The music is great, obviously, but I keep coming back to the stories that My Kind of Country is telling. ... My Kind of Country is the right show for the worst of times.

At times, it does seem like the performers are being nudged in a commercial direction, and the diversity factor doesn’t go quite as far as one might expect. ... Some of them may end up perfectly happy on an indie or Americana label, some may decide to pursue a path beyond or adjacent to music. Some may be content to maintain their local audience, or hold down a day job and gig on weekends. All are valid, and this is the rare music competition that seems to recognize and honor that.

One weakness common to all reality shows that not even this high-class effort overcomes is that we don’t get to see nearly enough of their expert guidance. ... My Kind of Country feels like it has a genuinely good heart and that, win or lose the competition, it will have done all the participants some equally genuine good.