As an aside, isn’t it interesting see how much Swift already fascinates scholars and critics and the like? I have a feeling historians are going to be writing about her for a long time, just because she’s such a unique case study within a “country music” context. If she were marketed as a straight pop act, which most of her music tends toward anyway, she probably wouldn’t be nearly as interesting, because she would honestly fit in pretty well there (does anyone else think “You Belong With Me” sounds like a Katy Perry song?). But her success as a “country” artist illuminates a lot of interesting bigger points.

It will be interesting to see how her songwriting develops as she ages, and if she can continue to pull her audience with her . I’m betting that she can do it for at least another five years, although after that she may fall into the role of writing other people’s hits

Only time will tell

p.s. while Tubb was a pioneer in the honky-tonk style that was the dominant force in country music for many years, another artist who deserves equal credi is the completely forgotten Floyd Tillman. Willie Nelson will tell you that (if you ask him) , as would ET were he still around to do so.

I probably feel the way you feel about singing along with less than great singers versus great ones. While I do alright (or all right for Chris N’s sake), my range could be wider. Therefore, it’s no fun trying to sing along with singers who have a good range. Then again, I wouldn’t necessarily be able to scream it out like Taylor Swift either. I think I like to sing best with average singers like me, I guess.

http://blog.cmt.com/2009-07-14/talent-show-turns-taylorswiftathon/

Taylor has obviously become a pop culture icon of the pre-tween, and tween girl demographic of a proportion I didn’t even imagine!

The biggest difference between the two is that E.T. was a pioneer of the “hard country/honky-tonk” style during its formative years when most country music was considered to be by and for “hillbillies”. Taylor Swift on the other hand has co-opted a whole lot of stylistic influences from the current pop and rock music scenes to synthesize her own unique albeit screechy sound and style. Taylor’s skillful use of vocal syncopation techniques borrowed from hip-hop artists like Eminem is perfectly suited to today’s young music fans and sets her apart in the mainstream country music marketplace (and has opened doors to the pop music realm). Where E.T forged ahead musically where no man had gone before, Taylor is just extremely gifted at combining and repackaging what already exists in the current pop and rock music scenes in a unique signature style that has mass appeal to young women. Where E.T.’s voice invites bands with better vocalists to cover his songs, Taylor’s sound and songs are a total package that other’s likely won’t be able to duplicate successfully. The question is whether Taylor will be able to carry her large fan base along with her over the year’s the way Ernest did, and especially when they outgrow their teenage years….