Welcome to it y’all! I am literally stoked to start this thing up. I truly hope that this can be an outlet for readers to learn something new, find things they love, agree, disagree, absolutely hate something I say, and ultimately find a voice. I am a huge proponent of feedback, in the sense that my opinions are my opinions and I may not change my mind (unless there is a solid argument), but I absolutely care to hear other opinions as well. I encourage anyone and everyone to share their voice with me. If you haven’t already and have a few seconds, go to the about page and you can learn about the “why” and who I am as a person, maybe it’ll give some context to the things I say.
Now that the introduction is out of the way, I wanted to do a first post that was conducive to where I am at in my personal listening journey, and really where I feel the direction of the country music scene is heading. Let’s talk Texas country!
Though Texas country is a pretty decent subgenre of country as a whole, I could sit and dissect it a lot deeper and really get into the niches. Texas country emerged back with Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, but I would say the genre today aligns more with late 80’s George Strait. Country lost the outlaws somewhere in the 90’s and 2000’s with the rising popularity with what I would call “back road country" and traction of artists like Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, and Tim McGraw (do not get me wrong, all still on my favorites list). This is the kind of music the genre has seen for most of the 2000’s, but there is a really big shift happening here. There has been a massive increase in the number of artists who want to dip their toe into country music: Beyoncé, Post Malone, and Shaboozey just to name a few. I am not discouraging these artists trying something new. If you can get someone to love it, more power to you. But it has created a ripple in country music where listeners want to keep the genre free of outsiders, thus an influx of people interested in a “pure” version of country. So there we have it folks! A Texas country revival!
What makes Texas country different from just plain ole country? The biggest difference is relatability in emotion to all of its listeners. That and a bit of a different sound- maybe a little bit grungier, maybe a little bit folksier. Just something…different. There are a million songs on the radio about falling in love in a truck on a dirt road with a 12-pack. But Texas country addresses some of the deeper rooted issues that come with falling in love in a truck on a dirt road with a 12-pack. Songs explain the story of love, and the heartbreak, and hating them, and missing them, and getting back together, and breaking up again…you get it? They talk about real life stuff in an incredibly artistic way. The level of storytelling is just deeper, and I believe that’s true good music.
I want to highlight some of my current Texas country favorites that will likely become lifelong favorites. Again, this is the music that has taken up the majority of my minutes listened recently, so this is just the shortlist. If you are interested, I have plenty more recs.
#1: Treaty Oak Revival
Starting off strong with my #1 artist of 2024! I began listening to Treaty Oak in 2021 after the release of their first album No Vacancy, so needless to say they are ingrained into my daily listening. Hailing from Odessa, Texas and headed by frontman Sam Canty, they have a super interesting sound. Most of their music is borderline rock, both in content and in musically. Treaty Oak is the epitome of being able to tell a story. Their song "Fishnets" went semi-viral on TikTok telling the harsh, but all true reality of a woman (okay... a hooker) having an affair with a married man, but wondering about what her life has become and thinking that she would kill to be the woman at home. It's that kind of crazy stuff that makes their music so raw and cut deep. The band is gaining a good amount of traction, especially having several songs featured in Landman episodes. I do not think these guys are going anywhere but up anytime soon with their "I do not care, I am going to tell the truth" attitude. If you do not read any further on this post, please go listen to Treaty Oak Revival.
#2: Parker McCollum
There is truly not much to not love about Parker McCollum. Originally from Conroe, Texas, McCollum has become a staple in country music. His song "I Can't Breathe" was a massive breakout for his career in 2017, and his 3x Platinum single "Pretty Heart" in 2020 proved that he was there to stay in country music. I have an incredible amount of love and appreciation for Parker's more recent music, but his first album The Limestone Kid was the perfect way for him to show who he is, where is from, and his ability to connect with his audience. Oh yeah, and he was literally 22 when the album was released. McCollum has been teasing new music recently, and 10 years later, fans say that the Limestone Kid is back. He shared a clip on his Instagram in early January, with one simple statement: "Welcome back kid." New music is likely not too far out, and it is going to be exciting for OG Parker fans.
#3: Koe Wetzel
I believe that Koe Wetzel is as outlaw, or at least who acts as such, as you can get in country music right now. Koe is from outside of Dallas, Texas and still lives around the area. He has an extremely similar vibe and style to Treaty Oak Revival which is why I love his music so much. Dually incredible, but incredibly harsh writing and storytelling. And the reality is that Wetzel writes a ton of his music from his own experiences, good and bad. He has caused a ton of trouble in his life, but it sounds really good when you put a few chords behind it. One of his more notorious rebel songs is "February 28, 2016" where he recalls the story of one of the times he was arrested for public intoxication. The end of the chorus is a plea for someone to take him to Taco Bell. Obviously not the greatest role model, but for sure a Texas country guy!
#4: Flatland Calvary
Next is a true Texas Panhandle band. Flatland Calvary was formed about 10 years ago while the members were attending Texas Tech University. The band's most popular songs are their love/breakup/makeup songs, specifically "A Life Where We Work Out", featuring frontman Cleto Cordero's wife Kaitlin Butts (the song is actually the beginning of their own love story). Most country music listeners can recognize the song from the first few notes. They do have a good bit of variety in their songwriting with some of their album releases, like "Tall City Blues", which I think plenty of working America can relate to lyrically. I have seen Flatland twice now, and I can easily say the group gives one of the most engaging performances that I have experienced.
#5: Ole 60
Last but not least, the newest artist on this list. Another curveball, Ole 60 does not actually hail from the state of Texas. The band is actually a group of friends from a small Kentucky town on the Ohio River, so nowhere near Texas really. Nonetheless, they have that sound. The group shares a rough, grunge feel similar to Treaty Oak, but they can write a love song like Flatland Calvary. Ole 60 only has 10 total songs in their discography, but they are strong 10 songs that are getting them a lot of recognition. Their music is relatable, it is unique, and I would never discriminate them from an elite group of Texas country artists because they are from Kentucky. They also happen to be the only artist that I have not seen live in this group. This is my official cry for an Athens show in the next leg of the tour. And if you were wondering my favorite song from them, it is easily "Next to You".
I have created a playlist of a few of my favorites from each of these artists. I really wouldn't bother sharing if I didn't think these were worth a listen. This is going to be a really fun ride. I cannot wait to hear from y'all. Thanks for giving me space to share my truth!
AND THE TRUTH has its own Spotify, so y'all go give it a follow for weekly playlist updates:
Comments