Lonely women, and bad booze?

Seem to be the only friends I have left at all. . .

That's a great song, and actually it's a little surprising that Garth hasn't been explicitly mentioned ITT yet. Tons of great songs from him, and honestly, these singles that he seems to drop in with once every couple of years are right on par with a lot of his really good stuff. Wish he'd put out some full albums again.

Pop country acts like Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney I just can't stand.

My favorite "country" singer, if you can call him that, is a guy from Austrailia, Shane Nicholson. He started out as a folk rock guy but has morphed into country after meeting his famous country singer wife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eiHwAU-D8Y -- Short Fuse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY9K_...feature=fvwrel -- Summer Dress

edit (note): I don't really like country at all. I like the non-twangy types such as Mindy Smith and Carrie Underwood (and I liked that Rascall Flatts hit from 2006)

Hank Williams III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpEDv...ure=grec_index

Cal Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNf3eHJGe70

I have no problem with someone hating on Garth Brooks, but putting him in the same "pop country" category as Kenny Chesney is a little unfair. There was a pretty clear transition stage in the 90s with artists such as Garth, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Tim McGraw (early) that was more commercial country than pop country. Those guys weren't crossing over to pop as much as today's country artists are because, while not "traditional" county, it still maintained more country elements than pop elements. That's not the case today.

I actually like most 90s country, but that's more a product of growing up in rural Idaho (with one "modern" radio station, two class rock stations, and three country stations) than recognizing it as good music. I enjoy a lot of "bad" music that I recognize is bad, or mediocre.

Some of my favorite 90s country songs:

Toby Keith- Ain't Much Fun Since I Quite Drinkin

David Lee Murphy- Dust on the Bottle

Mark Chestnutt- Thank God for Believers

Garth- Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)

That's funny; when I read that he was from Australia I went to look for some Kasey Chambers, not realizing that she is this guy's "famous country singer wife." I like her voice lot:

The Captain

ty for the recos, will check them out

I heard of one singer from Australia that I've been getting in to again recently.

Slim Dusty is his name. Anyone else hear his stuff?

Corb Lund is awesome, love all his songs and have seen him a few times in concert.

Also echoing the Brad Paisley love, seen him a bunch too and Zac Brown who I hope I can see sometime, but I don't think he comes to Canada

I'll buy this to an extent. I do like Alan Jackson.

Definitely agree. I think Garth, Clint, et al were the first wave of pop-country and were responsible for that transition. The first release of In Pieces was the last album of Garth's that I owned, and I don't care for it all that much. Brings back memories of being a little kid in the early '90s, I used to think the Mo Betta shirts Garth wore were the greatest thing ever and the fact that Maury Tate owned the company made it even better for me!

Thinking about the early 90's reminds me of bands like Shenandoah and the Kentucky Headhunters...A 'slaw burger, fries, and a bottle of Ski!

Shenandoah was gold. "There ain't no place that I'd rather be, next to you, next to me."

Garth and co definitely did pave the way for the new era of country music, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not like the neo-tradationalist country music doesn't exist anymore, you just have to dig a bit more to find it.

Merle Haggard's If We Make it Through December

George Jones' Good Year for the Roses

New country: Gillian Welch's One More Dollar (sound sucks)

Double Live might be the best live album I've ever listened to. It's just beyond amazing.

What's even more amazing about Double Live is that it was put together using more than a couple different live shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDWu5QmsUjc

One of my go to karaoke songs

Is there a place to find The Thunder Rolls with that extra verse (which really completes the song IMO) without the crowd noise? Was it ever recorded in studio that way?

I usually don't do country when I do karaoke simply because I live in an area where it's not that popular, but I did this one a couple of times during separate trips to Nashville.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icfbsXzNo6Y&ob=av2e

Love Brooks & Dunn.

I agree plus he has this weird thing were his head is like an ostrich and turns it rapidly to look different ways. Still a fan from the start and a class act.

Takes his whole road team to his spot in the Carribean and pays it all. The last show he pulls a name from a hat for all the working stiffs on his tour nad gives him the haul from T-shirt sales


Miranda Lambert, Lady A and Zac Brown Band my favs

Those are very cool facts about Kenny. Didn't know about those.

I think partly I may have been clouded against his live act a bit by going to a show of his that was pretty damn lame...an opinion he agreed with publicly next time he came through town. He did something novel like lowering ticket prices at each level by $10 for that next Seattle show, on the basis that he didn't think he gave people their money's worth the year before.

I went to shows after that and still kind of shrugged at times, but I certainly respect the guy's dedication to his craft and the fact that he would actually still let a sub-par show bother him a year later. To be clear, there was no specific horrible thing about that show; it was just kind of ho-hum and didn't have great energy to it. Perhaps he was either sick or drunk or something; I dunno. It obviously stood out to him too.

I saw him a few years ago in Seattle along with Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland and Montgomery Gentry. Kenny shows always solid. The one act I didnt care to see Montgomery Gentry impressed me the most

We might have similar tastes. Montgomery Gentry is, to me, easily the worst name on that list...but I haven't seen them live. I've had similar experiences with seeing singers/bands live and going, "Wow, they're way better than I thought." Little Big Town is one example of that.

LKJ,

Wrestling and country music fan, eh? Did we just become internet best friends?