The truth is if you had me list my top 5 as far as genres in music, today's country would be somewhere around #12 or #13. I couldn't agree more, and have said so myself on here, that 80-90% or 376/415ths of the male artists in country today are just talented pretty boys with a set of choppers you could sell billboard space on. They're propped up by the record labels/Nashville and sent into the studio and on the road to regurgitate the exact same pick up truck, slide on over here, sundress, dirt road, six-pack shit over and over. And like AU1, we've joked about the incredible number of songs with the exact same lines in them. Very little originality.
But...Snagette ain't too deep. She married me, didn't she. She wants a love song. She wants pour some wine and make love all night to you pretty little thing songs. She likes cute little play on word songs. She likes country. So, I get my share of it. If you have to listen to a lot of it, you do find some artists that don't fit the mold. And they are out there. As we've talked about, Chris Stapleton is quickly becoming a household name. Zac Brown Band has never gone along lock-step. In fact, Dave Grohl collaborated with them on quite a few things and raved about how talented they are. As for Chesney, he's never fit the true mold either but I've also never been a fan until recent years when he stepped away from country. His Life On A Rock album is almost solely his version of beach/Caribbean type songs. Love it.
I'll enjoy Chesney in concert. Don't care that much for Lambert's songs but I've seen enough of her in live performances to know she'll put on a damn good show. Sam Hunt and Old Dominion? Heard one song by each. A whole lot of meh. But, I'll be buzzed in Jordan Hare watching music played live. If I go to a "country" concert, it's usually because that's what Snagette wants. Not this time, I wanted to see Chesney. I normally go in not expecting much but come away thinking that wasn't half damn bad. A lot of kick ass musicians on stage.