“What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Pretty much everything except for country”

This was a refrain I heard many a time when I was in high school, mostly among my fellow city folk. We were all rap kids. “Good” music was boom bap NY-style rap. It took us a long while to even begin to accept someone as “outlandish” as Young Thug.

Times have changed. This week, Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road broke the record for most consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard top 100. Old Town Road is considered by many to be a “country rap” song. The “country” half of that title was boosted by the addition of Billy Ray Cyrus on the remix.

After high school, I moved to rural Oregon for college and was surrounded by country-loving freaks. That may be a strong term, as many of them became my best friends, but the idea of enjoying the country genre was actively discomforting to me. After about a year of forced ignorance, I started experimenting in hillbilly. Initially I was unconvinced. Much like frat parties, something I introduced to around the same time, I tried it and didn’t like it. I had confirmed my previous beliefs.

Then something happened, I found my country music lane. The wall began to come down, thanks to Sturgill Simpson. His 2016 album A Sailor’s Guide to the Earth was my entry point. I found a friend that also appreciated Simpson’s music and all of a sudden I was a part of it.

“After about a year of forced ignorance, I started experimenting in hillbilly.”

During Old Town Road’s uprising, a “yee haw” energy has infected the youth. Social media sites like TikTok have been flooded by cowboy hats and tucked in flannels. Country music is no longer the ignored hick cousin of popular city kids.

Will the success of Old Town Road lead to a greater acceptance of country music among popular music consumers? It will depend on the individual listener and their curiosity of the genre. Since I was introduced to Sturgill, that curiosity grew in me. I will take my still somewhat limited knowledge of the country landscape and guide those like me into previously unexplored territory.

Let’s start with Chris Stapleton, one of the more true country artists I’ll mention here. Stapleton has released three albums in the past five years. He had a full length album, Traveller in 2015 and a two part release, From A Room in 2017. Stapleton rose to prominence after he performed a medley of his Traveller track, Tennessee Whiskey in the Country Music Awards with Justin Timberlake.

To many, Stapleton represents quality in a genre full of replicate artists. You may be aware of the audacious amount of country award shows that pollute our TV each year. In a relatively short career, Stapleton has won awards at just about all of them.

“To many, Stapleton represents quality in a genre full of replicate artists.”

One of the things that distinguishes good country music is genre-blending. Much of the country-related music I have enjoyed has infused southern rock elements. There is still that southern twang that many identify with southern music, but with instruments more of a classic rock instrumentation.

While country is a very famous part of southern music history, one of its close rivals is soul music. Stapleton embodies both southern rock and soul music in his music. He has a very distinguished and tonally accurate voice that carries many of the songs. The unique quality of his voice also harmonizes well with both electric and acoustic guitar. Stapleton was an experienced touring musician by the time he started his solo career, and his wide-ranging musical talent is on display throughout his work.

Simpson, my country music entry point, fills a similar musical slot as Stapleton. His music blends in plenty of southern rock and soul. Simpson started to gain prominence after his 2014 album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. In a genre not known for its experimentation, the album pushed some limits in then unique ways. He is also well regarded in the country music industry, winning multiple awards for his last album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. The 2016 album was written for his first-born son.

Simpson has clashed with traditional country music industry people by wholly rejecting Donald Trump. The country music world, a traditionally conservative one, has been at odds with itself over the election of Trump. During the 2017 CMA awards, after the release of Sailor’s Guide, Simpson stood outside, playing guitar and performing his hits while raising money for the ACLU. He streamed the performance on Facebook Live, taking questions and talking about the new president with his chosen single-word of him, “fascist.”

I’ll use the Simpson section to mention another key subgenre that leads to a lot of good country music. Americana. Some of Simpson’s music falls into this genre, which blends country music with many other classic American genres like folk and blues. Much of America’s music history comes from the south, and Americana is a very familiar-sounding blend of all of those genres.

Lastly, I’ll spotlight country music’s darling right now, Kacey Musgraves. Musgraves’ sound is different than the other artists I’ve talked about so far. Unlike Stapleton and Simpson, she fits the country radio aesthetic that defines the sound for many listeners. Musgraves is a good addition to your country music repertoire, because unlike many of the other artists, young people who “love country music” will actually know who you’re talking about.

Musgraves is riding high off the success of her 2018 album, Golden Hour. The album received a plethora of honors, including album of the year at the Grammys. The album of the year winner has been wrought with controversy in past years, but Golden Hour thoroughly deserves the award.

Musgraves’ career arc is starting to look a lot like Taylor Swift’s. If you go back to listen to some of her past albums she seems to be moving closer to pop and farther from country. Golden Hour is still definitely a blend of the two genres, but after the success of the album and her introduction to a new audience, it will be interesting to hear what she does next.

On the first few listens, Golden Hour may seem like a very straight forward country pop album, but it really shines on repeats listens. The guitar work is impressive, and the lyrics are surprisingly layered, from acid trip references on Slow Burn to an honest telling of her anxiety about the future on Happy and Sad. Overall, the album is full of detailed emotion, shielded behind a blissful sound.

Now take these artists and run! Have some real yee haw energy in your life. You may make friends with the country lovers I mentioned earlier, you may go to the next country festival in your area (there’s a lot) or you might just find a nice soundtrack to your next interstate road trip. No matter what, let’s try something new. Don’t let Lil Nas X control your country music pallet!