Or the Country Music Curious!
Country music is becoming popular with mainstream attention with fans of artists such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. It's "cool" to be country again and there are many redefining what country is. For those who have enjoyed country for some time it can be a means to introduce new and older music to these new fans.Here are ten albums to help with country introductions, in no particular order other than good music.
Jeff Bates' latest self titled CD starts my list but as a toss up with his "Rainbow Man" cd. Jeff is as country as they come but with influences that include Elvis he can turn it up too. Country music touches people and the songs on these albums do that from start to finish.
Jimmy Wayne "Do You Believe Me Now" is a solid CD that has several top charting singles from it as well as some solid songs that were not singles. The title cut is a song many relate to but there's also the toe tapping "Kerosene Kid", "I Didn't Come Here to Lose" and "Where You're Going."
Alan Jackson's "Here In The Real World" launched a career that is still going strong two decades later. With this CD it also launched some real country music that Alan has stayed true to over the years.
Ray Scott is as country as it gets on his "My Kind of Music" CD but he did what seemed a tough job in following up with "Crazy Like Me" that is traditional as pulling on well worn jeans for a beer with friends. It celebrates and laments life.
Buddy Jewell continues this with "Country Enough" with easy songs like "The Wheels Turn Slow", historical ones in "The Southern Side of Heaven", a bit of controversy in "This Aint Mexico!" and a light hearted look at marital disagreement in "No Grease, No Gravy." It's what country is - real life.
Garth Brooks is a phenomenon unto his own in concert and his "Double Live" is as close to capturing it along with the music as a recording can get. Including songs like The Dance, Friends In Low Places, Rodeo and Shameless Garth can squeeze every emotion out of a song. This can be the darkness of "Thunder Rolls" or the crank it up opening of "Callin' Baton Rouge".
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