...a little bit rock n' roll.

I definitely do not understand the country music craze. To me it sounds like pop music. And thereby I think I just answered my own question. It must be my advancing in years or my eclectic musical tastes, that keeps me from getting it. When I think of country, I think of sad stories (usually) being sung by guys named Buck, Willie, Johnny, Hank, Dwight and Charlie. Most modern country is a studio engineer's perfect fabrication.

When I got my car inspected last year, I was forced to endure Kenny Chesney's ABC special. That was the longest hour of my life, since I had three cavities filled without any Novocaine. I guess it is just indicative of an industry that is riddled with mediocrity. Maybe it isn't the industry, but rather a steady (and ever increasing) descent into mediocrity (and worse) for the species.

Watch Idiocracy. The possibilities are kind of scary.