by Bob McGrath Sacramento, CA Reviewed on December 15th, 2004
I'm not sure what to make of Gretchen Wilson. The production on this album smacks of commercial Nashville sheen, but her material seems critical of commercial Nashville sheen. Her first single ("Redneck Woman") was, of course, an enormous hit. Her second single, "Here for the Party," was a hit, but was sort of rightfully pegged as Redneck Woman Part 2. Just when I started to doubt her, she released "When I Think About Cheating," something very different and probably almost too traditional for country radio. (It is doing fairly well, riding on the momentum of her seemingly-overnight rise to stardom.) There are, then, some interesting contradictions at work here, and I think that might be the point. Anyone who argues that Wilson is the "real deal" is clearly neglecting the role of savvy marketing, and anyone who argues that she is ONLY a marketing creation is neglecting Wilson's obvious talent.
Gretchen Wilson is just what country needs. Female country artists who "rock" are typically seen as commercial outcasts, as are most (or all) female country traditionalists, and Wilson marries both of these non-commercial groups and somehow makes the result commercial. If she does not possess the legitimate fire of a Tanya Tucker, and if she is not as down-home as Loretta Lynn, at the very least she brings elements of these styles into the mainstream... thus bringing attention to neglected artists who recently haven't been able to break through the sterility of Nashville. If nothing else, Gretchen Wilson is a welcome and much-needed departure from the country diva slump we have seen during the last several years.
So yes, she's a commercialized version of authenticity, and perhaps not quite the glorified Redneck Woman that she professes to be, but her material must be commercial in order to be heard. Don't fault her for being mainstream. Instead, appreciate the new elements she brings to the mainstream and the manner in which they might change country radio for the better.
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