Nashville's Breath of Fresh Air

   I've been sick for nearly 3 weeks. I'm - dare I say it - tired of wearing PJs. My room is littered with tissues and empty mugs of tea. So naturally I'm laying in bed doing the one productive thing I have the strength to do: write articles.
   So last night, in my lessened state, I watched the CMAs (Country Music Association Awards for those of you not in the know), something I quite enjoy. I know, I know. Country music is quite a polarizing genre. Who would've known how dividing honky-tonks and heartbreak could be? But nevertheless, that's just the impact they have had.  
   I myself grew up on these folksy tunes. My dad was always either watching the Weather Network, TSN, or CMT. Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, and Brad Paisley, to name a few, were household names in mine. 
   My point is, in watching this Award show, I knew what to expect: Country's of-the-moment heartthrobs belting out songs written for their wives, girlfriends or ones that got away. And for the most part, that's exactly what I got. And I loved every minute of it. It was all good and dandy, and then something marvelous happened. A new singing sensation by the name of Kacey Musgraves stepped to the stage in a neon dress with a guitar around her neck. I had low expectations for Nashville's newest, but boy was I wrong. 
   In a day and age where Taylor Swift is the genre's biggest female star, and with each new song is becoming more Pop than Country, this girl was bona fide Nashville material. 
    She belted her latest single Follow Your Arrow off of new album Same Trailer Different Park, and count me impressed. Unlike the rest of Music City, who tend to conservatism and cliches about whiskey and heartbreak, this song tackled individuality, even touching upon same-sex relationships, all while keeping true to Country's familiar sound. It was catchy, refreshing, and inspiring. Despite early fears that Nashville 'wasn't ready for a song tackling such topics', she wasn't booed off the stage - people even applauded. Perhaps Nashville is a little more in the 21st century than it's given credit for. Kacey Musgraves certainly is. 
   For those of you Country-haters who avoid the genre based on lyrical content, I urge you to check this girl out; her soul lives and breathes within each song and gives new spirit to the genre as a whole. Now for those of you who detest the genre for the banjo and harmonica-laden melodies, well, I can't help you there. But for both parties, know that Country music has gotten the message that society is evolving, and Ms. Musgraves is offering an eloquent response. 

Rachel Ruecker