Can anyone recommend any simple modern country music?

[na118]

So I'm not a fan in the least bit of what plays on most country radio stations here in the states. The pop/rock with an accent and a token "southern" instrument does absolutely nothing for me, and I try my best to see the value in most songs and genres. I guess I'm looking for much less slick productions than most mainstream country. The last country song (actually a bit more folk or singer/songwriter than country if you want to nitpick) that I could play over and over again without getting sick of came out like 7 years ago or something like that.

So, could anybody point me in the right direction of some modern country artists that you think are doing this particularly well? This is kind of a weird question to ask, but I'm trying to expand my horizons a bit and I'm sure some of you guys will recommend some stuff that I never would have found. I searched around youtube a bit but I keep being led back to the stuff I don't really like, so if anyone has any suggestions that would be greatly appreciated!

[garww]

They are out there. I sometimes get a country station that avoids the slick stuff. Many seem to have the modern touch - making them current in my mind, but I wouldn't know. .. I just dragged my transistor raidio outside and they playing a modern reel /square dance number.

[garageband]

Gimme a minute. I'll think of something.

[rook2c4]

There are some record labels that focus on a more traditional, down-to-earth, less modern slicked up sound. Lost Highway Records comes to mind. For example, Robert Earl Keen is on that label:
Robert Earl Keen I Gotta Go with Lyrics - YouTube

Find the labels, and you will find the music.

[garageband]

Have a look at "The Band Perry".

[Emma]

Have you listened to any Townes van Zandt? Not sure if he can count as modern coz he's dead...
but he wrote some really cool songs
e.g.

I just thought.. depending on where you live, this may be a very dumb suggestion It's just that he is not at all well-known down here in the South Pacific

[yoseftux]

+1 The Band Perry, love em, but they are a bit more pop.
Kenny Chesney. He recently did a song w Grace Potter - You And Tequila
Zak Brown Band. Recent song w Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep In The Water

Try Sirius/XM Radio Margeritaville. Jimmy & friends, singer/songwriter, non-pop country & some world music

[shackman]

Go to Roots Music .com or .org (Googler it) Check out it's Americana top 20 and try some of the stuff there.

And YOSEFTUX. CHesney gave up country music back in 1990 something, Zak Brown never did country and MOST artists appearing in Billboard's "Country" charts have NOTHING to do with Country music. They all play "Nashville music".

DON'T GET ME STARTED!

[na118]

Thanks a ton for the suggestions everyone! I looked at most of the music you guys suggested, and there's a lot of stuff I like there.

I think Shackman hit the nail on the head, I think I'm looking for Americana music, I looked on some different Americana radio charts and youtubed some of the artists and I really like some of them. I bookmarked the pages and will probably use up my itunes giftcards on them soon.
Some of my favorites from quickly browsing the artists on the Americana charts:
The Damn Quails "Another Story" - YouTube
THE ROAD GOES ON FOREVER - ROBERT EARL KEEN JR.wmv - YouTube (artist also mentioned by rook2c4)

Rook, thanks for mentioning the label tip, I hadn't really thought of browsing music by label but that seems to work. I like the one you mentioned, a lot of the artists have a cool kind of Texas vibe. Makes me want drive an old car through the desert or something like that

Garageband and yoseftux, yeah I thought the Band Perry's recent popular release was pretty good, even though it was very mainstream and pop-ish it felt kind of fresh to me if that makes sense. I'll have to check out their non-hit stuff.

Emma, I LOVED Townes' original version of Pancho and Lefty. I always thought the Willie/Merle one was kind of lame with all the electronic stuff going on, I didn't know about the original. I just bought 3 different versions of it on itunes but I can't find the original album version anywhere, youtube or itunes.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I found a bunch of artists that I like and probably wouldn't have found otherwise

Oh and Shackman, I saw this artist on the Americana charts, figured this might be where you were coming from with the avoided rant
Dale Watson - Country My Ass - YouTube

[na118]

Emma, I just wanted to let you know that the version of Pancho and Lefty you put up has become one of my favorite songs already. For the past few days I've listened to it pretty much every time I've been on my computer and I can't get it out of my head for more than a couple minutes. I'm going to have to resort to recording a cover of it that I'm not satisfied with, that's usually works for getting songs out of my head

[garww]

My own little take is that, the song writting won't be the same, along with the culture that nourished it. For me, Western was a little easier to take, and free spirted Tex Ritter singing Rye Whiskey, for example.

[yoseftux]

Chesney gave up country music back in 1990 something, Zak Brown never did country and MOST artists appearing in Billboard's "Country" charts have NOTHING to do with Country music. They all play "Nashville music".

DON'T GET ME STARTED!

You're right. I guess they're both more of the singer/songwriter stripe, but with country roots. Those were just a couple of good tunes off the top of my head. What I like The Band Perry for are things like Double Heart - hilarious! If I Die Young was written by Dr Luke and Claude Kelly - about as far from country as you get.


I like pop when in the right mood, but I agree with you about the drivel on the country charts. I liked it better when Nashville was doing barely mutated rockabilly. But is there anyone modern that compares well to Hank Snow, Hank Sr, or Patsy Cline? Not that I can think of doing that style of music. Give it a few years, somebody will "discover" Country again.

[garageband]

My pet theory is that country is not an actual self-contained genre but a style that flavors music it comes in contact with. Things like pop music (for forever now, including Mrs. Cline), rock, swing, jump blues, hillbilly music, folk music, etc. It kind of avoids the whole "purity", "authenticity" and "selling out/crossover" difficulty. It really becomes a non-issue in those terms.

[garww]

I agree 100 percent, gb. It's very much like modern ice cream - some milk and vegetable oil.

[kakeux]

I'm not from a country where US country music is very famous...But I kind of like it, but I have no clue what style of country I'm listening to, ok bluegrass.. but I don't know what "Country" only means...

This is one example...The Grascals...modern because they're still alive