The Best Country & Roots Albums of 2023 So Far

As we reach the halfway pole of the musical year, it’s time to reflect back on the best albums that have been released so far.
As we reach the halfway pole of the musical year, it’s time to reflect back on the best albums that have been released so far.
Amanda Fields, Drayton Farley, Marty Stuart, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Pony Bradshaw, Sundy Best, The Malpass Brothers, The War and Treaty, Ward Davis, Whitney Rose
It’s been a week for the Turnpike Troubadours, that’s for sure. But they aren’t done yet, announcing a new tour and album pre-orders.
A Cat in the Rain, Billy Bob's Texas, Blackberry Smoke, Hayes Carll, Jason Boland, Katilin Butts, Lance Roark, Miles Miller, Morgan Wade, Muscadine Bloodline, Pony Bradshaw, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ryman Auditorium, The Avett Brothers, Turnpike Troubadours
The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed on all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now in country and roots music. It’s available on most all streaming formats, or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations.
Billy Strings, El Dorado, Elijah Ocean, Jonathan Peyton, Michael Cleveland, Molly Tuttle, Myron Elkins, Pony Bradshaw, The Grateful Dead
There is a discipline of Southern heritage deeply interested in the art of language, and not just for the stories and truths it may help tell, but writing and talking just for the sake of it, and finding beauty and wisdom in the words themselves, and how they relate to the Southern experience.
Flatland Cavalry have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks and months. They’ve already been announced as one of the big beneficiaries of the massive stadium tour Luke Combs is throwing this year. But they won’t be sitting on their laurels in between.
Brent Cobb, Cleto Cordero, Colby Acuff, Cole Chaney, Emily Nenni, Flatland Cavalry, Grady Spencer and the Work, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Meghan Patrick, Pony Bradshaw, Riley Green, The Steel Woods
Congratulations, you made it to 2023. And now it’s time to take a look forward at what country music may have in store for the new year. If we’re being honest, the beginning of 2023 looks very thin when it comes to the amount of confirmed releases and big projects. But don’t worry.
Brit Taylor, JD Clayton, Lucero, Matt Hillyer, Michael Cleveland, Nicholas Jamerson, Pony Bradshaw, Ray Benson, Rob Ikes and Trey Hensley, Sturgill Simpson, Sundy Best, The Shootouts, Vince Gill, Whitehorse
The places a song can take you, the realizations a song can impart, this is the reason we cherish music so much, and we cherish songs specifically as the kernel root of all musical experiences that we remember forever. These are the best country and roots songs of 2021 so far.
Alan Jackson, Alice Gerrard, Blackberry Smoke, Charlie Starr, Cole Chaney, Drew Kennedy, Francesco Turrisi, George Jones, Hope Dunbar, Jamey Johnson, Jason Cope, Jason Eady, Katie Jo, Mac Leaphart, Morgan Wade, Pony Bradshaw, Red Shahan, Rhiannon Giddens, The Steel Woods, Vincent Neil Emerson, Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
As we near the halfway pole in the musical year, it’s time to suss out the best albums that have been released in 2021 so far. There’s already some very strong contenders for Album of the Year, and the first albums highlighted should be considered early candidates for Album of the Year.
Alan Jackson, Blackberry Smoke, Bo DePeña, Bobby Dove, Bock Gonyea, Charlie Marie, Cole Chaney, Mac Leaphart, Melissa Carper, Pony Bradshaw, The Steel Woods
Pony Bradshaw from north Georgia isn’t here to pass judgement on anyone, either his fellow Southerners, or those who may castigate them from afar. His new album ‘Calico Jim’ is more a deep and involved character study into Southern archetypes, reinstalling the complexities of persona.
2020 is in the books and it’s time to look forward to the bright promise of 2021, and specifically the album releases in the country and roots world we have to be excited about. This includes the most anticipated releases, a complete release radar, as well as the always-fun rumor mill.
Aaron Watson, Barry Gibb, Cody Canada, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Frank Sinatra, Lucero, Pony Bradshaw, Steve Earle, The Divorcees, Travis Tritt, Vivian Leva, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno, Willie Nelson