“Bro country” music

At least Girth had fiddles, steels and shite. I think this current crop of queers started around the turn of the century with people like Rascal figs.

Rascal Flats isn’t anywhere near bro country, though. Rascal flats is basically Alabama meets Boys 2 Men. Bro country is mixing hip/hop and rapping, a little old hank and a little t-pain. That’s not rascal flats. They’re more of a poppy boy-band with their vocal harmonies.

What I’m saying is that Florida/Georgia Line and Sam Hunt don’t sound anything like Rascal, but sound a lot like Big & Rich.

From a costume perspective, that is arguable, but not from a musical perspective. I think you’ve pinpointed the right era, but the wrong scapegoat, and I feel very weird having to defend rascal flats in a thread about music

This is more legit country than most bro country tbh:
RMR - Rascal

On another side note, who remembers when Garth Brooks tried to be a goth artist named Chris Gaines, completely changing his look and sound? Big time Garth lovers don’t want to admit that era existed. Lol

And today has a bunch of dumb pop crap but also has Stergil, Stapleton, Isbell, and ZBB.

I hear a LOT of Stapleton tracks (not just Tennessee Whiskey) on fm Nashville radio, and no shortage of ZBB.
Parachute, Fire Away, Broken Halos, Nobody to Blame, etc all get heavy rotation.

ZBB gets a ton of play because everyone loves vocal harmonies. Been true since the Beatles and the Beachboys, was definitely true when Alabama was king.

Stergil doesn’t get played cause he sounds like mushmouth and Boomhaur had a baby with a great band behind him.

Isbell doesn’t get play because his four chords and the truth are boring as shitte to nash radio’s target audience of teenaged white girls who like rap but are afraid of black people.

Every song I’ve heard from him has been a slow sad ballad. Please recommend me some tracks that aren’t. I’ve tried to get into listening to him to see what this board sees in the guy, but everything I’ve heard is just so...meh. Granted, I don’t pretend to be a big country music fan, or even a fan at all. However, when I hear Stapleton, I can hear there’s something special there. When I hear ZBB, it’s obvious why so many people dig his music. I don’t get that feeling with Isbell.

I liked the first one. The other two were just okay, still not much energy in those songs. His songs aren’t “catchy” enough for fm Nashville pop radio and his voice is good, but not distinctive. Also, playing simple slide guitar melodies in standard tuning while the band plays a 3 or 4 chord progression behind him isn’t exceptionally impressive. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it, but it should be blatantly obvious to your ears why Isbell isn’t as popular on FM Nashville country stations as Stapleton.