devils1854 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 5.Ashley McBryde-A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega 4.Cody Johnson-Wild as You 3.Ruston Kelly-Black Magic 2.Flatland Cavalry-Stompin Grounds 1.Sunny Sweeney-Bottle By My Bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 Worst Songs of the Year Now we have the 10 worst songs of the year. 10.LoCash-Ring on every Finger 9.Granger Smith-If The Boot Fits 8.Jordan Davis-Singles You Up 7.Florida Georgia Line-Smooth 6.Morgan Wallen-The Way I Talk 5.Little Big Town-Happy People 4.Walker Hayes-You Broke Up with Me 3.Brett Eldredge-Somethin' Im Good At 2.Brantley Gilbert-The Weekend 1.Chris Janson-Fix a Drink Of course we need a reaction video from Wheeler Walker on Chris Janson's Fix a Drink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 New Artists for 2018 I do this every year, and I think I do a good job of finding which artists will break out in the new year. Now I do have guidelines. An artist cant be on the list twice, and the artist is disqualified if they have ever had a top 20 single. We see all these publications putting out their new artists for the year and half of the lists are people that have had multiple hits. I dont understand it. Half of my list are going to be who will probably be heard on the radio, and will have hits. The second part is going to be artists that I personally like, and could either have hits or maybe not, but that doesnt mean they shouldnt be on lists. Looking back to 2017 FGL's 2017 Opening Acts Ryan Follese(Put a Label on It, #54)His one major single release did not do much, and his full length album was just released digitally. Might not hear much more from him. Seth Ennis(Woke Up in Nashville, #45)His one single did a little better, but couldnt crack the top 40. I think he is talented enough for another chance. Morgan Wallen(The Way I Talk, #35, current single #33)He has done a little better, but having FGL behind him is going to inflate it a little. Not sold on him. Radio Acts Runaway June(Lipstick, #39, current single #44)These girls were on the way to a hit, until the news came out that William Michael Morgan cheated on the one he was engaged to. Thats Nashville. Carley Pearce(Every Little Thing, #1, new single #54)BMG really pushed this lady. I dont see anything special in her at all, but a #1 hit was bought. Ryan Hurd(City Girl, #50)Biggest disappointment here. Thought he would have a hit by now. He will be given more chances. Engaged to Maren Morris helps. My List Luke Combs(two #1s)He was just hitting the radio around this time last year. Didnt think he would be this big already. Will be a superstar. Midland(Drinkin Problem, #3, current single #16)Wasnt sure if BMG was going to push these guys, but two and two were put together when the news came out that their backstories were all completely false, and they were just three random guys BMG threw together and put vintage clothes on. Totally manufactured by Nashville. Jordan Rager(Now That I Know Your Name, no chart)Didnt even have a single chart in 2017, but he didnt put out any new music either. I see him around town all the time. Hopefully he will put out something this year. 2018 Honorable Mentions Guys you will not see on the list....Devin Dawson, Walker Hayes, Aaron Watson, LanCO, Russell Dickerson. All have either been on the list before, or have hits. Adam Doleac A former division one college baseball player, Doleac does not have a major record label deal, but his music is being heard on XM Radio quite frequently, so he might be able to make that jump to mainstream without a huge label. It will just take money to get him out there. He was even on the 2017 XM Highway Finds tour with High Valley and Ashley McBryde, so some people are taking a chance on him. Josh Phillips Phillips just recently signed to Big Machine. The most powerful label in Nashville. Will the promote him enough to get on the radio? Who knows, but there is enough faith in him to open for Luke Combs in 2017, and Brantley Gilbert in 2018. The guy even looks like Brantley Gilbert. I would think he would have music out sometime this year, but it might be towards the end of 2018, before he is heard on the radio. JIllian Jacqueline It seems like I have seen this lady on next big thing lists for a long time, and I am now taking the jump. She is very talented, and the one difference this year is that she actually has a record deal with Big Loud, who has been making noise lately with Chris Lane and Morgan Wallen on their new roster. Jacqueline released a EP in late 2017, and 2018 could be her year to introduce herself to country radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 2018 New Artist Radio Edition Morgan Evans That picture is all you really need to know about Evans. He is Mr Kelsea Ballerini. He had no chance of even getting close to being on country charts, then he hit it big by marrying Ballerini. You now hear the Australian on XM, and he is even starting to get his song, Kiss Someone, on regular radio. Expect him to be the big name for new artists in 2018, because couples sell, and Music Row will make money on any angle they can get. Kiss Somebody https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiAINTvAfrw Jordan Davis Davis pretty much already has a hit with his first single, Singles You Up. He is a UMG Nashville guy, so I would expect this song to be a #1 hit somewhere around the end of March, or the first of April, depending on the price to get it there. There really isnt much else to say about this guy. He does have a large beard......... Singles You Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHUBYEvBgnE Brandon Lay We are finally getting to someone that actually has real talent, although Im not a huge fan. Lay was able to snag the coveted opening spot on Kenny Chesney's 2018 stadium tour, so there are going to be a lot of people that will get to hear him. He has a voice that is going to be loved by many, and he is backed by the UMG group, so the money is there. His first single has just now hit the top 60 on Billboard, so he should be hitting most radio stations around the country in a month or two. Speakers, Bleachers, and Preachers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LWtZw7fUQA I thought I had a fourth, but I put Jillian Jacqueline in the honorable mentions, and there isnt anyone else that should be here, so we are going with three artists here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 My Favorite New Artists for 2018 I could go a lot of places with this. Ive decided to spotlight everyone, and not just artists that should be on country radio. I dont feel like artists like Tyler Childers, Blank Range, Ruston Kelly, etc are really new, so they wont be on a list like this, but you should check them out if you dont know about them. Ashley McBryde As you can see, McBryde is not a small, pretty blonde, so he inclusion on Music Row fraternity hasnt really happened. She is an amazing artist, and her song, A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega, is one of the best of the year. 2018 could actually be a big year for her. She has signed with Warner Nashville, so hopefully they will promote a song and get her on the radio. Also, she will be opening up for Luke Combs on his tour during the first of the year. Keep a look out for her on the radio. It could happen. A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI7YCYR4EyM Ross Cooper Cooper is a cowboy. He was a former professional bareback rider, and now he has he sights set on country music. He isnt signed to a label. In fact, he used Kickstarter to get his upcoming album made, so he isnt someone that you are going to hear on country radio, although he could get some airplay in his home state of Texas. He has opened up for a lot of Texas guys in the past year or so. Give his new album a listen when it is released in March. I Rode the Wild Horses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWtttACcoKU Bailey Bryan A 19 year old from Washington who credits Taylor Swift for getting her into country music is not someone that I would normally be into, but one listen to Bryan sing, and you understand why she already has a record deal. He songwriting is also years ahead of what you would think would come from a teenager. This lady is going to be pushed hard, not only by her record label in Nashville, but also by its parent company in New York. Too Good(Drake cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOp8n5TzcSQ Tyler Rich A couple years ago, I had Tyler as a honorable mention, but other than his independent acoustic EP, he had no other music released, and he hasnt released any since, but just last month, he signed a record deal with BMG here in Nashville. Its hard to say just where his sound will go now, especially with his California roots and Big Machine backing him, but he is very talented artist, and you can see that talent in that 2015 EP. California Grown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5jSiWUO0oI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I go over my best albums over and over before doing my list, so I have around a week left before I think I will be ready. In the meantime, here are my top 10 concerts from 2017, and the worst 5. I went to a total of 32 concerts this year. 1.Garth Brooks-Fex Ex Forum, Memphis, TN 2.The Cadillac Three-Ryman, Nashville, TN 3.Tyler Childers-The Basement, Nashville, TN 4.Flatland Cavalry-Exit/In, Nashville, TN 5.The Cadillac Three-Mercury Ballroom, Louisville, KY 6.Casey Donahew Band-3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN 7.A Thousand Horses/Drake White-3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN 8.Mitchell Tenpenny-12th and Porter, Nashville, TN 9.The Cadillac Three-Georgia Theater, Athens, GA 10.Whiskey Myers-Mercury Ballroom, Nashville, TN 5.The Cadillac Three-The Plaza Theater, Glasgow, KY 4.Garth Brooks-Mercedes Benz, Atlanta, GA 3.Chase Rice-Exit/In-Nashville, TN 2.Jake Owen/Eric Paslay-Ascend Ampatheater, Nashville, TN 1.LoCash/Dylan Scott-3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN Others that I saw include Sunny Sweeney, Maren Morris, Eric Church, Aaron Watson, Jerrod Niemann, Drake White, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinky Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Just saw the video from that new artist Walker Hayes. Absolutely terrible. How do some of these people get record deals? Classic example of who you know or who you blow in Nashville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinky Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Also, and I know this isn't a hot take, but that Luke Bryan cat isn't country at all. What a cheeseball. How in the world did he get so big? LoL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Might be able to start my list of 2017 albums tonight, but it also might be tomorrow. Still got maybe 15-18 albums left to go that I cant rank. Will definitely get it started in the next couple of days. Will probably be around 55 albums total. Until that happens, lets discuss the awful music being released on the radio in the first couple of weeks of January Dierks Bentley-Woman, Amen...come on. This is pure trash. Badly written to the lowest common denominator of women that will eat it up. It has the Millenial Whoop all the way through it, making it even worse. I guess we can all give up on Dierks ever being good again. Carrie Underwood-The Champion...I know this is a song for NBC and the Super Bowl, but if she actually releases it to country radio, a song with Ludacris, then I might just be done with her. Her albums are getting worse and worse, even without the release of this song. Dan + Shay-Tequila.....Its not saying much that they have an awful song coming out, but I sometimes expect more from them because the two guys can sing. They just get in their own way and make crap like this new song that is already being eaten up by the masses of women. Brothers Osborne-Shoot Me Straight.....I dont hate this song yet. I dont know if I like it though. It really does nothing. Its not going to be played on the radio because its over six minutes long and if you cut it down, you are going to miss the best part, which is them just jammin'. At least we have new albums coming from Wade Bowen, William Clark Green, and Ashley McBryde this first quarter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 Well, Im still working on the last few albums for my year end list. I over think things, but I know it will be started by the weekend. One thing I have noticed is that the amount of albums that Dave Cobb produced. You should know who Cobb is. He is the best producer in the business. Got his name from working with Isbell, Sturgill, and Stapleton. Below is a list of albums that will be on this list that was produced by Cobb in 2017. Chris Stapleton-From a Room Vol 1&2 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit-The Nashville Sound Zac Brown Band-Welcome Home Chris Shiflett-West Coast Town The Lone Bellow-Walk Into a Storm Colter Wall-Colter Wall Wheeler Walker Jr-Ol' Wheeler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 The album list is starting tonight. Im pretty sure. Anyway, got my mail today, and I got my package from Ross Cooper. He is on my list of new artists to watch. I have to find something to listen to a CD on, but I cant wait to listen. I just know its going to be a great album. Here's a Cooper song that everyone can listen to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWtttACcoKU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 2017 Favorite Albums There will be about 60 albums in total. I rate on a 1-100 scale. 70-100 are albums that I reccommend 50-69 are albums that have some redeeming factor, but ultimately have more bad than good 0-49 are albums that are just bad for one reason or another Starting off with a couple of albums that arent going to be on the list You would think someone with six Grammy nominations would be more well known, but with Music Row being how it is, Brandy Clark is not an artist that is known to the average country fan. With Live from Los Angeles, Clark gets to show off her abilities on her songs from her previous two albums. It's a good live album from one of the best female artists in country music. Casey Donahew has come a long way since he started playing country music. He is one of the biggest stars in the Texas world, but when he first started out, he did not have the money or backing for albums, so even though he released some great songs, the production on the albums was pretty bad. In 2017, he went back into the studio and gave his biggest songs the right treatment, and released 15 Years: The Wild Ride. Now to the list 60. 20/100 After experimenting on previous albums, Zac Brown decided to have his own side project of songs that have sounds from EDM, hip hop, blues, and other genres. He wrote with Pharrell, and Timberland produced some of the album. Its as bad as imagined. There are two songs that arent bad(Something 'Bout You, and Sunday Finest) and that is because they have more of a blues sound, but the rest of the album is worth forgetting. Best Song- Something 'Bout You 59. 30/100 I wouldn't normally listen to an album like this, but I like Alaina's voice, so I gave it a try. It took one listen to know that it just isn't any good. I do applaud her for opening up herself and talking about previous family issues and her battle with bulimia, but the writing is subpar, and doesnt have the affect that she would want. The album is all over the place. Its hard to take her seriously when she has a powerful song and then follows it up with a goofy song that is written for pre-teen girls. Best Song-Think Outside the Boy 58. 32/100 in 2016, Margo Price gave us one of the best debut albums maybe in country music history. In 2017, she decided to release a EP(that was good), and then release another full length album. That is too much. The writing definitely suffered. I know she is getting praise for her songs about equality, women's issues, and politics, but just because you talk about those issues, it doesnt automatically make the music good. She should have taken more time to write songs, and come out with a much tighter album in 2018, instead of rushing this one out one year after her debut. Best Song- Weakness 57. 38/100 I do not mind pop influences in country music as long as its good, but Thomas Rhett went all over the place with his latest release. One song sounds like it is coming from John Mayer. The next sounds like Daft Punk. The next is an 80s pop song. It goes on and on. It lacks a cohesiveness. It also doesnt help that the album is 14 tracks, and its too hard to make a good album when you have that many songs. Good songs dont grow on trees. I think the worst part of the album is him doing a duet with his father, and it is a throwback country song. Its good. The best on the album. It just shows that the talent is there, and is being wasted. Best Song- Drink a Little Beer w/Rhett Akins 56. 41/100 His first single off his self titled album was Something Im Good At. Its an awful song, and it really does set the tone for the whole album. I honestly dont know what Eldredge is trying to do. Does he want to be a country singer? Does he want to be a lounge singer like Frank Sinatra? Does he want to be taken seriously? Those are the questions that come along while listening to this album. I dont know if Eldredge knows the answers to any of these questions. There isnt a single song that is memorable on the album. Best Song- Love Someone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils1854 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) 55. 44/100 Pope has the ability to put out good songs. Ive listened to his last three albums, and they are there. It's too bad that there are only a couple of good songs on his latest album. He prides himself as being old school, and his sound is that, but he sacrifices good songs just to sound old school, or to tell you he is old school. He could use work as a writer, so he should just put out 10 songs. The best 10 that he has, but here, there's more, and its just hard to listen to. Best Song- Stormchaser 54. 45/100 Josh Turner has one of the best, and most unique voices in country music. He has put out some great songs over the past decade, but it seems like he has forgot who he is with his new album. His new album is filled with cute(supposed to be fun/funny) songs that arent his thing, and he just isnt good at singing them. I kept wanting something serious from the album, and its not until you get to the end, where you hear his first single from the album, Lay Low. I understand wanting to be relevant again, and have hits, but he gave up what he was good at, to get songs on the radio. Best Song- Lay Low 53. 48/100 Being this low isn't a good thing, but I will say that this new album from Eli Young Band is a step up from what they have previously put out. If you have listened to the music that they have been putting out that country radio has passed on, you would hear music that is totally different than what made them big in Texas, and then in Nashville. You can hear that sound again on this new album. Now its not on every song, and there isnt enough of it, but its enough to give fans hope that were fans of their earlier music. Best Song- Old Songs 52. 49/100 Call me biased, but as long as Granger Smith keeps putting out music that has no fiddles, steel guitar, or anything that sounds like the albums that he made in Texas, I will hate it. I feel like Granger Smith used to be one artist and Earl Dibbles was something totally different. With his new music, the lines are blurred, and its as if the character that was just a throw away character that got laughs for a couple of songs is now heard on every song. Everything is about how country you are, living in the city is bad, etc. There is no substance. Its all flash. Best Song- You're In It 51. 49/100 In 2015, Dickerson released the single Yours independently. An EP followed. He has since signed a major record deal, and Yours was re-released. He also took all the songs that was on that EP and moved them to this new album. Those songs(Blue Tacoma, Yours, Every Little Thing) are good songs. I really liked that EP. Now the songs that were added to round out the album......well they are bad, very bad. You can tell that the record label is trying to push him into being more of a Sam Hunt type of artist from this new music, and it doesnt work. It's not Dickerson's thing. The old songs from the EP are the reason this album is not last on the list. Best Song- Blue Tacoma Edited January 28, 2018 by devils1854 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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