The Top 100 Airplay Albums on Americana Radio in 2017

The Americana Music Association has announced their 2017 Top 100 Albums of the Year based on reporting to the Americana Airplay Chart from Americana stations during the period of Dec. 6, 2016 through Dec. 4, 2017. The chart can be a good way to see what you might have missed in the year of Americana, or where your favorite artist or band may fall comparative to others. It’s probably no surprise that Jason Isbell leads the pack, followed closely behind by Chris Stapleton, but there also are a few surprises in the list.

Something always good to note about the Americana Top 100 Albums list is since it runs on the calendar year and not around the release cycles of the specific albums, some titles may look unnecessarily downgraded, while others may look too high on the list. It can also include albums that weren’t released in 2017 since it’s tabulated by airplay as opposed to when an album was released.

As Saving Country Music reported in September, the way the radio charts work in Americana will be dramatically revamped in 2018, scheduled to start on January 1st when the chart will go from an albums-based metric to a songs-based metric via a system called CDX-Traction. The system will use 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 company is currently operating a similar system in the Texas Music space, and offers a similar service for mainstream country. Previously, the Americana radio charts were compiled via manual reporting, which could cause issues with errors and allowed stations to report “paper spins.” The new system will be more transparent and accountable.

Top 100 Americana Airplay Albums of the Year

1 – Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
2 – Chris Stapleton – From A Room: Volume 1
3 – Nikki Lane – Highway Queen
4 – Ryan Adams – Prisoner
5 – Steve Earle – So You Wannabe An Outlaw
6 – Band Of Heathens – Duende
7 – Justin Townes Earle – Kids In The Street
8 – Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real – Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
9 – Son Volt – Notes of Blue
10 – Old 97s – Graveyard Whistling
11 – Willie Nelson – God’s Problem Child
12 – Rodney Crowell – Close Ties
13 – Mavericks – Brand New Day
14 – Valerie June – The Order Of Time
15 – Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives – Way Out West
16 – JD McPherson – Undivided Heart And Soul
17 – Pokey LaFarge – Manic Revelations
18 – Jamestown Revival – The Education Of A Wandering Man
19 – Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men – Prick Of The Litter
20 – Gregg Allman – Southern Blood
21 – Taj Mahal & Keb Mo – TajMo
22 – Tift Merritt – Stitch Of The World
23 – Slaid Cleaves – Ghost On The Car Radio
24 – North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer For Peace
25 – Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
26 – Alison Krauss – Windy City
27 – David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanack
28 – Dan Auerbach – Waiting On A Song
29 – Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore
30 – Ray Wylie Hubbard – Tell The Devil I’m Gettin’ There As Fast As I Can
31 – Will Hoge – Anchors
32 – Infamous Stringdusters – Laws Of Gravity
33 – Drive-By Truckers – American Band
34 – Alejandro Escovedo – Burn Something Beautiful
35 – Tyler Childers – Purgatory
36 – Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears
37 – John Prine – For Better, Or Worse
38 – Kasey Chambers – Dragonfly
39 – Reckless Kelly – Sunset Motel
40 – Sunny Sweeney – Trophy
41 – Josh Ritter – Gathering
42 – Bruce Robison & The Back Porch Band – Bruce Robison & The Back Porch Band
43 – Brent Cobb – Shine On Rainy Day
44 – Old Crow Medicine Show – 50 Years Of Blonde On Blonde
45 – Jason Eady – Jason Eady
46 – Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer – Not Dark Yet
47 – Chuck Prophet – Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins
48 – Shinyribs – I Got Your Medicine
49 – Jim Lauderdale – London Southern
50 – Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator
51 – Shannon McNally – Black Irish
52 – Angaleena Presley – Wrangled
53 – Wilco – Schmilco
54 – Dustbowl Revival – The Dustbowl Revival
55 – Margo Price – All American Made
56 – Robert Earl Keen – Live Dinner Reunion
57 – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Souvenir
58 – Bruce Cockburn – Bone On Bone
59 – Gillian Welch – Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg
60 – Mastersons – Transient Lullaby
61 – Iron & Wine – Beast Epic
62 – Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow
63 – Jim Lauderdale – This Changes Everything
64 – Eilen Jewell – Down Hearted Blues
65 – John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
66 – Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – Kings And Kings
67 – Todd Snider – Eastside Bulldog
68 – Various – The Life & Songs Of Emmylou Harris An All-Star Concert Celebration
69 – Neil Young – Peace Trail
70 – Brigitte DeMeyer & Will Kimbrough – Mockingbird Soul
71 – Samantha Fish – Chills & Fever
72 – Blackberry Smoke – Like An Arrow
73 – Ruthie Foster – Joy Comes Back
74 – Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters – Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters
75 – David Luning – Restless
76 – Jesse Dayton – The Revealer
77 – Old Crow Medicine Show – Best Of Old Crow Medicine Show
78 – Paul Cauthen – My Gospel
79 – Ray Davies – Americana
80 – Wayne Hancock – Slingin’ Rhythm
81 – Colter Wall – Colter Wall
82 – Chris Hillman – Bidin’ My Time
83 – Radney Foster – For You To See The Stars
84 – Amanda Shires – My Piece Of Land
85 – Jade Jackson – Gilded
86 – Lucinda Williams – This Sweet Old World
87 – Chuck Berry – Chuck
88 – Jackie Greene – The Modern Lives Vol. 1
89 – Govt Mule – Revolution Come…Revolution Go
90 – Tim O’Brien – Where The River Meets The Road
91 – Lillie Mae – Forever And Then Some
92 – Yonder Mountain String Band – Love. Ain’t Love
93 – Joan Osborne – Songs Of Bob Dylan
94 – Dead Man Winter – Furnace
95 – Seth Walker – Gotta Get Back
96 – Jeffery Halford & The Healers – Lo-Fi Dreams
97 – Dwight Yoakam – Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…
98 – Whiskey Gentry – Dead Ringer
99 – Great American Taxi – Dr. Feel Good’s Traveling Medicine Show
100 – Moot Davis – Hierarchy Of Crows

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