What did I say on this website that was so bad? I said that Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line are not country, and not only that, they are pure crap. I said that not only is Taylor Swift not country, but that she can’t sing a note without auto-tune. I referenced the fact that 90% of what is played on mainstream country radio is crap while amazingly talented artists like Hayes Carll, Wade Bowen, Sean McConnell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Randy Rogers Band are virtually, if not entirely, ignored.
But the millions of people who pack the concerts of Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, and all these other poser-wannabes don’t like to be told that the music they listen to isn’t what they think it is.
I illustrated my point further by issuing a challenge to various other commenters. I challenged them to name an artist they believe is mislabeled as country—an artist marketed as country that, in their mind, isn’t country. I issued this challenge to at least five or ten other commenters.
"There is a difference between change and abandonment. Music’s progression does not mean abandoning its history. "
Instead, they changed the subject and accused me of having “old-man syndrome” and not being willing to accept a changing landscape of country music. “Country has to change to remain relevant,” I was told.
No one is saying country music shouldn’t change or show progression. But there is a difference between change and abandonment. Music’s progression does not mean abandoning its history. No one is saying every singer should sound exactly the same. But in order for music to be country, it still needs to be connected to the roots of country music and contain certain elements that define the genre. One could never say that George Strait sounds exactly the same as Johnny Cash or that Josh Turner sounds the same as Jerry Jeff Walker. Hayes Carll is not the same artist as George Jones, but their music shares common themes and elements that make it country.
Such elements are not present in Florida Georgia Line or Taylor Swift. These artists, among others, have abandoned these elements and these roots altogether.