Single Review: ‘C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.’ – LoCash Cowboys
12 years ago Liv Carter 3
Songwriters: Chris Lucas, Preston Brust, Jeffrey Steele
In the last few years, radio has been battered by an onslaught of songs glorifying all things “country.” This has mostly not been a good thing. It is tempting to want to collectively toss them all into the nearest sarlacc pit, and I have pleaded guilty to this in the past. (“I promise to educate myself, Your Honor.”) After doing so, I can mostly take them at face value and, in some cases, even appreciate them as clever pieces of songwriting. Newest addition to this list is the new LoCash Cowboys single, ‘C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.’
For songs such as this, I have come to use three criteria by which to evaluate them. First, make it fun to listen to. Most of these songs do achieve this. Second, do not be condescending. Many fall at this hurdle which really should not be difficult to clear. Just don’t suggest being raised in the south is somehow superior – the accident of someone’s place of birth is of no relevance to their value – and for goodness’ sake, do not be condescending to women (no, not even as a “joke”). And finally, if you are going to use clichés, do so in a creative way. By now, and depressingly, very few songs are left standing.
‘C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.’ swerves past all these. The result of what sounds like a lively writing session with Steele, this song is nothing less (or more) than highly entertaining. Sure, like many others it yet again references hunting, but it does so with a clever line that says ‘Camo, ammo, 12-point buck, *tsch-tschk* bang.’ Girls are not merely “pretty things” brought in for decorative purposes, and most of the by now overused words come wrapped in witty and inventive rhymes.
Is it silly? Well, yes. But that’s sort of the point. You can be sure that if the phrase ‘got a hound dog/named it Merle’ comes from behind barely concealed smiles, Chris and Preston know very well what they are doing.
A point against is the unevenness of the production. The choruses are unnecessarily loaded with sound; the simpler arrangement on the verses is much more effective. The banjo breakdown and the fiddle outro are nice touches, but also make the inconsistency more obvious.
‘C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.’ may be meaning-free but it’s fun, inclusive and creative. It is not aiming for a place in the Library of Congress; it just wants to put a smile on your face. And it will, especially if you get to hear it in its natural habitat: a LoCash Cowboys live show.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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