Country Call 'Em: Gone Country
posted in: By Genres • Country
Country music has many appealing qualities”great lyrics, long history, amazing stars”so it’s no wonder that many celebrities love and identify with the music of Nashville. Some, in fact, are so envious of the country lifestyle they too try to dip a toe or two into the vast pond of country music. And, while some fit right in, (ahem, Mr. Darius Rucker) others seem more like fish out of water. However, with a community so accepting and open, it’s almost expected that” eventually”everyone goes country.
You’ve got to give Jessica Simpson credit. The girl changes her image, IQ and genre like the changing of the seasons, but stands firmly behind each decision and the hurricane of opinions that is guaranteed to follow. It was her most recent attempt at a country album that really has me scratching my head. Yes, she may be from the great ol’ state of Texas, but being MTV’s cash cow and someone who has made millions by shaking her money maker in a pop market, doesn’t exactly spell success in Nashville.
Her country album "Do You Know"
Jess started her tryst with country music by becoming the 21st century bum of Daisy Dukes. Then came the cover of These Boots Were Made For Walkin’. And unfortunately for us, she didn’t stop there. In 2008, Jessica released Do You Know, her first fully country album. To much surprise, it went to Number 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums. Whether this success was due to curiosity or legitimate talent is debatable, but the fact that she and Sony Nashville have parted ways after just one record should speak volumes. I guess they told her that her boots were made for walking¦ straight back to L.A.
Rap, rock, heavy metal¦ country? It seems to be working for America’s favorite badass Kid Rock. Robert Ritchie, a.k.a Kid Rock, first started his music career with a truly unique and individual style of fusing rap, rock and metal to create an in-your-face persona. His raspy-throated voice coupled with a few ethically and morally questionable moments painted Kid as a foul-mouthed, take no prisoners redneck who didn’t give a damn about anything or anyone. This all changed when he teamed up with Sheryl Crow for their duet Picture.
Cleaning up his act for country
Interestingly enough, his label did not support the song as a single, but after Kid went against their wishes and released it anyways, the song became the most successful single off his Cocky record, opening his world to country music. Since then, Kid has put out an entire record of country and southern rock music, entitled Rock N Roll Jesus. This departure from his former persona paid off”big time. Rock N Roll Jesus become the first Number 1 album of his career, and his single All Summer Long went all the way to Number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. And, if this continues he can thank country music for his success all career long.
Probably the most shocking and unfitting foray into country music come courtesy of Snoop Dogg. In what he called a tribute to the late Johnny Cash, Snoop D-O-double G spat the lines of his song My Medicine first at the 2008 CMT Music Awards and then on VH1’s Storytellers. He prefaced the performance by expressing just how much he loves country music. That may be the only thing country audiences can agree with Snoop on since the song never charted as a single. And while he can say he tried, clearly he should take the song, and his medicizzle, back to the rap game.
Whether rappers, rockers or racy songstresses, it seems like everyone wants a taste of the fried chicken that is country music. Whether it’s a delicacy or disaster, we give them and “A” for effort along with a helping of career advice: if the boot don’t fit, you must quit. Nashville, as well as the general public, will thank you.