Country has officially become the shittiest genre of music there is.

[Nope]

That is a good question! I like it too, reminds me of a song I loved in the 90's. Below.

It is western, but I don't feel it's country, does that make sense? Probably not. I hear a latin tinge. The horns and guitars make me think tex mex. lol I am not sure what style of music it is called, but I personally don't think it's country.

I remember that song!

[SteelCurtain]

I can't stand American pop country. But I do love me some folk.

The Lumineers - Flowers in Your Hair



The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow



Ray LaMontagne - Jolene

[jesus_wept]

I'm not sure if it's strictly country and western but the genre was always going to go downhill after reaching this pinnacle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7_ajdd99CM

[Crossless2.0]

Contemporary country is so lame they've managed to make Buck Owens seem outlaw and cutting edge.

[Chas]

to retort.....

Jolene? That ain't Jolene, this is Jolene ...

[Davka]

Ok people, I spent ~15 years living in the Nashville area, and I'm a musician, and I gotta agree that most country coming off Music Row these days is commercial pablum pop-with-a-twang. That's what sells, so that's what the machine is cranking out. What's more, there is nothing more boring than playing a song with an oom-pah country beat. It's intro to music 101, all day every day.

BUT.

There are some amazing artists out there, who express their creativity via lyrics and somewhat more interesting musical hooks. Here are links to vids by two of the best, along with a snippet of lyrics to whet your interest:

Kacey Musgraves, Merry-go-Round

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Kacey Musgraves, Merry-go-Round

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"Mama's hooked on Mary Kay.
Brother's hooked on Mary Jane.
Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.
Mary, Mary quite contrary.
We get bored, so, we get married
Just like dust, we settle in this town.
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go
Where it stops nobody knows and it ain't slowin' down.
This merry go 'round."

-----------------------

Brad Paisley - Southern Comfort Zone

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Brad Paisley - Southern Comfort Zone

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(This video is also visually quite entertaining)

"When your wheelhouse is the land of cotton,
The first time you leave it can be strange, it can be shocking

Not everybody drives a truck, not everybody drinks sweet tea
Not everybody owns a gun, wears a ball cap boots and jeans
Not everybody goes to church or watches every NASCAR race
Not everybody knows the words to "Ring Of Fire" or "Amazing Grace"

[Chorus:]
Oh, Dixie Land,
I hope you understand
When I miss my Tennessee Home
And I've been away way too long
I can't see this world unless I go
Outside my Southern Comfort Zone"

----------------------

So yes, there are a lot of crap artists churning out predictable pop hits for the sheeple. But there are also some truly creative people getting airplay on those same country stations. Hopefully, their music is making people think.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Well, Brad's a fantastic guitarist, as well.

[Davka]

Well, Brad's a fantastic guitarist, as well.

Yep. And he wrote the Toilet Seat song, as well as "I wanna check you for ticks." The man is a class act.

[Kitty Galore]

That is a good question! I like it too, reminds me of a song I loved in the 90's. Below.

It is western, but I don't feel it's country, does that make sense? Probably not. I hear a latin tinge. The horns and guitars make me think tex mex. lol I am not sure what style of music it is called, but I personally don't think it's country.

That's got a hell of a lot of klezmer in it, not so much country or latin.

Parker.. klezmer? I could just google it, but do you mind giving me your spin?

Also, sigh, I do have a newer country song I like. Chicks, I guess.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Parker.. klezmer? I could just google it, but do you mind giving me your spin?

Klezmer features a lot of harmonic minor tonality, which that song features. That tonality is featured in a lot of Mediterranean music, as well -- but klezmer adds in elements of Gypsy/Roma music which the Ashkenazi brought into the mix from their experiences in Eastern Europe. It's rhythmically more sophisticated than, say, American folk music, probably from its cross-pollination with jazz in the 20th century.

I'm only familiar with the New York expression of klezmer that has come about in the last thirty or forty years, so I'm a neophyte myself. But I can certainly hear its influence in that song, harmonically.