Country Music Thread

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Let the night air cool you off
Country music isn't the most popular genre of music on the internet, but it has a pretty big real life fan base. Sadly, the real life fan base likes a lot of terrible country music that gives the genre a bad name. It has its fans though, so this thread is for those of us who want to talk about this beautiful form of music.

If you want to drop an album or song review, go for it. You wanna share some news? Do that too. Just wanna talk about your favorite artists? That's welcome as well. Talk about Hank Williams, any of the three of them. Talk about the origins of the genre with the Carter family or Jimmie Rodgers. Talk about Willie, Waylon, and Me and the Outlaws. Talk about the Possum. The ladies of country music, past and present. Maybe you are into the weirder side of alt-country, that's welcome too.

I'll start off with my favorite albums of each year of this decade

2010 - Less Wise (Cody Jinks)
2011 - A New Home in the Old World (Austin Lucas)
2012 - Cabin Fever (Corb Lund)
2013 - High Top Mountain (Sturgill Simpson)
2014 - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (Sturgill Simpson)
2015 - Traveller (Chris Stapleton)
2016 - I'm Not the Devil (Cody Jinks)
2017 - Wrangled (Angaleena Presley)
2018 - Liberty (Lindi Ortega)

Sturgill Simpson is my favorite current country artist, but I am a big fan of Cody Jinks, Chris Stapleton, Angaleena Presley, Sunny Sweeney, and a lot of others. I also love a lot of classic country too, my all-time favorite country artist might be Merle Haggard.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Judging by the song tournaments, I don't think there are many country music fans here on MoFo, but maybe this thread will get some of the closet country music fans to come out and join in the conversation.

Unfortunately, we haven't had a country music radio station in this area for many years, so I don't get to hear much of the new country music, (except on TV shows like "The Voice", American Idol", etc.), but I'll listen to some of your favorites on YouTube when I get a chance.

I love old country music. Merle, Waylon, Hank Sr., Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, etc., but my favorite is Don Williams. I love his voice so much that he could sing the phone book and I would listen.

I also like country music from around the 80s through the early 90s. I love George Strait, Garth Brooks, Steve Wariner, Wade Hayes, and my favorite from that era is Ricky Van Shelton. I was heartbroken when he retired, and I still hold out hope that he might come back to the country music scene someday.



I haven't really delved into country music but there are at least two artists (albums) that I do listen more or less regularly: Dolly Parton (Coat of Many Colors) and Tammy Wynette (Stand By Your Man). Maybe I'll give a chance to those recent albums listed in OP at some point as I'm always open for more good music.



I love country music - because I love 'singer-songwriter' and 'roots' music , and country has such great, melodic unforgettable songs that touch your heart and you can't help singing along with. I like the old time 'pure' country like Jimmy Rodgers, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. I like those who started country buy gained a deservedly wider audiience like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. I love the crossover artists like Flying Burrito Brothers.And the singer songwriters like Patty Griffin and Gillian Welch ( and iof course, Bob Dylan) who may mix country with folk or blues to make heartfelt unforgettable songs. I started a 'song of the day 'thread and I'm going to be posting a few of my country favorites there soon.


Have to thank @gbgoodies for telling me about Don Williams, just did a YouTube search of him. What a voice!
And waddya know? he's teamed up with one of MY favorite country/roots singers on a duet , which I am taking the liberty of posting here- the two best singers of the phonebook :





Let the night air cool you off
@lenslady and that song was written by the legendary Townes Van Zandt

By the way, I'm also not against people coming in here and explaining why they don't like country music. I don't know how many people who don't like country music would click on the thread to see this post, but I'm open to trying to change some minds and conceptions.



I was going to mention Townes, but wasn't sure many people would know his name. Glad you did. A songwriter's songwriter.



Let the night air cool you off
I was going to mention Townes, but wasn't sure many people would know his name. Glad you did. A songwriter's songwriter.
Sometimes I'll get bored and just try to find different covers of his songs, it's pretty amazing how many great artists have paid their respects to him by trying their hand at something he penned. "Waiting Around to Die" is pretty popular with a lot of "underground" country artists of today.



Let the night air cool you off
Comedian Norm MacDonald is a big country music fan, mostly the outlaws, especially Billy Joe Shaver and Waylon Jennings. He did this hilarious sketch on an album:



language warning



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Have to thank @gbgoodies for telling me about Don Williams, just did a YouTube search of him. What a voice!
And waddya know? he's teamed up with one of MY favorite country/roots singers on a duet , which I am taking the liberty of posting here- the two best singers of the phonebook :



I'm glad you like his voice too. I've been a fan of his for as long as I can remember, and I was devastated when he passed away.

I tend to be more of a fan of male voices than female voices, but I agree that Emmylou Harris has a beautiful voice, and that's a great song.

Some of my favorite female artists are Reba McEntire, Patsy Cline, Anne Murray, Tanya Tucker, Lee Ann Womack, Ronna Reeves, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, The Forrester Sisters, The Judds, Victoria Shaw, Barbara Mandrell, and Lorrie Morgan.



Let the night air cool you off
Some of my favorite female artists are Reba McEntire, Patsy Cline, Anne Murray, Tanya Tucker, Lee Ann Womack, Ronna Reeves, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, The Forrester Sisters, The Judds, Victoria Shaw, Barbara Mandrell, and Lorrie Morgan.
Of those, I respect Reba more than I like her. I don't really dislike her, but her music never really grabbed me.

Patsy Cline is an icon of country music, and I love her.

Anne Murray, I know her, but I don't really know her. If that makes sense.

Tanya Tucker I'm a lot more familiar with. "Delta Dawn" is a bonafide classic for me, and her album cover for TNT is one of the hotter ones I can think of. I feel like I should listen to some of her early albums, because I am impressed by how great her voice was and how much power she could generate from it at such a young age.

Lee Ann Womack is one that I was pretty indifferent to until last year-ish when she released The Lonely, the Lonesome and the Gone. Specifically the song "The End of the End of the World" caught my ear. I want to go through and reassess her work, because I think there might be something worth listening to in there. For me it will probably be between her bigger songs, because I am not a fan of the schmaltzier stuff like "I Hope You Dance". Or maybe I'll just stick with some of her more recent stuff where it seems like she has given up aspirations of appealing to a mainstream audience focused on douchebag dudes who do douchebag things in their songs.

I don't know if I've ever hear of Ronna Reaves. The 90's are a pretty big blind spot for country music for me, even thought that's probably most of what I listened to when I was young. I just don't remember a lot of the non-superstars. There is a real estate agent in Texas that shares a name with her, or maybe that's her?

I know Kathy Mattea from that song that she had that was huge. It's not a bad song or anything, but it's never been a favorite of mine.

Martina McBride I know well, but I've only heard her singles on the radio. I've never been inspired to seek more of her work out.

The Forrester Sisters are a some sisters that I've never heard of. At least if I have, I don't know them by name.

The Judds I know, and I kinda feel about them the same way I feel about Reba.

Victoria Shaw is another one I am not very familiar with. Wiki shows that she's written or co-written a couple songs I've heard. I am not crazy with those songs, but I don't really dislike them either. Which is how I feel about a lot of 80's-90's country music. I think how bad mainstream county has gotten has lead me to appreciate the country music from that era more.

Barbara Mandrell: I want to listen to her earlier albums, but her stuff in the late 70's into the 80's doesn't really stand out to me, from what I've heard. My mom was a fan of that song "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool". I remember her telling me that she used to put peanuts in Coca-Cola too. I'll never understand the appeal of that, but I guess it was popular at one point in time. :Shrug:

Lorrie Morgan sang a song I've heard. "What Part of No", which would probably be a bigger song nowadays, even though it must have been a somewhat big song considering I remember hearing it a bunch on the radio when I was a kid.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Of those, I respect Reba more than I like her. I don't really dislike her, but her music never really grabbed me.
I love almost all of Reba's songs. The only one of her songs that I don't like is "Fancy".


Anne Murray, I know her, but I don't really know her. If that makes sense.
You should recognize a few of her songs. "Could I Have This Dance?" is my favorite of her songs:




Tanya Tucker I'm a lot more familiar with. "Delta Dawn" is a bonafide classic for me, and her album cover for TNT is one of the hotter ones I can think of. I feel like I should listen to some of her early albums, because I am impressed by how great her voice was and how much power she could generate from it at such a young age.
Tanya Tucker is a bit different from the other female singers I like because her voice is more raspy than smooth, but it works for her. She has so many great songs that it's hard to pick a favorite. My favorite of her early songs is probably "Texas (When I Die)", but my all-time favorite of her songs is probably "Love Me Like You Used To":




Lee Ann Womack is one that I was pretty indifferent to until last year-ish when she released The Lonely, the Lonesome and the Gone. Specifically the song "The End of the End of the World" caught my ear. I want to go through and reassess her work, because I think there might be something worth listening to in there. For me it will probably be between her bigger songs, because I am not a fan of the schmaltzier stuff like "I Hope You Dance". Or maybe I'll just stick with some of her more recent stuff where it seems like she has given up aspirations of appealing to a mainstream audience focused on douchebag dudes who do douchebag things in their songs.
I like "I Hope You Dance", but it's not my favorite Lee Ann Womack song. My favorite Lee Ann Womack song is "The Fool":




I don't know if I've ever hear of Ronna Reeves. The 90's are a pretty big blind spot for country music for me, even thought that's probably most of what I listened to when I was young. I just don't remember a lot of the non-superstars. There is a real estate agent in Texas that shares a name with her, or maybe that's her?
I don't know what Ronna Reeves is doing now, but I hope she's still in the music industry somewhere. Back in the 1990s, she co-hosted a show on TNN called "Yesteryear" with Crystal Gayle, (another favorite of mine). She sang a lot of cover versions of songs on that show as they went through different years in country music. (I think some of those videos are on YouTube.) My favorite of her songs is "The More I Learned", and this video gave her the nickname "The Spin Lady":




I know Kathy Mattea from that song that she had that was huge. It's not a bad song or anything, but it's never been a favorite of mine.
The Kathy Mattea song you're probably thinking of is "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", which is a good song, but it's not my favorite of her songs. My favorite Kathy Mattea song is "Where've You Been":




The Forester Sisters are a some sisters that I've never heard of. At least if I have, I don't know them by name.
The most well-known song by The Forester Sisters is probably "Men", and it's a fun song, but it's not my favorite of their songs. My favorite song by The Forester Sisters is "I'd Choose You Again":




The Judds I know, and I kinda feel about them the same way I feel about Reba.
It took me a while to warm up to The Judds, but a friend of mine was a huge fan of theirs, and they eventually grew on me with songs like "Mama, He's Crazy" and "Grandpa, Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days".




Victoria Shaw is another one I am not very familiar with. Wiki shows that she's written or co-written a couple songs I've heard. I am not crazy with those songs, but I don't really dislike them either. Which is how I feel about a lot of 80's-90's country music. I think how bad mainstream county has gotten has lead me to appreciate the country music from that era more.
I first heard Victoria Shaw at a live concert at a local park. When it started to rain during the concert and they wanted to cancel the concert, she had the concert moved to a nearby restaurant that had a stage and dance floor, and I got to see her in an intimate setting. She was amazing. She even stayed afterwards to sign autographs. I've been a fan of hers ever since then. My favorite of her songs is "Don't Move", (but this video might not work outside of the U.S.):




Lorrie Morgan sang a song I've heard. "What Part of No", which would probably be a bigger song nowadays, even though it must have been a somewhat big song considering I remember hearing it a bunch on the radio when I was a kid.
Lorrie Morgan was married to the late great Keith Whitley, and her father was country singer George Morgan, but she's also a great singer. "What Part of No (Don't You Understand)" is a good song, but it's far from her best song. My favorite Lorrie Morgan song is "Something In Red":




Let the night air cool you off
For anybody interested in answering: What do you think is the greatest country music song of all-time?

I'm leaning towards "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard or "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones. With any number of other possibilities not being far from consideration.



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I just re-listened to the newest Kacey Musgraves album, Golden Hour. I was really hoping to love this album. I was hoping that the mixture of disco and Daft Punkian music would somehow mesh with Kacey's version of pop country. Outside of "High Horse", which works best in the car with other people enjoying it, the snappy stuff doesn't really hit. "Velvet Elvis" is a lot of fun too, but it's not much more than a fun pop song. Kacey tried to do the LSD country album, but it feels like she's just started on this LSD tip and doesn't take it all the way to its conclusion. If you want LSD and country, try "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music" by Sturgill Simpson. The vibes are very different, but it feels like he actually let the LSD say something.(The drug influence is the only connection between the two albums, so if you are wanting the poppier music, Sturgill might not be for you.) Kacey's biggest LSD and weed moment in the album was her pondering questions like whether or not we live once or a billion times. Not exactly original, and that's a lot of what I get from this album. The biggest problem is the inconsistency of this album. A good song is almost always followed by either a throwaway or plain bad song. There is no flow because of this. She was probably wise to end the album with "Rainbow", which is a good song, but feels out of place with the rest of the album. Because you can just listen to tracks individually now, there isn't really a reason to sit through this album. Just listen to "Space Cowboy" and "Butterflies" for the best examples of Kacey's potential with this new direction. It mixes what she's done best as a writer with the new direction she is leaning toward.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
For anybody interested in answering: What do you think is the greatest country music song of all-time?

I'm leaning towards "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard or "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones. With any number of other possibilities not being far from consideration.

I know a lot of country music lists pick "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones as the greatest country song, but I've never agreed that it's that great. It's a good song, but there are plenty of country songs that are better. "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard is just one example of a better country song.

I think the greatest country song is probably "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, or possibly "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Sr.



I used to listen to Avril Lavigne songs, one of my favorite song is complicated!! I don't listen to many countries songs