert joined his peers in the spotlight because he’s as talented as any of them and this album, Halfway To Heaven, re-released with the slick production he deserves, proves it. By peers The Inky Jukebox means Eric Church, Justin Moore, and Jason Aldean — young bucks delivering today’s muscular, Southern Rock-based country music notable not only for its classic songwriting, but for it’s ability to melt between power ballads and crashing rock anthems.

Long a writer of some of those songs others have made famous, Gilbert has now got a chance to showcase his own impeccable voice and energetic performance style. The introductory video that comes along with the digital package presents a young guy you’d take for the singer in a metal band rather something you’d recognize as country, and in this you wouldn’t be far off, as his band has mostly been culled from other metal bands. But while the album has its share of hard and fast cuts (“Hell on Wheels,” Kick It In The Sticks, “Country Must Be Country Wide,” and “Take It Outside”), it also makes strings feel at home on such ballads as “Saving Amy,” “My Kind of Crazy, and “Fall Into Me."

Like his peers, Gilbert’s topics lean heavily on what makes men manly: fighting, drinking, loving, and generally getting up to no good. Lyrics like “the closest thing to hell she ever raised” gives you some idea of what to expect. “Take It Outside” is the best song about laying down the gauntlet that’s come along since Justin Moore’s “I Could Kick Your Ass,” and The Inky Jukebox thinks it’d make a great single if only they’d play it on the radio, which is a long shot.

Far more likely is “Saving Amy,” a tender song with a catchy hook that even the most hardened rocker will find themselves singing along to in their trucks.

He brings his old partner Colt Ford along on his own re-worked original version of “Dirt Road Anthem” which surprisingly gives us a third take on the one song — the first two being his slow rappy cut, Jason Aldean’s bluesy hit, and now this honeyed one. Watch this fantastic video of the song being made. You'll see what a beautiful guitar player Gilbert is in it.

The deluxe download comes with a bonus track, “Lie, Baby, Lie” which is excellent and well worth getting if you can. Why "G.R.I.T.S." isn't on it is a mystery. The truth is there’s no chaff on this album; every single song is killer, and as such it must surely rank up there with the very best releases of the year if not the last five.

Buy it now.

Brantley Gilbert Cranks It Up

My Kind of Crazy

In every state, there’s a station

Playin’ Cash, Hank, Willie and Waylon…

…and soon they’ll be playing Brantley Gilbert too. They already are (he’s written some Jason Aldean’s big hits), but this time around it’s his name you’ll hear. He’s a young lad with an ear for no-nonsense lyrics and likes them delivered with a side of kick-ass rock thank you very much. His first real hit as a solo artist, “Country Must Be Country Wide” was like a calling card to let folks know what he was about: in short, down-home Southern boy who knows his roots. It’s a catchy tune that sounds like it came from a far more seasoned performer.

But it’s the song “Kick It In The Sticks” that really pulls the lid off and lets you see under his engine. It’s the kind of record city haters will cite as the reason they can’t stand rednecks because it celebrates a kind of masculinity they abhor but good ole boys hold dear. Brantley and Co don’t give a damn; they’ll blast your ears off with their crunching guitars and nearly metal drums. In this, Gilbert fits right in with the unapologetic hard-assery of Eric Church, the backwoods swagger of Justin Moore, and the axe-centricity of Jason Aldean (and his band) — that is to say, all the young dudes who are taking country music out of pop and into rock.

He’s kind of a cutie too, if you think about giving him a shave (and looks better without the Copenhagen grin). His album Halfway To Heaven

was sort of available then not and now a deluxe version reissue is coming out in September. You can hear songs from it on his facebook page and YouTube. The Inky Jukebox can’t wait.

Here's another of his songs. It's as good as anything else out there. Love Love Love it.

UPDATE: This just in from his record label: the completely remastered album with bonus tracks will be re-released Sept 13.

Mix Me A New One, Bartender: Country Rap

Q: What do you get when you cross over? 

A: A Cowboy with a Devil's Haircut Sittin' at a Bar 

singing a Dirt Road Anthem.

When it comes to the mixing of musical genres, The Inky Jukebox is often a bit skeptical of the results. In recent years there have been some well-known attempts to blend country music with rap.

Kid Rock, for instance, is the embodiment of such an unlikely marriage, a creature embraced by both worlds with the personality and cajones to pull it off. “Cowboy” is clearly the most successful example of a seamless blending of these two genres because like a good mixologist, he pours the fundamentals of both to form a whole new drink. He brings the pace and delivery of rap with the melodic rhythms of a good Southern Rock together, and neither bows to the other.

But there was a much earlier Kid Rock, by the name of Beck. Bear in mind this was 1996, and give “Devil’s Haircut” a new listen to hear how laid back and country his underlying melody is. He’s kitted-out in western-wear, which mollifies the hipster-douchebag vibe somewhat. (Compare it to Billy Currington’s video for “Don’t” – seriously.)

Tim McGraw and Nelly collaborated on “Over and Over” in 2004 with less convincing results. It appears as though McGraw is merely providing backing vocals for a soft R & B song, which misses the point for both artists. It also provides a dilemma for marketing: which pigeonhole can you slot this into? It’s not a bad song — it is pleasant to hear, but it’s sleepy and forgettable.

The convoluted history of Rehab’s “Bartender Song” makes for a nice Nashville ending, and shows how hip-hop and country can drink together in harmony. Originally called “Sittin’ At A Bar,” the title was changed to circumvent an unauthorized reissue by their former label once it became popular. Bringing Hank Williams Jr. in for a duet really upped the ante and gave it a whole new audience. You know things are going to go well when Bocephus walks in the door. Again, this works because the music is consistent and melodic throughout. It helps that Danny Alexander’s voice matches Hank Jr’s so well. (The Inky Jukebox LOVES this song.)

The latest rap / country performance does something different again: it takes a country singer who raps out verses for a hard-core edge. But if you ever wondered how on earth Jason Aldean ended up rapping his “Dirt Road Anthem” of all things, it’s because of the song’s interesting genesis. Originally written by “Country Rapper” Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert, and recorded separately by both. Colt Ford’s version has Gilbert’s vocal on the chorus.

It’s a more laid-back version than Aldean’s, and if you’re used to that one it will be a revelation to hear how the floating vocal overlay enhances this duet. It reminds The Inky Jukebox of rapper-turned-country-boy Uncle Kracker, cruising along in a convertible. Compare it to Aldean’s angrier, bitier, higher-wattage version.

Evidently, Aldean’s cover of this song has ruffled a lot of feathers, especially among those who think that either he shouldn’t be rapping, or that he’s not giving credit to the song’s originators. To quiet them down, Brantley Gilbert offers this reassurance to his fans. It’s not the first time Gilbert and Aldean have come together for a hit: the title track off Aldean’s album “My Kinda Party” was written and recorded by Gilbert first.

Check it out —The Inky Jukebox likes it a lot (especially the guitar licks) and it bodes very well for Gilbert’s burgeoning career now that he’s signed to The Valory Music Co.

Colt Ford’s rap remix of Montgomery Gentry’s “Roll With Me” is one example of where trying to squeeze two genres together doesn’t work. Essentially, all he’s done is added rap and speeded things up, and for anyone who knows the original, it can’t be a satisfying outcome given that it was sublime to begin with.

Speaking of strange mash-ups, we’ll end by asking you to try this other iconic 80's hit on for size: shockingly, it ain’t as bad as you think it will be. Enjoy, y'all.