I love country music, but I loathe whatever that sparkly, twangy beast is that currently calls itself country music. If you like it that’s cool, but I can’t stand it.

My flavor of country went out of fashion around the end of the ’70s, although the purveyors of that sweet, sweet sound were still around for a few decades after that. Some of them still are, but very few.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that Sturgill Simpson, a young Kentucky-born singer-songwriter, deserves a place in your stacks next to Waylon and Willie and the boys. I caught him live recently and can’t say enough good things. The band was tight and the songs were great. This is real deal stuff.

Learn more about Sturgill Simpson and the battle for the heart of country music in this piece that I wrote for Diffuser.

— photo James Stafford