What's Missing in Country Music Today?
 

Hey everybody. There're a lot of great new artists and songs coming out this year, but I'd be interested to know what everyone thinks is MISSING in country music right now.

What are your thoughts?

Not being dull and predictable.

Ah ok. You mean, in terms of the words/lyrics, or even going into the melodies and chords as well? Or even the subject matter.

Like blues, and bluegrass, country is a very rigid genre that isn't as open and friendly to stylistic experimentation as some genres are. You take one step outside of the box and you become "Alt Country or Americana". So under the "country music" flag you end up with endless numbers of tunes entirely built on rehashing past writing styles. This of course applies to many other types of music but it's the reason long lasting genres like blues, country, bluegrass, or even a lot of metal genres get labelled as boring and repetitive. Unless you really jive with the "country music" sound, and there are a lot of people that do, you're going to start looking elsewhere for sounds you do enjoy.

I think if you asked old country music fans what modern country music is missing they'd probably say "grit and honesty". Most commercial country music stars I've seen come across as pretty glammed up. The old legends like Willie Nelson or Hank Williams were hard as nails bad mother****ers.

I mean all of it. Too much modern country is content to be just pop with a southern twang or to be a rehash of the same old things. A lot of the time I find that I can hum the melodies of country songs as I'm hearing them for the first time, which means those songs are incredibly predictable. I know that country as a genre can be better than that, and wish more country artists would try.

It's missing the sinister. It's become too bubble gum and happy, reminiscent of Daisy Duke. I hate that stupid 'chicken fried' song, and I've never heard a female country singer I could get down with. They just sound like alternative rock-pop sung in a southern accent.

While I'm in this thread, totally open to recs on the latter because fempower. Also I really, really hate that stupid chicken fried song.

Totally agree with the general direction of the response on this thread. Just focusing on the lyrics side of things, country music values simplicity. Whereas older country music artists reveled in this, and the product was raw, honest, unpretentious stories about life that were just so damn true, as it has become more commercialised things have swung the other way. Simplicity is also country music's own worse enemy because you get vacuous pop-y artists with nothing profound to say making mind-numbingly predictable, formulaic dross which is practically composed in monosyllables.

Integrity.

The answer to this question changes depending on if you're specifically referring to the "pop country radio / awards show industry" or the whole of country music as a genre.

If the former, the answer is "Pretty much everything that defines traditional country music as country music except some of the instrumentation and the accent - and even that some of the time." Though, there are plenty of exceptions.

If the latter, then the answer is "Nothing. True, honest, heartfelt, country music is still out there and being created and released every day. You just need to stop turning on pop country radio expecting to find it."

Find what you consider true country artists, then find interviews with them and take notes on other artists they collaborate with, listen to, etc. Find small town venues who have live music and cater to country music types and fans, the ones who host full-time gigging acoustic singer-songwriters. Check out their music. Check out the venue's calendar to see who else is on it. Follow these artists on social media and see who they talk about and who they play shows with.

And when you do find "pop country radio" songs that resonate with you, it likely means there's a talented country songwriter somewhere in the background. Look up who wrote the song and go find them via their website and social media. Many of them are gigging musicians who release their own music. Who knows, you might even find that you much prefer their own version of the song to the one with that Nashville polish and production.

If you really care about music and discovering new artists you'll like, it doesn't require much effort. Maybe a little more than turning your car's radio knob, but let's not be lazy. And you might even find yourself expanding your musical horizons into the related Folk, Americana, and Bluegrass genres. When you get to real, heartfelt music, it often spans genres or rides that edge.

I want more Wurzels!

Emotion.. talent..

I think country music needs to get back to its bluegrass roots. I wish there was a modern version of Ralph Stanley i could listen to on the radio

New fresh country band from Sweden
 

Hey everyone , theres a new cool Country band from Sweden called "Nasco brothers" that seems really cool..
They just released a single called "One of a kind" that combines Country elements with Rock. This is whats missing in country today, a fresh sound.
check them out on Spotify with "one of a kind"

This is whats wrong with country music. You can't just add a banjo to a pop tune and call it country.

Now go on! Git!

With an open mind you can explore and expand your musical horizon =)

Assless chaps

I think the music is thinking too much just about selling... The result is no meaning, no art...

Nashville Sound
 

I had the opportunity to see first hand the Nashville Sound back in the 1960's. When I pass the 15 post mark I will link to a YouTube video that explains how I was felling at the time. No I am not working to a point to promote anything other than this old man's memories of an exciting time in the radio and music business. I am now like the old dude sitting on the porch telling stories. You know like Guy Clark music. No I never met Guy Clark, but.... Oh I will tell you in a later post.

I think the recording process stabilished for mainstream artists makes most of this new artists sound with no dynamics and no "humanity"... The modern recordings have great qualities but sometimes I think music needs more "human feeling", specially country music...

Well this sounds like a question that was posed on one of the Amazon sites . For me I prefer the music of the fifties and early sixties ,along with western swing and honky tonk of the forties and fifties .The modern stuff seems too pop for my liking ,perhaps we have Garth Brooks to blame for that . Still a lot of folks did like him and he sold a shed load of records . It's horses for courses I suppose . I am not averse indeed I do like the countrypoliton or Nashville sound of the 60s ,this maybe helped to sell country music to people who did not particularly like country . Patsy ,Tammy ,Hank Locklin etc bought country into the mainstream and were followed on by artists such as Ronnie Milsap who did not rely so much on pedal steel but more on sweeping strings ,still with a country edge .
I love singers like Hank Williams etc but lets face it records such as he produced would not be that commercial today so perhaps we just have to live in the past and with what we have got ,to enjoy our own brand or style of country music

For me it has turned more into pop than it is country. I feel like now it is all fast pace happy songs that have hints of country music, I would really like to see some slower songs that have that 80s and 90s feel. I have seen a few artists that are starting to bring that older feel back into the genera.

Orville Peck and Chris Stapleton slap for one. I’m glad the bro-country/hick hop phase is less ubiquitous now than it was a few years back.

The crap they call country music now IS NOT COUNTRY MUSIC..... Its country rock!!

I havent heard actual "Country" music in years and its sad......


Whats misisng??

The general sound and mood of what made COUNTRY MUSIC good....