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Just An Observation: What’s with all of the negativity in Alberta?

More fun, happiness and excitement is needed among the population
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Lately, this province has delved into a realm of pessimism and detrimental chatter that seems to be permeating people’s minds.

No, I’m not speaking of politics — that never changes — nor am I talking about the typical banter of hockey fans — because there will always be a Flames fan dissing the Oilers and an Edmonton fan saying they have more cups.

What I am expressing is my distress over the continued proliferation of country music radio.

Oh sorry, for those of you wondering what ‘radio’ is, it’s a place that plays ‘music’ for free to listen to in various places without having to get it from a store or a computer.

Alright, back to the topic.

Just recently I noticed, while trolling around the FM dial, that a nearby station ‘flipped’ from playing the wonderful upbeat tunes of what people now call ‘classic rock’. (Music from when I was in high school is not classic and neither am I, but that is a topic for another week.)

Okay, yes I completely understand that Alberta has always been all about the country lifestyle. (I am a born and bred Albertan from a northern Alberta farm, so I get it.)

However, even many of us true Albertans are getting more than a little depressed and bored with the constant barrage of negativity that is being perpetuated through country music.

Oh sure, I can speak about the horrible country tunes from growing up on the farm — yes, I’m mentioning all of those songs where his horse ran away, his truck broke down, he lost his girl to his best friend, etc — but there are also the horde of artists today that can’t seem to focus any of their ‘country’ onto a more rosy outlook.

If they aren’t calling out politicians, making statements about what should be done or grumbling on regarding their relationships (or lack thereof), they are deciding to educate the listening public about what ‘classic’ country music would sound like updated.

Sorry, but it all sounds the same and drags me down, just like the ‘classic’ country used to make my ears bleed and run out of the house in order to listen to the nicer sound of a chain saw cutting wood.

And for all of the readers that are saying — But what about the newer, buoyant country from artists such as Brett Kissel?

Well, there is no doubt Brett, and you could toss in the likes of Alan Jackson and a couple others, are great artists. However, I would debate the fact any of those musicians — let’s include Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw and even Garth Brooks — are true ‘country’ anymore.

They may well have been, but the music they play is more pop or rock than it could ever be confused with country. Yet, that being said, a vast majority of their tunes (some of which I do like to listen to) still focus on the negative.

Just because it’s got a catchy rhythm, a great beat or a fantastic bass that shakes the house doesn’t translate the melody into something that could be construed with projecting an affirmative tone.

Alright, I admit the same negativeness could be stated as coming from rock or pop or other music genres, but it certainly isn’t as pervasive (except rap, that’s something I turn off faster than changing the station when I hear Ozzie Osbourne).

So, while I don’t necessarily want country stations turned off — everyone is allowed to choose something dreadful to themselves, mine is cheesecake — I would really like to be able to flip through the radio dial without running into one good station to three country ones.

But that is…just an observation.