When I consider country music, Toby Keith and Shania Twain are the first artists that come to mind because my mother listened to them frequently. Although this genre isn’t prevalent in my playlists, I can appreciate music that focuses on the simpler side of life like spending time with family and remembering your hometown. Florida Georgia Line’s new album “Dig Your Roots” features these themes and adds a bro-country twist.
Bro-country, also known as stadium country, is a relatively new subgenre of mainstream country music. It merges the acoustic twang of classic country with rock, hip hop and rap. What defines this subgenre is its lyrical content, which fixates on attractive women and partying. The New York Times Magazine contributing writer Jody Rosen coined the term bro-country in an article that discussed Florida Georgia Line’s song “Cruise” (2012). This subgenre has been criticized for being ingenuine and crude.
Florida Georgia Line was founded by Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley in 2012. The band has won three consecutive Vocal Duo of the Year awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Additionally, they’ve claimed the first diamond certified single for the country genre; “Cruise” sold over 10 million copies. Even though the band strives to recreate country with their unique sound, Kelley stated, “A lot of things have changed. We’ve grown up, we’ve learned a lot … I think that translates into this music, into this album and into this lifestyle – it’s all one.”
“Dig Your Roots” managed to attract my attention with songs like its title track and “May We All.” Both paid homage to the idea that where you’re from will always be a part of your identity. “May We All” used slow acoustic chords to ease the listener into the song and quickened the pace for the chorus. “Dig Your Roots” uses echoing electronic drums as an opener and adds in the guitar as it progresses. The band displays their talent through this ability to make slight changes to sound throughout the album, while being reminiscent of classic country music overall.
However, “While He’s Still Around” in addition to the two previously mentioned tracks are the only songs on the album worth listening to. The other 12 fixate on relationships and objectifying women as a whole. Lyrics like “I could use a little you right now,” from “Wish You Were On It” and “Girl, you go down good,” from “Smooth” hint that women are useful for one thing: sex.
Florida Georgia Line’s “Dig Your Roots” could’ve been a great album had they focused on “growing up” in every song. Instead, it reflects the party boys within Hubbard and Kelley by promoting the idea that the only thing you really need in life is a significant other.