I'll lay it out there. Presenting my five least favorite country songs of 2012 is always a risky proposition only because there's someone who will get ticked off. It happens. And, that's okay. You have as much right to like a song as I do not to like it. That's what opinion pieces are all about. With that, I give you my Top 5 Duds of 2012:

5. No Hurry by the Zac Brown Band

We were rolling right along with the Zac Brown Band as they chalked up huge hit         after huge hit, and all of them fun, original songs. And then...we hit a wall. That wall was called "No Hurry." While the song was a big hit--it reached the Top 5 nationally--it represented an unwelcome departure for the guys.

It's a completely lifeless number about doing absolutely nothing. Maybe that's why the band went for a lackadaisical tone. I don't know. What I do know is that for the first time, I was reaching for the knob when a Zac Brown Band song came on.

 

 

4. Kick It in the Sticks by Brantley Gilbert

We're gonna hear about this one. But here goes.

Okay, I have no problem with a rockin' country song. But this isn't a country song. And that's okay, too. What isn't okay is not being able to understand anything that's being sung. And when I actually DID find the lyrics, I was incredibly disappointed to learn that the song was about how great it is to be in the country and to live the country lifestyle.

Don't get me wrong. That's a fine topic. But why couldn't Brantley sing a COUNTRY song about the country? A little banjo? A little steel? Something.

Well, anyway, the song remains on our playlist because you guys love it and voted it the the 8th most popular song of the year on the Big BKR Smackdown. And, I do feel it reaches an audience that country music has shamefully neglected over the last few years.

It's just that I don't like it. For what it's worth.

 

 

3. Southern Comfort Zone by Brad Paisley

I thought this was clever the first time I heard it. Then I heard it a second time and it hit me. Brad Paisley was at it again. Every once in a while he does that thing where he just lists items that pertain to a certain topic. "I'm Still a Guy," "Camouflage," "Online," "Celebrity," and "American Saturday Night" were like that. But this is the last straw.

It's an incredibly overblown apology for leaving your hometown and going out into the world. But we don't get there before hearing a long list of things that define living in the South. It doesn't really matter that you can't drink sweet tea in France. Brad has said that he wanted to go places with his new album that he'd never gone before. That's fine, man. Just don't apologize for it, okay? And lose the choir.

 

 

2. Wanna Make You Love Me by Andy Gibson

Andy had a Top 20 hit with this one, and the production is solid. But, lyrically, it's one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard in my lifetime. Makes my teeth hurt.

If you are going to write a love song, please include lyrics that people might actually SAY if they were actually SAYING them. And, if you're really gonna go there with words like this, you HAVE to sound sincere. You just have to. Otherwise, "Wanna Make You Love Me" turns into "Wanna Make Me Run Screaming from the Room."

 

 

1. That's Why I Pray by Big & Rich

Practice what you preach. Then again, in a country song, I'd prefer you not preach to me at all. Hey John Rich and Big Kenny, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I understand that the world isn't in great shape right now. And that's why better material is required. If you're going to cover what's covered in this thing, eloquence is a must. Or maybe I've just finally gotten tired of that weird Big & Rich harmony. It IS starting to hurt my hears.

 

 

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