Hey @
StarWarsGirl95 , I doubt you have really listened to the ones mentioned. Sometimes drinking came up, but among the ones listed, it's really more about life and faith. In the movie, "Ray," they asked Ray Charles why he was doing a country album, and why he liked country. He said, "Stories, man, stories." In most of the genuine country music that @
MOXOMUMD is referencing, it's stories and tunes that evoke real life especially for many rural folks or the working man.
Many of the artists listed came from poverty. Many also can be traced back to the mountain music that people made to pass the time before the Carter Family of Virginia put it on record. Songs full of stories -- some of faith, some of heartbreak, and some of fun. Johnny Cash, who married a Carter family descendant (June), carried on the tradition. And Flatt and Scruggs also came from the mountains nearby. All sang songs of faith, right along with songs of heartbreak and celebration. Patsy Cline was also from the mountains of Virginia, and sang ballads of faith and heartbreak and love -- real life!
Check out their songs. I like "Keep on the Sunny Side," a Carter song performed by The Whites (lead singer of which is Ricky Skaggs) on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Johnny Cash of course had his troubles, but he knew the common man. On the same album where he sang "Folsom Prison" live to the inmates, he sang songs of faith and told his story.
I guess my point is that country has a rich tapestry, and is much better when it taps into real life. Some modern artists do that. The modern cookie-cutter hits about partying will come and go, but there are artists who reach deep into the soul and touch it along the way. A good modern artist can do that. Brad Paisley is an awesome guitar player, and does some crowd-pleaser party songs; but he also sings songs that have depth and meaning. Check out "Too Country," "When I Get Where I'm Going," "The Old Rugged Cross," and "Southern Comfort Zone".
Other artists that are great on their own, and understand both old and new influences, are Vince Gill (esp. "Go Rest High on That Mountain" and "Look at Us"), Marty Stuart, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Martina McBride, Patti Loveless, Rhonda Vincent, Suzy Bogguss, and Carrie Underwood (esp. "Jesus Take the Wheel" and "How Great Thou Art").
Check any of them out.
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