In an interview earlier this year, 90-year-old country music legend Loretta Lynn expressed her feeling that the country genre was “dead,” but it seems she’s had a change of heart thanks largely to the release of Alan Jackson’s most recent album, Where Have You Gone.
Through a tweet, Lynn heaped praise on Jackson for preserving country music and its unadulterated form through his music, saying, “Just when I thought country music was near gone, Alan Jackson brings it back to life! What an album he’s given us. Y’all go listen to it right now. Alan, thank you, honey, for keeping it country!” She accompanied her post with a photo of her and Jackson. Great to witness a passage of appreciation from one music legend to another.
What Led Him To The Country Music Genre
Over the course of his career, Jackson has recorded 16 albums and is still going strong, the 63 year old proving again and again why he deserves to be regarded as a legend in the genre. When quizzed about what led him down this particular path, it starts with the fact that he grew up on traditional country music that touched his heart and soul.
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“Merle and George and Hank — a lot of young people liked that music when I was growing up, but it felt like nobody was making it,” he noted. “Somebody had to go to Nashville to make that kind of country. Randy [Travis] did and was great. But real country music is gone. It feels like 1985 again, and somebody has to bring it back, because it’s not just 50-year-old people, it’s 20- and 25-year-olds. They have a real ear for country music, because it is real and genuine. They know the difference, and you can’t fake those things.”
Alan Jackson Pledged Not To Stray From His Style
As frequently happens, music genres are frequently eroded, remodeled and modified, but Parsons is one musician who refuses to do so when it comes to country. His commitment to country music — true country music — has never been in question.
“I never felt the need to chase anything different than I did,” Parsons explained. “I just did what I liked and was lucky enough to connect with people who love the same kind of country music I do. My heart was in the real country music, that was what I wanted to do, and I thought if my career lasts three or four years, I’d be happy.”
Jackson’s New Album Release Date
Jackson’s latest album, Where Have You Gone, has been available since May 14, 2021. Three of the singles featured in the album — the title track, “Things That Matter” and “Way Down In My Whiskey” — were available much earlier.