I think putting yourself in conversation with Willie, Kris and the rest of the Highwaymen is a little much, but what do I know… This week, Maren Morris, who I guess wants to be country again, appeared on the Zach Sang Show podcast, where she talked about why she’s so outspoken about her political views and how she views it as a return to greats like Johnny Cash and others. Maren is of course one of the most outspoken Liberals in the genre, even performing at the Democrat National Convention when Kamala Harris was formally nominated for president. And she’s frequently gotten into social media spats with conservative artists like Jason Aldean, who’s an outspoken Trump supporter. She famously “left country music” back in 2023, citing its alleged toxic, sexist and racist culture that she couldn’t participate in anymore, but then quickly walked it back saying that was just a headline that got misconstrued and she could never “leave” the genre. Then she said her success in country music came at a “moral cost” as if a genre of music could be inherently evil. Then she kinda walked that back too and said she was talking about the Nashville country music industry, and she doubled down on the idea of the country music “machine” during this podcast, which is I think what she’s been trying to get at with all these other viral comments. She’s not the most articulate, I suppose… I mean, if you’re constantly correcting the “story” then maybe you’re not doing a good job of explaining it? We all know the media can twist headlines to fit their own narrative, but this seems to be a recurring theme with Maren. But Sang asked about why Maren wanted to go against the “beliefs and standards” of country music, which in itself, is a loaded question. What are you suggesting? Bigotry, racism and sexism are the official “beliefs and standards” of country music that Maren is busy fighting against? Gimme a break. But Maren says she pulled inspiration from country greats like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, who were all outspoken about certain political issues, and of course, Willie still is. But she claims that somewhere along the line, country music changed and rather than being a voice for the everyday American and the marginalized, it became a voice for… what? She doesn’t say, but she certainly alludes to this inherent evil in modern day country music. “I think I went back to that. I went back to where country music was, which is, you see interviews of Johnny Cash, or the Highwaymen with Willie and Kristofferson, it’s just like… Kristofferson was a war veteran, so he’s talking abut veteran rights, veteran care. I mean, they’re talking about public education, they’re talking about homelessness. These are the outlaws these people at their festivals have on a screen T-shirt. Like, were you listening to them talk? Or are you just listening to ‘Boy Named Sue.’ I wasn’t diverting from country music, I was touting what made me fall in love with it, which was reality and human stories through really clever storytelling and lyrical structure and heart and soulfulness in that vocal. There’s so much warmth in country music, and I fell in love with it. And also, they were all pushing the boundaries, and advocating for minorities and marginalized communities, that was my country music. I don’t know where it changed, but I wasn’t anti-anything in it. I was anti-homophobia and bigotry. I don’t know, I felt like I was always marching to the drum of my country music heroes. And they were incredibly courageous.” She went onto explain how she values the “storytelling” aspect of country music, which I think we’d all agree with, and how much she admires the roots of where it comes from in terms of telling real stories of real, every day people. Of course, she just released a pop record, titled Dreamsicle so not exactly putting all that into practice… She continued: “I’ve been fortunate enough to meet Willie and his son Lukas is so sweet, and was also lucky enough to meet Kris Kristofferson, and it was so emotional for me. and also when I worked with Dolly, and the Highwomen, and we did Newport Folk Festival with her. It made me feel like this is what I love about this music, is these are the real people. There’s so much country music now that I love, I love Stapleton, I love Sturgill, Tyler Childers, there’s real storytelling happened. But there’s a ton of new music too that I’ve been exposed to through it, because it’s becoming such a popular, worldly genre now… I’m not here to criticize a machine because that’s what it is. I think country music is so tied to real peoples stories and lives, that is their story within that music. So they will take personally any sort of buck to it or critique of it, so I understand that element of it for sure. I’m from Texas, all of my idols come from that neck of the woods in the songwriting country world. I’m older and wiser, and I’m so focused on myself that I can’t listen to all the noise and I just have to focus on what I’m doing today… my proof, and I’ve said this before, is always the crowd at my show. That’s the best proof you could ever have, is, what does that crowd look like? Is it all one type of person? Do they all look like me? No, it’s really diverse and it feels safe, and my fans, I would hope because of the choices I’ve made musically or with this platform, feel safe in that crowd because I’ve stood up to people who don’t stand up for them.” It sounds like Maren still identifies pretty deeply with country, and I do agree with her in the sense of what makes it special and her perspective there. And it’s true, Willie, Kris and Johnny did stand up for working-class people because that’s who they were, and the types of people they come from. But to imply that country music has somehow morphed into this racist, sexist, homophobic genre that is only for white people is so misguided. It’s like “let me create this problem based on a false premise so I can speak up against it and be special. Be the hero. Just like Waylon and Willie did.” It’s just all so disingenuous… The truth is, a lot of today’s Republicans used to be blue-collar, working class Democrats back when Johnny and Kristofferson were speaking up on these issues. Let’s not pretend like Kris advocating for veteran’s rights, or Johnny standing up for Native Americans and prison reform is an endorsement for child gender transition of whatever causes Maren and the hyper-progressive left are pushing these days. So while Maren may be correct in asserting that many of the outlaws of country music past were very vocal on their political beliefs, I just refuse to participate in the “modern day country music is evil” narrative that she continuously tries to promote. @zachsangshow @marenmorris on the original country music stars vs. today’s #marenmorris #willienelson #country #countrymusic #zachsangshow #zachsang #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Zach Sang Show The full interview is available here: The post Maren Morris Compares Herself To Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson Regarding Her Outspoken Political Beliefs first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

I knew the Ernest collab would deliver. Today, Morgan Wallen released his mega 37-song fourth studio album I’m The Problem, which includes features from fellow country artists Eric Church, Ernest and Hardy, as well as Morgan’s first major collaboration with a female artist… Canadian pop star Tate McRae on a duet called “What I Want.” I’ll be honest, it’s completely overwhelming, and I really don’t even know where to start… I listened to “Number 3 and Number 7” first, and it’s a good song, but generally, I’ve heard tons of those hip-hops beats Morgan says are less apparent on this album, and nothing has really stuck out to me as “the one,” though again, I’ve not gotten through much of it yet. “I Got Better” is pretty decent too. Morgan revealed they actually started by recording 50 songs, and narrowed it down (kind of) to what the final project is. He says there’s always three styles he wants to include, being straight up country, alternative-indie, and then what he calls a “cross-genre approach”: “There were three styles on the last album that I had in my head, and I went with that same approach with this album. We had straight up country songs, which I always do, and then we had more of an alternative-indie approach on a few of them. Those songs end up being a little bit countrified, just because that’s who we are and that’s how we do them. And then the more cross-genre approach might end up on a multi-genre radio station, just because of all the influences that I’ve had throughout my life, listening to every single type of music. I think I’ve stuck to that approach with I’m The Problem, getting an anchor song for each style and once we have those anchor songs dialed in, we fill up those buckets. We recorded around 50 songs for this album and ended up cutting 13. I feel like we accomplished what I had in mind, and a huge shoutout to my close collaborators on this too. They came in ready and fired up every single day, and they inspire me as much as anything else.” There are 49 songwriters on this album (Morgan co-wrote 22 of the songs), but “The Dealer,” a solo write by Blake Pendergrass that Morgan turned into a duet with his friend and frequent collaborator Ernest, is easily one of the most country, and meaningful, songs on the record. Of course, Morgan and Ernest have been friends for years now, and has written tons of his biggest hits like “Somebody’s Problem,” “Wasted On You,” “Cowgirls (feat. ERNEST)” and more, but last night, they played their duet “Flower Shops.” They dropped the fan-favorite, good old fashioned heartbreaker back on New Year’s Eve of 2021, which was the lead single to Ernest’s 2022 second studio album Flower Shops (The Album), and has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Ernest has certainly leaned into the more traditional, classic country sound that many of us love so dearly, so I figured that would be the case here in that Morgan would have him on for one of the more country leaning songs on the album. It’s a beautiful track that finds them questioning why bad things happen in life, why people have to hurt, get older and so on, but ultimately coming to the realization that wallowing in the hopelessness doesn’t do any good. Eventually, “the dealer” will hand you an ace out of nowhere, but regardless, the secret to life is talking to the man in charge, meaning God, and not worrying so much about “the hand I’m dealt”: “I got a million questions, like why the hell can’t Heaven be on Earth? Why do good folks have to hurt? Why’s life a lesson? Why’s every single blessin’ have a curse? Why’s love take so much work? And why does Mom and Daddy’s hair have to turn gray? I guess everyone’s got reasons why their shoulders carry weight There’s been a few days I ‘bout folded But I found one more card to play Been a few days I was hopeless And I’ll be damned I drew an ace Guess that’s life and that’s why I remind myself To spend more time talkin’ to the dealer Than worryin’ about the hands I’m dealt” It’s a beautiful message, filled with valid questions I think we all want the answers to, and I love the concept of “The Dealer” and card games to life, because it’s honestly pretty accurate. These are the kinds of songs that I wish Morgan would lean into more, but so much of this record does have those hip-hop style beats that just run together endlessly. He said there would be less of that on this album, and maybe relative to how many songs there are that’s true, but I feel like I’ve already heard a lot of it and I am nowhere close to listening to all of the songs yet. But Morgan does always seem to go out of his way to include a song or two like “The Dealer” on each of his albums, and it’s a real winner, and easily the best one I’ve listening to yet. If you’re as overwhelmed as I am, this is a great place to start: “The Dealer” “Number 3 and Number 7” I’m The Problem Tracklist: 1. I’m The Problem (Morgan Wallen, Grady Block, Jamie McLaughlin, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak) 2. I Got Better (Morgan Wallen, Blake Pendergrass, Chase McGill, Ryan Vojtesak, Ernest Keith Smith, Michael Hardy) 3. Superman (Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak, John Byron, Blake Pendergrass, James Maddocks) 4. What I Want (feat. Tate McRae) (Morgan Wallen, Tate McRae, John Byron, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ryan Vojtesak, Joe Reeves) 5. Just In Case (Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith, John Byron, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ryan Vojtesak, Josh Thompson, Blake Pendergrass, Alex Bak) 6. Interlude (Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak, John Byron, Blake Pendergrass, Rocky Block) 7. Falling Apart (Morgan Wallen, Blake Pendergrass, Josh Thompson, Ryan Vojtesak) 8. Skoal, Chevy, and Browning (Joe Fox, Chase McGill, Josh Miller) 9. Eyes Are Closed (Morgan Wallen, John Byron, Blake Pendergrass, Ryan Vojtesak) 10. Kick Myself (Morgan Wallen, Rocky Block, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, James Maddocks) 11. 20 Cigarettes (Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Blake Pendergrass, Josh Miller) 12. TN (Morgan Wallen, John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Taylor Phillips, Ryan Vojtesak, Geoff Warburton) 13. Missing (Morgan Wallen, Chase McGill, Josh Thompson, Blake Pendergrass, Ryan Vojtesak, Luis Witkiewitz) 14. Where’d That Girl Go (Morgan Wallen, Rocky Block, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak, Blake Pendergrass, Joe Reeves, Geoff Warburton) 15. Genesis (Morgan Wallen, John Byron, Rocky Block, Jacob Durrett, Blake Pendergrass, Ryan Vojtesak, James Maddocks) 16. Revelation (Trannie Anderson, Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon, Chris Tompkins) 17. Number 3 and Number 7 (feat. Eric Church) (Rocky Block, Blake Pendergrass) 18. Kiss Her In Front Of You (John Byron, Jaxson Free, Taylor Phillips, Ashley Gorley, Ryan Vojtesak) 19. If You Were Mine (Chris Tompkins, Jessie Jo Dillon, David Garcia, Geoff Warburton) 20. Don’t We (Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak, Ashley Gorley, Rocky Block, Blake Pendergrass, John Byron) 21. Come Back As A Redneck (feat. HARDY) (Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Michael Hardy, James Maddocks) 22. Love Somebody (Morgan Wallen, John Byron, Shaun Frank, Nicholas Gale, Ashley Gorley, Yaakov Gruzman, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Elof Loelv, Steve Francis Richard Mastroianni, Martina Sorbara, Ryan Vojtesak) 23. Dark Til Daylight (Rocky Block, Chris Tompkins, Jimmy Robbins) 24. The Dealer (feat. ERNEST) (Blake Pendergrass) 25. Leavin’s The Least I Could Do (Morgan Wallen, Michael Hardy, Josh Miller, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak) 26. Jack and Jill (Jacob Hackworth, Jared Mullins, Ned Cameron) 27. I Ain’t Comin’ Back (feat. Post Malone) (Morgan Wallen, Louis Bell, Michael Hardy, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak) 28. Nothin’ Left (Josh Miller, Greylan James, Matt Jenkins) 29. Drinking Til It Does (Josh Thompson, Jimmy Robbins) 30. Smile (Morgan Wallen, Rocky Block, John Byron, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Luis Witkiewitz) 31. Working Man’s Song (Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak, Josh Miller, Blake Pendergrass, Rocky Block) 32. Whiskey In Reverse (Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Michael Hardy) 33. Crazy Eyes (Chris Tompkins, Josh Miller, Jessie Jo Dillon, Daniel Ross) 34. LA Night (Chris Tompkins, Travis Wood, Josh Miller) 35. Miami (Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak, Ernest Keith Smith, Blake Pendergrass, Chase McGill, Michael Hardy, Dean Dillon, Hank Cochran, Royce Porter) 36. Lies Lies Lies (Jessie Jo Dillon, Josh Miller, Daniel Ross, Chris Tompkins) 37. I’m A Little Crazy (Michael Hardy, Smith Ahnquist, Hunter Phelps, Jameson Rodgers)The post If You’re Looking For Country On Morgan Wallen’s New Album, “The Dealer” Featuring Ernest Is A Winner first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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