COMMENTS:
At it's best it's not much different from folk or blues (both of which are related). Just music about life, good times, hard times, work, getting drunk, getting jailed, raising hell, being lonely,falling in love, dying etc. At it worst it's really bland mediocre pop music played by people wearing boots and cowboy hats. In the last two or three decades it's mostly been at it's worst. There's still good country music out there, but you won't hear it on the radio.