That bro country brush that's tarring the genre these days barely distinguishes between one artist or another. If you're singing about trucks, the good 'ol US of A, beers, or buckshot, you're bro country.
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But where did the label come from? Sure, we all knew the genre was changing, and it needed a name, but who decided that bro country was the way to go? Well, it turns out it was none other than Vulture journalist Jody Rosen. He drops the term hard, with an introduction of "bro-country: music by and of the tatted, gym-toned, party-hearty young American white dude."
In his initial piece, he breaks down what bro country means to him. The evolution of the country music genre has become cosmopolitan. Country, under the musical twangs of the bro's, has moved away from vulnerability and politics and become softer and less challenging.
Talking about the country of yesteryear, Rosen states, "It stood for a masculine ideal, for stoicism and resolve in the face of hardship. It bespoke country's devotion to realism, to songs about Saturday night's hootenanny and Sunday morning's moral reckoning, not to mention the kitchen-table truths of Monday through Friday."
The Problem With Bro Country
Now, bro country is the mainstream for the genre. The songs you hear blasted at parties and bars come from Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. The two of them are unarguably bro country. They sing of little else than their crush shaking her ass on the back of a pickup truck after a few bud lites.
But, it isn't the lyrical content so many country fans have a problem with the new evolution. Country singers have sung about having a knees up, hootin' hollerin' good time in the past. It's the lack of loyalty to countries roots.
The bro country subgenre is a heavy blend of other styles, with the artists claiming it as part of the 'evolution.' However, for many, it is just a blatant disrespect for the genre. Country music has a kind of hard-faced pride to it. It has always gotten a bit of stick for being a genre of the US South, but that has also become a point of pride.
A number of the modern country artists included in the new genre tried to disassociate themselves with it. They add hip hop or pop twangs to their music to appeal to a wider audience, essentially whitewashing their music. Many see this as a disrespect to the rich and star-studded foundation that got them to where they are.
