Country music is undergoing a recovery. Which is sort of the opposite of most of the lyrics in the traditional style of country music. Recovery was far from the discussed topics sung about by Waylon, Merle, and George.
In recent years, the musical genre had devolved into phony lyrics, sung by phony singers, and produced and written by third parties who were the real talent behind the scenes.
Thankfully, a new breed of country music saviors has entered the scene, bringing with them a healthy respect for the music of old, and an earnestness and talent that is their own.
They are the country music heroes we deserve and need.
Zach Bryan
If you want to move away from popular country toward a more traditional style of country, you need to have a bridge. That bridge is Zach Bryan. He is a talented young singer-songwriter who appeals to a younger crowd with his charm and appeal while bringing in a crowd of older listeners who appreciate the themes and subject of which Bryan croons.
As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, his songs of loss and being away from home are instant classics that help re-introduce country music from the past.
Colter Wall
Country music originated with the cowboy, and that’s just what you’ll get from Colter Wall. With a mixture of tales from the range, the vagabond lifestyle of a part-time cowboy slash bronc rider, and the emotions of spurned love in coal mining country, Wall sings with a depth of voice, soul, and earnestness that represents a 60-year-old much more than the young man in his twenties that he is. Colter is a real-life Cowboy from Canada, and he lives that life instead of the glitz of Nashville, preferring to find solace and inspiration amongst the plains and cows of which he sings.
Tyler Childers
Tyler comes from the mountains and hills of Appalachia, and his music represents the life that is lived by its residents and the style of music they play. With a slant towards bluegrass, a penchant for wild living, and a touch of the southern Gospel, Childers’s music is immediately catchy but also honest in the lyrics and intent of what he sings about. He has songs about fun living life on the road, that also touches on the regret of living a life on the road, mixed with some guilt of knowing he isn’t living the way he should. His music also tends to push against the norm of country music, touching on some important topics often glossed over by modern country. He is an outlaw in his music and his lyrics.
Sierra Ferrell
For the female representation of the likes of Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, Sierra Ferrell is by far and away the brightest talent in the return to traditional country. While her appearance may not be so traditional, sporting tattoos, piercings, and bangs, her voice and talent as a songwriter are definitely on par with the greats. Her voice can be both sweet and powerful, upbeat and mournful, and she provides the soundtrack for a post-breakup batch of solitude.
Benjamin Todd
A man who seems to have been saved by country music, Benjamin Todd is an oddity in appearance, perhaps, but he has an old soul with experience earned through living a tough life, full of loss and hard-learned lessons. Whether singing alone or with a partner, Todd’s voice and musical talent make you appreciate that he has lived a hard life, if only for the ability to hear the artwork created from it.`
Country music has always been about the real happenings and feelings of the poor and struggling. Lessons learned and love that was lost. People need to know about that side of life, and for that reason, I am glad we have the young saviors of country music to sing to us.
