2018’s Top 100 Americana Albums and Songs on Radio

The Americana Music Association has released the Top 100 Albums and Songs for 2018 according to the amount of radio play each album and song received. The annual report gives listeners a glimpse into the albums, songs, and artists that gained traction in the format over the year, and is a good tool to see what you might have missed in the year’s releases.

These charts reflect records reported to the Americana Radio Airplay Albums and Singles Charts during the period of Jan. 9, 2018 through December 10th. In previous years, Americana radio activity was only reported via albums. However the new CDX-Traction system uses the online streams of Americana radio stations and a proprietary song identification system to track plays of Americana songs in real time, and aggregate them into weekly charts. The new system is much more reliable and transparent.

Also important to note that since these numbers reflect the radio activity over a calendar year, it includes some titles released in 2017, and titles released later in 2018 may appear to be downgraded because they didn’t have a full year to accumulate spins.

Top 100 Americana Albums

1 – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats – Tearing at the Seams
2 – Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You
3 – John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness
4 – The Wood Brothers – One Drop of Truth
5 – The Record Company – All Of This Life
6 – Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
7 – Margo Price – All American Made
8 – Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real – Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
9 – Lake Street Dive – Free Yourself Up
10 – Chris Stapleton – From A Room: Volume 2
11 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
12 – JD McPherson – Undivided Heart and Soul
13 – Willie Nelson – Last Man Standing
14 – Old Crow Medicine Show – Volunteer
15 – I’m With Her – See You Around
16 – Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore – Downey to Lubbock
17 – First Aid Kit – Ruins
18 – Anderson East – Encore
19 – Sam Morrow – Concrete and Mud
20 – Parker Millsap – Other Arrangements
21 – Various Artists – Johnny Cash: Forever Words
22 – Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite – No Mercy In This Land
23 – Blackberry Smoke – Find a Light
24 – Trampled By Turtles – Life is Good on the Open Road
25 – The War and Treaty – Healing Tide
26 – Tommy Emmanuel – Accomplice One
27 – Kelly Willis – Back Being Blue
28 – Boz Scaggs – Out Of The Blues
29 – Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Look Now
30 – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us
31 – Ashley Monroe – Sparrow
32 – Turnpike Troubadours – A Long Way From Your Heart
33 – Brent Cobb – Providence Canyon
34 – Lori McKenna – The Tree
35 – Various Artists – Strange Angels: In Flight with Elmore James
36 – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son
37 – Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
38 – Paul Thorn – Don’t Let the Devil Ride
39 – Leftover Salmon – Show Me Something Higher
40 – Josh Ritter – Gathering
41 – The Devil Makes Three – Chains Are Broken
42 – American Aquarium – Things Change
43 – Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain
44 – Rayland Baxter – Wide Awake
45 – Kim Richey – Edgeland
46 – Amanda Shires – To the Sunset
47 – John Hiatt – The Eclipse Sessions
48 – Lee Ann Womack – The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone
49 – Joshua Hedley – Mr. Jukebox
50 – Steep Canyon Rangers – Out in the Open
51 – Jim Lauderdale – Time Flies
52 – Shemekia Copeland – America’s Child
53 – Charley Crockett – Lonesome as a Shadow
54 – Paul Cauthen – Have Mercy EP
55 – Glen Hansard – Between Two Shores
56 – Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow
57 – The Milk Carton Kids – All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do
58 – Langhorne Slim – Lost at Last, Vol. 1
59 – Tyler Childers – Purgatory
60 – Cody Jinks – Lifers
61 – The Jayhawks – Back Roads and Abandoned Motels
62 – Motel Mirrors – In the Meantime
63 – Mike Farris – Silver & Stone
64 – Alejandro Escovedo – The Crossing
65 – Israel Nash – Lifted
66 – Robert Plant – Carry Fire
67 – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Soul of a Woman
68 – Various Artists – King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller
69 – Richard Thompson – 13 Rivers
70 – Various Artists – Muscle Shoals: Small Town, Big Sound
71 – Sam Lewis – Loversity
72 – Nicki Bluhm – To Rise You Gotta Fall
73 – Dan Auerbach – Waiting on a Song
74 – Jackie Greene – The Modern Lives Vol. 2
75 – Samantha Fish – Belle of the West
76 – Aaron Lee Tasjan – Karma for Cheap
77 – The Revivalists – Take Good Care
78 – Ruston Kelly – Dying Star
79 – The Black Lillies – Stranger to Me
80 – Mary Gauthier – Rifles & Rosary Beads
81 – David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanack
82 – The Marcus King Band – Carolina Confessions
83 – The Band of Heathens – A Message from the People Revisited
84 – Jason Boland & The Stragglers – Hard Times Are Relative
85 – Birds of Chicago – Love in Wartime
86 – The Lone Bellow – Walk into a Storm
87 – Chris Smither – Call Me Lucky
88 – Wade Bowen – Solid Ground
89 – Gretchen Peters – Dancing With The Beast
90 – Lindi Ortega – Liberty
91 – Darlingside – Extralife
92 – Van William – Countries
93 – Mark Knopfler – Down The Road Wherever
94 – Chris Hillman – Bidin’ My Time
95 – The Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore
96 – Folk Soul Revival – Folk Soul Revival
97 – Nick Lowe – Tokyo Bay
98 – Mike and the Moonpies – Steak Night at the Prairie Rose
99 – Janiva Magness – Love is an Army
100 – The Mammals – Sunshiner

Top 100 Americana Songs

1 – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats “You Worry Me”
2 – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats “A Little Honey”
3 – The Record Company “Life to Fix”
4 – Lake Street Dive “Good Kisser”
5 – John Prine “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door”
6 – Brandi Carlile “The Joke”
7 – Chris Stapleton “Midnight Train to Memphis”
8 – Elvis Costello & The Imposters “Unwanted Number”
9 – Jade Bird “Lottery”
10 – Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real “Fool Me Once”
11 – The Wood Brothers “Happiness Jones”
12 – Trampled By Turtles “The Middle”
13 – Kacey Musgraves “Slow Burn”
14 – Margo Price “A Little Pain”
15 – Glen Hansard “Roll On Slow”
16 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit “If We Were Vampires”
17 – Ashley Monroe “Hands On You”
18 – Parker Millsap “Fine Line”
19 – First Aid Kit “It’s a Shame”
20 – Kelly Willis “Back Being Blue”
21 – The Wood Brothers “River Takes the Town”
22 – Ry Cooder “Shrinking Man”
23 – The Devil Makes Three “Bad Idea”
24 – American Aquarium “Tough Folks”
25 – Lori McKenna “People Get Old”
26 – Rayland Baxter “Casanova”
27 – Amanda Shires “Leave It Alone”
28 – The War and Treaty “Healing Tide”
29 – Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore “Downey to Lubbock”
30 – Anderson East “Girlfriend”
31 – Willie Nelson “Last Man Standing”
32 – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats “Hey Mama”
33 – John Prine “Summer’s End”
34 – I’m With Her “I-89”
35 – John Hiatt “Cry to Me”
36 – Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real “Find Yourself”
37 – Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite “Found the One”
38 – Jade Bird “Uh Huh”
39 – The Revivalists “All My Friends”
40 – Shemekia Copeland “Ain’t Got Time for Hate”
41 – Blackberry Smoke (feat. Amanda Shires) “Let Me Down Easy”
42 – Ryan Adams “Baby I Love You”
43 – Lake Street Dive “Shame, Shame, Shame”
44 – The Marcus King Band “Homesick”
45 – Boz Scaggs “Radiator 110”
46 – Chris Stapleton “Millionaire”
47 – Rodney Crowell “Shake Your Money Maker”
48 – Hiss Golden Messenger “Domino (Time Will Tell)”
49 – Paul Cauthen “Resignation”
50 – Israel Nash “Rolling On”
51 – Willie Nelson “Me and You”
52 – Sam Morrow “Quick Fix”
53 – Old Crow Medicine Show “Flicker & Shine”
54 – Jason Boland & The Stragglers (feat. Sunny Sweeney) “I Don’t Deserve You”
55 – Josh Ritter “Feels Like Lightning”
56 – Calexico “Under the Wheels”
57 – Courtney Marie Andrews “Kindness of Strangers”
58 – Mark Knopfler “Good On You Son”
59 – Joshua Hedley “Mr. Jukebox”
60 – Chris Stapleton “Broken Halos”
61 – Leftover Salmon “Show Me Something Higher”
62 – Ruston Kelly “Mockingbird”
63 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit “Hope the High Road”
64 – Nicki Bluhm “To Rise You Gotta Fall”
65 – Jackie Greene “Crazy Comes Easy”
66 – I’m With Her “Game to Lose”
67 – Cody Jinks “Must Be the Whiskey”
68 – Grace Potter “I’d Rather Go Blind”
69 – Carolina Story “Lay Your Head Down”
70 – Kacey Musgraves “Butterflies”
71 – Blackberry Smoke “Best Seat in the House”
72 – JD McPherson “On the Lips”
73 – The Record Company “Make It Happen”
74 – JD McPherson “Lucky Penny”
75 – The Jayhawks “Everybody Knows”
76 – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings “Matter of Time”
77 – Nick Lowe “Tokyo Bay”
78 – Birds of Chicago “Roll Away”
79 – First Aid Kit “Fireworks”
80 – Mike Farris “Snap Your Fingers”
81 – Paul Thorn “Love Train”
82 – Rosanne Cash “The Walking Wounded”
83 – The Band of Heathens “Heaven Help Us All”
84 – Brandi Carlile “Hold Out Your Hand”
85 – Tommy Emmanuel (feat. Rodney Crowell) “Looking Forward to the Past”
86 – Calexico “End of the World with You”
87 – Phil Cook “Miles Away”
88 – Van William “Revolution”
89 – Turnpike Troubadours “Something to Hold On To”
90 – The Milk Carton Kids “Big Time”
91 – Brent Cobb “King of Alabama”
92 – Charley Crockett “Lil’ Girl’s Name”
93 – Wade Bowen “So Long 6th Street”
94 – Margo Price “Weakness”
95 – Kacey Musgraves “Space Cowboy”
96 – Steep Canyon Rangers “Out in the Open”
97 – JD McPherson “Crying’s Just a Thing You Do”
98 – The Black Lillies “Midnight Stranger”
99 – Brandi Carlile “The Mother”
100 – Dead Horses “On and On”Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats “You Worry Me”

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