I hate country music — OK, I strongly dislike it. Until this week, in fact, there was not a single country song in my iTunes. So when I uploaded country artist Ryan Bingham’s debut album, “Mescalito,” my elitist music prejudices were completely ambushed by the album’s likeability and ruggedly agreeable sound. Bingham’s album embodies the true essence of country music while remaining surprisingly accessible to non-country listeners.

“Mescalito” differs greatly from the overprocessed, commercialized pop music that gains play on most country music radio stations today. The album employs a Woody Guthrie-esque folk sound that blends with country and Mexican influences to create a sound free of “country” affectations and pretensions. No sequined cowboy boots here.

Bingham’s voice sets him apart from crooning country stars like Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw. The sounds he produces seem out of place coming from the mouth of a 25-year-old. Deep, and gravelly, Bingham’s voice sounds as if it were dragged across an old woman’s washboard, steeped in Mexican liquor and scraped and scarred by a pair of old cowboy spurs. Crafted by years of whiskey pulls and a thankless, impoverished childhood, Bingham’s vocals lend authenticity to the album.

A trying childhood fraught with constant moves and early independence (Bingham has lived on his own since his mid-teens) influenced the album’s lyrics. Instead of songs about picking up girls in an Alabama honky-tonk, the lyrics Bingham pens reflect maturity brought on by worldly experiences. In “Dollar a Day” he laments the fate of the working class (“I’ve been working in the goddamn sun/ For just one dollar a day”), and “Hard Times” reflects his experiences with dustbowl-like poverty. Even the poppier-sounding “Take It Easy Mama” reads as Bingham confronting the troubles of the world and comforting his lonely mother.

The variety of songs makes the album likely to be enjoyed by most audiences. The calmness of some tracks (often vocals accompanied by just a few string instruments) harkens back to the folk songs of the ’60s, while “Bread And Water” picks up the tempo and adds a touch more country. Mariachi-inspired “Borracho Station” stands out with its beautiful guitar and Spanish lyrics, adding Mexican flavor to the album. For more traditional country fans, tracks such as “Sunshine,” “Bread And Water” and “Southside Of Heaven” hold down the album in its country basis without being overwhelming.

Though markedly different from much of today’s popular country music, “Mescalito” embodies the true essence of the genre. The album is legitimized both by its entertaining, varied sound and Bingham’s personal past, which attests that his unidealized lyrics and sound are not fabrications of higher-ups but authentic consequences of his unique personal history. Country at its roots was free from bastardization by big-label executives and the media, and “Mescalito” brings this concept back to the foreground.

Bingham’s authenticity as a country artist, combined with the varying influences on and sounds throughout the album, make his music agreeable for everyone weary of overdone pop music in every genre. Irrespective of taste for country music, “Mescalito” proves to be a refreshing and engaging album.

RATING: 4.5/5 stars