Neal’s outlaw country a golden highway

‘ ‘ ‘ Country music ain’t what it used to be, and Willie Heath Neal knows this all too well. … ‘ ‘ ‘ Country music ain’t what it used to be, and Willie Heath Neal knows this all too well. ‘ ‘ ‘ If his music were released in the 1950s or 1960s, he would have been wildly popular. Music Row in Nashville might not have accepted him ‘mdash; as they rejected other outlaws like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, but the honky-tonk bars down the street would have welcomed him with open taps. ‘ ‘ ‘ However, contemporary country music has become extremely showy and almost pop-like. ‘ ‘ ‘ Neal criticizes this in his upcoming album Out of Highway. His unique brand of music features his outlaw cowboy voice, which sounds like a cross between Chris LeDoux and Willie Nelson, blended with bluegrass bands and other country-themed instrumentals. ‘ ‘ ‘ The album kicks off with three songs about lost love, but only one of those songs is slow. The other two, ‘Cryin’ All The Time’ and ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind,’ are surprisingly upbeat ‘mdash; especially considering the titles. ‘ ‘ ‘ They can only be categorized as delightfully depressing. It seems a mystery as to why Neal chose to put these almost oxymoronic songs at the beginning of his album. The mystery is solved in the next few songs, though. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Porter’s Blues’ is his most blatant criticism of contemporary country music. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘There ain’t a star in the sky of Nashville,’ croons Neal in the song’s opening song. ‘His turn to shine is overdue / And the honky tonks downtown don’t shine like they used to do.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The simple acoustic and steel guitars with a basic drum part add to the songs message. Neal sings with a reference to Johnny Cash, ‘And he don’t mean no harm. / He’s just trying to walk the line … You got to get stoned just to get through. / Maybe that’s the reason / Porter’s got the blues.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ If ‘Porter’s Blues’ is the most blatant ‘mdash; and probably autobiographical ‘mdash; criticism of Nashville, then the next song is the most creative. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Something’s Wrong with the Radio’ is a musically risky, but also genius song about a broken heart. It starts out with an upbeat, ragtime piano melody as he sings ‘I wrote this song about how bad that you done me. / It’s real sad, and it’s real slow.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Then the ragtime music abruptly stops and switches to a rock melody with electric guitar as Neal sings ‘And everybody tells me it’s a hit song. / There’s just something wrong with the radio.’ As he repeats the word ‘radio’ the music switches back to the ragtime. ‘ ‘ ‘ The woman who broke his heart could symbolize country music, because he sings, ‘I thought you were true when I first met you. / I was too young to know,’ before the music switches back to rock again. ‘ ‘ ‘ This could explain the first few songs on the album about heartbreak. If his lost love is country music, then these songs could be satirizing contemporary country because the topics really don’t fit the music ‘mdash; which seems to be one of his biggest beefs with Nashville. New country musicians still sing about many of the same things that classic country did, but the music is drastically different. ‘ ‘ ‘ A few tracks later on the album, ‘Outlaw Song’ depicts how much has really changed in the world of country music. It’s a fast-paced steel and electric guitar melody with a simple drum beat as he sings about his love interest leaving him. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘You need a suit and a tie, briefcase guy. / A man with money in the bank,’ sings Neal. ‘Well I just wouldn’t listen when you told me before, / ‘Ladies don’t love outlaws no more.” ‘ ‘ ‘ He brings up a very interesting point here. In the ’50s and ’60s, the ladies swooned for outlaws. To give some perspective on how much outlaws were welcomed by the young generation of the time, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings went on tour with Bob Dylan and Elvis. ‘ ‘ ‘ After he spends most of the album ridiculing Nashville, he returns to his outlaw roots with ‘Attitude’ and the title track. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Attitude’ is clearly not fit for radio. Not only is it only two minutes and 13 seconds long, it also relies heavily on expletives as he warns his woman to drop the attitude. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Inside you’re beat up ring, there’s probably a whore. / If you don’t shut your mouth, you’re gonna feel the floor,’ he sings to the fast-paced melody of instrumentals. Then he shouts ‘Attitude, / what you got’s a f**king attitude.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s refreshing to see someone trying to bring country back to its outlaw roots without boring listeners about how new country has lost its touch. Neal finds several extremely creative ways to do this, and Out of Highway has this new-country-loving critic seriously reconsidering his favorite genre.