CMAs expanding traditional ideas of 'pop'
Carrie Underwood wins "Female Vocalist of the
Year" at the 2007 Country Music Association Awards.
As I sat wide-eyed at the Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 7, my mind drifted to the late, great Hank Williams. I wondered what he would have thought of the Nashville-meets-Hollywood duet between Rascal Flatts and Jamie Foxx, or peppy 17-year-old Taylor Swift's performance with a sparkly guitar and a giant pink flower. Would he have grimaced at a former reality television show contestant winning "Female Vocalist of the Year" for the second consecutive year? Would he have taken one look at the mish-mash of musical styles and bolted?
It's easy to glance at the country music industry and make a snap judgment about its state. What was once a one-sound, one-style kind of industry is now perceived by many as a battle of generations: the time-honored artists against the budding contemporary artists. But if you scrap the old-versus-new approach - something few critics and traditionalist fans seem able to do - you might see it differently. Though the industry is not the one Williams left decades ago, it still has real people telling real stories at its heart, only now with a wider horizon and a richer repertoire of music, in which contemporary country music has a substantial place.
Originating from the smoother "Nashville Sound" that emerged controversially in the 1950s, chart-topping modern country artists from Garth Brooks to Shania Twain to Kenny Chesney have been consistently attacked for their pop appeal. In a world where pop implies commercial and unsubstantial, country pop is viewed by many as poison to the country music industry - but how fair is this? Does a different sound - and a different marketing team - always represent a lack of artistic integrity? Pick up a copy of the latest album by five-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts and give it a good listen, specifically the gorgeous, soulful duet with Foxx. It's not all candy-coated packaging.
Instead, the music of many pop-dubbed country artists offers a refreshing and youthful twist on country music. Where they sometimes lack in banjos or old-time rhythms, they compensate with original styles that speak to a new generation of listeners. It's unfortunate that rather than being appreciated for adding depth and color to a well-established industry, these newer artists are considered undeserving show-stealers.
Consider the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood, who sold more than 6 million copies of her debut album and whose sophomore album, Carnival Ride, debuted at No. 1 on the charts. Despite her soaring vocals and hard-earned success since winning "American Idol" in 2005, she is perpetually flogged by country purists for her unconventional rise to fame and, like others, contemporary sound. "On Top 40 stations, nobody cares that you'll have Fergie next to 50 Cent. They're different," Underwood recently said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "Why can't you have me next to somebody that's more traditional country?" I pose the same question.
Working to break these divisions is country artist Reba McEntire, who created an album that recognizes the sweet blend of traditional and nontraditional. In Reba Duets, the Grammy Award-winning McEntire teams with country legend Vince Gill, modern country artist Faith Hill and pop superstar Kelly Clarkson, among others. Her duet with Justin Timberlake, "The Only Promise That Remains," rings with a tenderness that is found only in the most treasured country love songs - and Timberlake penned the song. With an acclaimed, certified platinum album after only one month, McEntire has proven that crossing musical boundaries is worth any discomfort that may follow.
But perhaps the most remarkable proof that old and new country music can coexist is a snapshot of my row at the CMA Awards. To my right, two elderly women with teased grey hair, heavy makeup and cowboy boots watched intently. A few seats to my left, a hip young couple from Orange County danced and sang aloud. And in the middle sat my sister and me, two American Indians from Texas with no country roots but an overwhelming passion for country music. The elderly women raised their hands in the air for the Eagles, the couple pumped their fists for Brooks and Dunn, I cheered for Martina McBride, and we all stood for George Strait.
Shania Twain put it eloquently when she said, "Country music is still your grandpa's music, but it's also your daughter's music." It's not one or the other, it's both. While I deeply respect and cherish the country music greats, there is something to be said for the new face of country music. I await the day when country music fans and insiders alike realize that every once and a while - in this industry as well as in life - breaking away from the tried-and-true delivers invaluable results.
CMAs expanding traditional ideas of 'pop' - Life & Arts