ATM my favorite country music is the kind of stuff that I heard over the PA in barbeque places when I was a kid. Real slow plodding 2/4 time, lots of fiddle and pedal steel.
I always raise the volume for these country songs .... The love of my life ... The love of my offspring ... The loss of a loved one ... And the betrayal of someone close ... I think we can all identify with at least one of these... ....... ....... .......
These two guys are about as 'new' as I get for Country music (I don't know if you can consider a NIN song being covered by Johnny Cash as country, but I still love it). Most stuff that's been pumped out since the 1990's is just Country-pop. There's nothing that Marty Robbins made that isn't gold.
Unless it's pretty old country, I don't think very much in the genre is worth listening to. I did see Kacey Musgraves at Red Rocks this summer, she was surprisingly good. Anyone see this last year? I saw it at a screening by Ethan Hawke at River Oaks Theater. Interesting movie about Blaze Foley and others like Townes Van Zandt
If you like 70s country I highly recommend the documentary Heartworn Highways, shows as "free with ads" on YouTube, though I haven't watched it there. Here is little baby Steve Earle playing like a boss: Young Rodney Crowell: Townes Van Zant is the true star of the show "let me play a medley of my hit". Also has Guy Clark, David Allen Coe and others, all before they were kind of a big deal.
I loved Randy Travis back in the day. I saw him once; wish he could still perform. I can't listen to most country these days.
I don't buy the Eagles as a country group, but some do. I know I wore the tape I had out of the following version of this song...