Hidden Gem: Why Country Music Shouldn't Be Overlooked

Country music is neglected in the music-twitterverse (music twitter: a place where music enthusiasts/obsessives share and discuss music with one another) at an extreme level. I still have yet to figure out the root of this dismissal as a genre by my peers. Is it the unwillingness to explore a sound that is often associated with the older generations and their way of thinking? Whatever the reason is, it just isn't good enough to not find a niche in the genre.

Country music has a ton to offer. There are countless sub-genres of the genre including "outlaw", "alternative", "bluegrass", "cowboy/western", and many more. There's a great chance that country music influenced some of the bands that are held in the highest regards on music-twitter. I don't want this post to turn into a mumbling rant about why people are wrong for not giving country music a chance because that will just drive more people away than anything. I just want to give a few quick points about why I think it should at least be given a chance.

First off, some of the best songwriting in music history has come from country musicians. Artists like Hank Williams Sr., Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton have written some of the biggest hits of all time. I mean heck, Dolly wrote "I Will Always Love You" which was later a smash when Whitney Huston covered it. Country songs aren't all about trucks and dogs and guns and freedom either... and honestly the best stuff is just about the real ups and downs of everyday life. Themes about love, failure, death, and hating the man, and that's just in some of the sub-genres. Western country is basically like listening to a cowboy movie. The storytelling and themes alone make it one of my favorite sub-genres. 

Of course you can't necessarily lean on songwriting alone to be a good artist... well actually... never mind. Country music has some of the greatest vocalists of all time with the likes of Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard, and the great Johnny Cash (who has a wonderful voice, and I will scuffle about it). Sure, the twang can be a barrier at first but once you ignore it and soak in the sounds you will hear what I am talking about. The early days of country music were all about having the best voice and looking the prettiest. Then there was a transition in the '70s due to Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., and Kris Kristofferson, called Outlaw Country. This was a whole new sound and a whole new look for country music with long hair, scraggly beards, and songs about drinking, drugs, and women. Don't get me wrong though, the vocal talent is still there, it just feels a little different. 

The sounds in country music are some of the most diverse in all of music. The differentiation between genres creates tons of unique sounds. You have your traditional Nashville sound that the genre was built upon with emphasis on clean vocals and twang. There's the exciting speed and technique in bluegrass, the soul in country-blues, the feeling of roughing it in the west in cowboy country, and so much more. Hell, folk music is really just another form of country music and vice-versa. The basis of psychedelic music stems from country music as well as it incorporates the often used pedal steel guitar and harmonicas (with added reverb of course) to create a brand new experience. 

Country music is the foundation for a lot of popular music that my peers drool over on Twitter whether they want to respect it or not. Now, I'm not going to force anybody to listen to something that they are unwilling to check out but I am going to recommend stepping out of your comfort zone a little bit for country music. 

Feel free to comment below or direct message me on Instagram for recommendations.