Florida Georgia Line
Can't Say I Ain't Country
© BMLG
November 7 - 13, 2021
Year of Release: 2019
Rating:
Tyler Got Him A Tesla (Skit)
Can't say I Ain't Country
Simple
Talk You Out Of It
All Gas No Brakes (Skit)
Speed Of Love
Women
People Are Different
Told You
Sack'a Puppies (Skit)
Y'all Boys
Small Town
Sittin' Pretty
Catfish Nuggets (Skit)
Can't Hide Red
Colorado
Like You Never Had It
Swerve
Blessings
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TODAY's COUNTRY.... Really? I had to swallow a loud GULP! when it was decided that Florida Georgia Line was chosen as this week's Album Pick of The Week. Why you
ask? Well, Today's Country in the 21st Century just doesn't SOUND Country. I grew up during the 1970s, and learning the GREAT Country decades. The 1970s was
definitely a great decade of Country, likewise decades previous. I didn't really follow the 1980s Country decade, yet when I researched/learned of it, it was another
great decade, likewise the 1990s Country decade. Entering the 21st Century Country, it was shaping into another "kind of Country." As it would turn out, the
"sound" of the current Country wasn't reallyi sounding Country. It was having a more "Pop" sound, where Pop music was mixing with Country music, and for us old-timers
of Country music fans, it just was not sounding Country as it should be; following the great Country decades past.
Now, my listening experience to the latest Country artists, one in particular -- FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE. They achieved #1 Country songs, and to be quite honest,
they did not SOUND Country to me. Sounding more like Pop, where Pop meets Country, creating what we know today as "Today's Country." 2012 was the year Florida
Georgia Line was introduced to us, with their album Here's To The Good Times. It contained two #1's: "Cruise" and "Stay." A "Re-Release" of this
album achieved another #1: "This Is How We Roll." The duo's next album was released in 2014 - Anything Goes. This album added another Country #1:
"Dirt." 2016 saw their third album, Dig Your Roots." In 2017, they teamed up with Bebe Rexa, and they hit #1 with a song that JUST ISN'T COUNTRY
- "Meant To Be." By this time, my opinion of Florida Georgia Line was -- "Good Lord, they AIN'T COUNTRY!" Country music was having a MORE POP sound. (Add
Taylor Swift to this, when she first started. And Luke Bryan, and another "Country" duo - Dan + Shay.) Sorry folks, Country IS Country, not having a Pop sound to it,
and what also was creeping into "Today's Country," was "Country Rap." (facepalm)
Florida Georgia Line not only had their #1 "Country" songs, their albums reached the #1 spot as well (Country albums chart): Here's To The Good Times, Anything
Goes, Dig Your Roots. Anything Goes did reach #1 on the Pop albums chart.
2019 saw FGL's next album, Can't Say I Ain't Country, this week's album pick of the week, and FGL's debut here on WSVNRadio. With this album's title,
I'm thinking, like myself, the opinions concerning Florida Georgia Line had fallen for the worse. That is, this is "Today's Country" -- when everyone is saying that
"Today's Country" is really "Today's POP Country." Surprisingly, Can't Say I An't Country achived NO #1 Country songs from it. And in listening to this album,
the title is pretty much telling us, from Florida Georgia Line, that they are not saying that are NOT Country. And, surprisingly, this album IS COUNTRY!
Every song has a Country sound, blending with the previous Country sound, that the way it should be. Florida Georgia Line finally made it -- as a COUNTRY sounding
act, and providing a GOOD Country sounding album.
The duo of Florida Georgia Line is Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley. Brian Kelley defined the sound on Can't Say I Ain't Country - "A lot of the music is
just kind of a throwback - and FGL take on kind of what we grew up on, '90s Country. It's a well-rounded album. We got stuff we wrote and recorded just for the live
show. We got some collaborations with Jason Derulo (R&B), Jason Aldean (Country). So, theres a little of everything. Jason Aldean helped out on vocals on
Can't Hide Red." Jason Derulo helped out on vocals on "Women." There are various voicemail skits throughout the album, and they were provided by Brother
Jervel: "Tyler Got Him A Tesla," "All Gas No Brakes," "Sack'a Puppies," "Cafish Nuggets." Just funny little voicemail messages left for Tyler and Brian.
Thinking... Ok, here goes... Florida Georgia Line... GULP!...
Boy, was I wrong...
The title track kicks off the album, and wow, it does sound Country! It blends well with what the GOOD Country sounded like, just as Brian Kelley mentioned about
the throwback, in what he and Tyler were listening to, of Country music, from the 1990s. A good decade it was. The next three songs also defines what "Today's
Country" should sound like - "Simple," "Talk You Out Of It" and "Speed Of Love."
Then of course, you have to mix in some good Country ballads. "Women" is one of those here. "People Are Different" is another good upbeat
Country song. And just when you've finally decided that Florida Georgia Line IS A GOOD COUNTRY ACT, all you can say is "WOW!" (and in a great way), on
"Told You." And even "Y'all Boys" has the "wow factor," as it has a great "Mystery Train" riff. It works well, and yes, IT'S COUNTRY!
However, probably the only song that I really didn't care for, is "Small Town." They have what is called "Country Rap" in it, and quite honestly,
Rap could, SHOULD NEVER be mixed with Country music. Mixing Pop with Country is one thing, but Rap mixed with Country.. No, just plain NO.
The remaining tracks of this album are all done exceptionally well. "Sittin' Pretty, "Can't Hide Red" (with Jason Aldean, he is another artist who is
definitely a Country sounding artist in "Today's Country,") "Colorado" (with R&B artist Jason Derulo), "Like You Never Had It," "Swerve," and
"Blessings." They all have that throwback to the '90s Country, and these songs pretty much picked up where it left off, and traveling onward, into the 21st
Century. This is good Country music, and what could really be considered as "Today's Country."
Three singles were released for this album, and surprisingly, none of them reached #1 Country: "Simple," "Talk You Out Of It" and "Blessings."
The title track and "Told You" are two (if not more) of the album's standouts. Also to mention the "Mystery Train" riff on "Y'all Boys."
Can't Say I Ain't Country is a great album title for Florida Georgia Line to say to everyone who doubted them (including myself) -- They "Told You" --
you "Can't Say I Ain't Country."
Can't Say I Ain't Country says it all, Florida Georgia Line IS COUNTRY on this one. They proved they can record Country music they it should.
SOUNDING COUNTRY. Their most recent album is Life Rolls On (2021). Another surprise, since it's release in February, 2021, three singles from it has been
released. None of the three have reached #1, nor has the album itself reached #1. Hmmm, after Can't Say I Ain't Country, they have already achieved that they
are a Country act, and maybe they've reached their ultimate goal, of being a Country act. Their previous albums before Can't Say I Ain't Country will be
reviewed later on. And although those albums contained those "not Country" #1's, it will be also be seen, if the rest of these albums are also "Not Country" ?
We will see...
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