Aesthetics: Pop Music USA: 'Faith-inflected' wave surges in Country Music these days

.
This blog-entry (Apr16,2k6) was archived with our previous refWrite page 3, and now has been moved to publication on our new Backpage (Apr20,2k6).
.
New York Times's "Directions" series, in an article by Holly Gleason, "For God and Country" (Apr16,2k6) reports an the developments in Country Music today, an American phenomenon to be sure. But it's also got it's following in Canada and many other places around the globe.

The multimillion-selling country stars Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley and the "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood stood onstage at the Country Music Association Awards last November and sang songs embodying overt expressions of Christian faith. Back then it seemed like a departure from a format built on swaggering and sinning. Now, with those songs up for several Academy of Country Music Awards next month, it appears that country, once the high temple of blue-collar good times, bad love and bar fights, has migrated to the altar.

Over the years country acts have made gestures toward gospel. Johnny Cash regularly sang about faith. But those albums were minimally marketed and sold accordingly, a trend the recent hits may upend. The mainstream traditionalist Alan Jackson, below, became the first artist to enter Billboard's country album chart at No. 1 with a gospel project, "Precious Memories" (Arista Nashville), released in March.

"People feel overwhelmed in their life; they want more than 'I'm in Love With a Stripper,' " said Joe Galante, chairman of the RCA Label Group/Nashville, which includes Mr. Jackson's label. "The conviction of these artists singing these songs connects."

Appopin' in pop music:, by Owlie Scowli

Mr. Jackson has been followed by a raft of stars with faith-inflected hits. Chart-toppers have included Mr. Paisley's duet with Dolly Parton, "When I Get Where I'm Going," and Ms. Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel," which spent six weeks at No. 1. Even the rowdy honky-tonkers Brooks & Dunn, whose last No. 1 hit was the Rolling Stones-tinged "Play Something Country," have found favor with the hymnlike "Believe."

"The appetite for this music doesn't surprise me," said Wade Jessen, director of country charts for Billboard. He pointed to 9/11 and said, "For country fans, it's almost an existential crisis — and the natural response to introspection in this world is often music for inspiration and clarification."

And there's more to come. Diamond Rio just released the single "Only God Cries," and both Alabama and Randy Travis are recording gospel albums.

Lower-profile artists also seem to have found their calling. The Mighty Jeremiahs, which pairs the hard-playing Kentucky Headhunters guitarist Greg Martin with Jimmy Hall, vocalist for the Southern boogie-rockers Wet Willie, plays Southern gospel channeled through Black Oak Arkansas.

The combination isn't as unlikely as it sounds. As John Stills, director of the Gospel Music Association, which has welcomed the new country-gospel outpouring, put it: "The faith-based message amidst the 'Play Something Country' hell-raising message is the yin-yang of it. Like your life. Like the city of Nashville, which has more churches per capita, but also more bars."

Can I get free downloads? Where?

* aesthetics
* musicpop
* musicpopcountry
* god&country
* academyofcountrymusic
* musicfaith-inflected