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Sorry for the rambling. Just trying to get my point across.

It made me wonder, after reading the entire article, if he is really just arguing that mainstream/radio driven country would be better off, and have more depth, with a rock edge rather than a pop edge. It seemed he might not have really been calling for all tradition to disappear, just for a different market to be created by executives for all these artist that are “closer to Lynyrd Skynyrd than Dolly Parton or George Jones” anyway.

And even Big and Rich on their first album combined Rock and Country elements and instrumentation quite sucessfully. (I wish they had omitted the Hick-Hop Rap, however.) The banjo flecked intro to the opening song on Horse of a Different Color blends seamlessly with the electric power chords in a very organic manner.

Then there’s the master, Brad Paisley.. His riveting electric guitar leads his traditional Country band, who pretty much match him note for note, fiddle and steel keepin’ right up. I do believe that Paisley’s band even features a permanent, resident banjo player. Granted, Brad plays mostly Country scales, but electrified and revved up in a way that could put even some of the best Southern Rockers, (SYNYRD, etc) to shame.

I’ve said for years that the best Rock and Roll since the mid seventies can be found in the the Country section of your local record store. I still believe that to be true, in spite of the onslaught of Pop diluted country-lite that is so pervasive in Nashville today.

And melody? Traditional Country is a rich resource of memorable melodies. That is one of the reasons the classics from the great masters have been so sucessfully covered time and time again, one need only to check out the catalog of Emmylou Harris, or the covers albums of Martina McBride and Patty Loveless to see that this is true. And how can one beat ole Hank’s simple but captivating melody on I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry?!

Also Blake, very interesting and insightful comments, thanks for the great read..I followed the link and printed the Nashville Skyline article and look forward to reading it.

And Lynn, I’m glad you hightlighted Miranda Lambert with your spot-on comments and observations, and the awesome video as well. I think Miss Lambert has a real connection to Tradition, and in ways that it actually shows in her work.

In spite of all the compromises Nashville has made, and market accomodations, signs of hope remain. Miranda Lambert is one of them, the fact that she can chart and get award nominations in this current climate is refreshing. And the continuing suceess of Paisley and Alan Jackson is encouraging as well. And Jamey Johnson, Joey and Rory, Zac Brown Band…all is not lost, may these new keepers of the flame prosper to the point where they can actually set the tone on Music Row for years to come.

True, but that statement misses a big point. I don’t believe that country music is worse than, say, 30 or 40 years ago. It’s the country music industry that has devolved so considerably, especially for the fact that it’s ignored so many of the elements that Flippo mentions above. I can tick off a number of current artists that treat the art form respectfully and have created memorable music that ties in somehow with country’s traditions (as well as expanding country music, both sonically and lyrically). Think Loveless, Yearwood, Stuart, Johnson, Yoakam, Dixie Chicks, Jackson, Strait, the list could go on and on.

What’s worse now is the industry and the commercialization of country music as mainstream product. The problem’s been growing since the early ’90s boom, but it’s exacerbated now with the poor economy and the lack of exciting product being turned out in Nashville.

Take Taylor Swift, for example (Easy example—she’s cited in both articles). I guarantee you that many Taylor Swift detractors wouldn’t care less about her if she were marketed as a pop star (which, in my opinion, she is). She’s this decade’s answer to Shania and Faith, in a sense. Now, I’m not a real, hardcore fan of most of their music, but it seems contradictory the way that those two were treated for their pop escapades (Dolly, too, I guess; I wasn’t around for that and only have secondary sources to know the situation) and how the likes of Swift and Underwood are handled now.

Now we have a small crop of stars (like Swift and Underwood, and others) bringing in the bucks and Music Row greets them with open arms because otherwise the industry would collapse. In the ’90s, we still had your Clay Walkers and Doug Stones selling gold and platinum, so Nashville could survive while still snubbing these “outsiders.” It’s just not possible given the lack of profits circa 2009.

If Music Row chose to push the traditional singers and songs, they would likely be making about the same amount of money as in the ’60s and ’70s (gross guesstimate, mind you). But the Garth Brooks-led movement showed that big money could be made, and is a businessperson going to be turn down a silver platter filled with dollar bills? Right now, all the eggs are being put in just a few baskets; in mainstream country, you’re either an automatic #1 (Paisley, Underwood, Swift, Chesney) or a nobody.

As for the arguments regarding the fast-living, hard-loving, art-imitates-life music of the past, I would never wish harm or heartache on today’s stars, but the landscape is pretty sterile nowadays. We used to have ordinary, sin-prone singers using their extraordinary talent to shine on a light on the human condition. Then, country stars were a reflection of who we are. Now, country stars seem to be a reflection who we want to be. The homecoming queen (or king). The brainy high school girl. The muscled-up, ladies man. I’ve seen enough blond, bubbly chicks and sexy, slick-haired dudes for the rest of my life. I don’t look to country music singers as idols, bottom line. Corporate Nashville’s ashamed of its haybales, its hillbillies and, apparently its hard times. Not to mention its fiddle and steel. While I’ve appreciated the music from the current stars, I wish that others with considerable talent received just as much recognition and respect (remembrance?) from the country music “structure.”

This is a lot of stuff and probably not all of it coherent, but I’m not an expert or a so-called “expert” or, you know, anybody. lol