The Country Music Association had its annual awards show this past Wednesday. Although I’m no longer working in the country music industry, I still get a kick of out following along and seeing who’s getting the awards and who gets the performance slots on the shows. Unless you live under a rock, you’re aware of Post Malone’s alliance with country artists so it makes sense that he’d have a duet to kick off the show.
If I had to write a summary of the show (and I didn’t watch all of it), I’d say it this way: Country music is gravitating back towards the traditional sound. That’s why Chris Stapleton was a multiple award winner. Other winners were Lainey Wilson, Riley Green & Ella Langley, all of whom are pretty far from pop country.
It’s refreshing to finally see the pendulum swinging back towards country music that cares about instrumentation, leans less on a signature pop sound, and lyrics matter. The era of bro country (which has been over for awhile, of course) and the superficial lyrics that came along with it are taking a backseat to songs and artists with more heartfelt and poetic offerings. There will always be artists clinging to tired formulas (example with link) but then there are artists like Benjamin Tod, who continue to restore my hope in country music.
As I listened and watched his latest music video, it made me happy with the state of country music. Listen to his cover of the Randy Travis duet with George Jones.
Bring back the steel guitar as the featured instrument. Play a fiddle. Strum a banjo! I’m here for it.
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 