Release Radar & Most Anticipated New Country Albums for 2026
71 Comments
Welcome to 2026! You made it. Now it’s time to prepare for the rest of the year. Music helps. This page will guide you through the first part of the year to let you know who is releasing albums each week.
Album Review – Hellbound Glory’s “Nobody Knows You”
26 Comments
It’s an indelible part of country music mythology. Right beside the stories of the country hayseeds rising out of the rural landscape to become superstars, there are parallel stories of the singers and songwriters that had the stuff to be nationally-recognized names, but are sitting in half empty barrooms somewhere.
Paul Franklin’s Been Nominated for CMAs 30 Times. He’s Never Won.
32 Comments
Susan Lucci is the name people love to cite when it comes to someone who’s accrued a long string of nominations for a certain award without ever actually winning it. But legendary country music steel guitarist Paul Franklin actually has Susan Lucci beat, and by more than a decade.
Texas Country Legend Charlie Robison is Exploring a Comeback
27 Comments
When Charlie Robison made his retirement announcement in 2018, it felt a little fatalistic that no solution could eventually be found to fix his vocal woes, but he also left no wiggle room in his declaration. Now there is hope that Charlie Robison could be on the comeback trail, or is at least probing that possibility.
Officially Declaring September 30th a Country Music Holiday
31 Comments
The amount of album releases these days can be dizzying. And it can be even more daunting when you have a release day with some super big titles that suck up all the attention when some of the other releases from smaller and more independent artists are just as important or enjoyable.
Shania Twain Goes 80s Glam Instead of Going 90s Country
85 Comments
Coinciding with the announcement of Shania Twain’s signing with Republic Nashville was the release of the most terrible single called “Waking Up Dreaming” that dashes any hopes for a resurgence of Shania country, and picks up where her paltry 2017 comeback record Now left off, namely pop music.
Park Memorializing John Prine to be Dedicated
17 Comments
John Prine was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, but the compass of his musical world was Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, where his parents and grandparents were from, where he visited frequently when growing up, and where some of his fondest memories were made. Prine spelled it all out in “Paradise.”
Album Review – Benjamin Tod’s “Songs I Swore I’d Never Sing”
55 Comments
The title of this Benjamin Tod solo project called Songs I Swore I’d Never Sing is to be taken literally. Comprised of 10 songs recorded in only six hours, some of the tracks were written as long as 10 years ago, while others are more recent. What binds them all together is how Tod shelved them all.
Newest Adds to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#108)
21 Comments
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, or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations.
Drake Milligan’s Debut Single Makes Big Moves
35 Comments
During its first week of “adds” as they say in the radio business, Drake Milligan’s “Sounds Like Something I’d Do” came in at an impressive #2 in country this week, with 26 official adds according to Mediabase, and 33 total stations showing commitment to the song. This is an extremely positive sign.
Clint Black Joins Cody Jinks, Ward Davis on “Nothing’s News”
33 Comments
There has been a very cool kismet forged between country legend Clint Black and Cody Jinks over the last few years. It was through Clint Black that Cody was able to make his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2019, and Cody ended up being featured on Clint Black’s song about the Opry “This Old House” from that same year.
Album Review – Sunny Sweeney’s “Married Alone”
76 Comments
Sunny Sweeney is her own woman. It’s her approach and songs that make this album the standout that it is. It’s her honesty, and the way the sentiments marry perfectly with the music that make “Married Alone” a pretty excellent example of everything country music is supposed to be.
Nashville ‘A’ Team Guitarist Ray Edenton Has Died
15 Comments
Maybe you’re not intimately familiar with the name, but you’re most definitely familiar with the licks he played, and the songs that he helped turn into country hits and standards over decades. One of the most prolific and respected session guitarists in country music history, Ray Edenton, has died.