"Best country song" is an oxymoron.

dlazz;729358 wrote:"Best country song" is an oxymoron.

wat

"best" and "country" are opposites, because everything "country" is awful.

dlazz;729358 wrote:"Best country song" is an oxymoron.

dlazz;729802 wrote:"best" and "country" are opposites, because everything "country" is awful.

Good thing you explained yourself, if you didn't no one would've understood the initial post...

Gotta give it to hurt by cash. it is widely regarded as one of the best if not the best of the 2000 decade. where were you by alan is tough for me because while i appreciate the intent, the song is just so absolutely bad that I can't enjoy it.

How is Billy Currington's "People are Crazy" not in the discussion?

LJ;729328 wrote:I hate Darius Rucker so fucking much. Out of every group I have bitched about, he is, without a doubt, absolutely not country.

Oh yeah he flippin blows. Thats not even a joke I really don't like any of his songs...Hootie was great though

Tiernan;730034 wrote:How is Billy Currington's "People are Crazy" not in the discussion?

Also agree, very good song.

Also, for the people discussing George Strait earlier, my favorite song by him has always been "I can still make Cheyenne".

The best George Strait song is The Chair.

UANyg;729867 wrote:Gotta give it to hurt by cash. it is widely regarded as one of the best if not the best of the 2000 decade.

Except it's not a country song.

that's a stupid thing to argue

UANyg;730272 wrote:that's a stupid thing to argue

It's a modern rock song. Cash singing it does not magically change it into a country song.

Is the Personal Jesus cover a country song as well?

Bio-Hazzzzard;725967 wrote:That is horrid!

Here is a studio version which is better than the live version. If you still think it's horrid may God have mercy on your soul.

http://leroypowell.bandcamp.com/track/telluride

justincredible;732753 wrote:Here is a studio version which is better than the live version. If you still think it's horrid may God have mercy on your soul.

http://leroypowell.bandcamp.com/track/telluride

That's a great version, and I must admit, better than when I saw them live...but to be completely honest with you, they didn't strike me as having anything discernable that makes them sound very much like a country act...like, at all, and hearing that version, I still don't get how they're "country". It's sounds like what I can only describe as grassroots bluesy-rock. To be fair, about 75% or more of what is on "mainstream" country radio doesn't sound a whole hell of a lot like country either anymore, but I just wanted to point out that saying that mainstream country is crap and "X" is better, when neither are really country music, is a moot argument.

I think country has about 5-8 artists that are the hope for the future if country music is going to survive and preserve some semblance of where it came from and not go completely pop with a fiddle somewhere in the song to make it categorized as "country". I hate to tell all you Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney etc fans...you're not listening to country music.

Of artists that get any REAL mainstream play, I think the top 5 have to be Jamey Johnson, Justin Moore, Eric Church, Chris Young and Josh Thompson (aside from the older guys of course, but I don't really think George Straight is gonna change his style after 60 #1 hits lol). Guys like Dierks Bently, Billy Currington, Blake Shelton etc are really talented but you have a lot of stuff that come from them that's on the fence. They've all had a few really good, country sounding songs, and then their next single will sound like it belongs on pop radio. There are only 2 female singers that put any real effort into even trying to be country that I can name you. Miranda Lambert is by far the biggest one of the two, and her stuff generally toys with a pop sound, but she at least makes a consistent effort on each album to keep a distinct sound and pretty traditional instruments in her (what is it now, 7 piece?) band...the other is Ashton Sheppard. I'm in love with this girl's voice, and she's finally had a few hits over the last few years, and I'm glad, because she sounds like she just came from Butcher holler lol.

As far as what I posted earlier, Justin Moore is about my favorite younger country artist right now...saw him in concert this past August and was blown away. I've been to around 20 concerts in my life of all different genres (George Straight, Incubus, 311, HW Jr/Lynyrd Skynyrd, Avenged Sevenfold, Rock on the Range etc) and he has the most talent of anyone I've ever seen since George Straight in that he sounds just as good on stage as he does listening to his CD. You can Youtube any of his songs live, and they all sound just as good as this one, but here's a recent example. This is the song that will be his next big hit, guaranteed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viob65mtyZE&feature=related

I know its not the best , but Country Boy by Aaron Lewis is pretty good

I cannot wait for Justin Moore's new cd to come out. Outlaws Like Me, Sunshine Baby, My Kinda Woman, and his current single If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away are all great songs. And, to go along with best country song, I would have to throw If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away into the discussion. Although it is originally recorded by Rhett Akins, I think Justin does a great job with it.

[video=youtube;XMHQM7qcDuQ][/video]

Red_Skin_Pride;733070 wrote:That's a great version, and I must admit, better than when I saw them live...but to be completely honest with you, they didn't strike me as having anything discernable that makes them sound very much like a country act...like, at all, and hearing that version, I still don't get how they're "country". It's sounds like what I can only describe as grassroots bluesy-rock. To be fair, about 75% or more of what is on "mainstream" country radio doesn't sound a whole hell of a lot like country either anymore, but I just wanted to point out that saying that mainstream country is crap and "X" is better, when neither are really country music, is a moot argument.

His first album was 100% pure country. His latest album was a mix of country, blues, southern rock, psychedelic, gospel, etc but it still more country than most of the mainstream stuff.

These songs of the latest album are what I'd classify as country:

It's Our Turn Now
Family Tree
One Kiss, One Love
When the Morning Comes
Song For You

That's more than a third of the album that I'd classify as country. The remaining 9 songs all have country influence even if they are more southern rock or blues or whatever.

Also, he has one of the best album covers of all time.

justincredible;733203 wrote:His first album was 100% pure country. His latest album was a mix of country, blues, southern rock, psychedelic, gospel, etc but it still more country than most of the mainstream stuff.

These songs of the latest album are what I'd classify as country:

It's Our Turn Now
Family Tree
One Kiss, One Love
When the Morning Comes
Song For You

That's more than a third of the album that I'd classify as country. The remaining 9 songs all have country influence even if they are more southern rock or blues or whatever.

Ahhh gotcha. I just saw him do a 5-song set last summer down in Tennessee, and I had heard a lot about him before and it was a heck of a show live but it didn't sound too much like country, but it makes sense now that you said that because I'd say he was playing more of his recent stuff and not the stuff off of his first CD. I like Family Tree I think he's got some talent but it might take some time for people that like to think of themselves as traditionalists to open up to him...with that being said, Jamey Johnson has been in much the same boat, and look how talented he is and how many people like his stuff despite mainstream radio trying desperately to ignore him.

Red_Skin_Pride;734836 wrote:Ahhh gotcha. I just saw him do a 5-song set last summer down in Tennessee, and I had heard a lot about him before and it was a heck of a show live but it didn't sound too much like country, but it makes sense now that you said that because I'd say he was playing more of his recent stuff and not the stuff off of his first CD. I like Family Tree I think he's got some talent but it might take some time for people that like to think of themselves as traditionalists to open up to him...with that being said, Jamey Johnson has been in much the same boat, and look how talented he is and how many people like his stuff despite mainstream radio trying desperately to ignore him.

Here is the first album in case you didn't explore any of his other stuff.

http://leroypowell.bandcamp.com/album/leroy-powell

I love that you can listen to full albums on that website.

Idk what the gripe is about country pop? I mean honestly I know it may have a more mainstream sound but it's still actually very good and better than any of the pop music you see on the popular stations, like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. There's always gonna be a mainstream sound but at least it has a little twang to it now. And don't worry about country ever losing its true roots, the fact that In Color won Song Of The Year 2 years ago proves that the classic sound still takes the cake