Really? This is the next On The Verge pick? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Devin Dawson is a nice guy and all, and On The Verge has made some great picks in the past. They've also made some absolutely stupid picks for songs that obviously have no distinctive qualities whatsoever to them. That's the short version of how I'd describe Devin's debut single, "All On Me". 

​If you're wondering who he is...well, join the club I guess. He's from California and apparently rose to fame due to a viral Taylor Swift mashup. That's kind of it. 

As for this song, I think the biggest problem here is that it's trying way to hard to be serious, especially given the subject matter. The tones used are a little darker, and besides an organ in the background as well as some restrained guitars throughout, you're not really getting much here. Sure, it's nice to hear a debut single from a mainstream country artist that isn't so cluttered, but the problem is that nothing here is spectacular or really grabs your attention. The song just sort of exists. That's really its only purpose. 

I guess I can give a little bit of credit for the vocals. Devin isn't a distinctive singer by any means, and I swear if I hear one more male country artist try (and often fail) to go into their falsetto I'm going to scream. Still, his delivery is sincere enough given the subject matter. It's not an exciting performance at all, but there's believability. 

As for the subject matter, eh. It's essentially about a guy offering support to a girl whenever the weight of the world is too much for her. There's nothing all that clever about the wordplay used here. In fact, there's even some awkward one-liners such as "come get high on me". The theme isn't bad necessarily. It's just such an overdone one in country music, and if you want to make this kind of song stand out you need to either insert some clever details in the writing or make your production more interesting. Unfortunately none of that happens. 

So overall, boring would be the perfect word to describe the debut single from Devin Dawson. It's not particularly offensive, but it goes in one ear and out the other, and quite frankly you won't remember a bit of it once you're done with it. Devin is a new artist and this is his debut single, so maybe there's more here than what his debut single is offering, because it unfortunately doesn't offer much. 

Grade: C-
Listen: "All On Me"

Author: ​Zack

I’m honestly at a loss for where to start with Justin Moore. You see, he’s always been a mixed bag for me, but this past year and a half has really made me confused on my opinion for Justin’s music up to this point. While I’ve never cared for his pandering outlaw shtick, I remember having a very favorable opinion for what was at the time the lead off single to his latest album (Kinda Don’t Care), “You Look Like I Need A Drink”. It seemed to fit perfectly with the mainstream at the time. It was a tad more modern, sure, but it was also a song that certainly belonged well within the country genre, and it also was pretty clever lyrically also.
Then his latest album came out, and oh boy is it hard to talk about. For country purists or country music bloggers who grade with consideration of genre, this was an easy album to bash. After all, Justin essentially ditched the twang and the country instrumentation to go full on pop. For others like me who don’t want to get into the genre debate as much, well…it was refreshing to hear him drop a lot of the outlaw pandering bullshit, but one the other hand, it was so big of a change that just didn’t fit well with Justin at all. That’s probably the reason I never covered it myself.
Thankfully his newest single (the title track off of Kinda Don’t Care) is more in line with the few songs that actually sounded like Justin Moore such as “You Look Like I Need A Drink”, “Robbin’ Trains”, and….uh….wow I guess that’s it.
Jokes aside, I have to give credit to Justin for this song. It’s a smart take on a familiar subject in country music. Unlike past songs of his such as “Backwoods”, “Beer Time” or all of the other horrible cliché fests, this track actually doesn’t center so much on trying to live the outlaw way. In fact, the narrator here has apparently been a good boy. He’s been watching his weight, going to church, and doing other things to ensure that he lives on the right path. The song’s chorus sees him wanting to indulge in the pleasures from which he’s kept himself such as drinking and smoking and other things of this nature. He’s going to as well, since tonight he kind of doesn’t care anymore. There’s a reference to a heartbreak that may have set all of this off as well. Yeah, it’s not the most original song in the world, and truth be told a better writer may have been able to come at this with a little more humor or wit. However, I like the angle the song plays. He’s aware of the dangers these things he enjoys will cause him, and he’s just doing it to blow off some steam from a breakup. It’s coming from a more mature, understandable position. The line about wanting to find a pretty little thing raises a red flag, but in all honesty it’s kind of a fun song.
Well, it’s a fun song on paper that is. My biggest criticism for this track is that Justin sort of comes across a little monotone in his delivery here. Sure, that just may be the frustration building up inside of him from holding off on his enjoyment, but I can’t help but feel as if there could have been a little more energy put into the overall performance.
The instrumentation and production is really where this song gets enjoyable however. In essence, it’s actually got a, dare I say it, outlaw bedrock complete with some old school, choppy electric guitar, nice bass groove, and definitely some nice pedal steel play. In other words, it’s the kind of song Justin has always wanted to make and finally actually has. The song remains good throughout, but I’m willing to give it some extra credit for the extended electric guitar/pedal steel outro. Again, it provides a moment of fun that I just wish was evident in the overall delivery.
One of my favorite things to do as a reviewer is giving credit where its due, and as I’ve stated before, Justin earns it here. The song is one of those songs that’s simple in what it’s going for, and yet it’s highly effective in its execution. It sort of feels weird praising a song that feels the closest to what Justin has been trying to be for so damn long on an album that couldn’t have seen him stray further from himself, but that’s why I’m reviewing this particular song. It works well, and while I do think the writing could have been sharper, this is definitely one of the better songs on the radio right now. 

Grade: B
Listen: "Kinda Don't Care"

Author: Zackary Kephart

Jason Aldean's latest studio album, They Don't Know, highlighted many of his greatest strengths as an artist, including melancholic performances and a nuanced emotional viewpoint. However, his most recent single, the title track, fails to capture many of those qualities, and instead relies on many of Aldean's worst habits.

While hardly a terrible record, "They Don't Know" is reliant on cliches and a formulaic structure that is reminiscent of his past work, and none of his better efforts at that. The guitar work lacks depth or nuance, while the lyrical content fails to rise above the blue collar pandering that was all the rage in the early 2010s. Aldean, who demonstrated a certain level of emotion on stellar tracks such as "Fly Over States" and "Amarillo Sky", doesn't deliver with even a subtle level of emotional intricacy. 

The track isn't particularly offensive, as the melody is relatively strong and Aldean is fairly technically proficient over the course of the record. It certainly doesn't reach the bottom of the barrel in ways that efforts such as "1994" did, but provokes an indifferent reaction more than anything. On an album with its share of strong recordings, "They Don't Know" feels like settling on Aldean's behalf.

Grade: C+
Listen: "They Don't Know"

Luke Bryan has long been criticized for failing to live up to his full potential, opting for mindless party jams over anything resembling depth. For the first five singles off his current record, Kill the Lights, one could argue this has been the truth. However, with his latest single "Fast", Bryan takes himself in a more reflective direction, with astonishing results. 

"Fast" depicts the struggles of time passing, transitioning through life's different phases and a seemingly unstoppable pace. While not an entirely complex message, it is an important one and one that is handled with more than enough proficiency here. The song's message is one that nearly everyone can relate to, and one we must all hold close to our heart. Where "Fast" thrives is not only in its lyricism, however. The production, while leaning in a pop-country direction, remains relatively rooted within country territory. The melody and hook are among Bryan's best work, while the melancholic atmosphere works to enhance the on-paper songwriting.

Bryan's own performance, from a technical and performance standpoint, easily ranks among his best work, adding a depth of realism to an already universal message. On all counts, "Fast" is one of the finest efforts that mainstream country has offered up of late, and a career highlight for Bryan, who continually shoots well below his potential as an A-lister. More of this, please.

Grade: A
Listen: "Fast"

Author: Markus Meyer

After our Worst of List, let's take a much more positive look at some music we loved this year, courtesy of, once again, myself (Markus), as well as Chris Baggs and an anonymous writer. Enjoy everybody!
​

#19 
Brandy Clark, "Love Can Go To Hell"

I quite enjoy the more liquid, breezy tones of this song, and as always, Brandy's penmanship is always an asset. A far cry from the more stripped down acoustic leanings of her last offering, 12 Stories, sure, but this is a true example of artistical evolution from one of the brightest stars in the genre right now. - Anonymous

#16
Cam, "Mayday"

The follow-up to the mega-hit "Burning House", "Mayday" might just be an improvement on the universaly acclaimed breakout. With an intricate vocal backed by a mostly-acoustic production and clever-yet-emotional lyrical content, it's near perfection coming from one of country's brightest young stars. - Markus Meyer

#14
Billy Currington, "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To"

Has Billy Currington ever sounded better? I'm not sure he has. Currington puts in blisteringly confident performance over a wonderfully melancholic lyric and a stomping production. The melody is the cherry on top of this well deserved #1 hit. - MM

#13
Artists of Then, Now, & Forever, "Forever Country"

What could have been a jumbled mess was my personal highlight of the year. A startlingly good collaboration between multiple generations, blended by a seamless modern-yet-traditional production. It's a beautiful tribute to the genre we all love, and an absolutely unforgettable record. - MM 

#12 
RaeLynn, "Love Triangle"

Colour me surprised. At the start of the year, I would have never predicted that RaeLynn, of the dreadful "God Made Girls", would be near the top in terms of 2016's best moments. An absolutely stunning lyric is propped up by a killer melody, solid production, and a strong vocal (relative to RaeLynn standards) make this a dynamite single. - MM

#10
Cody Jinks, "I'm Not the Devil"

One of the year's best-written songs, sung by one of the genre's better performers. Traditional country with a bit of an edge, and one of the highlights off of country music's best albums this year. - MM

#5
Alan Jackson, "The One You're Waitin' On"

A simple ballad turned into a stunning record by a masterful performance from Alan Jackson. The production and melody are as good as anything these days, while the lyrics are toned down but effective. In his commercial prime, this could have been a classic, and honestly, it should have been today. - MM

#3 
Tim McGraw, "Humble and Kind"

A stunning display of the power of simplicity. It's a song that says simply to be kind, and yet it turned out to be one of 2016's most touching moment. McGraw turns in a stellar performance of the universal-message turned mega-smash, making the Lori McKenna written tune one of the most memorable records of the past several years. - MM

Welcome to the first of This Is Country Music's year-end installments! In our first set, we look at the 20 worst radio singles of 2016. The list was tabulated from a points sytem, taking into account rankings from myself (Markus), as well as an anonymous user and Chris Baggs (chart guru and 91.3 podcast host). Enjoy, and stay tuned for our best-of list coming tomorrow!

#19 
Jason Aldean, "Lights Come On"

Normally I'd just write this off as another boring, overproduced Jason Aldean rocker. For God's sake though, this is seriosuly what you're giving us seven albums into your career? This song is proof that Jason Aldean is one of the worst artists out there when it comes to artistical evolution, and that line about him and his boys blowing things up really helps to establish this song's placement on this list. - Anonymous

#18
Granger Smith, "If The Boot Fits"

Honestly, this is more boring than outright atrocious, but still, can the production on this track be anymore lifeless? Even Granger doesn't sound like he cares, so why should we? The lyrics follow the typical checklist template that sound even more dated in 2016 as they did in 2014. - A

#17
Brett Eldredge, "Drunk On Your Love"

We overuse the phrase, “a nine-year could have wrote this”…but if I can’t use that phrase here, then when can I?
“I woke uh-uh-up
Still druh-uh-unk
On your luh-uh-ove, on your luh-uh-ove
Now I know why-eye-eye
I'm feeling so high-igh-igh" - CB

#15
Jake Owen ft. Chris Stapleton, "If He Ain't Gonna Love You"

This is honestly just......weird. I mean as a psychadelic rock song, I suppose it's alright albeit nothing special. However, considering this was released to country radio, it really doesn't work. The narrator's tone is way too arrogant, and honestly, do I really need to say how much Chris overpowers Jake here? The Stapleton add on might have been to help this song blow up, but it's really done the opposite, collecting very few sales thus far as well as a long, slow chart run for Jake. Maybe it wasn't the best option? -A

#14
Chris Lane, "For Her"

Holy falsetto Batman! This song has the trademarks of some of Joey Moi's worst production here (that's saying something too), and the lyrics are compiled of nothing but cliches, making this song nothing more than just something to fill time on the radio, something I'd say about every track of Chris Lane's thus far. - A

#13
Dierks Bentley, "Somewhere On a Beach"

This so, so beneath Dierks Bentley. One of the immature and arrogant records of the year, complete with a bland production and grating melody. There are some semblances of a good idea here, but it's execution is beyond poor. Perhaps the year's most dissapointing single. - Markus Meyer

#12
Brantley Gilbert, "The Weekend"

Brantley Gilbert at his worst. Re-hashed party lyrics that sound like they were passed over in 2013, obnxoxious production recalling "Kick It In the Sticks", and almost unbearable vocal performance. Literally nothing about this song is good. Gilbert can be one of the genre's best... But not when he's releasing this kind of effort. - MM

#10
Chase Rice, "Whisper"

Why hear it from me when Chase Rice himself can tell you that this sucks? 

Lol at that #56 peak too. - A

#9
Dustin Lynch, "Seein' Red"

A completely phoned-in, non-country piece of processed dreck. There is not one redeemable aspect of this song, and is further evidence that Dustin Lynch is fully content with redoing the same song, with a less country arrangement, time and time and time again. - MM

#8
Chris Lane, "Fix"

A weak metaphor backed by an even worse production style. At it's best, it's cluttered pop, and in no way, shape, or form should this record be considered country music. Chris Lane has talent, but he should either use it for country music, or make his way to the exit. - MM

#7
Jana Kramer, "Said No One Ever"

Jana Kramer has been most succesful commercially, and in terms of quality, when she records reflective and interesting songs, backed by an intimate country arrangement (see: "I Got the Boy"). Why she released a song as obnoxious and honestly, pointless, as this one, I will never know. A dreadful hook, terrible vocal, and grating production don't help matters. - MM

#5
Steven Tyler, "Red, White and You"

This song makes me more sad than anything. It's baffling that a man of his age and musical ability would feel the need to record a Chase Rice ripoff of the lowest degree. This just... Depresses me. "Free fallin' into your yum yum"? Um... No. Lyrics aside, the production and vocals are almost equally as bad. It's a rather unfortunate moment in country music history.  - MM

#4
The Band Perry, "Comeback Kid"

I’m slightly disappointed I only get two paragraphs to reflect on this one. I truly though The Band Perry couldn’t possibly release a single to Country radio worse than “Live Forever”…oops. At best, this song is bizarre. For those who don’t know, the lyrics are a direct shot at the backlash the band received from “Live Forever” and the shelved cross-over album, Heart + Beat.
“How dare you forget where I started out…uh oh, uh oh”
That’s a reference to the band’s #1 single from 2010, “If I Die Young.” 
“I believe it’s been a year, the worst one I’ve ever lived.”
It was exactly one year from the release of “Live Forever” to “Comeback Kid”.
I could go on because the entire song is a gigantic “F You” to anyone who disliked the band’s musical direction in 2015. The truth is nobody enjoys kicking you when you’re down. They express opinions over what they deem bad music. Every. Single. Artist. Is. Open. To. It. The way this band treated “Live Forever’s” chart bomb and the exiting from Big Machine Label Group couldn’t have gone any more childish (included deleted their tweets/Twitter account and removing “Live Forever” from YouTube for a short period of time). This was my vote for worst song of 2016. - CB

#2
Luke Bryan, "Move"

Okay, so imagine "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)". Okay, now imagine it's worse, and not fun. You get "Move". It takes itself way too seriously for a song about a girl moving her body, and even it didn't it would still suck. Ir's about as irritating and slam-the-P2-button-as-fast-as-you-can worthy as anything this year. It might just be Luke Bryan's worst moment. - MM

#1 
Thomas Rhett, "Vacation"

Country music really was on an upswing this year. Hell, I don't even dislike some songs on this list! However, this song may be the absolute worst song ever released not just to country radio, but music in general. Yeah, it's catchy, but that doesn't make up for the absolutely atrocious lyrical content as well as Thomas Rhett's nasally vocal tone. Plus it took sixteen fucking songwriters to pen this shit. Granted, some of them didn't actually help write it so much as just give Thomas "inspiration" for the melody, but still, there's no excuse for this song. Even Chevy Chase doesn't want to go on this vacation. - A

From all of us here at This Is Country Music, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

We have some awesome new year-end content coming to you before the new year, so stay tuned! Thank you to everybody for your support over the past year, and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families!

- Markus Meyer

After failing to make any sort of significant commercial impact with his last radio attempt, the uptempo "Drinkin' Town With a Football Problem", Billy Currington is back in the upper echelons of the airplay chart with the melancholic "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To". When on his game, the 42-year-old hitmaker is among mainstream country's finest, and this is most certainly one of those moments.

Unlike many of his recent hits, which rely on somewhat fluffy lyrics and pleasant-if-forgettable productions, "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To" shines in it's strong narrative and even better backing track. The track depicts the story of a man who, slowly but surely, is getting over a past love, and while he won't declare victory over the pain, concedes that it is indeed getting better with time. He moves on with his life, getting married, and crafting a new path, but admittedly isn't fully over his past love just yet. In a musical society that relies heavily on either a 'tear in your beer' or a 'ha, you are so gonna miss me' mentality, finding one that takes the best of both worlds is a refreshing change of pace.

The production, meanwhile, is admirable. The strong percussion and bouncy guitars add a layer of intensity to an already strong lyric, and while it takes a back seat to the vocal throughout the verses, explodes into an anthemic chorus built for heavy repetition. Currington is, as usual, on his game from a purely technical standpoint, while seamlessly blending the line between frustration and relief through his interpretive performance. What truly makes Currington's latest hit shine, however, is its melody. The record is a textbook ear worm that makes it easy to reach for the repeat button, only helping the song's case for entry in to heavy airplay rotation. 

"It Don't Hurt Liked It Used To" fires on all cylinders, checking off every box from the vocals, to the melody, to the performance. A veteran relative to his peers, Currington has found a song that is not only developing into a commercial blockbuster, but also a definite standout among the class of 2016. Who knows what we'll get next from the often hit-or-miss Currington, but one thing's for certain, and that's that this one is a homerun.

Grade: A
Listen: "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To"

For this review, we're bringing back our former writer Louis Knoebel as a contributor for our first ever roundtable review! Both myself (Markus) and Louis will write a short review with a letter grade. We hope you enjoy!


Markus Meyer

This is one of those singles that just works. Yes, the lyrics are basic. Yes, there's some semi-rapping/spoken word stuff going on here. Yes, the production isn't fully country. But it just works. It has an 'it' factor about it, and "American Country Love Song" has a lot going for itself. The melody is (particularly throughout the course) is as strong as you'll find on a mainstream country single. The production, despite being a little overbearing in the chorus, has some edge and some flash to it and is, overall, fairly enjoyable despite failing to utilize any traditional country elements. What really makes the record, is Owen's natural charisma, which is on full display here. Unlike "Beachin'" (Owen's last major hit), where he comes across as a cheerful beach fanatic but does so in an obnoxious matter, he sounds fully convincing and full of energy. 

The lyrics are by far the weak point here, as they fail to go beyond a list style description of a small town summer, though they come across as above-average relative to other summer love anthems (hardly a high bar to scale, albeit). Overall, this won't break ground, it won't top any year-end lists, and won't take home any songwriting hardware, but for what it is, a catchy, likable summertime tune, it works. Guilty pleasure? Perhaps, but as far as shallow, anthemic earworms go, this one more than satisfies.

Grade: B

Louis Knoebel

Hey Markus! (And all of you TICM readers!) It's good to be back. You know, it doesn't seem like two people can have a reasonable discussion about things they disagree with these days. I think it's easier to be more open to the other side than we think, which is why Markus picked a song we disagreed on to discuss today. It's not really meant to be a debate per se, just a way of two people seeing each other's opinion and respecting it. 

I can sort of understand all of your points Markus. As somebody who thinks that Jake Owen is one of the few artists that can pull off a "bro" summery sound, I want to like a song like "American Country Love Song". I don't know if Sam Hunt actually started the whole trend of talking while singing, but it sure as heck is more noticeable these days. I can honestly barely get through the verses because of this. I do agree that it kicks up a notch in terms of melody when it gets to the chorus. Being a summer song, I'm not going to be as hard on the lyrics here as I probably should be, but even still it's just way too generic for my personal tastes. There's a way to make these sort of songs work, and even Owen's natural charisma seems to be missing here for me. 

Even still, I've always like Jake, and I think that he could pulling an ol' "Dierks Bentley" on us. What I mean by this is that Jake could potentially just be sending out this song to appease radio (because let's face it, "Real Life" did him no favors). Maybe he's setting up to send more substance to radio. We're slowly getting more of it (even if the songs that have it aren't usually the ones that do well). I could totally be wrong but who knows. Still, as much as I've criticized this song it's not the worst thing out there. It's just not Jake's best work. I totally see the appeal in this song, I just wish it appealed to me. 

Grade: C-

Selected as the latest On the Verge pick, Tucker Beathard has gotten a major kickstart for his debut single, "Rock On". As it stands right now, the single appears to be trudging its way through the clogged 20's of the airplay chart, and isn't selling particularly well. It may not be the breakout smash Tucker was hoping for, but in terms of quality, how does "Rock On" do? Well... It does OK.

Now, first of all, this is not an amazing record. It has flaws, and some major ones at that. The one that stands in particular is Beathard's vocals which are, to put it lightly, rough around the edges, particularly when he has to shout over the bombastic production, which leads me into my next point. The production during the chorus is loud. It's bombastic, it's over-the-top, and it's obnoxious. It doesn't work, and really drags down the single.

Of course, "Rock On" does have it's good points. The melody is fairly strong, and relatively engaging. The lyricism is strong, specifically the title hook, as it hits the melancholic sweet spot between regret and moving on. It's rather well-written, which is a pleasant surprise from a new, male artist. Additionally, as rough as the technical vocal abilities are on this track, the performance is wholly believable, and Beathard actually does a superb job in selling the story.

"Rock On" is a very up-and-down listening experience, but one that doesn't spark anger or hatred in any way. Is it a masterpiece, or a career-defining single? No, far from it, but it's hardly the worst we've seen. At its worst, "Rock On" can be described as aggressively mediocre, but at bets is nothing more than listenable radio-fluff. There's been worse, but there's certainly been better as well.

Grade: C+
Listen: "Rock On"