For some texture which builds upon country super stars fame, check out The Flatlanders and the 3 guys who spun off from that group. Joe Ely in particular. The Derailers buck Owens Rockabilly sounds.
Previous to those, The Texas Tornadoes TexMex traditional & alternatives to the Nashville sound.
New age artists that carry on a more traditional country flavor are Jolie Holiday on her A real Good Day album; Monty & the Pythons with their The Real Thing CD; heather Myles with her CD, Sweet Talk & Good Lies; Melonie Cannon's self titled inaugural disc is super, her follow up album "The Wheels Turn" has some critical social statement soungs namely, Cactus In a Coffee Can, which is just outstanding.
If you look past the bigger and brighter spotlit stars of todays country music artists, you will find real substance still but it's mixed into the flotsom and jetsom that country pop is currently so vested into. Singer songwirters like Singletary, Worley, Adkins, Wariner, and Chris LeDoux come to mind momentarily.
country is still country, it's just getting a bit harder to find it.
