There has been a revival of these styles of music, but they are beginning to meld together. Rather than starting a thread for each, let's keep it all together.
I have never exactly understood what this category is but right now anybody that makes a real country album gets thrown in here so I guess that makes me a fan. If I met somebody that could sing "When You Say Nothing at All" like Allison Krauss I would marry them no questions asked.
Lately I have become a huge fan of Jason Isbell, which to me is just country music but he gets nominated in the Americana category. I have tried to start a thread about him on this board a couple times and gotten zero response but he is the best singer/songwriter working right now.
Sturgill Simpson's "Meta-Modern Sounds in Country Music" was fantastic. I don't like the new album nearly as much but there are still some songs on it that I like a lot.
I have never exactly understood what this category is but right now anybody that makes a real country album gets thrown in here so I guess that makes me a fan.
I feel that when it comes to Country, anything that isn't "kill terrorists while riding a sexy tractor" pop country has the chance to end up in the Americana category. It's a loose term.
Americana is folk/blues/country and many other influences. As Turkish said anything that falls outside of mainstream radio, but it's all just modern country music.
Genre labeling is just a way to market the product. For the folks writing and performing the music genres are unnecessary.