Of the three Texas women artists whose various paths against the narrow gatekeeping of country radio are described in this very readable book, Kacey Musgraves was the one I knew - and liked - beforehand, and she's also the one given most prominence in Her Country. Maren Morris and Mickey Guyton were both new to me though I've been taking a crash course in their music in the last few weeks.
It's an enjoyable read, no doubt especially given how much I like the genre and how familiar I already was with most of the figures who make up its landscape. It starts in 1999, which Moss presents as a high watermark for women as a mainstream country force as embodied in Shania Twain and Faith Hill, and the subsequent constriction by the intensely conservative and male-dominated country music industry structures, with the treatment of the Chicks (then the Dixie Chicks) following their comments in 2003 a clear landmark and exemplar. Via Musgraves', Morris' and Guyton's stories, Moss weaves in the various sources of influence and inspiration - Patty Griffin, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert prominent among them, plus Taylor Swift - with other figures emerging over its course including Brandi Carlile, Rhiannon Giddens and Margo Price.
Moss's portrayal of the barriers faced by these women - especially Guyton, as a Black woman - is completely persuasive, and likewise the way she renders the combination of talent, determination, hard work and collective solidarity that enabled them to succeed regardless. What's less clear is the true significance of their 'trailblazing' character, but there's a strong argument running through the book about the importance of representation and the visibility of examples for others to aspire towards. It's also notable that Guyton is consistently given the least focus of the three - admittedly partly reflecting the different path she followed compared to the other two and probably the relatively lesser mainstream success she's had to date.
