3 Country Songs From the 1990s That You Have To Admit Also Rock

Country music continued to reach new audiences in the 1990s. The genre expanded with pop crossover appeal, neo-traditionalists, emerging female superstars, and plenty of chart-topping tunes and enduring classics. Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Martina McBride show the diverse range of country artists that defined the decade and helped guide the genre’s future.

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Yet amid the sometimes competing influences of modern pop and traditional styles, 90s country also rocked. So meet me in the list below if you’re in the mood for the kind of country that might get loud.

“Fast As You” by Dwight Yoakam (1993)

Dwight Yoakam’s fifth studio album, This Time, finds the country icon expanding his Bakersfield sound with a renaissance of doo-wop, rockabilly, and barroom electric blues. “Fast As You” echoes Roy Orbison’s early rock and roll. And with a riff inspired by Orbison’s hit, “Oh, Pretty Woman”, the track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It’s a comeback anthem for the broken-hearted, where Yoakam turns up the volume on a honky-tonk jam with longtime collaborator Pete Anderson, who burns a pair of extended guitar solos.

“Liza Jane” by Vince Gill (1991)

Humble shredders are not easy to find. But Vince Gill, known as much for his soulful tenor as for his guitar skills, often chooses to play as few notes as possible. I’ve watched him onstage with other famous guitarists, many of whom attempt to kick it into high gear in the presence of Gill. But when it’s his turn to take the lead, he opts for gorgeous melodies instead of gymnastic solos. But he can shred, too, as you’ll hear on “Liza Jane”. Crank it because it indeed rocks.

“Rock This Country!” by Shania Twain (1997)

The title to this track could have been Shania Twain’s mantra in the 1990s. Together with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Twain released multiple blockbuster albums that foreshadowed the epic crossover success of Taylor Swift. Co-written by Twain and Lange, the guitars on “Rock This Country” recall the producer’s groundbreaking work with hard rock legends AC/DC and Def Leppard. And as Twain paved the way for future country-pop stars, she might have put it this way: For those about to rock, we salute you!

I woke up this morning with a buzz rolling round in my brain,
I haven’t been drinking, but it feels pretty good just the same.
It must be contagious, looks like it’s going around,
It’s cool once you catch it, you can’t keep your feet on the ground.

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