Gary Allan needs to stop trying to be cool and remember where he came from. Throughout the aughts, Gary Allan was one of the few consistent bright…
Somehow Chris Thile’s debut solo record, Laysongs finds the musician in delicate, ruminative form. Given that he’s been a professional musician for more than half of his…
The Bangles’ origin story is, at this point, the stuff of pop mythology, with Susanna Hoffs’ perfectly on-brand “must be nice” advertisement for bandmates and…
Our Country is a remarkable statement of Marks’ rightful place at the fore of modern country music. In the mid-2000s, Miko Marks recorded a couple…
My Savior is not just an impressive work of gospel, but is Carrie Underwood’s best record to date. At no point in her career has…
Lynn’s latest, unfortunately, is another instance of her merely repeating herself without much beyond her legacy to justify its existence. In referencing one of her…
Aaron Lee Tasjan’s latest is a confident, audacious work that earns all of its explanation points. Because he’s found a home on the New West…
Shovel & Rope’s kid-friendly latest covers album has its heart in the right place, but is an absolute sonic disaster. Americana duo Shovels & Rope…
The BrOs’ attempt to move the needle back in the direction of commerciality isn’t their sharpest effort but does reposition them at the fore of…
The Way It Feels bears some undeniable deadweight, but also positions Maddie & Tae well to regain their status as queens of country. With “Die from…
D’orjay thrillingly embraces the country genre without any of the historical limitations, biases, and white supremacism. Much of the discourse about country music in 2020…
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 leanest and meanest country record of 2020, Tami Neilson’s CHICKABOOM! is the dynamic singer-songwriter’s fourth straight career-best album. Over a breakneck set of country…
Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters has already endured a predictable backlash to its initial rapturous reception — a backlash led by a loud and…
Our monthly music feature, Rooted & Restless, finds country music aficionados Josh Hurst and Jonathan Keefe wading into all things Americana, expanding the definition of…
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…
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…