A Little More Country Than That Explained

A Little More Country Than That
Cover:Easton Corbin Almctt single cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Easton Corbin
Album:Easton Corbin
Released:August 4, 2009
Recorded:2009
Genre:Country
Length:2:52
Label:Mercury Nashville
Producer:Carson Chamberlain
Next Title:Roll with It
Next Year:2010

"A Little More Country Than That" is a song written by Joey + Rory's Rory Feek, Wynn Varble, and Don Poythress and recorded by American country music artist Easton Corbin. It was released in August 2009 as Corbin's debut single and the first from his self-titled debut album.[1] In April 2010, the song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making Corbin the first male solo artist in seven years to send a debut single to that position. The song has also been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Content

"A Little More Country Than That" is a mid-tempo song featuring accompaniment from acoustic guitar and electric guitar, with fiddle and steel guitar fills. In it, the male narrator lists off various rural themes (such as "catching channel cat") each time saying that he is "a little more country than that."

Rory Lee Feek, one-half of the duo Joey + Rory, wrote the song with Don Poythress and Wynn Varble while the three were at a writing retreat held at Mickey Newbury's cabin near Nashville, Tennessee.[2] Poythress began playing a tune on the guitar when Feek suggested the song title "A Little More Country Than That." The song was originally intended to be recorded by Blaine Larsen, but it sat unrecorded for several years before producer Carson Chamberlain heard it and recommended it for Corbin.[2]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Stephen Shepherd and premiered on September 17, 2009. It depicts Corbin singing and playing guitar in rural areas, as well as scenes of him singing in front of a bonfire at a party.

Critical reception

Karlie Justus of Engine 145 gave the song a positive review, comparing Corbin's vocals to those of George Strait and saying that the song had "organic phrases" and a traditionally country sound.[3] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock also gave the song a favorable review, saying that it was "refreshing" to hear Corbin's neotraditionalist country influences.[4] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine was somewhat negative, referring to the song as "a slightly more purposeful variation on an interminable series of rote lists of rural-ish points of reference that Nashville's unambitious go-to songwriters have been attempting to pass off as songs for the past few years."[5]

Chart performance

"A Little More Country Than That" debuted at No. 56 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the chart week ending August 22, 2009. It also debuted at No. 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending January 23, 2010.

The song peaked at Number One on the US country charts for the week ending April 3, 2010, its thirty-second week on that chart.[2] It made Corbin the first solo male artist to send a debut single to Number One since Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin'" in September 2003, and the first country music artist overall to have a number-one debut single since the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" in December 2008.[6] [7]

Charts

Year-end charts

Parodies

American parody artist Cledus T. Judd released a parody of "A Little More Country Than That" titled "A Little More Hungry Than That" on his 2012 album "Parodyziac!!".

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Easton Corbin releases first single . July 31, 2009 . . October 16, 2009.
  2. Conaway. Alanna. May 10, 2010. Story Behind the Song: A Little More Country Than What?. Country Weekly. 17. 19. 17. 1074-3235.
  3. Web site: Easton Corbin – "A Little More Country Than That" . Justus . Karlie . July 23, 2009 . October 16, 2009 . Engine 145 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141218093722/http://www.engine145.com/easton-corbin-a-little-more-country-than-that/ . December 18, 2014 .
  4. Web site: Easton Corbin – "A Little More Country Than That" . Bjorke . Matt . July 24, 2009 . October 16, 2009 . Roughstock.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090929094542/http://www.roughstock.com/blog/easton-corbin-a-little-more-country-than-that- . September 29, 2009 .
  5. Web site: Easton Corbin review. Keefe. Jonathan. Slant Magazine. March 7, 2010.
  6. Web site: Corbin scores first Number One. Country Standard Time. March 23, 2010.
  7. Web site: Chart Beat Wednesday: Stone Temple Pilots, Easton Corbin, Lady Antebellum . Trust. Gary. March 24, 2010. Billboard. March 26, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100326181606/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/958860/chart-beat-wednesday-stone-temple-pilots-easton-corbin-lady. March 26, 2010 . live.
  8. Web site: Best of 2010: Country Songs . . . 2010 . December 13, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101211104551/http://www.billboard.com/. December 11, 2010 . live.