For our feature Nice Playlist, Brah, we ask some of our favorite musicians to make a themed Spotify playlist for us. You know, Songs to Make-out To, The Worst Bands I Have Ever Heard, Songs Your Mom Would Like, we just ask them to be creative, and then we post them to The Ardent Music Blog and share them with you. When you’re looking for a good Spotify playlist, now you know where to look. This week we invited Billy Matheny of Southeast Engine to put one together for us. We invite you to take listen to the playlist while you read why the musician included each song. Enjoy!
I suppose I’m stating the obvious here, but when you’re in a band, you spend a fair amount of time driving around in a van listening to music. While I would be more than happy to compile a lovingly selected Spotify mix of songs that Southeast Engine actually listens to en route to shows, I thought it would be more fun to turn your attention to that cowboy hat wearing hydra that was 90s mainstream country music.
This music was the bane of my youth. I came of age in rural America during the 1990s when these performers could be heard everywhere. As a rock snob in-training, I didn’t appreciate having to hear Tim McGraw at every turn. My parents used to go little parties at their friends’ houses. The adults would hang out in the kitchen, drinking Zima and Busch, while the kids would play Super Nintendo in the other room. The boombox on the kitchen counter played these CDs, which I’m sure were purchased from Columbia House or BMG. I suppose this music qualifies as the sound of childhood even more than the music that I actually enjoyed.
Without further adieu, here are some choice jams from that era. Don’t rock the jukebox, y’all.
‘Two of Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” by Garth Brooks
This isn’t the most auspicious of beginnings, because Garth Brooks apparently doesn’t allow his music on Spotify. However, making a 90s country mix without him would be like making a pizza without the crust. Because he’s such a cornerstone of the genre, I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for this faithful tribute version. I wholeheartedly recommend finding the original because half the joy of this track is the way that Garth (yes, I refer to him on a first-name basis) enunciates the line, “we really fit together if you know what I’m talkin’ about.” He’s practically beatboxing by the end of it. I like to imagine a cool-cat producer seated behind the glass, coaching him, saying, “Garth, baby, it’s great, but can you get more vowels into that last line?”
“Gone Country” by Alan Jackson
This is a song that Southeast Engine has actually played in the van on occasion. Sometimes we debate the true meaning of it. I think it’s a straight-faced send up of people who were jumping on the country bandwagon in the early 90s. Sort of like Bruce Springsteen being ironic with “Born In The USA.” As a band, our favorite moment in this song is the line, “the whole world’s gone country.” With all due respect to Mr. Jackson, I seriously doubt that all 6.8 billion people on Earth have, in fact, “gone country.”
“Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis
Hand to God, I love Randy Travis. Even though he was wildly popular with the new-country crowd, he truly hearkened back to an older generation of singers like George Jones. His presentation has the kind of sturdiness that reminds you of Johnny Cash. He sings every word like it’s a foregone conclusion, so as a listener, I’m completely sold. Pay special attention to 3:20. His voice sounds like a steak. It’s like mesquite singing.
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks & Dunn
It’s difficult for me to ascertain what Kix Brooks brings to the table in this group. He’s sort of like Art Garfunkel minus the great hair and the heavenly singing voice.
“I Swear” by John Michael Montgomery
“I Swear” is a rare example of a song that was hit for two different artists in one year. Some people may be more familiar with the R&B version by All 4 One. Either way, if you attended a wedding reception in the mid 90s, you knew you were going to hear one or the other. And if you were at all like me, you were none too happy to be seated at the kid’s table.
“This Kiss” by Faith Hill
I generally despise key changes. There’s just something about the ascending whole step that sounds like the aural equivalent of a sequined tuxedo. However, the bridge of this song goes up a half-step in such a beautifully unobtrusive way that you can’t imagine the melody ever doing anything else. It’s the most graceful key change this side of “If I Fell” by The Beatles. Hats off to songwriters Beth Nielsen Chapman, Robin Lerner and Annie Roboff. “This Kiss” is lovely, elegiac and wistful. It’s full of wist.
“I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw
The first line of the second verse of this song is “My momma and dadddy tried to teach me courtesy.” At some unknown point, male country singers began to emphasize the importance of having good manners and treating people with respect. While that’s a message I can get behind, just once I would love to hear a country song where some guy sings about how his parents raised him to be an entitled, selfish jerk. He likes it, he loves it, he wants some more of it and he won’t be sharing.
“Honky Tonk Superman” by Aaron Tippin
This one’s kind of a deep cut. I think the also-rans of the 90s country scene are a lot more interesting than the really big stars. There were all these performers like Aaron Tippin who had a brief moment in the sun and then faded away to the county fair circuit. This track is completely goofy, even by the standards of the genre. If I remember correctly, the cover of the cassingle was a photo of Mr. Tippin seated on a leather coach surrounded by a bunch of dogs.
“Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd
Another deep cut from a performer who enjoyed a bit of popularity. This song is a mysterious Faulknerian tale that taps into the same old, weird America that Bob Dylan and The Band were mining on The Basement Tapes. Or maybe it’s just a stupid song about watermelons…
“Fancy” by Reba McEntire
An inspiring rags-to-riches story of upward class movement. Just imagine Horatio Alger working for an escort service. This is probably the most challenging song on this playlist. Kudos to Reba for scoring a huge hit with a song that features lyrical themes that are bound to make most people slightly uncomfortable. Also, this song has an awesome video. She plays herself as an old lady and a young woman. It’s like an Eddie Murphy movie where he plays all the parts himself. If you’ve seen “Tremors,” you know that she has the acting chops to pull it off.
“That Don’t Impress Me Much” by Shania Twain
Songwriting is easy. All you have to do is make sure that each song has “the good part.” You know, like the chorus of Big Star’s “The Ballad Of El Goodo” or the first 20 seconds of every AC/DC track. The good part of this song is when the music stops and Shania Twain says “Alright, so you’re Brad Pitt.” It’s just that simple.
“Cotton Eyed Joe” by Rednex
If you don’t get it, I’m not going to explain it you.
Southeast Engine is an indie folk/rock group who hail from Athens, OH. They are not at all influenced by mainstream country from the 1990s. Their latest album for Misra Records, Canary, has been acclaimed by such critics as Pitchfork, Popmatters and Paste. They’ve been featured on NPR’s World Cafe w/David Dye and MountainStage. Look for them on tour this summer.
Check out all of our Spotify playlists on The Ardent Music Blog! Thanks to Billy Matheny of Southeast Engine for contributing!
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