I've recently become addicted to the TV show The Voice. I avoided watching the show for the first three seasons, for reasons mainly involving my aversion to shows like American Idol or The X Factor that have annoying hosts mercilessly critique vocalists who have some talent, and are desperate for their chance to make it Big. One night, with nothing to do and nothing else on TV that caught my eye, I sat down to watch The Voice, expecting to hate it, but loving every minute instead. The coaches caught my fancy, and I decided to look into the music of Blake Shelton, a Country star of whom I knew next to nothing about, except that he had stepped out on his first wife with another huge Country star, Miranda Lambert. Lambert and Shelton eventually married, and Blake has no problem bringing up his marriage to Lambert on the Voice, particularly with young girls aspiring to follow in Lambert's well-received footsteps.
I checked Lambert out too, having found her hubby's music to be mainly uninspiring, especially compared to the gems that I've heard from another Country superstar Brad Paisley, or even old-school greats like Johnny Cash. It must have been his unusual mullet that brought him fame, since anyone sporting that funky hairdo had to have a major ego to go along with the it. All styling questions aside, Lambert, on the other hand, had whimsical lyrics and a Rock element to her songs that have the same message of female empowerment that Beyonce touts in her songs. Be strong, and get back on that cheating man. You deserve better. No laying down and taking heartbreak the old-fashioned way, with a smile pasted on your face and Stand by Your Man repeatedly playing in the background as you wolf down a quart of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Miranda sings about getting even, about letting people know when they wronged you, and I appreciated her message. I wish someone had put that message out there back in the days when I was dating, and every girl in high school should listen to her songs and learn what respect can look like. It's not the Chris Brown/Rhianna version, either, where a guy beats you up and you crawl back to him for a second round. Lambert, by the way, had an interesting Twitter feud with Brown about his relationship with Rhianna, and Lambert did the standing up to Brown that Rhianna didn't do herself, making it clear that women were not put on this earth to be used as cheap punching bags. Go, Miranda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le-3MIBxQTw
Another band that has a Rock and Country has a Country tinge to it are the Alabama Shakes. Lead singer Brittany Howard has a Blues voice that would make Janis Joplin proud, and her message is one of love, much along the lines of Lambert's songs, but instead of singing about love gone wrong, Howard sticks to the message of love being more of a saving grace. Howard addresses the saving grace of God as well, but not in a way that would offend the non-religious. Howard is young, and she's only at the start of her career. I think that her lyrics will evolve as she matures. In the meantime, Alabama Shakes measures up. It's good feet-stomping old Rock and Roll, with a solid Country backbone to their songs. Listen, and enjoy!
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