5 Worst Songs of 2015

     My favorite part of the end of the year is getting to tell all of you about the best music of the year.  My least favorite part is having to point out the worst.  Alas, it is my duty as a self-appointed gatekeeper of country music to formally call out the biggest transgressions to our beloved genre.  This year saw the rise of the "metro-bro", Bruno Mars wannabe music.  At this point, pop-country radio will accept anything but authentic country music.  While there were plenty of turds to pick from, these five floated to the top of this miserable list.

Luke Bryan "Kill The Lights" Album Review

     Well every one's favorite metro-sexual pretty boy is back with a new album of big hits for the soccer mom and preteen in your life.  Luke has made quite a name for himself in his illustrious career, starting off as a strong vocalist with  throwback sound, and morphing into a caricature of the frat-boy country lifestyle.  Kill the Lights promised growth and maturity from Luke.  I don't see it.  This isn't art or music, it is marketing and demographic targeting.  Luke is officially no longer a country music artist, he is a marketing gimmick through and through.

Luke Bryan "Kick The Dust Up" Single Review

      The past few months have seen a significant downturn in the amount of bro-country being thrown mercilessly at our tender eardrums. With the exception of the clueless Florida-Georgia Line, most artists have learned that the public has grown tired of the party that never ends from artists who never grow up. Apparently, Luke Bryan missed the memo. After announcing his latest Spring Break EP would be is last, there were thoughts that maybe he was finally going to attempt to put out some songs of substance as he did on his first two albums. We were wrong. Luke’s new single is an uninspired, unoriginal, and unbalanced mess that further pushes the genre towards irrelevancy. 

Attention Real Country Music Fans: We Are Winning

      Anyone who knows anything about country music knows that there is a longstanding and intense war being waged for the soul of country music. Tradition and fortune are at odds seemingly every day now. Traditionalists are fighting to keep country music rooted in the history that made the genre great, while moving forward to new heights. Mainstream country wants to make as much money as possible, while turning country music into a rock/rap/pop hybrid, citing claims of “evolution” and “progress”. While the fight has looked bleak for the true fans like me, the tides have turned. Not only are we making headway, I would go as far to say that right now we are winning the fight for country music.

The 5 Worst Songs of 2014

     2014 was seriously one of the best in recent memory for country music.  But, no year is truly perfect.  Bro-country may be finally on the demise, but there were a few floaters this past year that we couldn't quite get to go down.  These stinkers represent the embarrassing side of mainstream country.  Hopefully, as country continues to improve, this list will be less significant, but this year it still contains a lot of big songs. Cover your ears, kids, here are the 5 Worst Songs of the Year.

Haters, Evolution, and Chinese Food

This is what Hank thinks of your silly arguments

      With the latest albums by Jason Aldean, Chase Rice, and Florida-Georgia Line drawing heavy amounts of criticism despite topping the charts, the bro-country supporters have been out in full blast, defending their music ad nauseam. They make claims of “evolution” and “if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it” and of course, the “country music doesn’t have to just be about lost dogs, lost wives, and broken-down trucks” argument. If you dare to share your opinion on the music, you get called a bully, an old man, or “close-minded”. There are so many accusations and proclamations with absolutely no truth and value in them that it can be very frustrating to even talk to these people. So, I’ve decided to deconstruct all of the tired, old arguments that the bro-country defenders drag in one all-encompassing post: Haters, Evolution, and Chinese Food.

"Working Man's Poet: A Tribute To Merle Haggard" Album Review

     It's been a busy month for one of country music's biggest legends, the great Merle Haggard.  He turned 77 and was honored on the same day at the ACM Awards by Miranda Lambert, George Strait, and Garth Brooks, and the week before, Working Man's Poet: A Tribute To Merle Haggard was released.   A quick glance at the artists contributing would make most traditional country fans and Haggard fans simply laugh and turn away.  Aldean AND Luke Bryan?  But, if you give this album a chance, you'll see that not only do these artists all do these songs justice, but the best ones come from the guys you'd least expect.  This is a very good tribute album.

Florida-Georgia Line & Luke Bryan "This Is How We Roll" Single Review

     In a match made in frat-boy heaven, Florida-Georgia Line teamed up with Luke Bryan for the new single "This Is How We Roll". With a creative title like that, you know this is going to be an instant classic, right? Right? Anyone? Shockingly, this song is actually a shallow exercise in gouging for money from a public that simply doesn't demand quality anymore. This song is a shining example of what is wrong with country music.

5 Worst Songs of 2013

     While 2013 had some monumental positives, it wasn't without some massive failures.  The evolution of the genre has produced a brigade of wanna be pop stars parading about in their big trucks, downgrading women, and making sure everyone knew just how country they are.  While we finally saw a lot of backlash to this trend, we still had a slew of bro-country songs.  If you can stomach it, lets relive the songs in 2013 that had us shaking our heads and covering our ears.

Luke Bryan "Drink A Beer" Single Review

     Everybody's favorite hip shaking country boy has released his new single, "Drink A Beer", to country radio.  Luke has put out some of the worst country songs imaginable over the past few years, which is a shame after starting out so strong early in his career.  Luke let the fame and promise of fortune cloud his judgement, and changed him from an aw shucks country boy singing about life to a wanna be sex symbol with party song after party song.  On this single, Luke finds a medium between the two that should please his early fans and his newer ones.

Luke Bryan "Crash My Party" Album Review

     Luke Bryan's  new album Crash My Party hit shelves this week.  His last release, Tailgates & Tanlines, produced some of the worst stuff on the radio in the past two years, but had some decent album cuts to redeem itself as just a mediocre album.  The title track was the first single and seemed like a move in the right direction for Luke.  While not the greatest song, it was a serious improvement and had me a little intrigued to hear this album.  Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed when I put it on.

Luke Bryan "That's My Kind Of Night" Single Review

     Luke Bryan's new album Crash My Party is set to hit stores this week.  The album has already produced one hit single with the title track, and Luke recently released "That's My Kind Of Night" as the second single.  "Crash My Party" was a decent tune, using a little bit more emotion than we are used to hearing from recent Luke Bryan singles.  But all the good Luke did with that song has gone right out the window with this release.

Random Radio 5-Spot

     A new feature here on Keep It Country Kids is the Random Radio 5-Spot.  In this feature, I will select a local country station and listen to the first 5 songs that come on.  Regardless of relevance or impact, I will do a quick review of those 5 songs.  It could be the 5 newest hits, could be during the classic hour, could be anything in between! Enjoy!

The 5 Worst Songs of 2012

Well, it's been all fun and sunshine here at Keep It Country Kids the past few posts.  Looking back at the best of 2012 has been fun and nostalgic.  Now, we must look at the bad.  Which artist are to blame for bringing us some of the worst garbage in 2012?  Take a look at the countdown...