A good country song is like a haiku. The beauty doesn't come in spite of the self-imposed limitations; it's those limitations that help the writer summon the beauty. And there are, to be sure, limits in country music -- or, at least, in the sort of glossy assembly-line country that the Nashville system excels at producing. The songs need to be impeccably structured, verses and choruses and bridges in all the places where they're supposed to be. They need to tell everyday, relatable stories -- usually in the first person, though not always. They don't necessarily have to be about love or romantic tribulation or small-town identity, but it helps if they are. And without getting political -- they almost never get political, especially these days -- they have to reflect a certain rural/suburban worldview. Country songs are sentimental and nostalgic while at the same time being skeptical and averse to bullshit, which can be a hard line to walk.
Album Of The Week
Album Of The Week: Miranda Lambert The Weight Of These Wings
