BROOKE THAMES
A&C Editor
thamesbe@plu.edu
Country may be one of the most popular and successful genres, but itâs no secret the all-American music style generates lots of hate. Even so, the magic of music is that there is something in every genre for everyone. In honor of the success of Carrie Underwoodâs new album Storyteller, here are some country music suggestions that could appeal to even the strongest of country haters (myself included).
1. Taylor Swift –Â Taylor Swift
Flashback to 2006, when a young, curly-haired Pennsylvania girl launched a career that would change the world and define a generation. Itâs hard to believe that anyone doesnât have Taylor Swiftâs first ablum in their music library. But the singer has transformed so much in nine years itâs easy to imagine that no one actually listens to it anymore, especially those who are in favor of her new pop identity or never liked her country music anyway.
Taylorâs country career may be nearly a decade in the past, but the quality of the music still stands. Even country haters canât resist whipping their hair to the strong strums of âShouldâve Said No,â shedding a tear while singing the sad lines of âCold As Youâ or simply dancing around their room to the sassy chorus of âPicture to Burn.â
2. Rascal Flatts –Â Greatest Hits Volume 1
Itâs hard to pinpoint one Rascal Flatts album thatâs amazing, given that their best songs are sprinkled throughout their nine studio albums. Luckily, this greatest hits album compiles many of these songs onto one perfect record. Spanning from their debut album in 2000 to Still Feels Good in 2007, Rascal Flattsâ Greatest Hits Volume 1 contains smash singles such as âWhat Hurts The Mostâ and âBless The Broken Road.â Tracks like âMayberryâ and âPrayinâ For Daylightâ are as country as country gets, but the pure plucks of the banjo and heavenly harmonies make them true listening pleasures. âThese Daysâ and âSkin (Sarabeth)â present that tear-jerking country storytelling, while âFast Cars and Freedomâ showcases the surprising funk the genre can carry. While the album only represents the first half of Rascal Flattsâ career, itâs a great introduction to the groupâs impressive music.
3. BoysLikeGirls –Â Crazy World
Those familiar with BoysLike
Girls will remember the pop-punk boy band that blessed the radio with âThe Great Escape,â âHero/Heroine,â and âThunderâ in 2006. Six years later the group took an unexpected turn down a country road and didnât look back. With the release of Crazy World in 2012 BoysLikeGirls officially introduced themselves as a country-pop crossover band, a transition that was shocking in a strangely amazing way. Crazy Worldâs 11 tracks are basically pop songs with an over-arching country theme. Songs like âLife of the Partyâ and âShootâ contain that good olâ country twang but are so feel-good itâs easy to forget how Southern they actually sound. Other tracks such as âCheatedâ and âStuck In The Middleâ are just pop songs in disguise, while âBe Your Everythingâ and âLeaving Californiaâ sound like ballads straight off of a BoysLikeGirls album from 2007. All in all Crazy World is a softer country-themed album perfectly suited for those country haters who need just a bit more synth to accompany their banjo.
