I’m a fan of radio country. It’s fun to pretend to be a hard drinkin’, fun lovin’ country boy while singing along to lyrics about tractors and sipping on PBRs. It’s fun to pretend. But this is the issue I find with this type of country music. It’s all pretend; it’s an act. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just makes it even sweeter when you hear someone who hasn’t pretended to be anything in his entire life.
You can tell just by looking at him that this guy means business. He’s got that South Nashville snarl, a drug habit, country star blood to go along with his old-timey country star voice, and, of course, that devil in his eyes. Justin Townes Earle knows real country music.
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