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Theres always been something twangy in Jewels music.
Not only did it go No.
As 90s powerhouse Clay Walkerput itin 2015, We have great singers, great musicians.
Though Walker didnt name names, his specific mention ofoutdated rock-and-rollers made itpretty clearwho he was talking about.
But not everyone interested in the genre sees a need to engage with its restrictive systems.
Today, a new crop of outsiders are trying their hands at country without ever setting foot in Tennessee.
Unlike Michaels and Tyler, these artists arent turning to the genre to juice their own careers.
While shunning the system means giving up their chance at radio spins or a No.
Kacey Musgraves went further.
As the 2020s began, a group of indie-rock musicians began tapping into their latent country roots.
Newly sober, she found clarity in the unadorned sound so she kept following it.
(It also helped that shed never lost her Alabama accent.
)Crutchfields latest album,Tigers Blood, sees her settling in and stretching out in the genre.
Unbound by Nashville gatekeepers, these artists could see country the way they wanted it to be.
Big Thief accompanied hoedowns like Spud Infinity and Red Moon with glitchy electronic trackslike Blurred View.
None of these projects sounded like pivots, but rather, natural progressions of their work.
My friends keep saying it sounds like the version of me that they know, Rogers wrote to fans.
As cheesy as the adage about three chords and the truth is, sometimes its just true.
Zach Bryan has been doing that for years now.
So they found more of it.
Kahan has never claimed much influence from country music, and theres a pop sensibility to his soaring choruses.
But without Nashville drawing the lines, fans were queuing up his songs right after Bryans.
The successes of these artists are setting country up for one of its biggest years on record.
But what does it mean when the genres best music is being made away from its capital?
The castle isnt quite crumbling, but the cracks are still there.
Now its on Nashville to regain their trust.
The good news is that the solution is simple: Start listening everywhere else.
