Before I start prophesizing on what country music will sound like in 2016, it is necessary you watch these two videos.
Have you seen the future? The top video is Chris Lane, the flagship artist for Big Loud Records, a new label which grew out of Big Loud Mountain and Big Loud Shirt, which have been partially responsible for some of the bro-country coming out of Music Row the past couple of years. He is being pitched as the next breakout artist, and his funky R&B vibe coupled with hip lyrics comparing love to addition is sure to make an impact on the format. ‘Fix’ went for adds on December 7 and received 73, topping the add board.
The bottom video is Drew Baldridge, whose ‘Dance With Ya’ has been spinning on SiriusXM’s The Highway since July but will go for terrestrial radio adds on January 4. The disco-influenced track is his debut with Cold River Records (the former label home of Katie Armiger – remember that mess?). It’s an independent label, but as we’ve seen with Kelsea Ballerini in 2015, if the song is on trend and they have the right relationships with radio stations, anything is possible.
Soul (in the commercial pop sense of the word), R&B, funk (again modern and commercial), and even disco are all styles set to be incorporated into mainstream country music in 2016. New Columbia signee Maren Morris is one of the format’s buzziest new acts, and her debut EP is about as far removed from country as you get. Sure, first single has southern gospel inflections, but beyond that she’s very , and while I am beginning to enjoy some of her offerings, by any stretch. Still, she is set to make a mark.
Once King of Country Radio Luke Bryan is done with his new single ‘Home Alone Tonight’, he is likely to want to release the title track from his most recent album ‘Kill The Lights’. That song has funk/disco influences, and I imagine he’s been waiting for just the right time to release that. Once a few newbie acts have tried and tested the style, it’s time for the big hitters to move in and make the trend a thing. A new Florida Georgia Line album is coming too, and as much as they claim they’re looking to put more substance and meaning into their music, a latheir okay-but-nothing-special single ‘Confession’ (from their last album), I have a feeling they’re going to want to move into a funkier sonic terrain. A lot of their appeal comes from trends, partying and throwaway hits of the moment, so they would be almost stupid not to follow what everyone else is doing.
Even Carrie Underwood’s brand new single ‘Heartbeat’ is rooted in R&B, a style not dissimilar to Kelsea Ballerini and a feel that might finally help launch Mickey Guyton properly (given her background in R&B). A new Cole Swindell single is being delivered to radio this month and will go for adds in January – I’m sure we can expect him of all people to follow the same path.
I’m not particularly happy about any of this – I am someone who prefers country to keep its roots in mind even as it progresses – but at the very least it’s encouraging that the genre is moving on perhaps entirely from bro-country. Country music has done a lot of changing in the mainstream over the last few years, and I’m hopeful also that this new trend will equally last for only a short period of time. Eventually country radio has got to slow down, revert slightly and get its shit together, right?
On the bright side, we have some great new music coming in 2016 too. Brandy Clark’s sophomore record ‘Big Day In A Small Town’ is due for release April 1 while her lead single ‘Girl Next Door’ will hit radio on February 15. There are new records due from Holly Williams and Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert is expected to deliver an excellent record post-divorce. The Dixie Chicks are embarking on their first US tour for 10 years and may inspire some radio play, while all that time spent together might just lay the foundations for a new album (they’re also heading out to Europe). Shania Twain has said she is working on her first album since 2002 and we might actually get something from Garth Brooks, who previously lost all the music he was working on when his phone broke (seriously). Martina McBride is working on her first album for Nash Icon and Hank Williams, Jr. will release his first effort on the label on January 15.
Other artists with albums due in 2016 include Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Charles Kelley (just an EP, but should be good all the same), Hillary Scott (a gospel album with mother Linda Davis and family), Jake Owen, Sam Hunt, the Pistol Annies (remember they reunited recently and promised a new album), Eric Church (if ‘Mr. Misunderstood’ was truly a side project), Loretta Lynn (her first in 12 years), Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Jennifer Nettles, Joey + Rory, Brothers Osborne and many more. Keep an eye on ourcalendar for official album and single release dates, from both the country and Americana scenes.
Country radio will do its own thing no matter what. I still don’t see them lavishing airplay on women, or even making particular efforts to include them more in their playlists, but that is something we will just have to deal with. As for everyone else, well radio is becoming less and less important in building a career, as streaming and digital sales dominate and touring functions as artists’ main source of income. As many have proved, you can have a successful career nowadays without the help of radio. And thank God for that.
