Photo: Retna

According to most, country music has a bad rap. The twangy, heartache-y tunes just don’t appeal to everyone, or so it seems. But with Taylor Swift’s domination on both pop and country charts, it’s made us think twice. Just last night at Macy’s 4th of July celebration in New York, famed country singer Brad Paisley was one of two performing acts. He headlined the event with none-other-than Beyonce. Other country stars have skyrocketed to the land of fame-dom. Carrie Underwood was the winner of the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. She’s stayed a constant figure in the public eye with her style and grace, not to mention has incredible talent, having won five Grammys.

Photo: Retna

Then you have one of the star judges from NBC’s The Voice, Blake Shelton. Shelton has earned a reputation in the country music industry as a rip-roaring guy, who knows no limits on the words that spill out of his mouth (seriously, read his Twitter sometime!). But he made even more of a name for himself on the singing show, oftentimes providing comic relief. So there you have it: in the mainstream biz,  country music has really taken off. We suggest you take a listen to these songs and re-evaluate your thoughts about the guitar-fueled tunes. Miranda Lambert: ‘Only Prettier’ Lambert, Blake Shelton’s wife, has dominated charts with songs from her newest album, Revolution. This toe-tapping beat appeals to your ears but mostly through lyrics. Girls all across the world can relate to having more-than-unfriendly enemies. Lambert conveys every sentiment we’ve ever felt toward catty chicks with lyrics like, “We’re just like you/Only prettier.”

Lady Antebellum: ‘Just a Kiss’ Lady Antebellum, a fairly new trio in the country music industry, has slammed out hit after hit since their debut in 2007. One of their more recent songs, ‘Need You Now,’ did well on country and pop charts and now they’re prepping to release a new CD, Own the Night. Off that album they’ve delivered another smash single, ‘Just a Kiss.’ Their songs perfectly entail lyrics expressing love, but do it a bit more subtly than T-Swift and are still relateable.

Jake Owen: ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ Have we mentioned how incredibly good-looking singers there are in this genre? So many, including Jake Owen. But he hits the summer song on the head with this song, a catchy tune that would sound best cranked out of your car stereo on a hot summer night. An added bonus for country music: while there are cheating and “done-me-wrong” songs, you’ll find some of the slickest love ballads, sung mostly by men. Swoon.

The Band Perry: ‘You Lie’ And now for the song you’d love to scream at your ex. The Band Perry communicate our exact thoughts toward the scum we once had a thing for. That love is no longer and now we drive past him with this song blaring. (Oh and make sure his new girlfriend hears it, too.) Any songs you particularly enjoyed? We like them all!