Linda Ronstadt and Tom Petty, both revered for their rock careers deeply rooted in country influences, expressed frustration with how modern country music has evolved into a more pop-oriented sound. Having come up during the genre's 1960s and 1970s heyday and worked alongside country greats such as Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, both artists felt today's version of country had strayed too far from its roots, illustrating a wider generational divide over how genres change and dilute over time.

Ronstadt dismissively labelled contemporary country "Midwest mall-crawler music", saying she preferred the older sound that "still came out of the country". Petty echoed her scepticism, describing much of modern country as "bad rock groups with a fiddle" and saying his own tastes leaned towards purer, late-1950s and early-1960s roots music. The article notes this generational gap persists today, with some younger country artists now trying to revive a more traditional, less pop-influenced sound.