A Music Debate--With a Twist

PREFACE After much debate, I have decided to try and do a different genre of music in each round, to keep things interesting. In this round, I will be doing a review of "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson (see video.) For the lyrics, please see the link at the bottom of my speech. I was considering doing three other songs, including "The Call" by Regina Spektor, "Girls Chase Boys" by Ingrid Michaelson, and "Applause" by Lady Gaga. I ultimately chose "Redneck Woman" because I think it may be less well-known, and therefore I will be able to look at it more impartially--I haven't been influenced by other reviews. REVIEW Today's country music is dominated by the likes of Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, and the like--all artists who weave heavy pop and rock influences into their sounds, to create a new breed of country music. This new sound, smoother, more electronic, and less bayou in its presentation, has become the new archetype of country music. While this transformation is not necessarily a bad thing in itself--after all, music, like all art, evolves with time--it has had the unfortunate consequence of shifting the country genre away from its roots and making it a less unique form of music. When first listening to Sarah Evans's "Slow me Down," for instance, you might mistake it for the latest pop single. Upon hearing Miranda Lambert's "Nobody's Fool" you might think she was a rocker with country influences, not a country singer with rock influences. And, even the instrumentals to Rascal Flatts' "Rewind" seem mired with rock and pop sounds. Ultimately, this less-than-authentic country music is blurring the line between what is, or is not, "country." Amidst all of this gentrification in the country genre, there are those few songs that exemplify, unabashedly, true "country" sound. "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson is one such gem. From the very first guitar notes, the song is unmistakably country, harkening back to the Brook's and Dunn-style Honky-Tonk music that used to dominate the genre. Characterized by assertive guitar, violin, and banjo sounds, laced with upbeat piano notes that drift through the curtain of strings, the instrumental is aggressive and easy to move to. It also supports the white-trash-embracing lyrics Wilson throws at her listeners. The low-class sound of the music reinforces the singers' country pride in a total rejection of the creeping influences of the pop/rock scene into country music. Wilson's semi-autobiographical lyrics are a blatant assault on the idea that white trash is, in fact, a bad thing. The irony here, is that the song implicitly accepts that the subject is "trashy," but then seeks to glorify that "trashiness." This stands in contrast to other artists, such as Terri Clark or Taylor Swift, who have sought to portray country women as independent and strong without labeling them as low-class. But Wilson refuses to shy away from that label. The success of Wilson's artistry here is her imagery, and her skill in painting that mental tableau of the woman standing, in the middle of summer, on a Christmas light-festooned porch in dirty jeans and a t-shirt, balancing a baby on her hip. It conjures up every stereotype of the backwoods woman, and puts it to a track that sounds like it was recorded straight out of a tavern down in Montgomery, Alabama. It very aggressively assails the listener with this low-class imagery, reminding them in each refrain though, that the singer is proud of her background and, shamelessly proud of her status as a "Redneck Woman." Sophistication is not for everyone, nor is the Barbie-doll lifestyle that Wilson mocks. Her lyrics point us to the idea that she, in all of her "trashy, hardcore" glory, is perhaps more authentic and "real" than a "high class broad." The unfortunate fact of her ultra-country sound, however, is that she is at a greater risk of being ignored. Her sound is so backwoods that the wit and message underlying that outward "countryness" could be ignored by critics and audiences alike. Yet, "Redneck Woman" is a unique twist on the feminist country stage, not simply for its embrace of the low-class label, but for its traditional sound. While my review has been generally positive until this point, there are some legitimate criticisms that can be made. The primary critique I will focus on is the song's repetitive lyrics. To illustrate this point, we only need to reference the lines themselves. Of 55 total lines, 36 lines are repeated at least three times during a three and a half minute song. In other words, only 19 lines intersperse tracts of redundant filler. While tolerable one or twice, this song quickly becomes nauseatingly cyclical and hard to listen to, simply because it lacks variety. In the course of this review, I have replayed the song 5 times, and already I am ready to shoot my computer screen in pent up frustration. Sure, Wilson switches from Charlie Daniels to Tanya Tucker to ole Bocephus, but, while clever, these tricks are an insufficient remedy to this song's repetition curse. On the other hand, the song is designed to be anthemic--a song that functions more as a rousing chant to energize all loyal country fans than to be a song of high art. This requires some amount of repetition to allow for easy recall and audience participation, which helps to get the crowds going. Because of this, we can forgive some of the repetition, but even so, there is still too much. The other criticism worth mentioning is the relative simplicity of the instrumentals. While they are "country," they are also fairly cyclical and lacking in technical complexity. The bridge between the second and third choruses falls totally flat, especially when compared to highly complex banjo or guitar instrumentals put forth by equally "country" groups like the Dixie Chicks. It is clear that the sound Wilson is cultivating has room to grow, and I expect that as her music develops more, increased depth and richness will follow. So, what is my take on the song--for good or ill? I think, on a 1-10 scale where 10 is the best possible score, "Redneck Woman" earns a 7. Easy to dance to and authentically country, this song willfully bucks the trends in the genre, and does it with panache. It sends not only a weighty message to listeners about female empowerment and avoiding phony "Barbie-doll" lifestyles, but it does so in a relatively creative fashion. It quickly elicits audience participation, livening up any tailgate party or drinking contest, and is sure to be a hit--so long as you don't play it too often. Its repetition both lyrically and instrumentally makes replays unbearable (I should know, I'm on my 8th repeat, and I'm reaching for that gun...) Wilson's style, while having a solid foundation, does need some work, and it is obvious that she is a relatively new artist on the scene, despite her aggressive and confident style. But, regardless of these faults, "Redneck Woman" will go down in country music as the anthem Wilson wanted it to be, and deservedly so. For all its failures, it has reminded the genre of what it is supposed to be--it is country music, not pop music, after all. Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com... http://www.youtube.com...