Admit it - just as you think LA when you think 'long-haired rocker' and Chicago when you think 'steamy blues' - when you think Nashville, you've got country music on your mind. And why not? As the self-proclaimed 'Country Music Capital of the World', Nashville revels in its down-home glamour.
Banners and billboards announce new recording stars like accolades in a high school yearbook, and streets bear the names of country legends like Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins. Music City has even caught the attention of non-country singers, though their reviews have not always been favourable.
Still, for a city that's staked it's reputation on its trademark sound, there's no doubt about it - Nashville's tune is catchy. Nashville occupies that nebulous southeastern region between Middle America, the East Coast, 'Down South' and 'Up North'. It's decidedly southern in most aspects but so close to the other regions that the distinction sometimes gets blurred. At any rate, whether it's because the US is moving towards the South or the South is moving towards the rest of the country, Nashville seems more than ever like an all-American city - and one of the most guileless you're ever likely to visit.
