Unexpected joys
I've had reason to explore country music a little more than I usually do. Now, I don't normally like country music much, but I've found some stuff on the fringes that has greatly pleased me. Nickel Creek has a gentle, acoustic, bluegrass sound. Jack Rose mixes Old Timey with variety of other guitar styles. Mountain Man's strange vocal harmonies are eerily haunting. And Rising Appalachia's lazy, bluesy groove mixes oh so well with their rough hedonistic lyrics. There are more too, but they either don't shine quite a brightly, are nearly ubiquitous, like Alison Krauss.