Notice in this article, there is a song mentioned off Jason's upcoming cd called "Black Tears". You can thank Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard for this next hit because they wrote it and have been performing it for awhile as Florida Georgia Line. We knew this one was gonna be cut by someone big if not made a hit by Florida Georgia Line themselves. Fans love it, it's one of their most requested songs at their live shows and now Jason Aldean's gonna make sure millions more know it and love it too. Congratulations Brian and Tyler on kicking as much country ass as you have in the past year we've known you. You deserve it and this one's gonna be your breakout hit!
Jason Aldean: In 'Fly Over States,' country singer praises forgotten farmers
2007 Associated Press Photo
"People all over seem to forget that farmers are the backbone of the country," says Jason Aldean.
Jason Aldean is the sort of person who would rather throw a party than get on a soapbox. But a double-platinum album and a pair of country chart-topping singles entitle even a reticent man to speak his mind in public.
On “Fly Over States,” his latest hit, the Georgia-born country-rocker does just that, sticking up for blue-collar and agricultural America with the same sort of earnestness and authority that has made him, arguably, the biggest new star in Nashville.
“People all over seem to forget that farmers are the backbone of the country,” says Aldean, 35. “When you show up to the grocery store and grab some produce for dinner, it doesn’t magically appear there. There’s a guy out on a combine planting those crops.”
Aldean, who performs at the Meadowlands on Saturday, insists he’s not singling out any part of America by giving the lyrics — written by lesser known country artists Neil Thrasher and Michael Dulaney — wider exposure. The heavies in the song are first-class airplane travelers who deem the rural quarters of the nation unworthy of close engagement. They’re from coastal states. But they could come from anywhere.
“I guarantee you that there are plenty of people in Atlanta who think that way,” he says.
“My Kinda Party,” Aldean’s breakthrough set, took the Album of the Year trophy at the 2011 Country Music Awards. Superficially, there’s nothing provocative about the album — it’s state-of-the-art country-rock with memorable choruses and strong singing. But upon closer inspection, Aldean’s creative restlessness becomes evident. “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” a duet with Kelly Clarkson, is a reach for mainstream acceptance. “Tattoos on This Town” makes manifest the urgency with which Aldean wants to make his mark.
Then there’s “
Dirt Road Anthem,” one of the most successful and seamless rap-country tracks in recent memory. It’s arranged like a country-rock song — all weeping guitars and big, arena-ready snare — but structured like a mainstream hip-hop track. Aldean sings the hook and raps the verse. While he doesn’t consider it a rap song, his flow betrays a deep familiarity with hip-hop.
“Certain rap songs I get,” says Aldean, “and there are others that I don’t get into. Country music is my first love, but when I was growing up, there wasn’t a definitive line between genres. Lately, I’ve been listening to ‘Good Feeling’ by Flo Rida. That’s been stuck in my head for about a week.”
Last summer, when “Dirt Road Anthem” was riding high on the charts, Aldean got a nod of approval from a fellow Georgian: rapper Ludacris. The two shut down the CMT Awards broadcast with a collaborative performance of “Dirt Road.” The version proved so popular that the song was remixed with Ludacris’ verse on it.
Aldean didn’t know Ludacris before performing with him on CMT, but respected his songwriting and Southern pride. Since then, the two have struck up a friendship.
“Ludacris did exactly what we wanted him to do,” says Aldean. “He wrote his own verse and put his stamp on the song.”
The follow-up to “My Kinda Party” has already been cut. Aldean isn’t sure when it will be released, but is confident that new material will see daylight later in 2012 — and that his fans will encounter more surprises when the album comes out.
“It’s a lot like ‘Party’ in that there are some things that are a little off the wall. There’s one called ‘Wheels Rollin’ ’ that’s almost like (Bon Jovi’s) ‘Wanted Dead or Alive.’ Another one, ‘
Black Tears,’ talks about an exotic dancer. There are things that people in the country music world might shy away from because they’re racy. If a song is good, I’m not worried about if it’s too suggestive.”
Aldean is one of many major country stars to perform in the Garden State over the past few years. “If you go back and look at the history of country,” he says. “it’ll go through periods when it’s on fire. You sometimes have a wave of young artists who are doing really well, and when you do, it’s a shot in the arm for the whole industry. In the late ’80s and ’90s, Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson had all of those hits. All of a sudden you’re seeing it happen again with Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Blake (Shelton) and Miranda (Lambert). It gets everybody excited, and I’m glad to be a part of that.”
Tris McCall:
tmccall@starledger.com
