Best Neo-Traditional Country Artist - Male Edition

Yoakam

The only song I know from this lot is "Im gonna love you forever" by Randy Travis. Some guy from my village made a country career out of singing this song back in the late 80's. Good song though.

http://www.jimmybuckley.com/img/single-memarie250w.jpg

Bingo

Yoakam as songwriter and performer is my favorite, but Travis' voice is butter. I should get around to owning Killin' Time soon.

Voted Yoakam without even thinking about it. Fuckin' love that dude. One question: Is George Strait not traditional enough?

And how the heck is John Anderson (who deserves to win in a landslide) not up there??

Omitting Anderson was a serious oversight.

Strait however was a conscious omission. It seems like the guy was always around, taken for granted while generating hit after hit. Probably a mistake too.

Travis slightly over Yoakam.
Always thought Clint Black was the real deal when he started, but he lost it real fast.
Certainly John Anderson would win this if he was there, (and Travis and Yoakam would be #2 and #3)and George Strait needs to be there.

Lyle by a smidge over Dwight.

I'm not much a Strait fan (love exactly two songs by the guy, both from the '80s), but he definitely seemed neo-trad when he came out -- I'd actually say he fits the genre more than some of the other guys, who strike me as either a bit too arty or a bit too late in the game to count.

As is, I'm torn between Yoakam and Skaggs, and more often than not bored by everybody else on the list (though a few have their moments). I'm going with Skaggs, because less people will. But again, I'd go with Anderson by several miles if I could.

question: who's still recording good albums/

was keith whitley considered part of this school?

Outside of Alan Jackson, most of these don't record as much as before. With that said, Marty Stuart's recent albums are pretty good.

Keith Whitley! I Wonder If You Think of Me is a Neo-Trad classic. Died too young, but a lot of Country singers today have mentioned him as an influence.

I'd say Whitley fits.

This is going to sound like a contradiction, but I liked Strait's last couple more than I would have guessed (which might mean I underrate him.) Jackson's Like Red On A Rose in 2006 was the best thing I ever heard by him, but also not really like anything else he'd ever done (almost jazzy in a saloon-song kind of way -- so it didn't sell); Good Time in 2008 wasn't bad. But his last couple weren't as good, and he's always seemed way spotty to me.

Another guy I'm not a fan of who I'd say fits as much as Lovett (they had about the same number of actual country hits around the same time, 1986 to 1988) is Steve Earle.

I'm a stan for Keith Whitley and George Strait was a consistent singles artist thru the 80s tho not necessarily neo-trad. arguably his debut album Strait Country kicked off the movement (unless you trace it to Gary Stewart in the late 70s). anyway voting Randy Travis. My wife and I danced to "Forever and Ever Amen" at our wedding in 1989 and some of our friends and family were all 'wtf you guys like this stuff?'

that song is gorgeous!

Vince Gill was in Pure Prairie League, sang their highest-charting hit, and later boned Amy Grant, so him.

I like Gill better as a picker and back-up singer, like with Emmylou Harris, Another Emmylou alum, Rodney Crowell, is my pick. Think the valuable Raven label still has twofers of his early albums like Ain't Living Long Like This (title track rec to fans of the Stones and Gram Parsons). Also good input for his ex Rosanne's early works, many good songs and production for many others, of diff approaches. He helped Chely Wright invent a new radio-ready mainstream country (not that existing mainstream country radio was having any). Therapy well assimilated, gay and other imagery at home on the Tennessee River houseboat too. Crowell's own autobiographical Houston Trilogy of albums, with Prince patterns on "The Outsider," para-Woody G. country raps elsewhere, all of it's part of his own neo-tradition, going back to being his honky tonk cover bandleader dad's kid drummer in 50s Houston canal bars etc. Plus being part of that crew, yknow Townes Van Zandt, Guy and Susannah Clark, teen Steve Earle, other Texans, esp from Houston. Not the greatest singer (and surprisingly formal leading off last year's otherwise mostly excellent Guy Clark trib). But one of the most reliable all-around talents. I still need to check his latest: songs written w Mary Karr, sung by Emmylon and others.

Alao like most of those other guys (how is Clint Black?)

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heard Marty Stuart's "Tempted" at a gas station last night & for that time it was the best song ever so I'm the Marty vote here, such a jam

i might prefer yoakam or travis but voted crowell cause i like voting crowell

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