Country music has always appealed to me, but I swear it’s become some of the cleverest writing I’ve heard in a long time. It’s a welcome respite from my usual fare: Muse, Radiohead, The Killers, Secret Machines, Rufus Wainwright, and all of their high concept thoughts and psychoromantic ruminations.

I double dog dare you to listen a while and not think of your family, your love, puppies, and the whimsical things in life that some of us left behind with our childhood.

Ramble down an old dirt road, hang your preconceived notions at the door – and give it longer than five minutes. It might take a while, but it’s worth the trip.

Here are a few of my favorites, and I’ve included the YouTube links, because country music is a whole lot sexier than it used to be. You’ll appreciate the “full experience”.

Josh Turner – Firecracker

Gary Allan – Watching Airplanes

Brad Paisley – Letter to Me

James Otto – Just Got Started Lovin’ You

Rascal Flatts – I Melt

Clay Walker – Fall

This is a good start. The really beautiful thing about country music is a built-in predictability that lets you hear the first verse and chorus, and feel like you know the song, so you’re involved. At very least you’ll be able to predict some of the rhymes, and the songs have more hooks than a tacklebox.