Contemporary Country is the mainstream country and country-pop that evolved after the slick country-pop of the Urban Cowboy movement in the early '80s. At the outset, Contemporary Country incorporated subtle pop production techniques, such as synthesizers, and it often sounded slick and polished.

Contemporary Country is the mainstream country and country-pop that evolved after the slick country-pop of the Urban Cowboy movement in the early '80s. At the outset, Contemporary Country incorporated subtle pop production techniques, such as synthesizers, and it often sounded slick and polished. At times, the country roots of contemporary country were fairly well-hidden beneath pop trappings, but new traditionalists like George Strait and Randy Travis began returning country to its honky tonk roots. These artists reworked and updated the classic sounds of honky tonk and traditional country, adding contemporary production touches to make it more commercially viable -- even with the slick production flourishes, the music was essentially hardcore country. After the first wave of new traditionalists (George Strait, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakum), the genre became a bit slicker and demonstrated a more overt rock influence, paving way for the New Country led by Garth Brooks, who skillfully positioned himself between New Traditionalism and rock-influenced country-pop. Brooks and the legions of artists he influenced dominated the '90s, and they laid the groundwork for such artists as Shania Twain, who owed more to middle-of-the-road pop than country.