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mallaeuswastaken's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic examination of the queer roots and contemporary manifestations in American country and folk music.
The author demonstrates a clear love and respect for the genre and medium, as well as a willingness to let the artists and their stories speak for themselves. Spanning the length and breadth of the genre's history, as well as unpicking the often complex political and cultural tensions which haunt the music, this book is a feat of intervention into the study of Queer Country music.
Just a note: I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, and so would like to extend my thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. It will be available from University of Illinois Press in March 2022.
The author demonstrates a clear love and respect for the genre and medium, as well as a willingness to let the artists and their stories speak for themselves. Spanning the length and breadth of the genre's history, as well as unpicking the often complex political and cultural tensions which haunt the music, this book is a feat of intervention into the study of Queer Country music.
Just a note: I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, and so would like to extend my thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. It will be available from University of Illinois Press in March 2022.
coldsoup's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting book examining an often overlooked part of the country music scene, that is, music created by queer artists.
This is an invaluable resource for those interested in country music and in the history and the future of queer artists.
This is an invaluable resource for those interested in country music and in the history and the future of queer artists.
spacewhombus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
If a nonfiction book can make you cry then you know you have hit the jackpot! This book spoke to my little southern, queer soul and I am so grateful to the author for exploring this slice of history. As someone who grew up in the south listening to pretty much only country music until I became a teenager, when I tried to distance myself from country music and its associated culture as I discovered my identity was not always welcome, before coming back to loving country music only once I finally moved away from the south completely- this book hit home sooooo hard for me.
The main thing to take away from this book is that queer people have a place in country music, and we have always been there and belong there even if we have not been publicly visible in that space for various reasons in the past. Discovering queer country artists that have dealt with this and that sing about it was such a healing experience for me. I had literally never heard queer country music before, and now I have loads of new artists to listen to and such a sustained hope for the future. Music recommendations were a hugeeee takeaway from this book!
Most of this book is quite academic, and the author traces the history of queerness in country music from the first underground, specifically gay country album (Lavender Country) in the 1970s, to the turn of the century when more artists were beginning to publicly come out, to modern-day queer country superstars like Lil Nas X and country artist/drag queen Trixie Mattel. Issues with record labels and individual artists' struggles with their public image in an often homophobic industry are also well documented. The author also intentionally studies the role of Black and trans artists in country music's history, not just white cis gay artists.
One of the main points brought up in this book is the issue of "genre trouble" often coinciding with queer country artists, because they struggle to be classified as "country music," due to the stereotypes of this industry as being for a more conservative audience. Many queer country artists have thus stepped into other genres as well that might be more traditionally accepting. I really liked the author's explorations of all different types of country-associated music by the queer artists in this book.
Overall this was an incredibly healing experience for me to read this book, and I not only gained a truckload of new music recommendations, but I feel like country music is once again a space I can belong in and enjoy, and there are not enough words to express how much that means to me!
If a nonfiction book can make you cry then you know you have hit the jackpot! This book spoke to my little southern, queer soul and I am so grateful to the author for exploring this slice of history. As someone who grew up in the south listening to pretty much only country music until I became a teenager, when I tried to distance myself from country music and its associated culture as I discovered my identity was not always welcome, before coming back to loving country music only once I finally moved away from the south completely- this book hit home sooooo hard for me.
The main thing to take away from this book is that queer people have a place in country music, and we have always been there and belong there even if we have not been publicly visible in that space for various reasons in the past. Discovering queer country artists that have dealt with this and that sing about it was such a healing experience for me. I had literally never heard queer country music before, and now I have loads of new artists to listen to and such a sustained hope for the future. Music recommendations were a hugeeee takeaway from this book!
Most of this book is quite academic, and the author traces the history of queerness in country music from the first underground, specifically gay country album (Lavender Country) in the 1970s, to the turn of the century when more artists were beginning to publicly come out, to modern-day queer country superstars like Lil Nas X and country artist/drag queen Trixie Mattel. Issues with record labels and individual artists' struggles with their public image in an often homophobic industry are also well documented. The author also intentionally studies the role of Black and trans artists in country music's history, not just white cis gay artists.
One of the main points brought up in this book is the issue of "genre trouble" often coinciding with queer country artists, because they struggle to be classified as "country music," due to the stereotypes of this industry as being for a more conservative audience. Many queer country artists have thus stepped into other genres as well that might be more traditionally accepting. I really liked the author's explorations of all different types of country-associated music by the queer artists in this book.
Overall this was an incredibly healing experience for me to read this book, and I not only gained a truckload of new music recommendations, but I feel like country music is once again a space I can belong in and enjoy, and there are not enough words to express how much that means to me!
librarygirlreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
littlesmaug's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.5
While this book was heavy with academic jargon, it didn’t take me long to read because it was necessarily difficult. I just find myself needing those moments where I’m not learning a wealth of information and I find it hard to then dive back in. If you’re not well-versed in things such as gender studies (which I am) or music studies (which I am not), I imagine this book may feel like a bit of a slog to get through. But I can’t recommend it enough, truly. I learned so much from it, finding incredible artists I might have never heard of otherwise and expanding my understanding of critical gender theory. It opened my eyes to the nuances of musical genres, something I’d never sat to consider before. All-in-all, I think Queer Country is a book worth checking out.
mallaeus's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic examination of the queer roots and contemporary manifestations in American country and folk music.
The author demonstrates a clear love and respect for the genre and medium, as well as a willingness to let the artists and their stories speak for themselves. Spanning the length and breadth of the genre's history, as well as unpicking the often complex political and cultural tensions which haunt the music, this book is a feat of intervention into the study of Queer Country music.
Just a note: I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, and so would like to extend my thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. It will be available from University of Illinois Press in March 2022.
The author demonstrates a clear love and respect for the genre and medium, as well as a willingness to let the artists and their stories speak for themselves. Spanning the length and breadth of the genre's history, as well as unpicking the often complex political and cultural tensions which haunt the music, this book is a feat of intervention into the study of Queer Country music.
Just a note: I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, and so would like to extend my thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. It will be available from University of Illinois Press in March 2022.
aiyam's review
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It’s short and sweet and packed with information. I learned about a bunch of new country artists and songs to add into my playlist (I’ve been listening to Fancy by Bobbie Gentry on repeat since I finished the book). I was so obsessed with this book that when the person I was with put on a movie I wasn’t enjoying, I straight up pulled my book out and read it until the movie was over. Let me tell you, it was much better than the movie. Queer country artists are dominating the Americana Awards and the people’s favor for the first time ever, with Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road at the forefront of the public’s knowledge of queer country music. Joy Oladokun is releasing new music every time I turn around. Anyone who enjoys history, music, and queer stories will enjoy this book. I can’t recommend it enough.