I have a great topical song title I'm gonna give away to any songwriter who wants it. Here goes: "Don't You Think This White Hat Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand?" The rampant conformity running through Music City on this matter is a little frightening. It seems nearly every new artist on the scene is wearing an outfit inspired by George/Clint/Garth as if that conferred instant talent and/or credibility.
Before you let loose on the Letters page, understand that I'm not knocking these three artists. They came about it naturally. But I am jabbing those nearsighted Music Row record executives who run a good thing into the ground. One almost expects to see White Hat Conformity Squads patrolling Music Row to make sure all new male artists (females aren't affected - yet) get with the program.
It's to the point where you almost have to trust any male singer who goes in the opposite direction. When you don't see a white hat in the photos accompanying the album, you know the guy's got to be real. And that's where South Carolinian Aaron Tippin comes in.
The 32-year-old Tippin is simply the freshest New Traditionalist to hit the business in a long while. His raw, unvarnished voice isn't calculated to sound like anyone, or to mimic a Travis, Strait or Yoakam. That alone gives him a big edge. Another strength: Tippin writes his own songs, all of them straight to the point and laden with humor and cynicism. He and Mark Collie co-wrote Collie's first single, Something With A Ring To It. Tippin tends to work with co-writers, but the results are almost always gratifying. The backing on his tracks is small-scale and free of excess (electronic synthesizers are nowhere to be found), thanks to the good sense of producer Emory Gordy Jr.
Both I've Got A Good Memory and I Wonder How Far It Is Over You deal with memories of past loves that the singer can't shake no matter how hard he tries. You've Got To Stand For Something is about as blunt a statement on upholding one's principles as I've heard lately. The cynical wit and humor of Ain't That A Hell Of A Note, co-written with Terry Brown, raises the concept of a loping, 1940's-style arrangement (with Jerry Byrd's-style Hawaiian steel guitar!).
Even The Man That Came Between Us, a confession and plea for forgiveness, stands out from most songs in that mold. It's full of the little off-the-wall twists that make Tippin's songs worth hearing more than once. Ditto for She Made A Memory Out Of Me. Successfully using a macho attitude to describe falling in love is something rarely accomplished, but the Tippin-Buddy Brock number, Up Against You, succeeds admirably.
Much as I loathe comparing anyone with Hank Sr. - because it's so easy to do - I must say that The Sky's Got The Blues is raw and clever enough to have come from Hank's pen. Listen if you don't believe me. Tippin is less successful on the rock-abilly number, Many, Many, Many Beers Ago, but that's only because the approach he takes has been used so often by others. The performance itself is hot, invigorating country boogie.
Tippin's debut must be heard to be believed, and I might add a warning to the aforementioned White Hat Confomity Squad: tread easy around this boy. The press kit includes information about his extensive interest in body building, and a couple of beefcake publicity photos show him about as muscular as the music within. Them white hats don't look good pulled down to someone's navel.
