To me, Shania Twain is one of the inventor’s of modern country (but she is good. she did it with substance). By now, modern country is a cliche, zero substance, lots of empty "feelings"
I mentioned her because when she started, she represented Canada and country at its roots, Then she blasted into pop/rock with a country spirit and it worked very well for her. I love her energy, country girl sweetness and laid-back-ness.
Ah. OK. All I’ve heard of Shania Twain is slickly commercial. Apparently, she has a different, rootsier side that I’m unaware of. My bad.
FYI, my favorite "Country"singer is EmmyLou Harris, who has always incorporated Folk, Bluegrass, Gospel and Rock into her overall approach.
I know I am absolutely butchering it but to me country is people playing music to make a living and folk is people singing/making music after work. Which is why country is labored and folk is inherently free spirited.
Interesting. Are you making a pun when you describe music "made to make a living" as labored, or is that just the way your words happened to come out?
Personally, I wouldn’t describe any music that’s well performed as "labored". If we’re talking about Country artists such as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, Emmy Lou, Radney Foster, Dwight Yoakam or Marty Stuart, they are highly accomplished but definitely don’t sound labored to me. If anything, they make playing and singing seem effortless, a term that is, to my mind at least, fairly close in meaning to free spirited. But perhaps I’ve misunderstood? ? ?
For me, Americana is music that lets its deep sources in roots genres -- Country, Blues, Folk, Bluegrass -- show, but does not overtly sound like any one of those influences, in particular. And, is not necessarily acoustic. Lucinda Williams is a great example.
Sorry if my response comes across as excessively rigid or professorial. You did warn me about "butchery". I’m perhaps a bit too obsessed with exactitude when it comes to the written word. Trying to write poetry will do that! ;o)