New Adds to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Playlist (#185)
One song at a time is how we dig out of the mess that popular music has become, and the mess that so many facets of modern life have become. Here’s where you can find many of those songs in one place, excruciatingly curated by a human host, not an algorithm or AI.
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 (see below), or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations to find something new to listen to.
Newest Additions:
Noeline Hofmann – “Wilson Silverstar 402 Blues” – Noeline Hoffman delivers once again, and we’re not just talking two dozen head of cattle in a corrugated steel trailer. Her latest single reminds you a lot of the agrarian authenticity of her breakout “Purple Gas.” The experience is made even more cool when she casts Jesse Daniel in the video.
The Ransom Brothers – “Watch The Money” – It’s hard to blame this Austin-based band for getting attitudinal about what’s happening in the “Live Music Capital” as imported money scrapes everything cool about the city off into the gutter and replaces it with the ultra modern. This is a song to pump your fist to with stellar instrumentation. It’s off their new album Cryin’ Shame.
Alicia Blue – “Run Me Ragged” – There’s a lot of positive buzz for Alicia Blue and her debut album Country Desire produced by Shooter Jennings. “Run Me Raggaed” is a perfect specimen of Alicia’s compelling voice and throwback/Outlaw country style.
Grey DeLisle – “There’s The Door” – This voice actor, comedian, and songwriter really finds the perfect classic country vibe with this composition, reminding you of the Golden Era of George Jones and Tammy Wynette in the best of ways. DeLisle’s new record Don’t Turn Around is out October 23rd.
Jason James – “Another Day in a Nightmare” – It’s hard to complain too loudly about the state of country music whenever Jason James is within earshot. He’ll fill your soul with hope for the future with songs like “Another Day,” and albums like his new one Cut The Chain.
Denitia – “Texas Angel” – Denitia pours the traditional country vibes on thick with this one like syrup over hot cakes, and you can’t help but dive into the gooey goodness and consume every square inch.
Pony Bradshaw – “Universal Thump” – Pony has put out one of the most forward-thinking and ambitious albums of 2026 so far called Ode To Humidity, and beyond the exquisite lyricism that he gives you to unravel, there is an infectiousness to this record as well, showcased well in this country rock anthem.
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The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist primarily lives on Spotify, but is also available for those who use Amazon Music, YouTube, and Apple Music. For those who don’t stream music, you can still find the song recommendations in list form below.
CLICK HERE to follow Saving Country Music on Spotify, and/or follow the Spotify Top 25 Playlist.
Please Note: The songs on this playlist are curated for listening pleasure and flow. Otherwise, they are not in any specific order.
Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist:
- “Run Me Ragged” – Alicia Blue – Country Desire
- “Watch The Money” – The Ransom Brothers – Cryin’ Shame
- “All Outta You” – Wyatt McCubbin – 650 (10-16)
- “American Shoestring” – Darby Sparkman – (single)
- “Tiger’s Blood” – Brandon Flowers – Thrasher
- “Wilson Silverstar 402 Blues” – Noeline Hofmann – (single)
- “Taking to a Dreamer” – Robert Henry & the Repeaters – Down The Road
- “It Takes a Man to Say Goodbye” – Tony Hannah – Love It Or Leave It
- “Universal Thump” – Pony Bradshaw – Ode to Humidity
- “Another Day In A Nightmare” – Jason James – Cut The Chain
- “The Hunt” – The Wilder Blue – Cinco
- “There’s The Door” – Grey DeLisle – Don’t Turn Around (10-23)
- “Ghosts of the Panhandle Wind” – Red Shahan – Hard Land
- “Gas Is Cheap” – Lena Rich – Emerald City
- “Sideways” – Schaffer Brothers Band – Old Thing New
- “Blink of an Eye” – Bronwyn – Rattlin’ Bones
- “The Diamond Saloon” – Chasen Wayne – The Diamond Saloon
- “Over You” – Kimmi Bitter – Bittersweet
- “Longitude” – Silverada – Living Proof
- “Azaleas” – Mason Lively, Presley Haile – The Hill Country Sound
- “Texas Angel” – Denitia – Texas Angel (2-5-27)
- “Dontcha” – Matt Castillo – (single)
- “Undertow” – Tyler Richards – (single)
- “Turpentine” – Wade Bowen – The Version Of Me You Get (9-25)
- “Make Mine Country” – Paige Plaisance – (single)
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September 20, 2026 @ 8:58 am
I spent the weekend playing Orville Peck’s new concept album , over and over, back to back with Ashley McBryde’s last one (there’s some similarity as both of them are about mental health and substance abuse).
Holy shit what an incredible job he did on this album. It doesn’t sound anything like his previous stuff. It’s the most country his song writing has ever been. Sonically it’s a little bit like Dwight yoakam’s recent stuff- I can’t remember what all the 70’s/80’s underground rock influences are supposed to be behind Dwight’s Three Pears era- but Mule is basically that flavor of rock with some bluegrass fiddle and steel occasionally showing up . But the songwriting is pure country storytelling.
In the past Oroville peck did this kind of mushy poetic lyrics where it was pretty hard to tell what he was talking about. New album is just a straightforward diary of a man losing his mind and almost losing his life, done as pretty straightforward country music. Holy shit. This is what this genre does best.
My only complaint is that they buried his voice a little bit in the production which is a war crime, given that it’s Orville Peck’s voice.
September 20, 2026 @ 10:07 am
Stellar, just a note: I sent you some lyrics a few weeks back as a result of a conversation here in the comment section. I also sent a second follow-up mail to ask whether I should explain the lyrics and idea behind them. I haven’t heard back, and that’s fine, I just want to note that I did send lyrics and should you have not seen them, that they might be in your spam folder or whatever. Should you want me to share them here, let me know.
September 20, 2026 @ 9:20 pm
Orville’s in a class of his own. The new album is fantastic and lyrically his best yet.
Unfortunately he gets no coverage from this site, not country enough apparently…
September 20, 2026 @ 10:57 pm
Hey Dennis,
It’s empirically false to state that Orville Peck gets “no coverage” at Saving Country Music.
I covered his 2019 album:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-orville-pecks-pony/
I covered his 2022 album:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-orville-pecks-bronco/
The only reason I didn’t cover his 2024 album is because it was multi-genre album with numerous cover songs, and it didn’t really fit the format. His new record was covered in the release radar, and there’s a good chance I will review it here. So I don’t appreciate the connotations of saying that I wouldn’t cover him, and especially that I haven’t.
I appreciate that people want to share their love for other music that is not necessarily covered by the topic at hand in the comments sections, and I try to not be a stickler about this. But when I do cover the Orville Peck record, are people going to dive bomb that comments section and tell everyone about the new singles from Denitia, or Gery DeLisle, or the Ransom Brothers? Nobody’s even brought them up here, so my guess is the answer is “no.”
Instead of leading off this comments section with a lengthy review of Orville Peck’s record, perhaps it would have been better to suggest some of the songs that could work on this playlist. That way I can take that info and have it inform the playlist decisions in the future.
I work really hard to shine a spotlight on as much under-covered music as I can. This playlist is a good example of that. Orville Peck is not. He gets tons of coverage. I still hope to cover his new album. But it will not be at the expense of the artists that nobody else will cover.
After some recent developments, I’m not even sure how much longer this outlet is going to be able to continue in its present form. It really sucks when I’m hectored by my own readers for what I don’t cover, instead of being thankful and grateful for all the music I do cover, and offer up to the public completely free of charge instead of behind a paywall, or cluttered with ads.
September 21, 2026 @ 4:44 am
Thanks for your reply and I genuinely apologise for any offence my post caused, what I said was incorrect.
It was made mainly in response to me suggesting that he be added to the playlist a few weeks ago and you responding that he may be if he releases something country, or something along those lines.
My brain immediately went to the coverage and album reviews that the likes of BigXthaPlug (I had to Google to get the name right) Jellyroll, Shaboozey (who I actually like) have received, who I would argue are less country than Mr Peck.
That being said, I do appreciate that his music crosses a few genres, but I struggle to think of too many artists that are doing more interesting things in the scene than him.
It’s not aimed just at you, I think that any country site that isn’t covering him are missing out on not only some very good and creative music, but also a very unique story in the genre.
I’ve no problem at all with you not covering the duets album, it’s not really what I want from him, though there was some great stuff on it. The subsequent EP was fantastic though!
So yes my comment was made out of the love of his music, my loyalty to him, and my desire for more people to be aware of him, because I genuinely believe that the more people that are aware of his music, the more people will love it.
I certainly did not mean to anger or upset you, as I’ve said before: your site, your rules.
So again, I send you a heartfelt apology and hope that whatever is going on with this site can be resolved.
Thank you for all you do, and I hope you understand that the post was made by a passionate music fan who wanted a favourite artist to be covered by such a reputable site.
September 20, 2026 @ 10:35 am
I just knew there was no way Noeline wasn’t’ making the next update the second I heard it. Brilliant songwriting that paints a vivid picture but is so much more than a song about hauling cattle. Wow. Hit me so hard it made my running SOTY list after the first listen.
Morgan Wade’s haunting piano ballad “Old History” is sad song poetry. Dude singing with her, John Paul White, has a cool voice to compliment her hard twang nicely. And finally, Cassidy Daniels’ debut album “What Have I got to Lose” is full of absolute bangers perfectly suited to her raw power vocals. Doesn’t fall far from the Ashley McBryde tree but adds more soul and blues yet has plenty of fiddle and pedal steel to keep it country. May be too contemporary for the diehards but based on the quality I think she’s one to keep an eye on.
September 20, 2026 @ 11:00 am
Have you heard the new Joe Stamm EP with the Allegheny High? “More Than Just Bones,” was released Friday. There are a couple legitimately strong SOTY candidates on there, IMO.
September 20, 2026 @ 11:08 am
Yes it’s in the listening cue now and being considered for coverage.
September 20, 2026 @ 4:22 pm
Awesome! Looking forward to your thoughts. Many of my favorite arts – including Joe Stamm Band – were discovered on this site. Greatly appreciate all you do.
September 20, 2026 @ 2:09 pm
I’m still trying to get my head around that Stamm EP. What an emotional roller coaster. Thankfully he threw “Sing Along” right in the middle so I could come up for air for a minute.
September 20, 2026 @ 4:46 pm
Holy shit what an album.
September 20, 2026 @ 11:36 am
Jerry Penile rips.
September 20, 2026 @ 12:03 pm
Still lobbying for a Riley Downing track but now it’s “Country Fool” – who else can do so much with two chords?!
September 20, 2026 @ 3:03 pm
Now I ain’t no guitar player myself, but seeing his fingers move in the video from two years ago of his rendittion of “Country Fool” on the Littlest Honkey Tonk TV youtube channel makes me think more than two chords may have been used there.
You may enjoy that rendition of “Country Fool” on Littlest Honkey Tonk TV should you have not seen it yet!
September 20, 2026 @ 4:41 pm
Two chords Dude. E, B7. Enjoyed the video.
September 20, 2026 @ 11:34 pm
I thought when he moves just his middle (?) finger back and forth to the top string around minute 0:30 that would be (at least technically) two chords. And then the third chord would be the change around minute 1:07. Anyway, perhaps there not just “three chords and the truth” but also “two chords and a tale”.
I attempted to learn to play the guitar when I was younger, buying an acoustic and 2nd hand electic guitar en some tabs books of the first two Oasis albums. I could play along with some songs, and with the solo of one of my favorite Oasis songs “Columbia”. I don’t have much talent for playing guitar I concluded.
I like thinking about and writing lyrics now. I recently attempted to write some lyrics in line of some lyrics by Riddy Arman, and trying to convey some dark story and use similar imagery. I thought about one line in one of Riddy Arman’s songs that includes the words “cast iron pan”, which can be dark in color. I thought that could be a cool idea to incorporate, using items that are dark or black as a way to convey the person is having “dark” thoughts.
So I came up with “skillet” and “old log holder” which could be of cast iron and look dark or black in color. And I further used “crow feather” and “Barred owl eyes” and “burnt wood” and “space inbetween the tangled roots” for some more imagery to try and convey something. I intended to pick things that look dark, or even black.
However, I only later found out that there could be a certain interpretation of these words. Technically, I think, cast iron starts out as silver in color. Or it could. And burnt wood is, or can look, grey. A crow feather can have purple or green iridescence to it, and Barred owl eyes aren’t truly black, they are dark brown. The space inbetween the tangled roots (like at a riverbank) isn’t even a thing that has a color, it’s just a space that appears dark or black.
This then all kind of fit with the story in the rest of the lyrics, in an interesting manner. These things didn’t start out being dark or black, or in a different light appear a different color, have some color to them, or just need some light to shine on it to look like something else. I thought this extra interpretation of these words was kind of cool, and only became clear to me after having written the lyrics. That’s something I like when writing things, sometimes you can end up with something you never even consciously or deliberately write. Perhaps in some cases, one couldn’t even end up with such writing if one consciously and deliberately tried.
I also had a lot of fun writing some alternative lyrics to a song that appeared on The Hook recently.
September 20, 2026 @ 1:15 pm
J Killen about to release his second lp of the year and his single white light not being listed is a major blindspot bc it rips.
September 20, 2026 @ 2:22 pm
Hey Trigger,
There’s this guy you’ve probably never heard of because he only has 249 monthly Spotify listeners. But his name is J. Killen and I really like his new single “White Light.” You should check it out. Also, he’s releasing a new album called X on X date that you should put on your radar and consider for review.
Thanks!
September 20, 2026 @ 3:43 pm
lol this genuinely cracked me up. But also I’m fairly certain I first heard of him here from your release radar for 2026 so you know him he’s just getting overlooked a bit. Though his sound is clearly on brand here.
September 20, 2026 @ 4:18 pm
Noelines song is pure awesomeness. Ill have to check out the video. Ive heard though its not confirmed that she is going to release an album next year, maybe with this being the first single off it. I hope so.
September 20, 2026 @ 6:26 pm
I think we need to get noelines last name spelled right just out of respect. Its Hofmann. Not a big deal and ive spelled it wrong at times but best to get it right.
September 20, 2026 @ 6:33 pm
I read up ion noelines song. She wrote it at her grandparents table on their farm. A very deep song if you listen and know the lyrics. Her songwriting is really great, along with her voice. Another good tidbit i learned from that read is she wrote another song at the same time. Maybe she needsto spend more time on the farm.
September 20, 2026 @ 9:03 pm
Universal Thump is a great song. It’s got a Fables-era REM, Driver 8 sound, with the jangly rhythm guitar and that open- fourth fret pull off thing at 1:06. So cool to hear that sound being updated and reinvested into new music.
I grew up with country music but it lost me along the way, probably for the same reason this website was started. But I’ve been going back through the site’s reviews and “____ of the year” noms and have found some great music that reminds me what I used to love about country way back when. Thanks again for the time you’re putting in to share great music.
September 21, 2026 @ 6:23 am
You nailed it with the Driver 8 vibe. Man, that record and Reckoning were the soundtrack to my early 20’s. I think Peter Buck would approve.
September 21, 2026 @ 2:29 am
Thank you Trig for the best country playlist around
September 21, 2026 @ 4:14 am
Can you review country award winner Ronnie Radkes new song Joseph?
September 21, 2026 @ 8:36 am
The new Mickey Lamantia album is pretty good.
September 21, 2026 @ 10:24 am
That Ransom Brothers record is pretty cool.
Money go by is for sure sharp, but there’s some breadth there Ain’t a Cowboy yea sure been done a dozen times still great writing n fun as hell.
Percocets and porcelain few songs later, well shit, this isn’t fun anymore, not at all…
Liked the ride, thanks Trigger!
September 22, 2026 @ 1:25 pm
Stephen Wilson, Jr. “Corner Man.”
EXCELLENT song.
September 22, 2026 @ 6:08 pm
Trigger–Have you caught Logan Ryan Band’s new album Kamikaze yet? It’s a real winner IMHO, and Logan and the boys seem very up this site’s alley–very Red Dirt, but more country than Whiskey Myers, I think. They are even from Gonzales TX.
Kamikaze is going to be on my shortlist of AOTY contenders in a year with a LOT of excellent albums.
September 23, 2026 @ 6:55 am
Hey John,
I’ve always slotted the Logan Ryan Band into that Texas rock, Koe Wetzel lane that I’ve never found particularly appealing, but I will check out the new album when I get a chance. I appreciate the interest.
September 23, 2026 @ 10:14 am
Bandit’s Ballad currently resides on my best songs of ’26 shortlist. Probably doesn’t hurt that I may be the biggest Presley Haile fan on the planet…