As previously mentioned, Country Music has an immense amount of depth. This stems from how diverse each artist can be, how that writer/artist chooses to convey their message, and the vast history the genre has. Since County Music is three chords and the truth, each artist has a different way and style of conveying that message of truth to an audience. Because of all this, there are a few sub-genres of modern Country Music that have formed. I have personally categorized them into the following: mainstream, Texas, women, bro/boyfriend, and Zach Bryan/Appalachian. I do want to explain that I made an entire category for women because I do believe it is a sub-genre of Country since in a typical sense it is more difficult for women to sound and sings lyrics that your average fan would consider “country”. Women have had to carve out their own lane in Country Music to be able to make the music that so many others will relate to and want to hear.
Mainstream
Mainstream country is what everyone hears on the radio. It is controlled by what will sell which is determined by radio stations and the amount of spins it gets each week (how radio controls Country Music will be a topic all on its own). This sub-genre contains your typical lyrics such as words relating to trucks, cheating, drinking, love, hometowns, and boots. These songs don’t deter too far from a middle of the road country-pop vibe or instrumentation so that it can appeal to more listeners, and it will average a length of about 3 minutes. Mainstream country is what the genre has evolved into at this current state. This is not to say that it can’t be quality or that there aren’t other ways to get popular, but in general, this is the style everyone is sticking with nowadays. It is the most generalized style that never is very specific with its lyrics or instrumentation because it wants to capture as wide of an audience as possible. This is because the label/radio is trying to make as much money as possible which also means that countless songs in this grouping will sound the same. With all of this being said, there is still a place for this style. It is easy to listen to, brings people into the genre, and talks about things we can all relate to. Even though this might not be the most creative area of Country, it still needs to exist and has given us some major hits that will go down in history like “Drunk on a Plane”, “Play it Again”, “Whiskey Glasses”, and almost anything by Thomas Rhett. This sub-genre keeps the genre alive and in everyone’s lives on a daily basis.
Texas Country
Texas Country is its own sub-genre because they basically have their own little Country Music world down in Texas. They also have some specific styles and topics that are more unique to Texas Country. To begin, we need to talk about Cody Johnson. He captured the Texas music scene long before the entire country or even Nashville noticed him. He released numerous self-published albums before landing a record deal with Warner Music Nashville. Johnson’s style of music is a good example of why Texas Country exists and is popular. In this sub-genre, the heart and sole of it is that it is from the perspective of a hardworking individual. It is from the perspective of someone who knows what is important, works hard for it, and celebrates it. It also has influences from the surrounding areas/states that give it a western vibe and can even be known as “Red Dirt Country”. From an outsider’s perspective, this sub-genre can also be viewed as an “anti-nashville” version of Country. These artists don’t care about signing with a record label in Nashville or about becoming accepted with the mainstream. They make music because they feel they have something to say and no one is going to tell them how to say it. I personally love the vibe of Texas Country because it feels rebellious while also “down-home”. It reminds you what is important in life and that there are still hardworking people out there who care about values and having a good time. Another artist that captured the Texas scene that has also gotten some attention from the traditional Country establishment is Aaron Watson. He makes music for the outlaw cowboy who has a good heart at the end of the day. He is the artist that introduced me to this sub-genre because I was attracted to how much passion he sang with and the pride he displayed for his state of Texas and the USA. More lately this sub-genre is also welcoming artists who are not from Texas but still connect with the style.
Women
“Sometimes its hard to be a woman” in country music (this will also be an entire post of its own). Women in country music have always had a hard time being accepted and respected in the genre. While this could be attributed to the fact that most female country singers don’t twang like the men, don’t sing about drinking and trucks, or don’t connect with those good ole boys across the country, it doesn’t mean that a woman in country music doesn’t have something to say that is worth listening to. Even initially people like Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood were trying to be made into pop singers. If that doesn’t explain my point, I don’t know what will. Because of this, women have had to carve out their own lane and TRAILBLAZE a path forward to be heard. This deserves recognition. Women can’t sing about other girls in daisy dukes, long tan legs, or getting into the cab of a pickup truck. That would just be degrading and dumb (not that I don’t love to sing “cruise” with the rest of them). Women have other point of views to share and often times, better vocals to showcase. In the early beginnings of women in Country, they would sing to express the struggles of being a wife, a mom, a daughter, or of being poor. They also would express heartache from a female perspective. Back in those times, I’m sure there were countless women who neededto hear those songs to know they weren’t alone in this world. Women needed to hear Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces”, Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough”, and Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” to let them know they were going to get through life and that they were not alone. Those women set a standard that there was room for women in the genre and that the things they had to say, needed to be said. Let’s now fast forward to artists like Reba, Trisha Yearwood, and Faith Hill. They were able to then bring some fun to women in country while also reminding you what a country girl was all about; moreover, let’s not forget to mention the one female Country artist who took everything to the next level. Shania Twain (I’m usually a grammar freak but she’s allowed to be the entire sentence). Shania Twain has the number one selling country album ever recorded with “Come on Over”. A woman has the most popular country album ever. Shania Twain changed the game with one line…. “Let’s Go Girls”. She said everything women of her time period and now want to hear in a clever way that made everyone want to sing along. Since then, each generation has had their superstars. The early 2000s brought us Carrie Underwood (my absolute favorite celebrity ever) and Miranda Lambert who both have broken countless records and brought their own style to the genre. These two women really kept the female perspective alive at a time when men in the genre had a complete takeover, so we need to thank them. Also, Carrie Underwood is one of the best vocalists to ever exist and this needs to be recognized. She is up there with people like Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera (more to come on Carrie Underwood). Currently, we are in a time where the next female superstar in Country is changing. Will it be Lainey Wilson (I hope so)? Will it be Carly Pearce? What about Kelsea Ballerini? Only time will tell. Anyway, the point is that women in Country bring a point of view that is different than the rest of the genre. They speak their minds and remind everyone to not mess with a strong and independent female while doing it all with such grace.
Bro-Country/Boyfriend Country
This sub-genre is basically all you heard from 2010-2020. It was the mainstream for those ten years, but it has luckily been pushed back under to a sub-genre once again. Bro-country is the epitome of what people who aren’t avid Country fans think of when someone says “Country Music”. It is only composed of men, and they only sing about girls, trucks, more girls, long tan legs, and having a good time. Florida Georgia Line is the king of bro-country. While it may sound like I hate this sub-genre, I do believe it is solid and has its place. After all, who doesn’t love to sing along to “Cruise”. These songs are fun and allow you to let loose and just sing along, but it should not consume the entire genre. Often these songs lack the depth and thought-provoking aspects of more traditional country. Sometimes that’s what you need, but as a whole, Country is known for bringing up those hard-hitting topics in a poetic way. Next is boyfriend-country. Dan & Shay are the king of this. Boyfriend-country takes a similar approach as bro-country does, but it is more about worshiping a girl or a relationship rather than just bragging about it. In this sub-genre, the lyrics usually will put a girl on pedestal and praise her for how great she is and how in love he is with her. An example of this would be “Speechless” by Dan & Shay. Brett Young is also known for this style like with “In Case You Didn’t Know”. While we all love a new first dance song, these songs can get repetitive and way too “mushy”. There is only so much worshiping one girl can take until they just want a man to be manly and sing about his truck again.
Zach Bryan/Appalachian Country
This sub-genre can really vary from artist to artist because some keep it very traditional while others combine this style with more modern writing. Appalachian Country is essentially folk music. A lot of times it will even be released under folk or singer/songwriter. This style uses instruments like fiddle and banjo frequently and the singing doesn’t usually sound as fine-tuned. I personally do consider this style Country and don’t want to blatantly separate it because Country music is derived from folk music. Both styles of music get their roots form the same areas of the country, instruments, and styles of writing. This iswhy they share so many traits. Some current traditional Appalachian artists include Anna & Elizabeth, Angela Autumn, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Furthermore, there are artists that walk the line between more mainstream Country and Appalachian Country like Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers. These artists’ voices are not very fine-tuned, they have very little instrumentation in their songs, and they don’t write their songs in the mainstream pattern of stanza, chorus, stanza, chorus, bridge, and then chorus again. Usually, their songs sound more like one long run on sentence. These two artists specifically though have brought this sub-genre to the mainstream listeners in a way that can be appealing to more people. They also do not care about the establishment and are simply making music because they enjoy it and have something to say. They won’t be told what to do or how to do it similarly to Texas Country.
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