#1 Country Hit is AI? Nope.

[resistorman]

Rick Beato cuts through the histo-hype and explains how it only takes $3k to chart number one in... sales
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGremoYVMPc

[Drew Stephenson]

Honestly I had no idea how many different charts there were!

[Martin Walker]

I agree with Rick Beato - “don’t believe the hype!”

[OneWorld]

Rick Beato cuts through the histo-hype and explains how it only takes $3k to chart number one in... sales
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGremoYVMPc

$3k to be top of a shidheap, doesn't take much intelligence to work out that's $3k down the braindrain

[FrankF]

The song, to me, bears some resemblance to "Human" (ha! ha!) by RagnBone Man.
So basically, it's a not very good song imitating a...not very good song. (2 billion views! I'm not envious or bitter, honest.)

Pace Beato, I don't find the AI voice or lyrics that bad: just mediocre.

[Sam Spoons]

...I don't find the AI voice or lyrics that bad: just mediocre.

That's the result of mining all available data, it's inevitable that the output will be mediocre.

[BJG145]

I just accidentally listened to some drivel called Back in the Saddle (2025, 3.8m views).

They've brought it upon themselves. This genre is so mindless, formulaic and over-produced, it's barely human anyway.

[FrankF]

I just accidentally listened to some drivel called Back in the Saddle (2025, 3.8m views).

They've brought it upon themselves. This genre is so mindless, formulaic and over-produced, it's barely human anyway.

Did you have to inflict the link on us? I mean, Rick Rolls are still available (get 'em while they're hot!).

[OneWorld]

I just accidentally listened to some drivel called Back in the Saddle (2025, 3.8m views).

They've brought it upon themselves. This genre is so mindless, formulaic and over-produced, it's barely human anyway.

Therein lies the rub though, people know what they like, it scratches their itch, and who are we to pontificate on it? I don't believe there is good and bad music, just that which tickles my fancy and that which doesn't.

That said, there is some C&W that impresses me and what made me more aware of the genre. I was watching a documentary on C&W and in one of the top studios and the session musicians were asked what did they do once they day's recording sessions were over and they said, after the same old thing all day, they have a jam session and very very competent they were indeed. They explained they needed to be, as they never know who was coming through the door each day, from the hopelessly incompetent, to the quite well versed, and in each case the chaps, and it was just chaps back then, had to knock together a backing track, try it in this key, that key and the other, as many singers had aspirations way beyond what their voice as capable, or they might have pro-singers who might saw "OK let's try it in bEminor but keep major key in the bridge - you get the picture. I thought to myself, these chaps really are top players and certainly worthy of praise.

[Sam Spoons]

It's just pop music for a different audience. I quite like it (much more than I do K-Pop or whoever the current 'Spice Girls" are) but, yes it's formulaic. Country music wasn't always so.

I've posted this before and, to me, this performance of Dolly Parton's song by her goddaughter is simply stunning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOwblaKmyVw

[junkmale]

an entertaining opinion piece about "Walk My Walk" / AI music generally
https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/17/ai_music/

[Martin Walker]

an entertaining opinion piece about "Walk My Walk" / AI music generally
https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/17/ai_music/

A nice read - thanks for that link junkmale

[Drew Stephenson]

This paragraph stands out both as a record of the past and a prediction of the future:
"It's not as if the music industry hasn't been producing low-quality slop all its life. We remember the exciting, rewarding songs, especially from our teenage years when everything is new and tastes are formed. Go back to the charts from those years of yours, though, and marvel at how much was anodyne, derivative, programmatic junk. The musicians making that were exploited by an industry skilled in keeping as much of the money as it could. That LLMs now offer it the chance to keep all the money is as unsurprising as my dog just upped and left me and the bank just took the house. "

[Watchmaker]

They've brought it upon themselves. This genre is so mindless, formulaic and over-produced, it's barely human anyway.

Bit of a broad brush stroke there. There is as much complexity and skill required to play CW well as there is in classical or jazz or any other style of music. And there are uncountable hordes of people who find meaning through it everyday.

The catalogue, as in most "genres" is not well represented by the hits.

I've posted this before and, to me, this performance of Dolly Parton's song by her goddaughter is simply stunning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOwblaKmyVw

Wow, I always hated her output before but this is effing killer. Good to see her clean!

[BJG145]

Bit of a broad brush stroke there. There is as much complexity and skill required to play CW well as there is in classical or jazz or any other style of music. And there are uncountable hordes of people who find meaning through it everyday

True...guilty as charged.

[Sam Spoons]

They've brought it upon themselves. This genre is so mindless, formulaic and over-produced, it's barely human anyway.

Bit of a broad brush stroke there. There is as much complexity and skill required to play CW well as there is in classical or jazz or any other style of music. And there are uncountable hordes of people who find meaning through it everyday.

The catalogue, as in most "genres" is not well represented by the hits.

I've been a fan of Country and associated sub-genres since I first heard The Eagles (and of Bluegrass for nearly as long). And I played in a (very bad) trad country band back in the late '70s/early '80's*.

I've posted this before and, to me, this performance of Dolly Parton's song by her goddaughter is simply stunning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOwblaKmyVw

Wow, I always hated her output before but this is effing killer. Good to see her clean!

This was recorded in 2012 when she was 19. It's not entirely surprising that she chose to cover the song when you discover how close she and Dolly were/are. And, wow, that band can groove!!!

* If I never hear "The Crystal Chandeliers" again it will be too soon

[Watchmaker]

This was recorded in 2012 when she was 19. It's not entirely surprising that she chose to cover the song when you discover how close she and Dolly were/are. And, wow, that band can groove!!!

* If I never hear "The Crystal Chandeliers" again it will be too soon

Ah, see I never followed her...pre-fall from innoncence or summat. I didn't even know she was connected to Dolly, who really, just wow. "it costs a lot of money to look this cheap." Funny, talented, hard working, smart, cute and quirky. What's not to love? Makes my aversion to Miley slightly lower overall. I always fall for the advertising

[Sam Spoons]

Oh, I suspect she may have had the odd 'wobble'... She certainly made a few poor choices with regard to her image over the years IMO but a lot of young pop stars do lose the plot so it's not entirely surprising.

[OneWorld]

No AI here, no place for it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AySBPCk ... rt_radio=1

Love that laid back guitar style

[OneWorld]

And what kind of guitar is this, looks weird, that said, her interpretation of this particular piece, is flawless, can't see her losing out to AI any day soon

Petra Polackova
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxZqC_J ... rt_radio=1

[Sam Spoons]

Tiny Desk Concert from last year is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVEeAxeyAPU

[OneWorld]

Tiny Desk Concert from last year is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVEeAxeyAPU

Thanks, yes I had seen that, I have been an admirer of her music for a few years now, I really like that sort of lilting ambience her various band members express. And her mother is a really competent guitarist, a sheer pleasure to watch and listen to.

I am also a very big fan of these Tiny Desk Concerts, not only representing worthy but less well known musicians, that always surprise with charming and utterly likeable songs, but also the Tiny Desk people snag superstars as Taylor Swift who gave such a personable and impressive performance and proved to be , in common with so many superstars are, at the end of the day, ordinary people with ordinary aspirations.

I find myself spending more time watching Tiny Desk concerts than I spend watching TV. Though I would be bereft if ever I ever felt I should abandon the BBC, that's another topic though

[Sam Spoons]

And what kind of guitar is this, looks weird, that said, her interpretation of this particular piece, is flawless, can't see her losing out to AI any day soon

Petra Polackova
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxZqC_J ... rt_radio=1

The guitar on there is, effectively, a standard classical with three extra bass strings. I think (a close friend is a lutenist, I'll ask him next time I see him) they were first introduced to allow Lute pieces to be played as written and are tuned to whatever notes are needed for the specific piece.

[OneWorld]

And what kind of guitar is this, looks weird, that said, her interpretation of this particular piece, is flawless, can't see her losing out to AI any day soon

Petra Polackova
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxZqC_J ... rt_radio=1

The guitar on there is, effectively, a standard classical with three extra bass strings. I think (a close friend is a lutenist, I'll ask him next time I see him) they were first introduced to allow Lute pieces to be played as written and are tuned to whatever notes are needed for the specific piece.

Lute - yep, that makes sense, although it looks more like a guitar that she can both play and hang her washing on. Joking aside, that piece of music isn't something us mortals (speaking for myself) would attempt, that middle bit is outstanding. It is one of my all time favourites - and that's coming from someone who also counts the Sex Pistols and Jim Reeves and K-Pop amongst my favourites!

I watched another performance f it played on the celo, which it was originally written for and that performance of it left me saying to myself "How could the cello sound as aurally potent? this is an acoustic instrument, not a Fender going through distortion, fuzz box overdriven amp, and yet it is equally forceful"

Sydney Lee - Bach Chaconne from Partita No. 2 it is often said classical players technically flawless, but lack 'feeling' I simply cannot concur with that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKdDi- ... rt_radio=1