Mike, I've got no beef with either Steele or Antebellum. They are both wildly successful in the music business. Steele more so than Antebellum thus far.

I allege that they write and perform what should be called "corporate country" music, not country music. Kris Kristofferson, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Shel Silverstein, Mickey Newbury, Jimmy Rodgers etc. wrote country music.

To call what is coming out of Nashville today country music cheapens and debases a beautiful musical form, much like the Blues would be debased and cheapened if you called Snoop Dogg a Bluesman. Call corporate country music what it is and I don't have a problem with it. Obviously a lot of people like the commercially produced music.

I recognize good music when I hear it. And there is a lot of good music out there. I don't have to like a song or style of music to know if it is well-performed or well-written. And I am certainly not going to say the songs I write are better than anybody elses. I write each song as well as I can and I'm satisfied to leave it at that.

Write from your heart, not what you think others want to hear.

https://dansullivan2.bandcamp.com

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dansullivan2