Country Mike Blog

Scotty and Lauren -- A good sign for Country Music

Mike Sudhalter  |  June 1, 2011

American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and AI runner-up
Lauren Alaina represent the future face of country music

Let me just start this post by disclosing that I didn't watch a nanosecond of American Idol Season 10, save for the tryouts episode prior to the season beginning.

But in recent weeks, I'd heard all about Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina. I hadn't heard any of their music until a few minutes ago.

And I would say that their AI success is a major breakthrough for country music.

When Carrie Underwood won AI in 2005, I had mixed feelings about it. Here was someone who was basically a country singer-in-name-only.

I discussed AI with my girlfriend last week, and she said that McCreery sounded a lot like Josh Turner. How right she was.

Whenever I'd heard McCreery was a teenager singing country music, I figured he was some Justin Bieber clone with a slight twang. How wrong I was.

McCreery and Alaina were born in 1993 and 1994, respectively, so they don't remember the debut albums of Tim McGraw or Faith Hill, or when the Pittsburgh Pirates last reached the MLB Playoffs.

Their 1-2 finish on American Idol goes to show that America appreciates country music - the real kind - and that these dynamic artists will carry the torch proudly for the next generation of country.