Thanks for all of your comments. They are interesting. I've always sort of considered him the kind of country music that I hate, but I got to the point where I could no longer ingore "the voice." I still have real reservations, however, in his taste of some of the songs he records. But, when the voice, lyrics and melody line up right it is powerful. (cold hard truth, color of the blues, window up above, aged 20 years in 5, she thinks i still care, etc.) As for the popular opinion that the songs are just too depressing, isn't it fair to say that some of the blues singers (often considered "cooler"?) sing songs just as depressing? "Lonesome Christmas Blues" by Blind Blake springs to mind. What do you think?