so - i remain a little confused about what yr problem is...

are you bothered by the existence of crossover music?

are you bothered by the fact that sometimes people write songs and can't clearly define what genre they belong in?

or do you feel that most people's definition of "country" is overly broad?

granted, country does have a distinctive sound. but it's still a fairly large, broad catagory -- and in any large catagory you're gonna be able to find marginal examples that could go both ways.

i mean - we live in a world in which johnny cash and shania twain are both considered country -- and the stones and metallica are both considered rock bands.

whenever i'm confused about what the essential elements of a particular genre are - i always pop over to the All Music Guide... www.allmusic.com -- their definition of country leaves a lot of room for many different sounds:

"Country music is about tradition, yet its simple form lends itself to endless variations on similar themes. Like blues — the two genres often shared themes, melodies and songs — country is a simple music at its core. Most of its songs are built around three chords and a plain melody, but these forms are so basic, they allow for many different styles, from the gritty sounds of honky tonk to the jazzy improvisations of Western Swing. Country music grew out of American Southern folk music, both Appalachian and blues, and old-time country was simple and folky, with just guitars and fiddles. As the genre progressed, old time music evolved into the rhythmic guitar-and-fiddle driven traditional country that became the foundation of modern country music, from honky tonk and Western Swing to the pop-oriented Countrypolitan and rock-inflected Bakersfield Sound."



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kit malone
http://www.kitmalone.com

kit malone
http://www.kitmalone.com