Rooted In Tradition, ‘That Ain’t Country’ Pays Homage To Legends Who Crafted Country Music

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Aaron Lewis made the official venture into country music with the release of his first solo EP in 2011. Titled Town Line, the EP established Lewis’ name in the genre after it topped the Billboard Country Albums chart. 

Lewis’ first full-length studio album, called The Road, followed a year later and was also an immense success. It broke into the Top 10 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and also climbed to the 30th spot on the all-genre chart. 

After the success of his first album, Lewis announced in June 2016 that he was gearing up to release his second one in September of that year. The announcement came with the release of a brand-new single as well, titled “That Ain’t Country”. 

Through the song, Lewis reflects on how country music has changed over the years. He expresses his particular fondness for the music his “granddad used to play,” which is built around the traditional and classic country sounds. 

Lewis mentions several iconic singers whose music he admires as a country artist himself. Just a handful of the many legends he names are Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Willie Nelson. When he names each of these artists, he also mentions something about their music or their personalities that make them “country” in his eyes.

“That Ain’t Country” served as the lead single off of Lewis’ latest album, Sinner, which was released on September 16, 2016. Lewis told Blabbermouth.net that the record is heavily influenced by the traditional country music he mentions in “That Ain’t Country”:

“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 a kid, and that’s the country music that permeated my soul and stuck with me my whole life.”

Now it’s time for you to hear how Lewis’ country music role models influenced “That Ain’t Country.” Listen to the song in the clip below.

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