“Tonight Looks Good on You”
Jason Aldean
Written by Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Ashley Gorley
Great artists start trends, and when everybody else is catching up to what they started, they’ve already moved on to something fresh.
Jason Aldean is not a great artist.
So he’s reduced to competing in the game he started, and is suffering the dual embarrassment of still doing what he was doing five years ago, and not doing it particularly better than those new to the game.
No wonder he sounds so disconnected and downtrodden. As Stephen King once wrote, “Hell is repetition.” At least we can turn the radio off.
Grade: D
Hasn’t been much to like about Aldean’s music since Amarillo Sky almost 9 years ago.
List Of good Jason Aldean songs Amarillo Sky, Hicktown , Relentless, Laughed Until We Cried, Don’t You Wanna Stay and Fly Over States. Every other single release has been crap pure dumb pandering to the lowest common denominator. This is no exception at all really Jason Aldean comes off so boring monotone. His personality even gets on my nerves he comes off mean stupid and just a total a-hole
Grade F: Really Jason release some compelling material you’ve shown your capable of much more then setting yourself to the lowest common denominator.
Not as good as the last Aldean review, Kevin!
I disagree, Truth#2. Pretty good analysis, I’d say.
It was, without a doubt. But, the last review was quite funny, and it gave Aldean about as much breath as he deserved.
Ha. Touche!
As I have said before, this review could have been written by just listing the songwriters.
CountryKnight, so true!
Dallas Davidson helped write this? NO WAY!!!
So, so boring.
The Peach Pickers are terrible songwriters. Every last one of them. No surprise they are behind this song and the majority of the “Bro-Country” crap at radio still.
Of course, Shane McAnally is really testing my patience as well, for all the good vibes he may have gotten by working with Brandy Clark and Kacey Musgraves he is quickly wiping that away with his horrendous contributions to Sam Hunt’s “Country” career.
You know, if Jason Aldean worked hard enough at it, he could actually be obnoxious. This is just the same stuff that he and all the other bro-country minions continue to unload on the current country music audience.
But to add to what Kevin said in his review about great artists starting trends and then moving on when everyone’s caught up, I would also say that a great artist doesn’t try to pander or play to an audience, but rather manages to accomplish the feat of treating the audience as if they have minds of their own and treating them as equals. I just don’t think you’re ever going to see that with bro-country in general, or Aldean in particular.
Erik North I don’t think Jason Aldean is smart enough or noble enough to want anything but money and fame. He is so lazy and short -sighted that he fails to see that his songs are dead ends. No one at 50 or 60 could sing the crap he puts out. He is not an artist . I have been waiting for his reign to end for a long time. He has the personality of a stick and the singing ability of a five year old. He was old hat before right after ” Amarillo Sky”- Bob was right. He must have lucked onto that song.
One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how poorly today’s superstars are going to age. These songs won’t be meaningful to anybody, except maybe to reminisce about, and nobody will pay good money to hear a 55-year-old sing stuff like “Burnin’ It Down” or “Tonight Looks Good on You.”
Merle Haggard still tours and lots of people would kill to see him. He’s old and has lost some of his vocal ability and doesn’t move much on stage, but tons of people will pay to see him perform his songs at an intimate theater. Same with Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson etc. Their songs were so good that people want to hear them even if the singer needs to sit down for half of the set.
Today’s country is based on theatrics on stage. Lights, pyro, video screens, party songs. 20 years from now, when Aldean is pushing 60, he won’t be able to play arenas and I can’t imagine watching him in a 1,000-seat-theater.
His act will fall apart in an intimate setting. Same goes for FGL and Luke Bryan. The huge fan bases they’ve developed now likely won’t even bother to see them in concert 10 years after they fallen from the mainstream.
If your paragraph is true, then their “fan bases” are more like migration herds/migrant workers than anything. Always looking for something better.
Aldean, FGL and Bryan are already seeing the Bro-Country backlash. Country radio is bleeding 18-34 demo listeners in recent months. The kids who support those artists are starting to grow bored and move on. Aldean and Bryan might be able to survive for the next couple years because they had built in fanbases before the Bro-Country thing took off, but FGL is pretty much S.O.L. as their fanbase is entirely made up of a younger demo that is rapidly losing interest.
That’s why I think its so weird Aldean’s and Bryan’s management teams are not having them release different singles to radio. Especially since in the case of Aldean, a couple of the songs towards the end of his last album would probably qualify as “deep” for him and for Country radio.
As for how Aldean and Bryan hold up long term, who knows really? I mean, I never saw Motley Crue being able to hang on as long as they have. Granted they no longer have a radio presence, but they still seem to be able to move tickets. Same goes for KISS.
Aldean and Bryan may be able to hang onto to singing those songs until their 50 or 60 afterall. Probably doubtful, but like I said, who thought bands like KISS or Motley Crue would still be pulling in fans at arena’s still?
Quote by CraigR:
Erik North I don’t think Jason Aldean is smart enough or noble enough to want anything but money and fame.
He of course isn’t alone, he’s just one of the more blatant examples of that. Linda Ronstadt said it last year that if somebody in this business is just in it for prizes, money, and fame, they’re in trouble. It’s getting dangerously close to that tipping point for Aldean, if he keeps doing this dreck (IMHO).
Interesting points Mike W.
I think the key differences between KISS and Motley Crue from today’s country is their business savvy and side projects. KISS made a world recognized brand out of their crazy appearance and shows. Their merchandising and brand are better known than their individual songs.
Motley Crue stayed relevant in later years largely due to Nikki Sixx’s and Tommy Lee’s later ventures. For Sixx most notably the his radio show, his autobiography and the bands he played with after Crue. Lee also was in a mildly popular band after Crue and recorded two somewhat successful solo albums.
Plus, the members of Motley Crue were tabloid fodder for many years, with Vince Neil’s arrest and business ventures, Sixx’s drug problems and many marriages, and Lee’s marriage to Pamela Anderson. The three have also been on several TV shows as well and for a while sponsored the “Crue Fest” music festival.
I don’t see Aldean or Bryan as being big enough celebrities to stay in the headlines after there careers fade like KISS and Crue and I don’t see them starting notable business ventures or bands. At best I could see Bryan’s Farm Tour as his one lasting impact on the genre.
Considering that “Just Gettin’ Started” will struggle to top 500,000 in sales and burned through a notable number of weeks to get to #1, I’m at a loss why it has been followed up with another mostly lethargic, plodding mid-tempo.
Because here’s the thing: I’m not convinced that quite a few commenters here have really given “Old Boots, New Dirt” (namely the latter half minus “Gonna Know We Were Here”, as well as “Tryin’ To Love Me”) a fair shake. They just readily ASSUME it is garbage because the lamest tracks are being designated the single releases. And as migraine-inducing as Aldean and Broken Bow’s judgments are there……….the latter half of the album in particular is a lot better than most of what is flying on the airwaves in the meanwhile.
The underperforming “Just Gettin’ Started” should have been enough of a sign for Aldean and Broken Bow to shift gears and release a more mature, reflective track as the third single. Granted “Two Night Town” is probably a stretch to succeed in this current climate, but I can’t see why “Don’t Change Gone”, “Tryin’ To Love Me” or “Too Fast” wouldn’t work. I also think “If My Truck Could Talk” would resonate to countless listeners and elevate it to the top region of the chart. Their judgment this album cycle is infuriating to behold.
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Anyway, as far as this single is concerned……….while I wouldn’t consider it neither as bloody awful as “Burnin’ It Down” nor quite as lifeless as “Just Gettin’ Started”…………..”Tonight Looks Good On You” is still yet another below-average offering from him with irritating pick-up lines that obsess over her looks and fashion than actually elaborate on his feelings for her………..backed with milquetoast, white bread R&B production.
And, by the way, what the hell is up with the writers of this song stating at the end of the song: “You’re looking so good anywhere you are…”, yet exclaiming at the end of the second verse: “You’ve been beautiful a million times, but I’ve never seen you look like this.”
Are you kidding me? What, are we expected to believe that these writers observed their love interests solely in the daytime before FINALLY doting on them at their one millionth and first glance in the nightlight? Whoooooooaaaaaaa! What are the odds? ;)
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So yeah, this gets a D+ from me, no recommendation…………….and if Broken Bow and Aldean are wise, they’ll at long last pull a track besides “Gonna Know We Were Here” from the tail end of the album and give it a well-deserved shot at radio.