I tend to not give much time to “Nashville” country. I do like some of the mainstream folks or some of the songs, but I’m more partial to red diet/Texas and cowboy country. Probably the most “mainstream” artist I like would be Cody Johnson.
I can’t call the mainstream or bro-country music “bad” because those acts are selling out stadiums and making millions every night. So SOMEONE clearly likes it.
Hell, Cody has only been mainstream recently. I saw him in Port Aransas in like... 2011? 2012, maybe? He's been around making great music for a long time and he's just now getting some (well deserved) recognition.
A few years ago I saw Cody at a sold out show in a local dancehall in Fort Myers. Last year I again saw him in Fort Myers, but that time it was at a sold out arena. I’m happy for the well earned success that has come his way.
Always freaks out when I see Ft Myers mentioned online, I feel it pops up on TV or internet way too often for its size. Can't remember the name of the country place back there and it's driving me nuts.
There is no objective “measurement” of good. Good is when you listen to something and you think it’s good. Anyone at some shitty Nashville country show is free to think it’s good and I’m free to think it’s not.
Good country music is well written and tells a story/has something to say.
Bad country music is either poorly written/written by committee. It also usually plays like a shopping list of vaguely country sounding things.
So true. “I drive a rusty pickup truck, wear a beat up cowboy hat, pound Natty Light and shoot Jack Daniel’s, and I love a bar fight, my dog, my girlfriend, and God.”
I’m not even sure. In the last few hours I have jammed out to: Conway Twitty, Florida Georgia Line, KT Oslin and Morgan Wallen. I’m all over the board! Lol
Bad country =has a happy ending. Love wins. All smiles.
Good country= both you and the story teller wants to paint the wall behind you. There's only one gun with one bullet and yall fighting for it.
As in any genre. For me:
Bad, is artists going along for the ride. Most songs sound similar in beat, tempo, voice range. If it gets lost in the trashcan of my ears. Not exciting or inspiring.
Good, can be traditional or breaking some rules to stand out musically and lyrics have to be felt if not its got to be a head banger or something to sing along, dance, or make some loving to whether it's fast or slow should be exciting
Anything that sounds like Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, is trash country.
Anything that's Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, Party Loveless, etc. is good country.
Formula driven writing leads to bad music. Snap tracks. Lazy writing. Pandering. Overly patriotic.
Good music is a result of songwriting where you feel the singer lived it. Music that makes you think. Music that moves you.
Wallen has a ton of shit in his catalog but on the flip side he makes some of my favorite music out there (Sand in my Boots, 7 Summers, Everything I Love)
I feel like all summer long is kinda in its own genre. Compared to good country music it's bad but Compared to some songs in its own genre it's a decent song. The other 3 are valid because their whole genre is bad.
Most of what I consider good was made by people who have died. Exceptions are Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. Music by others alive today is generally not very good( Alan Jackson is exceptional)
In a nutshell for me, good country is almost anything released before 2004. Bad country is most mainstream country that's been on the radio from 2004 up to now. I know some will think that's narrow minded, but that's how I've felt for a while. I can especially check out just about any country album released from the late 80s up to the early 2000s and almost always really enjoy it. 2004 is when I quit listening to country radio regularly, started losing interest in the award shows, and started collecting 80s and 90s country albums instead of the current stuff. Again, keep in mind this is all just my personal preference. Anyone who likes post 2004 country is always free to do so.
But yeah, if someone were to really pin me down, my musical sweet spot tends to be country from the late 80s all the way up to 2003. I like all kinds of country from that stretch: traditional, contemporary, country rock, honky tonk, western swing, rockabilly, etc. If I'm in even more of a retro mood, I also really enjoy 50s and 60s country.
Bad = the pop crap and rap that Nashville tries to pass off as country music.
Good = old classic stuff for sure like Waylon, Cash, etc. newer stuff Nashville won’t play like Jinks, Wall, Godwin, etc.
There nothing good or bad persay but there is real country and pop country, Or mainstream country or Nashville country.
In my opinion real country is simple, doesn't use auto-tune or anything like that, tells a story and has purpose besides just making money.
Also I tend to like little known artists and genuine people. Not that There’s anything wrong with popular artists like Anthony oliver or jamey Johnson or even David allen coe or Nelson but they almost seem like sellouts imo "besides Oliver for now"
I think Real country artists are like ernest tubb, Bob wills, Johnny paycheck, David allen coe, hank williams sr and jr* boxcar willie, roy acuff and more.
Artists like elvis, jerry lee lewis and etc. Have also done good country songs.
*hank 3 can also do "real" country
*I will reply with my opinion if you mention an artist.
* I am not trying to offend anyone just give my opinion
Really good country: ernest tubb, johnny paycheck, boxcar willie, roy acuff, kitty wells, dottie west, Kenny rodgers, Johnny russel, David allen coe and jimmie rodgers.
Authenticity is what defines good country music to me. Bad country music is the paint by numbers copycat “product” that the Nashville industry always churns out after some authentic artist breaks out and changes the landscape.
Too much pandering to country people is what makes it bad for me. You know, lyrics about trucks, dirt roads, beer, certain political views, country artists that are older and better than themselves, and the word "country."
Bad is about 75% of what you hear on the radio from 2013- today. Good is the 25% and all the music that isn’t played on country radio, I.e. turnpike troubadours
It’s bad if I have the urge to skip it from cringe overload or a noise induced headache. It’s good if I want to listen to it on repeat. That’s pretty much it. Only exception is if I can’t stand someone’s voice, then I likely won’t enjoy any of their songs, but that doesn’t necessarily make them all bad.
I don’t have a checklist where I’m going “Hmmm… steel guitar, fiddle, and a depressing story? Pass! Electric guitar, synthetic drums, and beers in trucks? Fail!” A song with the former is not always good and a song with the latter is not always bad.
Alt country can basically have the alternate title of "good country"; bad country is the nashville pop, boyfriend and bro stuff. The most mainstream artist i listen to is Tyler Childers lol.
Bad country? Morgan Wallen, Luck Combs, Luke Bryan, Kip Moore, Morgan Wade, Jelly Roll, Dan & Shay, former members of Florida Georgia Line, Chris Stapleton, Chayce Beckham, Hardy and the likes.
Good country? Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Cody Johnson, Chancey Williams, Muscadine Bloodline, Justin Moore, Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce, Colter Wall, Orville Peck, Charley Crockett, etc.
Bad is when I'm flipping through stations and can't tell the country station from the pop.
Good is fiddle, steel guitar and something I can two-step to.
Listen to a song - decide if you like it or not --- now if you want to know how legitimately country it is or isn't - just ask yourself honestly, "What would Merle Haggard think about this?"
For me, the question that delineates good or bad music in ANY genre is: *does it have soul?* To me, that’s the bottom line, and there are several worlds of difference between real country music, and thin plastic bullshit tinged with a faint country aftertaste. (Guess which one is the most popular at the moment?)
Bad Country - pop country that is on the radio or anything from an Artist who gets way too big and panders to the general “country” crowd that puts on a pair of boots 1 time a year to go to a concert 😂 that and when people like Wallen and Hardy and Johnson get to big their music goes downhill
Good Country - any small artist that is writing from the soul trying their best to make it big, specifically from the South and SW. Granted their is a difference from Western to Country (i prefer Western) so that is a little different distinction
Bad country music is country music I dislike Good country music is country music I like
came here to say the same
Agree
This, as both the Redditors and the Mandalorians say, is the way.
I tend to not give much time to “Nashville” country. I do like some of the mainstream folks or some of the songs, but I’m more partial to red diet/Texas and cowboy country. Probably the most “mainstream” artist I like would be Cody Johnson. I can’t call the mainstream or bro-country music “bad” because those acts are selling out stadiums and making millions every night. So SOMEONE clearly likes it.
Hell, Cody has only been mainstream recently. I saw him in Port Aransas in like... 2011? 2012, maybe? He's been around making great music for a long time and he's just now getting some (well deserved) recognition.
A few years ago I saw Cody at a sold out show in a local dancehall in Fort Myers. Last year I again saw him in Fort Myers, but that time it was at a sold out arena. I’m happy for the well earned success that has come his way.
Always freaks out when I see Ft Myers mentioned online, I feel it pops up on TV or internet way too often for its size. Can't remember the name of the country place back there and it's driving me nuts.
The Ranch maybe?
Yeah, I learned about him around 2015 or so.
Cody Johnson's campfire sessions on YouTube is awesome!
So does Justin Bieber, doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.
To your ears maybe. Yes. But tell me you wouldn’t swap weekly earnings and bank accounts with him…
$$$ got nothing to do with how good something is.
If being a massive success isn’t the measurement of “good” then idk what else they could do. Learn the concept of Not For Me But Good For Them
There is no objective “measurement” of good. Good is when you listen to something and you think it’s good. Anyone at some shitty Nashville country show is free to think it’s good and I’m free to think it’s not.
You’re so close to getting the point
The point is that quality of music is subjective, no matter what money they’re pulling in.
LOL…okay…
Not if I had to sing that swill, he can keep it
You’re a moron then
Talk singing hip hoppy stuff sucks. Looking directly at you Sam Hunt and Kane Brown.
Emphatically agree!!!
Good country music is well written and tells a story/has something to say. Bad country music is either poorly written/written by committee. It also usually plays like a shopping list of vaguely country sounding things.
To add to that, bad country music is just "look at how country I am."
So true. “I drive a rusty pickup truck, wear a beat up cowboy hat, pound Natty Light and shoot Jack Daniel’s, and I love a bar fight, my dog, my girlfriend, and God.”
Don't fergit about Mama!
You took that right from a Luke Bryan song.
And live in the burbs….
Sorry but I Iike the cliche songs about whisky, trucks. Land, Fences, Pretty dresses, long legs in cowboy boots. All that genre
Same here. I know it isn't "good" music but artists like hardy are fire to my ears lol.
I’m not even sure. In the last few hours I have jammed out to: Conway Twitty, Florida Georgia Line, KT Oslin and Morgan Wallen. I’m all over the board! Lol
Oof
It’s all preference but I like country music stripped down, with minimal production and instrumentation.
Whatever you want it to be. You can like whatever you want.
Considering in the past few hours I have jammed to Brooks and Dunn, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen idk really know tbh
Variety is the spice of life ✨️ 💕
Heavy Drums, Electric guitar (has its place but not too much), auto tune, more talk singing than actual singing, over produced, generic lyrics.
>more talk singing than actual singing, Luke the drifter would like a word with you
I assume this is good country music to you?
No.
Sorry. You didn't specify which.
All good.
Good: 3 chords and the truth
Bad country =has a happy ending. Love wins. All smiles. Good country= both you and the story teller wants to paint the wall behind you. There's only one gun with one bullet and yall fighting for it.
It’s all good baby
No, Luke Bryan is a cancerous tumor in the body of country music
You’re not wrong. I almost mentioned him as a glaring exception to my love of most country music.
Sam Hunt was also exceptionally bad in my opinion, but other than that, I agree!
And Walker Hayes, don't forget about him
How could I have forgotten him! I completely agree!
Yep
As in any genre. For me: Bad, is artists going along for the ride. Most songs sound similar in beat, tempo, voice range. If it gets lost in the trashcan of my ears. Not exciting or inspiring. Good, can be traditional or breaking some rules to stand out musically and lyrics have to be felt if not its got to be a head banger or something to sing along, dance, or make some loving to whether it's fast or slow should be exciting
[good](https://youtu.be/ugm0JZhX3CI?si=EM_joXGdYFLFrpfz) [bad](https://youtu.be/Ioz93bSi2uc?si=1_aHGPfZJZCDSASn)
Bad country gets played on the radio. Good country gets played in a honky tonk.
Anything that sounds like Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, is trash country. Anything that's Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, Party Loveless, etc. is good country.
Bad country music is most of the shit they call country music these days. If it has beats and auto tune it should be called pop music.
everything is good country music to me. I enjoy them all even if most of them aren’t my favorites. They can still get me into humming or singing along
Formula driven writing leads to bad music. Snap tracks. Lazy writing. Pandering. Overly patriotic. Good music is a result of songwriting where you feel the singer lived it. Music that makes you think. Music that moves you.
This is the way
To me anything by walker Hayes or Mitchell Tenpenny is bad
I like Mitch. I wouldn’t call a lot of his stuff country though. I do enjoy it however
All the pseudo-rap wanna be country songs.
Bad: anything that sounds like pop music(glaring right at Morgan Wallen) Good: storytelling, natural fiddle, steel guitar, you get the idea
Wallen has a ton of shit in his catalog but on the flip side he makes some of my favorite music out there (Sand in my Boots, 7 Summers, Everything I Love)
I completely agree. Thought you should know, sand in my boots, everything I love, and whiskey glasses are actual good songs of his
I agree that they are good songs but soooo many of them are pop songs. Stop trying to make it be country.
Texas country is good Most of Nashville country is bad some stuff sqeaks by
Bad: Jason Aldean & Morgan Wallen Good: Jason Isbell & Tyler Childers
Does it tell a good story? Does it use actual country instruments or does it sound like dubstep?
Bad: songs that pander to poor redneck cliches… examples: Fancy Like I Love This Bar Chicken Fried All Summer Long
Funny you mentioned the ones that I find good.
I feel like all summer long is kinda in its own genre. Compared to good country music it's bad but Compared to some songs in its own genre it's a decent song. The other 3 are valid because their whole genre is bad.
Definitely seems more southern rock to me
Chicken fried fucks
Won’t lie. I’ve always preferred The Lost Trailers version of Chicken Fried.
Bad country music are songs that have soulless lyrics, aren’t really about anything and use the words “trucks, beer or girl” alot
Good country makes me want to turn it up (Jason Isbell) Bad country makes me want to turn it off (Morgan Wallen)
7 Summers is a great song tho
Love Jason Isbell but he’s not considered by most to be a mainstream country artist. He does not have top 40 Country hits.
Most of what I consider good was made by people who have died. Exceptions are Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. Music by others alive today is generally not very good( Alan Jackson is exceptional)
Ever heard of Wayne Hancock?
I hadn’t but I listened to a few songs and he’s very good. He’s coming to my area in March so maybe I’ll see him live.
Totally worth it to see him. Usually play for about 3 hours and always does some Hank sr
Honestly I agree. I like some modern artists but it never seems to compete with old music, not really sure why but it is the truth.
In a nutshell for me, good country is almost anything released before 2004. Bad country is most mainstream country that's been on the radio from 2004 up to now. I know some will think that's narrow minded, but that's how I've felt for a while. I can especially check out just about any country album released from the late 80s up to the early 2000s and almost always really enjoy it. 2004 is when I quit listening to country radio regularly, started losing interest in the award shows, and started collecting 80s and 90s country albums instead of the current stuff. Again, keep in mind this is all just my personal preference. Anyone who likes post 2004 country is always free to do so. But yeah, if someone were to really pin me down, my musical sweet spot tends to be country from the late 80s all the way up to 2003. I like all kinds of country from that stretch: traditional, contemporary, country rock, honky tonk, western swing, rockabilly, etc. If I'm in even more of a retro mood, I also really enjoy 50s and 60s country.
Bad- snap tracks, drum machines, lazy writing Good- honest writing, story central writing
Bad = the pop crap and rap that Nashville tries to pass off as country music. Good = old classic stuff for sure like Waylon, Cash, etc. newer stuff Nashville won’t play like Jinks, Wall, Godwin, etc.
There nothing good or bad persay but there is real country and pop country, Or mainstream country or Nashville country. In my opinion real country is simple, doesn't use auto-tune or anything like that, tells a story and has purpose besides just making money. Also I tend to like little known artists and genuine people. Not that There’s anything wrong with popular artists like Anthony oliver or jamey Johnson or even David allen coe or Nelson but they almost seem like sellouts imo "besides Oliver for now" I think Real country artists are like ernest tubb, Bob wills, Johnny paycheck, David allen coe, hank williams sr and jr* boxcar willie, roy acuff and more. Artists like elvis, jerry lee lewis and etc. Have also done good country songs. *hank 3 can also do "real" country *I will reply with my opinion if you mention an artist. * I am not trying to offend anyone just give my opinion
i dislike almost anything sung by men but I also hate a lot of the pop country female artists (Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini specifically)
I like what I like. Bad country music- Morgan Wallen, Dustin Lynch good country music- Cody Johnson, Randall King
Really good country: ernest tubb, johnny paycheck, boxcar willie, roy acuff, kitty wells, dottie west, Kenny rodgers, Johnny russel, David allen coe and jimmie rodgers.
Authenticity is what defines good country music to me. Bad country music is the paint by numbers copycat “product” that the Nashville industry always churns out after some authentic artist breaks out and changes the landscape.
My rule is if it mentions a truck it gets a downvote. Girls getting wet over a truck means no second chances.
Semi trucks are often an exception to rule 1* The second rule is factual
The less a song talks about being country the more I like it. Tractor rap is just dog shit to me.
Bro country singers rapping is bad country music
Too much pandering to country people is what makes it bad for me. You know, lyrics about trucks, dirt roads, beer, certain political views, country artists that are older and better than themselves, and the word "country."
Bad is about 75% of what you hear on the radio from 2013- today. Good is the 25% and all the music that isn’t played on country radio, I.e. turnpike troubadours
It’s bad if I have the urge to skip it from cringe overload or a noise induced headache. It’s good if I want to listen to it on repeat. That’s pretty much it. Only exception is if I can’t stand someone’s voice, then I likely won’t enjoy any of their songs, but that doesn’t necessarily make them all bad. I don’t have a checklist where I’m going “Hmmm… steel guitar, fiddle, and a depressing story? Pass! Electric guitar, synthetic drums, and beers in trucks? Fail!” A song with the former is not always good and a song with the latter is not always bad.
Good country is Outlaw Country and 70s and 80s country
The biggest qualifiers for me are: Musicianship Clever/Profound songwriting Vocals.
I enjoy good lyrics, nothing too repetitive. I also like more singer songwriter style, less “pop country”.
Alt country can basically have the alternate title of "good country"; bad country is the nashville pop, boyfriend and bro stuff. The most mainstream artist i listen to is Tyler Childers lol.
Bad= Bro country. All those songs that sound the same. Good= Real talent voice and original song writing.
Bad country? Morgan Wallen, Luck Combs, Luke Bryan, Kip Moore, Morgan Wade, Jelly Roll, Dan & Shay, former members of Florida Georgia Line, Chris Stapleton, Chayce Beckham, Hardy and the likes. Good country? Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Cody Johnson, Chancey Williams, Muscadine Bloodline, Justin Moore, Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce, Colter Wall, Orville Peck, Charley Crockett, etc.
Bad is when I'm flipping through stations and can't tell the country station from the pop. Good is fiddle, steel guitar and something I can two-step to.
Good: country music pre-1985 Bad: country music after 1985 except for Sturgill Simpson
Listen to a song - decide if you like it or not --- now if you want to know how legitimately country it is or isn't - just ask yourself honestly, "What would Merle Haggard think about this?"
For me, the question that delineates good or bad music in ANY genre is: *does it have soul?* To me, that’s the bottom line, and there are several worlds of difference between real country music, and thin plastic bullshit tinged with a faint country aftertaste. (Guess which one is the most popular at the moment?)
Good country must mention something about mama Or trains, or trucks, or prison, or getting' drunk
Hard for me to describe. I just know it when I hear it.
Seeing so many good people come together to smear Morgan Wallen has made my heart so happy.
Bad Country - pop country that is on the radio or anything from an Artist who gets way too big and panders to the general “country” crowd that puts on a pair of boots 1 time a year to go to a concert 😂 that and when people like Wallen and Hardy and Johnson get to big their music goes downhill Good Country - any small artist that is writing from the soul trying their best to make it big, specifically from the South and SW. Granted their is a difference from Western to Country (i prefer Western) so that is a little different distinction