He appreciates the past, but still looks forward to the future.
To me, Alan Jackson is kind of in a similar position now that George Jones was in around the late 1980s and into the 1990s.
Back then, George was coming off a really great run of hits in the early and mid ’80s. He was energized. He wanted to be on the radio, on tour and doing the whole deal.
But times were changing in country music. A new crop was coming up and no matter what George tried he couldn’t really crack the top 20 on the radio charts.
Oddly enough, one of the new hot shots was Alan Jackson.
Now, George was very friendly with Alan (and others of the time). George always liked Alan’s traditional style.
Now, about 25-30 years later, Alan is in a similar situation. Still putting out new music, but struggling with radio. He might be alright with that, but you gotta think at least part of him wants that big #1 again.
It has been almost a decade since his last one not counting the one with Zac Brown Band in 2010.
Anyway, Alan didn’t shy away from his own style with his latest single. It’s a good one.
The Older I Get – Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson might be in the top five of all time when it comes to country lyricists. This one is so simple yet so original and meaningful. The words are simple, but the meaning is deep. It’s the story of aging, but doing it with grace and gratefulness.
Alan has always laid his heart out for fans. He’s soft spoken in person, but he’s an amazing communicator when it comes to his music. In the hands of another artist this one might come across as kind of cheesy, but Alan is able to make it seem very sincere and meaningful.
In fact, this one reminds me of the George Jones single Choices that came out in 1999. It reached #30 on the charts, but had a much bigger impact than that in the history of George Jones.
Maybe this one will have the same impact for Alan.
Chart Estimate: #30
CML Points: 95/100
Leave a Reply