Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson Calls Out Luke Bryan and Mainstream Country Music

Don't count Ray Benson as a fan of mainstream country music. The Asleep at the Wheel front-man recently told the Lowell Sun that he has a hard time listening to current country songs on mainstream radio because he says they lack individuality,

"You can relate to picking up girls, drinking beer and hot pants. The thematic stuff is what bothers me. I don't like Luke Bryan and those guys, because there's no originality. Every song follows pretty much the same chord progression. That's not a bad thing, in and of itself. Hank Williams used the same four chords, but there's no melodic integrity and the words are just silly.

 

"You listen to Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline or Willie Nelson. None sound like the other. It's individuality at its best. Patsy Cline was a pop singer, but with country sensibilities.

 

"Let me qualify this by saying there's great country music made today by lots of people, it's just not getting on mainstream radio."

 

Well Ray, might we suggest you tune in to Kickin' Country 103.1.