After reading “The Commercial Country Explosion” chapter from Jocelyn R. Neal’s book, Country Music (2012), I really began to think about the differences between “New Country” and “Country Pop” from the 1990s. I grew up listening to both of these country genres and never realized the distinction until now.
The ‘90s made way for a fresh batch of country music artists who wanted to make a new sound for themselves. On one end you had new country, a simple song form (verse-chorus) that involved two-step, waltz and Cajun two beat rhythms, while country-pop contains pop riffs and the short memorable hooks. The country pop sound really evolved with the changes in technology and began to feature sound effects, a full harmony backup and dense musical textures. New country on the other hand highlighted the fiddle, steel guitar, and a sharper drum sound. These genres also introduced the distorted electric guitar solos that today audience loves so much.
The instrumentals weren’t the only thing that distinguished these two genres. The artist’s voices were inherently different as well. New country included male artists like Garth Brooks and Tim Mcgraw, whose baritone voices began to smooth out the honky-tonk twang. New country’s female artists, like Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride, became known for their open throated ballad singing. Country pop featured auto-tune and took on younger and sexier sounds with artists like Shania Twain and Keith Urban.
The themes that these two genres tackled were also inherently different. Country pop was very optimistic and included concepts of personal fulfillment and independence (“Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain). New country featured songs about societal problems, feminist concerns, and working class values (“Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks). Both themes really helped push society and country music into the 21st century.
I personally love both genres because my mother used to play both around the house while I was growing up. There are so many differences between the two genres that I could never pick a favorite. I have included some of my favorite songs from both genres below so that you can see the differences for yourself. The 90s amazing time for country music because the artists began to put on stadium concerts and really connect with their fans on a whole new level. Country music wouldn’t be what it is today without both country pop and new country.
The Washington Post released an article on January 24, 2015 called, “How Blake Shelton replaced Taylor Swift as the face of country music.” This article was prompted after Blake Shelton hosted “Saturday Night Live.” The article goes on to explain that Blake Shelton “is the first country singer to host the famed late-night sketch show since Taylor Swift, who took the stage in November 2009, way back when she was decidedly still a country star.”