Happy Monday, BFMH readers! The July 4th holiday is just a few days away, so best stock up on your Coors Light and Oscar Meyer weenies for the big day, and get ready to wave that flag loud & proud.
First off, I'd like to give a big and much overdue shout out to my man Dierks Bentley for walking home with the much deserved award for "CMT Performance of the Year." Dude has been wrecking some shit for a minute now, and as I've said before here, if there was an award for 'Getting the Most Pussy' in country music, Dierks would have taken that shit home too.
I thought I'd celebrate Dierks' stellar victory last week with another post, this time on his latest single "Sideways." As you probably expect from something on the 'Feel That Fire' full length, shit is some straight MURDER.
"Sideways" video directed by Michael Salomon :
Basically in the song, Dierks (whose likeness is grossly misrepresented by some chump in the video, and whose inadequacies are magnified further by Dierks completely blowing the roof off the place on stage) steps to some chick in a bar and because he's unable to hear her name cause of the sweet ass music coming from the rad band on stage, he tries to step up his game further, saying that he wants to "get a little sideways" with her. HELL YEA. I can tell you first hand that next time you're out at a bar, DEFINITELY try that line out on somebody. Pretty much guaranteed you'll "gotta make em wanna come back for more" every time.
But instead of focusing on how Dierks is indeed all about getting up in some pussy (even though he clearly is, which is why i think he's rad, personally), I want to focus on the incredible and excellently conceived video directed by Michael Salomon. If you're not familiar with Salomon, I'll happily school you a bit. Not only did he direct the super dark video for "One" by Metallica, but yes he is THE Michael Salomon that directed the film that said blog is named after, 2008's underrated masterpiece 'Beer For My Horses' written by and starring both Toby Keith and comedy heavyweight Rodney Carrington, and also featuring cultural legend Ted Nugent.
Scene from "Beer for My Horses" (Directed by Michael Salomon):
Stellar work across the board, no doubt. Back to the video for "Sideways" though. What is most impressive about this video aside from the fact that the club is packed with hot ass women of all colors, but that the only dudes in the joint are Dierks and the dudes in Dierks' band, the guy playing Dierks' likeness, the club bouncer... and yes, the breakdancers!! Only in my wildest dreams would I ever see some serious pop & locking going down while some country was bumpin' on the speakers. And yes, Salomon plays his cards right and makes sure that these quick glimpses of no-holds-barred urban expression are set within the confines of a line dance and other dancefloor acrobatics. In turn, he's making these whiteys get down with some hip hop shit without they really even knowing it. MIKE SALOMON YOU SUBVERSIVE MOTHERFUCKER!
Of course though, while Dierks Bentley and Mike Salomon continue to push the boundaries with their continued blurring of cultural lines... alas, they weren't the first. That honor goes to "one of the rising stars of country music," Bubba James Hudson. Hip hop, funk, cajun, "country/rap", and a "hot new" techno version of a track... all for line dancing specifically??? Sign me up.
Bubba James Hudson - Country Rap Attack (Definitely Not Directed by Michael Salomon)
One of 2008's most surprising breakout acts was the "hick-hop" innovator Cowboy Troy, whose rap-meets-country stylings blew away the country world, with a self-proclaimed "combination of intense rap lyrics, shredding guitar licks, and fiddle, banjo, and steel guitar." Well, consider me sold.
Country Troy has the market cornered for Lynyrd Skynrd-meets-Tone Löc jams, and his chorus about 'playing chicken with the train' sounds edgy while still remaining safely in the canon of things that country stars sing about, which include:
- Why the singer is badass - Being lonely - Why things are better in America/back in the day/in a small town/at a bar - Drinking - Women - Picking fishing over women*
Troy excels in category one of country lyrics, but could stand to bring more nostalgia into the picture -- where are the lyrics about drinking in a small town? That said, Cowboy Troy still breaks it down pretty raw, and gets across a hip hop edge that makes "I Play Chicken With The Train" both really weird and extremely awesome. I'd wear some Wranglers and drink some Coors to this one.
That said, Cowboy Troy is really not bringing a serious urban edge to country music. That challenge was already fulfilled by Toby Keith himself back in 2001 with "I Wanna Talk About Me." Now THIS is country-rap at its best, complete with really insightful lyrics about relating to women and scenes with Toby taking on the role of the cop AND the streetwise pimp - dude is breaking down gender and class barriers while reaching out to an urban audience saying "hey, country GETS YOU". It's grittier than Cowboy Troy, and definitely more connected to the hip hop audience.
So do your homework, Cowboy Troy, and MAYBE you can reach the heights of hick-hop legends like Mr. Keith.
* Okay, that might just be Brad Paisley's "I'm Gonna Miss Her", but it really deserves it's own category.
ED. NOTE: Some of you might try and debate about Kid Rock's standing in the hick-hop canon. I ask that you read about Mr. Rock blowing it at Stagecoach 2009 here, and see why I ignored him. Is it sad that he'll live his life as the dude who never again hit the heights of 'Bawitdaba'?
