Videos by American Songwriter
The artist: Country music singer-songwriter Aaron Lewis, previous frontman of the popular Massachusetts nu metal outfit Staind
The song: “That Ain’t Country,” off Lewis’ sophomore solo LP, SINNER
Fun Fact: SINNER features guest vocals from Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss and Vince Gill
Songwriter says: “I’d like to think that SINNER is a newer take on classic, traditional Outlaw Country, Waylon and Merle and Willie, and Hank Jr. and Johnny Cash and all that stuff. That was the music I heard as a kid, and that’s the Country music that permeated my soul and stuck with me my whole life,” Lewis said in a press statement.
“I have definitely dealt with some of the old guard questioning my commitment to the genre, questioning how much of this might be a toe-dipping in the water to see what the temperature is. I had, and still have, a very established career in the rock world, and as much as that has been a blessing in some ways, it has been a curse in others in trying to be looked at as somebody who is taking this seriously and isn’t just trying to go where the money is. There has been a pretty big misconception I’ve had to battle, but there has also been lots of support. There have been times I’ve been told by a program director that my record was his favorite that came out that year but he couldn’t play it because it’s ‘too Country.’ The landscape of Country radio today doesn’t really leave any room for an artist like myself that has no desire to mix pop music with Country music. Why would I do that?”
Watch the video for “That Ain’t Country” below.
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