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MUSIC PEOPLE
NEWS
AUGUST 2023 Volume 54 Number 8 Issue 642
Editor Duncan Warwick
Contributors David Allan , Janet Aspley , Donnie Ayers , Craig Baguley , Tony Byworth , Larry Delaney , Don Cusic , Julie Flaskett , Michael Hingston , Stan Hitchcock , Tony Ives , Sianna King , Spencer Leigh , John Lomax III , Bryce Martin , Adrian Peel , Paul Riley , Alex Rossi , Chris Smith , Tom Travis , Walt Trott , Jack Watkins New release consultant : Steve Tidbury
Assistant editor Kelly Gregory
Photographers Patricia Presley , Barry Dixon
Advertising Kelly Gregory - kelly . cmpcountry @ gmail . com
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Please recycle this magazine
J ason Aldean ’ s latest single , Try
That In A Small Town , has sparked controversy for its lyrics which seemingly support pro-right vigilantism and its video that includes footage of a flag burning , the police being attacked , and an attempted robbery of a convenience store that is thwarted by somebody standing up to the robber . To make matters worse , the music video was filmed in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia , Tennessee , which was the scene of a lynching in 1927 when a young man named Henry Choate was dragged through the streets and hanged .
Although the single was released to radio in May as the lead single from his next album , the video was pulled from rotation by CMT in mid-July after its first weekend and immediately had many country fans wondering why it was so controversial .
Written by Kelley Lovelace , Neil Thrasher , Tully Kennedy , and Kurt Allison , the song is pure arena rock with a guitar hook that some have pointed out owes a little too much to Michael Jackson ’ s Beat It . It has been widely condemned by critics , other artists , and the media as being racist and potentially inciting violence . Sheryl Crow and Margo Price have spoken out against the song , with Crow tweeting : “[ Jason Aldean ], I ’ m from a small town . Even people in small towns are sick of violence . There ’ s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence . You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting . This is not American or small town-like . It ’ s just lame . ”
Others , however , like Travis Tritt , described the reaction as unfair social commentary and political commentators on the right have said that the song ( and country music in general ) stands up for under-appreciated conservative values .
Aldean has been vocally pro-Trump ( although ironically there is no footage of Trump supporters storming the US Capitol in Washington included in the video ) and last year was involved in controversy surrounding comments made by his wife Brittany Aldean , that were transphobic .
The Dirt Road Anthem singer took to his Instagram stories to post ,“ In the past
24 hour I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song ( a song that has been out since May ) and was subject to the comparison that I ( direct quote ) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests . These references are not only meritless , but dangerous . There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it – and there isn ’ t a single clip that isn ’ t real news footage – and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far .”
Aldean also referenced the mass shooting 2017 Las Vegas festival that began while he was performing . “ As
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