I mentioned in one of my confessional posts that I have bought a lot of country songs lately. To be honest, since I have been on running hiatus, I have almost exclusively been listening to my Country Pandora station and The Highway on XM. I am no stranger to country but if people asked what I listened to, I’d probably rattle off something like “hair metal, old school punk, grunge and jazz.” Which, I realize, leaves it wide open. But in truth, I have a collection that, not to sound snobby, is rather eclectic.  It used to be easier/involve less moral implications to download music for free so I have an extensive mp3 folder with everything from rerecorded Civil War ballads to 70s R&B to Sinatra to Judas Priest. There are chunks of Pearl Jam/Alive in Chains/Soundgarden.  I have folders dedicated to Def Leppard/Whitesnake/Motley Crue. But there is the one Country folder with some songs I liked when I was younger.

My mom was a country fan. She said she got into it in the late 70s because she just wasn’t into Disco. I myself like it for one of the same reasons I DO like Disco: it’s fun. The idea behind a lot of country songs is happy and fun and light-hearted. Not to say there aren’t some that are simply heartbreaking.  To demonstrate, I present thirteen songs I think anyone and everyone should listen to.

1. Kathy Mattea – Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses. This was one of my mom’s cassette tapes I hijacked because I secretly loved every song on the album. This was by far the best though.
2. Kenny Chesney – She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy. I made fun of this song when it came out. So many redneck tropes! But really, it got to me. It’s so hilarious it’s actually pretty good.
3. Garth Brooks – Shameless. Not the best video but it’s Garth with Billy Joel, who wrote the song. The album “The Hits” has all the Brooks songs you know and love and this one is one of the best, even if it isn’t his.
4. Luke Bryan – Do I. Man do I ever love this song. It came on my Pandora station one day and I instantly fell in love with the sentiment. I read a lot of romance novels and I thought the lyrics mirror a lot of those ideas.
5. Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried -I only discovered this song a few weeks ago when we all went out to a local bar and a cover band was playing. They rocked this one and I headed home to buy it. This song embodies that fun thing I was talking about. But also, the down home, small town feel that a lot of country singers shoot for in songs. Focusing on the little things like family, food, and freedom goes a long way in country music.
6. Kathy Mattea and Tim O’Brien – Battle Hymn of Love -This song also rocks the love theme. It’s honest and steadfast and I just heart it.
7. Randy Travis – Look Heart. No hands. This is another one from long ago I loved. It makes me feel all calm and happy.
8. Brooks and Dunn – Play Something Country. My aunt was once married to a black truck driving, TNT blasting, NASCAR watching giant of a man who loved country. My childhood with them was spent listening to the likes of B&D, Alan Jackson, and Reba. Those were good times, spent sitting on the tailgate of a Chevy in the parking lot next to the Daytona Speedway, blasting good ol’ boy tunes.
9. Toby Keith – How Do You Like Me Now?. I used to play this song right about sophomore year of college when I just gotten my own apartment, Windows 95 Plus, and a decent internet connection, prime for using Napster for all it’s worth. If you can get it, why not, you know?
10. Dierks Bentley – Come A Little Closer. Whoo boy, one of the sexiest songs…ever. So many country boys sing really sexy, romantic songs and this one does me in.
11. Lady Antebellum – Need You Now. Ok so they’re all popular now and all but regardless, this song is ridiculously good, as are they as a band.
12. Zac Brown Band – Colder Weather. Even though so many country songs are fun, there’s a lot of them who speak of horrible sadness. This one really gets to me.
13. Brooks and Dunn (again) – Put a Girl in It. What’s a country song without a girl? This one embodies Country music for me.

Hope you enjoyed my list. You may participate here.