#4 - WILL HOGE - SMALL TOWN DREAMS (RJ'S TOP 10 AMERICANA/COUNTRY ALBUMS OF THE YEAR)

Producer: Not listed anywhere on the CD case

Released: April 7, 2015

Will Hoge is an American singer songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. In 2012, his song Even If It Breaks Your Heart was released by the Eli Young Band. The song went to number one on the country chart and was eventually nominated for a Grammy. The reason I'm telling you this is two fold. One, you've most likely never heard of him. And two, it's a sad day when a guy can write a number one song, record it himself, then let someone else have it who ends up with the actual hit. At least he gets some royalties.

Hoge is listed as an Americana artist. I can see that to a point, but many of his songs are more straight up country. I have a few of his albums and I'm very surprised that he hasn't had more number one hits. The guy can write killer melodies and hooks. You might ask, if his music seems so radio friendly, why would RJ be listening to it? After all, RJ claims he can't stand music that is played on today's country radio. Wrong. RJ can't stand "bro country" music. And unfortunately, that is mostly what you hear when you set the radio dial to a contemporary country station.

Small Town Dreams has eleven terrific country songs on it. Growing Up Around Here get's you started, using the small town theme from the album's title. They Don't Make 'em Like They Used To is a song about the singer's father. I'm not sure if it's autobiographical or not, but many of us can relate to it. We look up to and depend on our father so much, and it seems that no one has the same type of work ethic these days as our dad had. We strive to be just like him.

Better Than You proves to me that an artist like Luke Bryan needs better management (you see, Bryan's the prototypical "bro country" artist. He writes very little, which means he depends on other people to write his hits. To back up my theory, he co-wrote just two songs on his Double Platinum hit album Crash My Party. But his management or whoever helps him decide whose song he will record hasn't yet picked a Will Hoge song, at least that I know of.) when it comes to pickin' out songs to record. If he recorded and released this song as a single, I truly believe he'd have an instant hit. All I Want Is Us Tonight and The Last Thing I Needed are two more songs that somebody like Bryan or maybe even Jason Aldean should record. More instant hits.

Guitar Or A Gun and Til I Do It Again are the closest things to outlaw country on the album. And the disc is rounded out with more songs themed for small town, American life (Little Bitty Dreams, Middle Of America, Just Up The Road and Desperate Times all fit this theme).

If much of this seems contradictory, let me summarize. I don't like "bro country". But I do like good songs. So if these "bro country" artists started putting out some decent songs, songs about something other than my boat, my girl in her cut off jeans, my partying, my truck's tailgate, my truck's stereo system and/or my truck's anything, then maybe I would give them a chance. But until they do, when I want a melodic, hook filled country song, I'm going with Will Hoge. End of story.

Tracks:

1. Growing Up Around Here

2. They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

3. Better Than You

4. Little Bitty Dreams

5. Guitar Of A Gun

6. Middle Of America

7. All I Want Is Us Tonight

8. Just Up The Road

9. Desperate Times

10. The Last Thing I Needed

11. Til I Do It Again