Everybody sings in the vernacular of that particular music. Gospel-inflected R&B has those neverending vowel shifts - “melisma” is the technical term - for similar reasons. And yeah, folks adopt a growly American blues-ish accent for rock - or did primarily until the British Invasion but more from Punk…
As for Country’s vernacular - well, isn’t part of any good artist’s star quality their ability to capture a song and get inside it? I prefer Aretha to Mariah because I love the Queen’s use of techniques in an authentic way vs. Mariah, who sounds overdone.
I buy some Country accents; I don’t buy others. YMMV; QED.
ETA: if you listen to, say, Willie Nelson, are you really hearing his accent? I have to say, I just hear his…“delivery” - his matter-of-fact, tuneful-yet-eccentric voice…his accent is just part of that Willie Nelson thing that works for me.
It’s the smugness that bothers me. Some rap and dance music will be about “we are better than you because we go to the clubs and party harder” and other stuff like that. It doesn’t really bother me hearing lyrics like that, because I don’t really care about going to the clubs and partying hard like that. But some country music will be about “we are better than you because we love our country and our flag and our families and live better lives than you.” Acting like you have a monopoly on patriotism and good family life is pretty annoying. I realize that this isn’t true of all country music, but it’s a significant enough percentage to create that stereotype.
I don’t really complain about country music that often though. I live in Texas; I meet plenty of people who love country. I’ll just listen politely if someone talks about how they love country music, or say it’s just not for me.
I’m just surprised that the answer is anything other than the “twang,” whether of the instrumentation or the accents. I’ve never heard anyone cite anything else for why they hate country music as a whole. I actually find the pop stuff a little more tolerable because they tone down the twang so much. The women hardly have any in them at all anymore–that used to be the worst.
Then again, most people I know don’t listen to music for the lyrics. I know I don’t. I kinda like “Cruise,” particularly the version featuring Nelly. The lyrics mean nothing to me, and the twang is toned down just to the point where I can stand it.
(And, note, I didn’t even know who Nelly was before that, nor do I know who Florida Georgia Line are. I found out about them from a video making fun of them.)
This is it. I like a lot of the old-style outlaw country that I hear and the alt-country that’s been linked to is okay but not really my thing. Pop country is garbage, plain and simple. The songs in the above post are definitely not the same genre as, say, Hank 3.
someone only needs to put on the uniform and use the god given non-talent of their voice to make ‘country music’. It sucks. It sucks because it lacks quality, depth, poetry, intelligent phrasing or non-repetitive chords and melodies.
It sucks, mostly, because it is mostly a device to get people from the country and the south to buy crap, claiming it is authentic music.
Bluegrass, on the other hand, does have some cultural roots and outstanding musicianship.
Remember, if your feelings are hurt…It only hurts for a little while, that’s what they tell me…try it and see…But, I will hurt til you come back…to me. Try saying that in any other genre and not get laughed at from pillar to post.
These are the same reasons for me in general, especially the anti-intellectualism married with the nationalism, it’s a major turn-off.
Stylistically, the cowboy hats, boots, and belt buckles seem as ridiculous a prop as tiger-print spandex was to heavy metal.
Musically, I dislike it because the formulaic musical tropes overshadow the other performance merits the song might otherwise have. The affected twangs and accents, the obligatory slide guitars, the lack of any stand-out instrumentalists or innovators in recent memory. Back in the old-country days, folks like Roy Clark were really distinctive virtuosos. Now you just get Blake Shelton holding an obligatory prop.
In short, it seems a genre defined and controlled by producers, not musicians, and has been stuck without innovation for decades. It is sadly in need of a “grunge” level of deconstruction and redefinition. Instead, producers are still endlessly trying to milk the Garth Brooks sound.
You should check out Punch Brothers - here is a mobile (sorry) link to youtube for them:
Chris Thile is a mandolin virtuoso who is redefining the view of the instrument - he was awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant a year or two ago. PBro’s covers old country and folk songs, Radiohead, classical pieces, the works.
They are also making a play for commercial recognition - as kind of a Mumford & Sons-meets-Radiohead. They are looking to be successful and make money, like the Country/Pop acts. But this is Roots-based music (acoustic, with an Appalachian/Bluegrass instrumentation), but probably isn’t “Country” as people are looking to define it in this thread. But just like “Rock” can include Radiohead AND Poison, “Country” can include crap that plays to the lowest common denominator (and, really - no love for “Tea Party Boner Jamz” in my post upthread?! ;)), as well as some incredibly talented players and music…
The same could be said for pop, classic rock, rap, metal, band music, world music, punk, dub, dance, and whatever the hell other tribal rhythms that bring a people together.
Music is more personal, and thus more divisive, than any other aspect of human culture. Music is a language that reaches beyond language; it influences emotion and personality.
It is not the genre, but the complexity and tone of the music that dictates its effect. Simple rhythms, such as those employed by commercials and at sporting events, always elicit primal responses. Complex rhythms, and subtle tonescapes, will elicit evocative and contemplative emotions that the young and stupid neither need or want.
Genres are just constructs of method. Within each genre, a true artist can manipulate the medium to achieve what he or she desires.
I dislike modern commercial country music. I’ll cop to that.
I don’t dislike old country music - even up until the 1970’s. I also like non-mainstream country now.
But what’s played on commercial country stations is mostly bland, sluggish pop sung with an overwrought southern accent and a needless slide guitar added on top of all the other instrumentation. The singers are often singing of an America that largely doesn’t exist, about lives they didn’t and don’t live.
Taylor Swift - is she country? She’s ok - boppy and inoffensive, but authentic in her way. She’s not pretending to be a poor country gamin who don’t know much but things used to be better and it’s everybody’s fault but people like her.
Very good stuff, thanks! Reminds me of 16 Horsepower. There’s also Brandi Carlisle that leans heavily on the older “blue collar country” of Johnny Cash. It’s these kind of bands that give me hope for more of a revolution in the genre.
Taylor Swift annoys me because she’s inauthentic in that she pretends to be an underdog when she isn’t. Like writing a song about how a critic was mean to her about her singing and acting like she’s standing up against bullies. A music critic critiquing her singing isn’t bullying, especially since she has a lot more fame and power as a hugely successful musician than a mere music critic. And I’ve seen a video one time of all her “surprised” reactions when she won awards, each time acting like “what? Me? Little old me?” I guess it is better to act humble when winning awards rather than entitled, but it just seemed disingenuous for her to be surprised about winning awards when she’s won tons of them.
I don’t mean to pick on Swift too much, I know there’s other artists who do the same thing, and try to act like they’re a man of the people. And it is common in music to put on a persona and pretend like you’re something you’re not, but it seems more common for musicians to act like they’re bigger and more popular and sexier than they actually are, and I find that less annoying than what some country artists do and act like they are more average and humble than they actually are.
Let me reiterate the complaints about the country music accent – fake or not. I don’t mind country music in a Texan accent so much (such as Townes or Willie) as much as I hate country in the common Nashville accent. Bluegrass come to think of it also is often not sung in a Nashville accent either and I like much of that.
I also concur with the “I got a monopoly on sentimentality and patriotism” card.
I guess I also dislike the musical base of country a little bit, although I do like some songs that are musically country such as by alt-country/americana artists so that can’t be entirely the reason.
A lot if my favorite artist are very influenced by Country, but are considered folk-rock or alt-rock. Pete Droge, Scott Miller & the Commonwealth. I really like Emmylou Harris’ album “Wrecking ball”, probably because it’s NOT about the same well trodden bullshit set to the same old twangy guitar. Her partnership with Mark Knopfler is amazing. And look at Bruce Springsteen. I mean, “Downbound Train” is pretty much a country song. It even starts out with the narrarator getting laid off and losin his lady.
That all said, I used to listen to a country station while working in the barn (it was the only station) and it was only marginally better than silence. “Freedom Costs $1.05” is a straight up brilliant satire of the worst in the genre, which is sadly the most widely played.
Oh, and “Jesus take the wheel” (Carrie underwood) makes me want to do murder. God helps those who help themselves so how about you get your eyes on the road and steer, you stupid bitch. It’s just a saying. (In case youre not familiar, the song describes the driver literally removing her hands from the wheel during a car accident. )
Taylor Swift’s moves are straight out of a popstar’s playbook. Country has a huge slice of this thread - eg, the OP’s accent question - but that aspect of Swifty’s persona is not a Country beef, per se.
The reason I don’t care for the genre as a whole is that the vast majority of people who perform in it can’t sing worth a damn. This is true of popular music in general, but the percentage is higher in country, I think.
Country music is extremely popular and well-liked by almost a majority of music listeners, except people posting in this thread, apparently. Also for some reason there seems to be some political element in the responses, based no doubt on the totally balanced and unbiased membership of the board.
So, “I don’t like it” =/= widely disliked - it’s widely disliked in your circles.
You’re right that country music usually doesn’t have to try to be edge but it does have some edgy themes. Kenny Roger’s “Ruby” is a pretty dark song about a Vietnam veteran who has been crippled, will likely die soon and his wife is stepping out for the night to get the lovin’ he’s no longer able to give her. He goes on to say that if he could grab his gun he’d “put her in the ground.” “Coward of the County” has a gang rape and “Lucille” is the plight of a man whose wife has left him alone to raise their kids.