Country Mike Blog

ACM Part 3: Toby, Humanitarians and more

Mike Sudhalter  |  May 15, 2007

Dr. Phil introducing "High Maintenance Woman" by Toby Keith. Pretty funny. And it's a really cool uptempo song by Keith, who's albums are usually saddled with lots of slow ballads. One big monster hit and 11 ballads. OK, Maybe that's an exaggeration.

And Brooks and Dunn won this year's Home Depot Humanitarian Award. It's good to see the ACM giving out awards that go beyond the music. And it's also nice to know that these mega-millionaire artists are giving back to the community.

Gretchen Wilson: "(Cowboy)Troy, we just shamelessly promoted our own music on national television". How else are you going to promote them?

It was nice to see Big and Rich collaborate with John Legend, but are these guys going to continue gift-wrapping bad pop into bad country. Their series of novelty songs from their debut album was enough.

George Strait is unstoppable and I knew "Give It Away" was a good enough song to pick up all these awards. I'm glad the ACM folks agree with folks like me. His acceptance speech was simple and straightforward just like the man.

Now, to the man with the Vegas theme and a song titled "Johnny Cash", Jason Aldean. Now, it's a great song, but I wish it wasn't titled "Johnny Cash". There's about a million other things it could have been called, like "Las Vegas", "Gas Up the Pontiac" or "Headed for The Highway" or something like that. The "Johnny Cash" title gives the single instant exposure, but if you're going to write a tune about a legend, the song better hold up. I'm not sure this one does.

I just saw Mr. I Gave Up on Nashville A Long Time Ago, Pat Green sitting in the aisle. He's definitely become the polar opposite of the artist he once was. Getting Texas Music out to the masses isn't the same, if it's watered down.

Speaking of watered-down pop, can't wait to hear that Reba McEntire-Kelly Clarkson world premiere duet. Oh, I thought it would be a new song. Nope, it's Clarkson's "Because of You". It's a monster pop hit for Clarkson, but with Reba singing it, maybe a top 20 country song, which brings me to my next point.

People like good country, good pop, good rap, good rock. Don't try to be something that you're not. To quote Ben Stiller's character from the Starsky and Hutch movie (yeah, I know it's not the best source), "Be Yourself - That's What's Really Cool".