I used to say with a snobbish attitude, I listen to all kinds of music, except country music. I don't say that anymore. Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, old Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and George Jones are as good as any pop/rock singers. The righful heirs to this tradition are Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams, Shelby Lynn, Wilco, and other artists mentioned above, not the marketing-driven poseurs that pass for country musicians these days. What people call "alt-country" (I hate that term) is closer to real country music IME.
