Dillon Carmichael does, and the 23-year-old singer-songwriter is betting that fans of honest country music do too. Since scoring a publishing deal during his senior year of high school, the native of Burgin, Kentucky (pop. 1,000), has been focused on writing country songs with meat on their bones, hearkening back to a time when country emphasized true-life lyricism.

"I want lyrics to be relevant in songs and on radio again," says Dillon. "I'd like lyrics to impact people the way they impacted me growing up, listening to some of my favorite artists like Hank Williams Jr., Vern Gosdin and Waylon Jennings. Those guys were true country."