Best country music 2023

As we approach the end of the year, it's time to look back at some of the genre's best songs of Flip through the slideshow below for the year's best tunes, from Luke Combs's smash-hit cover of "Fast Car" to the juggernaut independent success of Zach Bryan's duet with Kacey Musgraves. She's one of country's biggest breakout stars right now, and that's thanks in large part to catchy tunes like "Watermelon Moonshine, best country music 2023. The first single from his best country music 2023 "Rustin' In The Rain," Tyler Childers stunned audiences — and stirred a little controversy — when he dropped this heartfelt ballad over the summer.

By Rolling Stone. After three years lost in the woods on hiatus, the Turnpike Troubadours got their shit together and reunited for A Cat in the Rain , a no-holds-barred comeback record that paired the Red Dirt band with Grammy-winning producer Shooter Jennings. Georgia native Brent Cobb continues to stake out the space between mainstream country and mainstream Americana on his sixth album Southern Star , which he self-produced and recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon. One day, when the Cadillac Three are legit rock stars decamped for L. On The Years Go Fast , the taken-for-granted trio deliver one of the most aggressive albums of their career.

Best country music 2023

On that note, please be sure to go back and check out past editions of this column, wherein we survey the finest country and country-ish — folk, bluegrass, Americana, roots-rock, Western swing, acoustic exploration, old-time music, and so on — Bandcamp has to offer each month. But first, here are 13 albums that rose to the top over the past year. See you in January! Like a lot of great songwriters, Margo Cilker seems to possess a restless soul. Or perhaps she just writes songs about restless souls, not to mention unsettled hearts, modern-day nomads, the lost, the found, and all those folks in between. Cilker is from California and currently lives in a tiny town in Eastern Washington, but her music — rollicking folk-rock, easygoing country, archetypal Americana — feels like it has one foot firmly planted in the prairie and one eye on the horizon, looking for the next stop on the journey. But in musical terms, you know Americana when you hear it. At the center is Alabaman Drayton Farley, a super-skilled singer and songwriter who reflects everything good about this nebulous corner of the musical universe. Since he co-founded the influential old-time string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops in the mids, Dom Flemons has acted almost as a concierge of sorts, guiding listeners through the history of country, blues, folk, bluegrass, cowboy songs, and more, often highlighting Black contributions to this rich timeline. Traveling Wildfire finds the Chicago-based artist refocused on his own tunes, sprinkling a number of originals among new takes on traditional songs that illuminate the intersection of spirituality, societal movements, personal reflection, and the broader Black experience.

Combs's straightforward, best country music 2023, heartfelt cover of this Tracy Chapman classic has been the biggest country hit of the year, spending weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and racking up millions of streams on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. At least one did work in another generation.

By Rolling Stone. That alone would have a brittle charm, but red-hot songwriter Zach Bryan busts the whole thing open with guttural wails that suggest a rage to live and to feel it all. Depends on whom you ask, but a historic moment all the same, and a refreshing revival of a stone-cold classic. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The swirl of fiddle and vocals is enough to make you believe in a higher power, or fear its wrath. Parker McCollum cycles through the stages of grief on this hard-hearted kiss-off to a failed relationship.

Two of those four recordings are deeply rooted in the past. That occurred in other realms, too. Michelle bringing new interpretations to classic hits. Trending on Billboard. Parton, inducted a year ago, rolled out an ambitious Rockstar project that teamed her with Steven Tyler , Stevie Nicks , Peter Frampton and two living Beatles , among others.

Best country music 2023

By Rolling Stone. That alone would have a brittle charm, but red-hot songwriter Zach Bryan busts the whole thing open with guttural wails that suggest a rage to live and to feel it all. Depends on whom you ask, but a historic moment all the same, and a refreshing revival of a stone-cold classic.

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There was every reason to be skeptical of the rush-ordered debut album from an unknown year-old singer named Megan Moroney. Sub Culture. Sure, she knows how to do the normal country tropes well: cars and guitars and deceitful exes and claustrophobic Southern hometowns. Musical acts that changed styles after getting new members. A pitch-perfect countrypolitan record. A tribute to the Oklahoma band's fans after a long hiatus, "Brought Me" is an excellent introduction to the Turnpike Troubadours for country fans who aren't familiar with their distinct brand of rock-infused tunes. West Virginia native Charles Wesley Godwin is downright poetic when singing about the triumphs and tribulations of working in the state's coal industry in this tender, loving tribute to his father. As she always does, Leigh slips into honky tonk mode with incredible ease, and with guest spots from lifers like Marty Stuart and Rodney Crowell , turns out one of the best country albums of the year. At the center is Alabaman Drayton Farley, a super-skilled singer and songwriter who reflects everything good about this nebulous corner of the musical universe. Bella White. They should never be scrubbed away.

By Rolling Stone. After three years lost in the woods on hiatus, the Turnpike Troubadours got their shit together and reunited for A Cat in the Rain , a no-holds-barred comeback record that paired the Red Dirt band with Grammy-winning producer Shooter Jennings. Georgia native Brent Cobb continues to stake out the space between mainstream country and mainstream Americana on his sixth album Southern Star , which he self-produced and recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon.

There was every reason to be skeptical of the rush-ordered debut album from an unknown year-old singer named Megan Moroney. All hail the queen. Even the love songs are bruised and weary, chilled by cold truth. On that note, please be sure to go back and check out past editions of this column, wherein we survey the finest country and country-ish — folk, bluegrass, Americana, roots-rock, Western swing, acoustic exploration, old-time music, and so on — Bandcamp has to offer each month. Even they were streaming and spinning many of these albums this year. Below our list of 40, you'll find a direct way to shape this list. It will evolve as the year continues, with a final list published in December. The precious moments, the missteps — those are the baked-in flavors we learn from. Amy McCarthy is a Texas-based journalist. Nick Shoulders. Love songs, heartbreakers and at least one perfect circle-of-life lyric help round out this yearly list of country music's best songs. The friendly creak in her voice adds relatable warmth to her epic tales, which often come rooted in the understanding that usually the most important rambling we do happens in our interior lives.