In today’s world, country music is all but dominated by pop tones. Almost every song has crossover appeal. However, in the last several years, more artists have put their pop appeal aside in favor of unabashed, twang-filled, red-dirt-y, horseback-ridin’, 10-gallon-hat-wearin’, rip-roarin’ country. The three country songs below are unapologetic in their adherence to the genre.
“Burn My Memory” — Carter Faith
From southerly references to twangy acrobatic vocals, Carter Faith’s “Burn My Memory” is country to the core. Sure, Faith has major crossover appeal, but this album cut from Cherry Valley leans heavily into the genre’s traditions.
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“He can burn my boots, he can burn my jeans / He can burn my rusty ol’ six-string / He can burn my name just like a biscuit / Even them General Jackson tickets,” she sings in this driving country anthem. The melody might be catchy enough to be considered a pop song, but her textured vocals and references to things only country artists would hold dear keep it firmly at home in Nashville.
“‘Til You Can’t” — Cody Johnson
Cody Johnson is one of modern country’s most beloved traditionalists. “Til You Can’t” earned him his first No. 1 hit, making a case for a return to country’s roots. “You can tell your old man / You’ll do some largemouth fishing another time / You just got too much on your plate to bait and cast a line / You can always put a rain check in his hand / ‘Til you can’t,” he sings in this modern country classic.
Johnson’s deep timbre is the stuff of 90s country magic, with no pop riffs or accents in sight. Few artists in the modern country scene embody the genre’s roots better than Johnson. One of his biggest country songs, “‘Til You Can’t”, is indicative of that.
“Sounds Like The Radio” — Zach Top
Speaking of neo-traditionalists, we have to mention Zach Top here. Fans have basically fallen head over heels for this country artist and his 90s pastiche. “Sounds Like The Radio” is basically his theme song, accounting for his ever-present nostalgia.
“Sounds like the radio / Back in ’94, you know / Hook a speaker up to my soul / It sounds like the radio,” he sings in this stunningly traditional song. It doesn’t get much more countryfied than this. Top rejected modern pop urges and instead took listeners back to a time when country had only one sound.
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