http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/vivanashvegas/2593/is-new-country-real-country/
In this article, Wendy Gellar writes about how country legend George Jones discriminates against newer country artists with a “pop” feel. George Jones specifically picks on two women country singers, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. He talks them down because he does not believe their music should be worthy of the title “country”, since it is not the typical old-fashioned sound.
Being a huge country fan myself, I think this is ridiculous. There are many country artists out there who could be considered to also have a “pop” sound and somehow did not get mentioned by Jones. I think he is picking on these two ladies because of their immediate success in both the country and pop music worlds. Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts, for example, both have country hits that play on both country and pop radio, and they are considered icons.
Lately, it is becoming a trend for pop artists to try switching over to country and most become a success. Darius Rucker, the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, recently went country and has already won a CMA for best new artist of the year. If pop and rock artists can make that cross over into country, it is certainly going to happen the other way around.
Music is constantly evolving and it has been since it was first invented. True country fans never give up their old music with the old fashioned sound that Jones is talking about so he should not be upset. He is still a legend in my eyes and I am sure that fellow country fans are with me on that. You can’t have too much good music though, and if fans enjoy both the new and old sound then that just means more songs to choose from.
