The Ranch

The Ranch strips country music of its Nashville gloss and gets back to basics. You'll hear Merle Haggard next to Chris Stapleton, with plenty of outlaw spirit in between. The DJs let the music breathe - long sets, minimal chatter. It's the kind of station where a steel guitar solo stretches for two minutes and nobody interrupts. The programming favors classic honky-tonk over modern pop country. A relief if you think country lost its way after the '90s. But it's not a museum piece: newer artists like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers show up too, proving real country still exists. The Ranch l…