I <3 Brad Paisley

So, in the past I've always been one of those people who would put in my online profiles...

Music: everything... except country

But I think ever since I heard Billy Ray Cyrus 10+ years ago, I've been a fan. And no, it wasn't his "Achy Breaky Heart" which got me (although I do know the words by heart), but it's his "Where'm I Gonna Live When I Get Home" that was my favorite back in the day. For those of you who don't know, I was born and raised in Texas, which should be an indicator that I have a certain thing for cowboys. I also get that country twang when I get sleepy or excited. My first concert was Reba McIntyre when she came to San Antonio for the annual stock show and rodeo. My dad would play a tape deck of Billy Ray in the minivan when I was younger and my sister and I would sing along to his songs all the time. And yes, I even owned a pair of boots when I was younger. But being a minority in a state of whites who listened to country, I conformed with my fellow minorities who listened to pop/r&b/hiphop and detested anything and everything country. So, up until college I was a self-professed country-music hater.

I would continue cringing at that yee-haw music until a then crush of mine who was also a minority told me that he listened to country music. I consider myself a bit of a music connoisseur, and I had admired his taste in music as well, and I was curious why he listened to country. "Country music is about hanging out and having a good time, which is what I do," he replied. Wanting to prove myself, I started downloading all the current country hits. And it was then that I discovered Brad Paisley.

To me, Brad Paisley brought sexy back in a Chevy truck. His song "Mud on the Tires" was an instant favorite of mine, and he single-handedly brought me back in to country music. I started listening to country music stations and watching music videos on CMT. It was so easy to fall back into country music because it integrates corny humor, sincere lyrics, and anecdotes on everyday life with acoustic melodies. It's fun to listen to and, for the most part, inoffensive to listeners. I haven't abandoned other genres, but I've begun to appreciate country music more and more.

However, when I had recently assigned country stations to numbers 2 and 3 on my car radio presets, my boyfriend began to complain that my taste in music had gone south (haha). I hope to someday convert him =)