Country music can be cool

By Patricia Ho

Many of us pride ourselves as being open-minded individuals, yet when asked what our musical preferences are, a good number inevitably reply, "Pretty much anything goes that isn't country."

What's wrong with country? Most people tend to associate it with big hair, square dancing and unrestrained saccharine lyrics with predictable rhymes.

Granted, this knee-jerk aversion to country is not entirely unfounded. But like any stereotype, the "country equals corny" equation does not encompass all that it pretends to.

Sure, country has its share of laughable stuff, where, to quote the poet Seamus Heaney, "pale love [is] rouged for the streets." But such can be said of any genre of music, not just country alone.

I began my first forays into the twangy world of country with Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, a funny and charming film by the Coen brothers. Watching the movie, I was taken aback by how appealing the soundtrack was.

Despite country's decidedly un-hip associations and general anonymity, critics readily place Oh Brother's soundtrack right up there with, if not above, the soundtracks for Dancer in the Dark, Almost Famous and High Fidelity.

My explorations of country also led me to Neko Case and Her Boyfriends, an outfit led by Neko that has been described as alternative country-rock. Before allowing images of big hair and frilly suede jackets flood your mind, let me assure you that Ms. Case is a very cool person. She's played in a number of punk rock bands, has a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts and is more like Ani DiFranco than Dolly Parton.

Electronic music is exciting, but for folks who grew up listening to guitar-based music with vocals that are not endlessly looped, it can be impersonal and a little alienating. At the same time, much guitar music now is bland and uninspired. To these people, time-honored country may be the answer if you can get over the abundance of aching ballads.

Whatever your musical preferences are, relax those preconceived notions, broaden your horizons and give country a try. As Hank William sings on "Jambalaya" (which incidentally refers to a diverse mixture of elements), "Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou."