Connect me with music I know little about, please?

December 1, 2011 3:38 PM

Looking to make a couple of custom mixes for my GF as a gift, but her music taste is rather different than mine. Based on her likes noted below, could you please suggest specific songs that may also interest and delight her?

Alison Kraus, When You Say Nothing At All
The Band Perry, If I Die Young
Rascal Flatts (big fav, she likes the entire catalog as near as I can tell)
Duncan Sheik, Barely Breathing (possible outlier)
Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me
Darius Rucker, unknown track

posted by Exchequer to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

This might defeat the purpose of your question, but have you considered going into Pandora, entering these songs, and seeing what they give you in a station? There's even links to buy the songs on iTunes.
posted by juniperesque at 3:48 PM on December 1, 2011

Best answer: Here are some suggestions I found after googling crossover country songs (I would call that her genre, or maybe light country, based on your list). I also think she might enjoy Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, and Lady Antebellum.
posted by jabes at 3:51 PM on December 1, 2011

Try the Civil Wars. My favorite song of theirs is Poison and Wine, but that might be kind of a loaded song choice for a mix for your girlfriend.
posted by yasaman at 3:53 PM on December 1, 2011

Maybe some Miranda Lambert, or some red-dirt stuff--ooh, or Old Crow Medicine Show. (I'm a little more old-timey myself, but one of my coworkers likes a lot of those things, and she likes those folks.)
posted by box at 3:54 PM on December 1, 2011

If she likes Allison Krauss already, she probably has the O Brother Where Art Thou. If not, it's awesome. Tracks 4, 5 and 8-10 are quite good if I recall correctly (not near my music unfortunately). Track 9 (I'll fly away) is an amazing song!
posted by bessel functions seem unnecessarily complicated at 3:58 PM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, and Lady Antebellum are all on target...Lambert, too, probably...please suggest specific tracks, if possible...
posted by Exchequer at 3:58 PM on December 1, 2011

Exchequer: what do you like?

I like to merge my interests with those of others to create mixes. This allows me to become involved in it personally. She can find more stuff that sounds like stuff she likes by using Pandora.
posted by shushufindi at 4:13 PM on December 1, 2011

Best answer: Specific tracks -- this is not really my genre but I find these songs hard to turn off when they come on the radio:
Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
Suds in the Bucket by Sara Evans
This One's for the Girls by Martina McBride
Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood
Days Go By by Keith Urban
Where the Green Grass Grows by Tim McGraw
When the Stars Go Blue by Ryan Adams
posted by jabes at 4:17 PM on December 1, 2011

Response by poster: I have a pretty broad interest that doesn't include much C&W outside of Johnny Cash...she calls my stuff "Head-Banger Music", but I'm not really a Metal guy at all...

I range from Air, to White Stripes, to Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Metallica, Chem. Brothers, Wilco, etc, etc. etc.

Not really much room to cross-pollinate, to her ears...
posted by Exchequer at 4:18 PM on December 1, 2011

Response by poster: jabes, you are KILLIN' it, with both answers, THANKS!
posted by Exchequer at 4:21 PM on December 1, 2011

she calls my stuff "Head-Banger Music", but I'm not really a Metal guy at all...

It's not about Metal, it's that she listens to beer&wine music and you listen to pot music.
posted by rhizome at 4:37 PM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Okay, a couple more suggestions that are more rock than country but I think she still might enjoy:
I'm Always in Love and A Shot in the Arm by Wilco
Come Back Home and Strange Condition by Pete Yorn
Blue and I'd Run Away by The Jayhawks
Time Spent in Los Angeles by Dawes
Bitter Pill by Mt. Desolation
posted by jabes at 4:39 PM on December 1, 2011

It sounds like she likes emotional music with great melody.
www.winbournemusic.com - amazing, unsigned band, music available on itunes. Buy the entire album. She will love it and she can feel cool because she knows of a band before anyone else.

Has she heard Matt Nathanson? Weight of it All, Curve of the Earth, Kiss Quick, really, just buy all of his albums.

Black Lab, Unplugged. The songs 'Weightless' and 'Fall' are dreamy.

She would probably like David Nail. 'I'm About to Come Alive' is a Train cover. She would probably like Train, too.

Snow Patrol, Eyes Open. Then entire album.
posted by myselfasme at 5:23 PM on December 1, 2011

Best answer: This is interesting for me, because your gf and I listen to SIMILAR type of music, but not exactly the same type. However, my dad really likes this type of stuff, so I'm trying to think back to my favorite songs in this genre that I liked him to play.

Definitely Bluebird by Kasey Chambers. This album never leaves my dad's car stereo.

Bible Song or Greyhound Bus by Sara Evans. Both about hard small-town livin', but the second one is hopeful and the first is pretty depressing. I kept thinking "oh, what about THAT song my dad always played," and I kept coming up with Sara Evans songs. She really is pretty wonderful.

You've GOT to include Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson if she doesn't already know it. Cause... come on. It's awesome.

Simple Secrets of my Heart by Daisy May Erlewine

Perfect Love by Trisha Yearwood

Heartache by Suzy Boggus

And here are some ones I like, but I'm not sure based on your description if your GF would love 'em. But give them a listen and see...

Side of the Road by Lucinda Williams- maybe not polished enough for your GF, but she's my all-time favorite artist, so I had to mention her.

Waiting Around to Die by the Be Good Tanyas- maybe too dark? This one was even on Breaking Bad one time!

Sound of Loneliness by Patty Loveless

Is Heaven Good Enough For You by Allison Moorer

If You Knew by Neko Case
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:24 PM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Oh, definitely Kasey Chambers! I love the Barricades & Brickwalls album, especially the title track. Getting out of this thread now :)
posted by jabes at 5:38 PM on December 1, 2011

Might music map help?
posted by thylacinthine at 7:01 PM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd recommend these songs for something a little different from most of the recommendations here. They are really pretty as well as having a country/folky vibe:

Lissie - Everywhere I Go
Hem - Half Acre (well, this wasn't well known until it was in a Liberty Mutual commercial - amazing song though)
The Sundays - Wild Horses
posted by wondermouse at 7:11 PM on December 1, 2011

Also, you like Wilco and want to find music you can both enjoy? Check out Uncle Tupelo, a now-defunct band which split into two new bands- Son Volt and Wilco. It's more rockin' than your GF's picks, but it has the twangy country vibe. Worth a shot anyway! Here's The Long Cut.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:31 PM on December 1, 2011

Best answer: I am not a huge fan of C&W, but I know all the tracks you listed, and everything Jabes mentioned (so maybe I am, and just in denial)? You might give some Dar Williams a listen. She's more folk-rock than country, but she's an amazing songwriter. Seconding Matt Nathanson, too. Also: if you're gonna do Sara Evans, I'm not sure if "As If" is on-message for a relationship mixtape, since it's more "enjoy this moment" than "let's go off and get married" but I prefer it to Suds, musically.
posted by Alterscape at 7:33 PM on December 1, 2011

Shelby Lynne's "I Am Shelby Lynne" album is pretty great from start to finish.
posted by Atom12 at 7:10 AM on December 2, 2011