Nashville certainly has a sound. I like some of the tunes a lot and there is no doubt there are great players there. The Engineers are also great,the gear is great the producers are great the writers in some cases are great also. That is why I don't understand why they have to take every good idea they have down there and beat it to death. I hear auto tune on ALL the stuff coming out of Nashville. The drums sounds tend to be small and everything is very very conservative sounding.
I like things to sound finished but, when I listen to country Radio, I go to sleep pretty quick because I start to be able to predict what's coming around the corner. .....'OK, here come the auto tuned back up vocals that might as well be a synth patch'......... ..
I sing for over half my living and I must say. I don't know anyone who sings every single pitch in tune. It is a shame that tuning this stuff has become an excepted practice. Take Toby Keath {spelling?} for example. He really can't sing. At least, it's not what I call singing. Tim Mcgraw can sing, but, It was a real drag when I heard him on TV and he sang a whole song,out of tune.Is he used to having auto tune do it for him? or was his in ear mix screwed up so he sang flat? Gretchen Willson sings great but they use auto tune on here too. You can tell it a mile away. I don't like using technology the moves away from human resources, like drum machines and auto tune.
Having said all that, the stuff does "sound good" but it's just over done for my taste.
Hey, who is the lady who sang "Break Down Here"? that tune is really great. the band just nails it. It really sounds like a band playing right there in the room. Who engineered that. I like it.
I don't want anyone to get the idea that I don't respect what's going on in Nashville. I DO! I listen to country radio sometimes because it seems like all the players and writers in pop music and jazz, all the killer players {or most of them} ended up there. What they are ,for some reason, calling R&B these days is un- listenable drum machine demo stuff for me. R&R radio in compressed to death and very whiny.
I love some of the tunes you folks are cranking out down there and you have real talent. Can't ya just do a couple takes and call it good? mix it in a day and shut all that auto this and auto that OFF. You don't need it. You have real talent.