Why Country-Pop Music is Good for the Music Industry and Which Groups Do it Best

The term, "Country-Pop" is being used more and more often these days to describe a crossover music genre that does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Some country music stars have accidentally or purposely discovered that appealing to a wider range of music lovers will make them more popular and sell more albums. Smart people.

The general rule is that the country singer or group moves over slightly to the pop genre to be accepted by the pop music community, including radio stations. Occasionally you have a pop star like Jessica Simpson make a go at country music, but those results have been mixed at best. Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp combined their pop singing talents to form a country group called The Wreckers. Though they had a top 10 hit in 2006, it didn't take long for them to go back to being solo artists.

Country artists have faired better with the country-pop label. The most identifiable country-pop artist is young singer Taylor Swift. Swift is loved in the country music industry and is played more often on Top 40 radio than most regular pop bands. She has found the perfect way to make teenagers who normally hate country music, give it a listen. Swift's "Love Story", "You Belong To Me" and "Teardrops On My Guitar" and her latest, "Mine" are just a few of her country-pop hit songs. She has won at the Country Music Awards and MTV Music Awards, not to mention the Grammy Awards. Taylor Swift is musical gold.

American Idol winner Carrie Underwood was destined for country music. Still, she has a great young vibe and just enough pop in her country to make her popular with a variety of music fans. Underwood's songs, "Wasted", "Before He Cheats" and "Jesus Take The Wheel", have all been huge country music hits that have received airtime on pop radio. It's likely that Carrie Underwood will continue to push at least some of her songs to be crossover hits that will put her on top of the country-pop genre.

A popular country-pop group is Lady Antebellum. They had one of the best albums in 2010 and have been nominated for Grammy's as well. They are part of the new breed of country-pop bands who have found success all over the radio airwaves. "Need You Now" and "I Run To You" were two of the best songs in 2010. Lady Antebellum has found the recipe for success in the country-pop market.

Sugarland is a country music group that has enormous talent with music, lyrics and actual ability to sing. Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland has a country-rock sound, but it has worked for Top 40 radio stations! Sugarland's song "Want To" is classic country-pop. Though much of their music is pure country, they do country-pop well and I'd love to hear them do it more often.

Rascal Flatts is a musical trio that has been around since 2000. They have produced eight albums, seven of which have gone platinum. Their latest release is Nothing Like This and it's likely to go platinum as well. They have had 11 number one country music hit songs but have also been popular on Top 40 radio stations. "What Hurts The Most" was played all over radio in 2005-2006 as was "My Wish". This talented trio has the ability to go pure country or pure pop, but they are best when they mesh the two genres.

Though there are some music purists who hate crossover bands and songs, country-pop is here to stay. Country music stood a chance of fading into the abyss of music that was no longer relevant, but country-pop artists have introduced a whole new generation to country music and all that it has to offer. I think when a great group or singer is capable of shining in more than one musical genre; it should be applauded and appreciated. "Country-Pop" has been the best thing to happen to the music industry in years.

Related Music Articles From Sherri Thornhill:

Top 10 Best Bands And Singers of 2010

20 Great Songs With People's Names In The Title

Road Trip Songs: 10 Great Rock-N-Roll Road Trip Songs

Top 5 1980'sGenre-Crossing Cover Songs

Source:Author's opinion, myspace music, billboard.com