Anyway - the first observation I wanted to make. SMALL TOWNS. There is a near constant celebration of the virtues of small town life. It is a staple of Alan Jackson's work (one, two, three). It seems like a way to solidify ones bona-fides as your wealth/fame grow - that you are still "just like us" - one, two, three. I like these songs quite a bit - probably my favorite theme, as it can easily be done quite well or quite poorly.
On small towns generally - I think the point the Smart Set article mentions is an important one: "Small towns love an eccentric... but they don't always handle the ambitious or the iconoclast so well. " I agree with this quite a bit.
There is one thing I do find concerning - it is what is often the unifying theme of the subgenre referred to as "party country." I think almost every song in this subgenre contains a a reference to alcohol or a boastful claims about risky lifestyle choices. Examples: parties, party guys, good times, hard liquor, beer, beer, and beer. I think country music might mention alcohol more than rap music. It seems odd for the same station to have odes to Jesus and odes to beer, but I'm just throwing that out there.
There's also a type of country song that is based around a one-line joke - something you might see on a bumper sticker, maybe. Examples: this one and this one and this one. I don't like those.
