The superb, three-volume Boots No. 2 proves there’s no need to worry about Welch running out of material any time soon. Sometimes you have to…
The two volumes of Cuttin’ Grass succeed at the difficult task of making retrospective work feel both new and essential. The concept of the “greatest hits” set…
Cam remains a talent worth following, but The Otherside doesn’t make it clear where she’s going. Since releasing her well-regarded debut, Untamed, in 2015, Cam has released…
The Truckers are no less biting than usual, but The New OK reflects the group’s discernible joy in making a ruckus amidst society’s grimness. The Drive-By Truckers…
Edwards’ Total Freedom is a subtle, assured submission that brings a sense of calm and acceptance to her catalog of raw, unrestrained works. “Glenfern,” the opening song…
Aftermath showcases Cook’s ability to speak her truth without getting trapped inside the standard country music box. In the 1680s, a Puritan woman named Mary Webster…
For the Good Times brings a welcome rawness and spontaneity to Welch and Rawlings’ typical fare. Many of us have turned to distraction to help weather…
Nelson’s octogenarian status doesn’t keep him from cranking out more of his typical charm on First Rose of Spring. Willie Nelson has always been prolific,…
The Chicks shed more than their former name with Gaslighter, showing a new side to their classic sound. In her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Taylor…
For someone just in her early 30s, Kelsey Waldon sure seems to have mortality on her mind. “Only here for a moment, then we’re gone,”…
Sooner or later, Luke Combs was bound to release an album called What You See Is What You Get — the old adage makes for…
Many were surprised when Old Crow Medicine Show were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, which has, of late, skewed heavily in favor of current…
Contrary to what the country airplay charts may tell you, the last decade has been a creatively fertile season for the women of Nashville: think…
Allison Moorer’s last album, Down to Believing, which drilled into the messy cycle of grief, was arguably a career-best for the extraordinary singer-songwriter. Her latest,…
The most incisive and distinctive songwriter of her generation, Miranda Lambert has a track record to date—counting her three outings with Pistol Annies, a total…
Midland have drawn the ire of authenticity fetishists who take issue with the trio’s having invented a hardscrabble origin story when, in reality, the group…
“I believe, for the most part, I done good,” sings Tanya Tucker toward the end of While I’m Livin’, her first album of original material…
The Highwomen were convened to address a particular problem: Gender disparity on country radio (thus far in 2019, only one woman has had a #1…
In 2001, Rodney Crowell released an album called The Houston Kid, a loose collection of autobiographic sketches reflecting on his upbringing in the Space City.…
Though she’s the finest albums artist of her generation of country stars, Trisha Yearwood hasn’t actually released an album of all new material since 2007’s…
What Luke Combs ultimately represents is a recalibration of mainstream country music. Less traditionalist than traditional-ish, Combs presents a more mainstream-palatable iteration of Chris Stapleton.…