BITTERSWEET, Ky. — As much as I love what I do, there are some days I struggle to find something positive to write about today’s country music.

 

I guess that’s why I live so much in the past, and talk about musicians and music from an era gone by.

So much of today’s country music is not that country to me, or it all sounds the same or it is a mix of country music and something else. Don’t get me wrong – there are tremendous talents out there and a lot of good music, but it is just “good” and not “overwhelming,” in many cases.

Now that I have gotten the Debbie-Downer out of the way, let me say this. On those days when I want to throw the computer out the window along with my radio, I find a person who gives me hope and assures me the greatest music in the world still has a voice that is truly country.

Morgan Daniel “Mo” Pitney is a young singer with an old soul; at least that’s how I feel when I hear his music. At the age of 24 he has a record contract, has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and is touring all over the world. Sounds like a magical trip so far.

His first single, entitled “Country,” is somewhat of a statement about what country music is all about. I would call Pitney a traditionalist but I don’t think that is his goal, after seeing interviews and columns about him.

I think his goal is to sing music the way he perceives it and from listening to those who inspired him: the likes of such superstars as Ray Price, Roger Miller, Randy Travis and Keith Whitley.

In a video posted on his website, Mo says country is a place in your heart and not a place where you are born. I like that, and he is right. His first album, Behind This Guitar, released last October and charted on Billboard’s Top Country Album list at No. 10 in its first week.

This release reassures me that country music is alive and well – you just have to shake the bushes sometimes to find it.

This young singer and songwriter should have an amazing future in front of him, and I hope he becomes the inspiration for many more performers who will follow him to Nashville.

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of new country music each week. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.