Music: The Official Country Music Thread

[Schenn]

2 New hits, Drinkin' Bone is a few years old but it is amazing.

 

[Silvercat]

I like that Country Music has diversified it's sound and range of artists. But since it was such a tight, micromanaged community for decades it's weird to see pop bands like Sugarland and Taylor Swift classified as Country. Still, songs like 'Live Like You Were Dying' (Tim McGraw), 'You're Gonna Miss This' (Trace Adkins), 'Before He Cheats' (Carrie Underwood) and even 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' (Kenny Chesney) are fun but still sound like they're created by "country" artists.

I think Taylor Swift is one of the best things that could have happened to country music. Regardless of whether or not you think she sings country.

 

[Dave Karp]

Schenn: Two great choices (and 'Drinkin' Bone' is a beauty), Blake Shelton is amazing and while I'm not a big fan of Jason Aldean other than 'Big Green Tractor' and 'The Truth', he has a few other good tunes including 'Dirt Road Anthem' but check out the original (I don't recall the singer just that it was featuring Colt Ford).

 

[EmptyNetter]

I think Taylor Swift is one of the best things that could have happened to country music. Regardless of whether or not you think she sings country.

To me that's like saying Avril Lavigne is one of the best things that could have happened to punk music. Both bring new fans to their respective genres but Country and Punk seem the worse for it.

I don't think that country music needs to have a fiddler and a dobro player, etc. But I think it should espouse a. . . rural point of view. I've got nothing against Swift except that her lyrics are vague enough that they could be about any teen girl anywhere in America.

 

[Silvercat]

To me that's like saying Avril Lavigne is one of the best things that could have happened to punk music. Both bring new fans to their respective genres but Country and Punk seem the worse for it.

I don't think that country music needs to have a fiddler and a dobro player, etc. But I think it should espouse a. . . rural point of view. I've got nothing against Swift except that her lyrics are vague enough that they could be about any teen girl anywhere in America.

That's how it goes with every album. First you have the generic, catered for the lowest common denominator stuff... Then you have the good music in albums which is never aired on radio, which never has a video made, etc. And with those 3 or 4 mainstream pieces of music people call someone crap.

Not saying that's you, it just happens too often and it's frustrating.

 

[King RAZZ]

And to think that the back up band later became known as Mannheim Steamroller...

 

[King RAZZ]

I can remember when this song once had a 24 hour run on one country station...yes...on a Friday and 194 consecutive plays...

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I don't get why many people only claim to only like "older" country music. I mean, it's basically all pop music, isn't it?

Lefty Frizzell ≠ Keith Urban.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

To me that's like saying Avril Lavigne is one of the best things that could have happened to punk music. Both bring new fans to their respective genres but Country and Punk seem the worse for it.

I don't think that country music needs to have a fiddler and a dobro player, etc. But I think it should espouse a. . . rural point of view. I've got nothing against Swift except that her lyrics are vague enough that they could be about any teen girl anywhere in America.

I really don't know how country music is worse for it whatsoever. I don't know a single country music fan who hates T-Swift and know very few who don't care for her. Whether others consider it country, pop, or whatever else, she's well loved in the country community.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Lefty Frizzell ≠ Keith Urban.

I'm no country expert but it seems like it's all basically pop to me. Many people become obsessed with "authenticity" when it comes to music, especially in regards to country. What's the difference, other than one is old and "cooler"?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I'm no country expert but it seems like it's all basically pop to me. Many people become obsessed with "authenticity" when it comes to music, especially in regards to country. What's the difference, other than one is old and "cooler"?

Do you suppose that the people who say they prefer older soul artists like Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye to newer ones like Usher and Babyface only prefer them because the former is old and "cooler"?

 

[Topp Spin]

I'm no country expert but it seems like it's all basically pop to me. Many people become obsessed with "authenticity" when it comes to music, especially in regards to country. What's the difference, other than one is old and "cooler"?

Are you delusional?

There is a huge difference between the country music of now, and what it was many years ago. Go listen to Ramblin Man by Waylon Jennings, then listen to any of the garbage a band like Rascal Flatts puts out and tell me they're the same thing.

On the contrary, new country is the "cool" thing these days. It's very popular and many peopleM seem to like it and there is nothing wrong with that. I personally can't stand new country, it all sounds the same to me....

*I apologize if I have offended anyone regarding the comments I made about Rascal Flatts.

 

[Hello Johnny]

Are you delusional?

There is a huge difference between the country music of now, and what it was many years ago. Go listen to Ramblin Man by Waylon Jennings, then listen to any of the garbage a band like Rascal Flatts puts out and tell me they're the same thing.

On the contrary, new country is the "cool" thing these days. It's very popular and many peopleM seem to like it and there is nothing wrong with that. I personally can't stand new country, it all sounds the same to me....

*I apologize if I have offended anyone regarding the comments I made about Rascal Flatts.

Sums up my feelings. Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich were country music. Toby Keith and Garth Brooks and all this nonsense today is just for bro meatheads. The crap I hear out my window and across the street living on a major college campus just sounds unintelligent, almost intentionally.

 

[TheStranger]

Can't believe I'm this late to this thread when I'm probably the biggest country fan on these boards.

I basically despise new country though, very very few songs that I like, I essentially stopped liking country after Garth Brooks left. That said I like OLD country too, but am a huge fan of 90's country.

Sums up my feelings. Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich were country music. Toby Keith and Garth Brooks and all this nonsense today is just for bro meatheads. The crap I hear out my window and across the street living on a major college campus just sounds unintelligent, almost intentionally.

Big fan of old country, but I can't believe you threw Garth in with the trash like Toby Keith, no comparison. In fact it's unbelievable. The worst part though, is he revolutionized country into what it is today, but it is some skewed now from what he was, it literally is not even close.

Seriously listen to something like The Thunder Rolls and compare it to "honey Bee"

 

[SniperHF]

Big fan of old country, but I can't believe you threw Garth in with the trash like Toby Keith, no comparison. In fact it's unbelievable. The worst part though, is he revolutionized country into what it is today, but it is some skewed now from what he was, it literally is not even close.

Seriously listen to something like The Thunder Rolls and compare it to "honey Bee"

Even then 90's Keith to today's Keith is a pretty big difference. He made a calculated change to his style for popularity. And I think Honey Bee is Blake Shelton not Toby Keith.

As for GB, I think a lot of people unfairly blame him for what we have today. As you mentioned they skewed from where he was.

 

[TheStranger]

Even then 90's Keith to today's Keith is a pretty big difference. He made a calculated change to his style for popularity. And I think Honey Bee is Blake Shelton not Toby Keith.

As for GB, I think a lot of people unfairly blame him for what we have today. As you mentioned they skewed from where he was.

Sorry, yes I know Honey Bee is Blake Shelton, my point was very little of today's hit country is anything like Garth was. And yes, Toby Keith early career to now is not comparable either. I don't really blame them all for changing, they had to to survive, if they didn't, they wouldn't exist anymore.

I agree that he is blamed for the change, but I feel the real change took place after he left. Somewhere around 2000 is started to take a nosedive, his official retirement was in 1999, though he did a little bit after that. I haven't pinpointed the exact spot it changed but I imagine it was slowly changing all along...and not entirely because of Garth either.

If you ask me, Garth was closer to real country(especially his first couple albums) than some of the stuff that came out of the 80's that's for sure. That was some silly pop nonsense.

 

[Dave Karp]

Can't believe I'm this late to this thread when I'm probably the biggest country fan on these boards.

I basically despise new country though, very very few songs that I like, I essentially stopped liking country after Garth Brooks left. That said I like OLD country too, but am a huge fan of 90's country.

Big fan of old country, but I can't believe you threw Garth in with the trash like Toby Keith, no comparison. In fact it's unbelievable. The worst part though, is he revolutionized country into what it is today, but it is some skewed now from what he was, it literally is not even close.

Seriously listen to something like The Thunder Rolls and compare it to "honey Bee"

Considering I made the thread I'm the self-proclaimed "biggest country fan on the board"

I don't really understand the new v.s. old thing. Pointing to Garth Brooks as "old" country doesn't really help either. He's turned country music into pretty mainstream music. Him and Taylor Swift are doing similar things for the genre (yes, I said it). I like Garth a lot don't get me wrong but saying that Toby Keith is trash in comparison is ludicrous. I'd actually argue that Toby Keith's music is more "country" in the stereotypical sense of the word than Garth Brooks' is. My point is that country is unique in the sense that it can cross genres and still have an identifiable country feel. There is no way to compare two country songs like Thunder Rolls and Honey Bee because they aren't attempting to accomplish the same thing. I listen to a wide variety of country music and I listen to each sub-genre depending on my mood or what's going on (for instance I wouldn't put Standing Outside the Fire on when there's a whole bunch of girls who want to dance) but it doesn't mean one is significantly better than the other.

 

[TheStranger]

Considering I made the thread I'm the self-proclaimed "biggest country fan on the board"

I don't really understand the new v.s. old thing. Pointing to Garth Brooks as "old" country doesn't really help either. He's turned country music into pretty mainstream music. Him and Taylor Swift are doing similar things for the genre (yes, I said it). I like Garth a lot don't get me wrong but saying that Toby Keith is trash in comparison is ludicrous. I'd actually argue that Toby Keith's music is more "country" in the stereotypical sense of the word than Garth Brooks' is. My point is that country is unique in the sense that it can cross genres and still have an identifiable country feel. There is no way to compare two country songs like Thunder Rolls and Honey Bee because they aren't attempting to accomplish the same thing. I listen to a wide variety of country music and I listen to each sub-genre depending on my mood or what's going on (for instance I wouldn't put Standing Outside the Fire on when there's a whole bunch of girls who want to dance) but it doesn't mean one is significantly better than the other.

I didn't mean to refer to Garth as "Old" country considering a spend a lot of my time listening to stuff from the 50's, 60's and 70's. I guess it's more of a preference thing,...as while I enjoy the TRUE country of the 60's, I find new attempts at sounding country, come across as trying too hard, being fake, and just obnoxious as a lot of them are about being a redneck or something to that affect see: Hicktown - Jason Aldean or Redneck Woman etc...I despise songs like that, and while they may be closer to real country than a lot of stuff by Garth, I will not accept that as being more traditional. Seems weird, I know, hard to explain.

Also, I don't mind comparing mid-late 90's Toby Keith to Garth brooks, but new stuff? Ugh. It's a disgrace in my mind. I haven't heard a song by him that I liked for a long long time.

I can't explain what the difference is between Garth's music and today's music, but I can sit and listen to a "90's country" specific radio station for HOURS without skipping songs, but anything 2000 or later has a hard time keeping me listen because I just can't get through the songs.

I honestly would like to enjoy the music, because I'm running out of songs that I haven't heard TOO much when there's no new good music entering my playlist heh.

 

[punk_o_holic]

Not a big country fan but will listen to it. Here are some of my fav singers/band..
George Canyon


Toby Keith

Montgomery Gentry

Cowboy TroyDallas Cowboys song

 

[Leafsfan64]

Great thread here!

I'm starting to dig country more and more... and love the country pub atmosphere! A couple months ago I finally learned how to two step, just the basics.... now I gotta go out and practice! . Its a lot of fun though!

What are some good Country Rock artists, or just good songs in general for two-stepping? All I really know is Jason Aldean....

I dig this song a lot too...

 

[EmptyNetter]

I started listening to Country after seeing Willie Nelson's performance during the Crossroads Festival on tv. I got a fresh look at him as a performer and was really impressed. In fact he served as a gateway drug -- I started listening to him, Waylon Jennings (was nostalgic for his work on Dukes of Hazzard), Merle Haggard (because he was a friend and contemporary of Jennings) and Emmylou Harris among others. Jerry Reed (RIP Snowman) and Randy Travis followed soon after.

Sadly, there's only one commercial radio station that plays country music in the greater Boston area and they play new country almost exclusively. It's funny that I can be moved by Trace Adkins' "You're Gonna Miss This", but then facepalm his "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk". It seems like they were written by two different people. I mean there's still good, sincere writing but there's at least as much (if not more) emphasis on creating radio friendly hits.

 

[TheStranger]

I'm digging this new guy Bradley Gaskin, despite his terrible name. True country voice, rare to see these days. I suggest checking out his 1st single Mr.Bartender...also on youtube he has a cover of "Don't close your eyes" it's very very good.

Thought I would revive this thread.

 

[Leafsfan64]

Bump. This Thread doesn't deserve to be on page 4 of this forum!

I'm new to two-stepping.... what songs do you like to two-step to?

 

[Topp Spin]

Bump. This Thread doesn't deserve to be on page 4 of this forum!

I'm new to two-stepping.... what songs do you like to two-step to?

check out "Love's gonna live here again by Buck Owens"

 

[Dave Karp]

For all the country fans that enjoy the "old" sound to country, check out Brantley Gilbert. He sang "My Kinda Party" and "Dirt Road Anthem" before Jason Aldean popularized the songs. Personally, his song "My Kinda Crazy" is his best song. He has a unique, talented voice.

Also, seeing as I referenced "Dirt Road Anthem", the other guy that sings the song with him is Colt Ford. He's a great example of how country music can cross genres. All most all of his songs he's rapping his lyrics (which is why Jason Aldean "raps" in "Dirt Road Anthem") yet it's still definitively country with what he's singing about.

Slightly off the general topic of why I made the thread but to try to keep people interested, I'll pose this question: What country concerts have you guys been to? And how was it?

I've only been to one but it was a great one to go to. It was the living legend and my first favourite country artist: Alan Jackson. I'd been wanting to see him for awhile and when they announced he was coming to my hometown I knew I had to go. Sure glad I did, it was simply a blast and he's a great performer. It was probably the most fun I've had at a concert to be honest. I really want to go to the Capital City Hoedown this year in Ottawa (obviously) because they have an amazing line-up.

What about you guys?

EDIT: Just a reminder, please put the YT videos side by side so it's easier to navigate through the thread. Thanks!