there are times i wish i’d had a cool older sibling or the internet to help me discover great music when i was a kid in south georgia with nothing but k-country 101.7 for guidance, and it’s straight embarrassing i didn’t grow up with ray charles, otis redding, or james brown since they are badass georgians all, but i will be damned if i apologize for loving the country hits of the early ’90s. TRY not to get goosebumps listening to “independence day” by martina mcbride. and the story in “18 wheels and a dozen roses” is so sweet that every time i hear it i’m terrified someone has rewritten the happy ending away, in which case i would BURN IT ALL DOWN ALL OF IT.
there’s a lot to like about good country music — the wordplay and deft lyricism, the hangdog sentiment that’s as prevalent as the hell-raising kind, the way it lends a voice to an american experience that’s very real and valuable — but music from this era is what my soul needs from time to time. so enjoy. and let freedom ring.
I refuse to apologize or justify my love for country music. A lot is amazing and lyrically and vocally GOOD. So there.
