Is it wishful thinking, or are just about all the other genres starting to embrace rock? Perhaps not full-on, but certain sounds, a rock beat, a rock guitar are showing up everywhere.  Country has been doing this for years now.  In fact those country artists have to be closet rockers, especially when they have Billy Gibbons on stage as the supporting guitar player at an awards show.  I can’t find a video of this, but Jake Owen is reported to have had Billy Gibbons play on Owen’s song Days of Gold at the American Country Awards broadcast on December 10th.  (Credit to jhs for telling me this.)  Mind you, I don’t have the attention span to sit through an awards show, but it would be worth watching them if they have Billy Gibbons performing.  Indeed, I’m told Gibbons brought the Marshalls.  Might as well rock that out if you’re going to guest star!  Show ’em how it’s done and stuff like that.

I’m not sure if it’s me still wanting to see more signs, my prior article is making me look, but I’m convinced pop music is going that way.  Now, don’t go run to the radio and tune it to a pop station expecting to hear Pour Some Sugar On Me, Cherry Pie or November Rain, examples of good or bad pop-rock depending on your views; we’ve gotten so far away from rock influence in pop radio, it is only simple things I hear.  But still, the new artists, the ones who are climbing and being noticed, might be closet rockers in the same vein as the newer country artists.  The latest pop song I want to turn up and sing along to, John Newman,  Love Me Again, almost rocks, partly because of the beat — infused with part-rock, part dance, but largely because of the rockin’ piano.  Oh and I identified with it too.  This guy, John Newman, is new.  He seems a bit out of the boy-band influence, still with the single artist model, but his video features a band playing, not boys dancing.  Okay sure there are people dancing, but they are bar patrons, not a dance line, also influenced by the alternative music of the ’80s, which in turn borrowed certain style elements from the late ’50s and early 60’s.  The video has millions of views, so I can’t help but wonder what would happen if that song turned up the guitar riffs just a little.  If these newer pop songs were to embrace a bit more guitar sound, what then?  And I’m taken by the fact that every new pop song I like has a rock sound.  We are at about three or four now new pop artists that are part rock, part pop, part something.  Not bad, considering what the state of that genre was even two years ago.

And you know what?  Classic rock stations are starting to play alternative rock, older Soundgarden, Nivana, Pearl Jam and the like.  Current alternative rock stations are playing Avicii, a cross-over pop-rock artist that is really an electronic music dance dj-type.  It’s all starting to mix together.  And everything that gets attention as a new song, a new sound, from the country artists, to Avicii, to this new guy Newman, is rocking out.  I want rock stars to realize this stuff is creeping back in.  They might as well get in on it.  So, will someone go wake up the rock stars?  I think the world is almost ready for them to return.

The videos for the songs mentioned:

Days of Gold, Jake Owen:

Love Me Again, John Newman:

Brace yourself for the end of this one.  It took my breath away, but …