Criteria

Before I begin writing about actual people, I want to outline criteria that I believe all country artists should meet.

The first criterion is having a background that serves as the inspiration for the songs the artist sings. This background is made up of the environment the artist grew up in and the life experiences that ultimately influenced the person as a whole. In other words, musical artists shouldn’t be singing about things they know nothing about or can’t relate to.

The second criterion I believe these artists should possess is a wide-range of musical talent. Of course singing ability is important, but artists should be able to play instruments as well. This ability allows them to be more hands-on with the band, stimulating creativity, improving song quality, and generally improving band cohesiveness. In addition to being able to play music and sing, artists should be able to write their own music and song lyrics. This doesn’t mean that 100% of songs recorded should be created by the artists, but rather the artist should have a repertoire of his or her own songs.

The last criterion I believe to be essential is being innovative. I believe true country artists should bring something to the table. Through innovative ideas, all music genres, not just country, have the potential to grow.

Though this criteria is rather broad, I believe it establishes a basis to use in future blog entries.