The Best Mainstream Country Albums of 2024

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Mainstream country albums are given equal opportunity beside independent albums to compete for end-of-year recognition in the Album of the Year nominees and the broader Essential Albums List (upcoming). But the simple truth is that with the strength and quality in the independent realm, some of the best works in the mainstream get unfairly overlooked.

You can’t save country music while ignoring commercial country. One of the ways we address the mainstream is by highlighting the best albums in the mainstream in hopes they help influence the direction of the music moving forward. Over the last few years, we’ve definitely seen a positive shift in mainstream country, and the albums below reinforce this.

In fact, as country music continues to improve across the board, it’s becoming more and more difficult to distinguish what is “mainstream” and “independent.” Major labels are signing otherwise independent artists to distribution deal where they retain creative control of their music, and artists on independent label like Zach Top are starting to receive corporate radio play and CMA recognition.

Meanwhile, you have older artists such as Dwight Yoakam that used to be in the mainstream singed to labels like Thirty Tigers, and no long radio relevant. It’s a moving target trying to decide if an artist is “mainstream” or not. But going forward with what fest “feels” mainstream at the moment, here are the top mainstream albums for 2024.

14. Ella Langley – Hungover


Behind Hungover and especially her collaborations with Riley Green (“You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do”), Ella Langley has shot up the mainstream depth charts and emerged as one of the most promising women for the future of mainstream country. An honest listen to Hungover comes with the conclusion that similar to Riley Green, Langley can lean too much into clichés and songwriting by committee. Her song “Better Be Tough” should have come with a songwriting credit to Roger Alan Wade.

But Hungover also comes with many songs that speak to Ella’s promising future, including the final two acoustic tracks “Cowgirl Don’t Cry” and “Broken In.” Langley was also the only woman to have a #1 on country radio in 2024.

13. Chase Rice – Go Down Singin’


Go Down Singin’ is like a continuation and a sister album to Chase’s 2023 release I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell. They both come in the wake of his father’s death. Clearly the death of his father inspired a dramatic recalibration of priorities for Chase, and that is reflected in the songs of this album. It’s definitely more mature and meaningful than his earlier stuff, just like his last album was, but might even go a step further here. Lori McKenna gets four songwriting credits on the album, and appears in the duet “That Word Don’t Work No More.” This alone should tell you how seriously Chase Rice took the songwriting for this record.

But as much as Chase Rice deserves legitimate praise for the 180° transformational direction in his career, it’s only fair to characterize this album as still coming with many of the modes and inflections indicative of mainstream country. But don’t allow any of these critiques to make you question what your ears are hearing here, which is a dramatic transformation from the original Chase Rice experience. Chase Rice isn’t copycatting, he’s just trying to etch out a space in music where he can be himself. That’s hard to not root for and champion, even if it’s not particularly your speed. (read review)

12. Ernest – Nashville, Tennessee


You don’t really need a conventional album review to help navigate you through or understand Ernest’s 26-song treatise, Nashville, Tennessee. What you need is a road map, a sherpa, someone to point your nose to the mounds of treasure, while navigating past the land mines and booby traps that you encounter along the way. It’s an adventure to say the least.

Ernest’s Nashville, Tennessee is a staunch and starkly traditional country album. It’s unquestionably the most traditional album that has been released in the mainstream in years, or maybe in the last decade or two, and perhaps the most traditional country album that will hit shelves in all of 2024, from a mainstream or independent artist. And since there are 26 tracks, it’s almost like two traditional country albums instead of one … until it’s not.

But make no mistake about it, Nashville, Tennessee isn’t just full of excellent traditional country songs, it a symbol of the genre’s shifting sound and significant movements back toward the heart of country, and from one of the individuals who was partly responsible for the shift away from it in the previous era, and primarily responsible for writing some of the most popular songs currently in the country genre. (read review)

11. Megan Moroney – Am I Okay?


There may be no greater sign of the transformational momentum moving country towards more roots and twang than the music of Megan Moroney. There are certainly more traditional-sounding artists out there, even in the mainstream. There are certainly better songwriters and singers as well. But it’s the fact that Moroney is a platinum blonde fashion plate ripe for country pop stardom who’s putting steel guitar on her radio singles that makes her so interesting, and important.

Certain selections on Am I Okay? go so hard at scoring an emotional response, it almost stuns you. The opening song is about the excitement someone feels at the start of a relationship. For much of the rest of the album, it’s about that relationship unraveling. Putting out the piano ballad “28th of June” as one of the lead singles from the album shows the kind of commitment Moroney has to this involved emotional exploration. It is a purposeful and ambitious approach to her music.

Whether it’s purposeful or inadvertent, Megan Moroney is tackling the difficult task of making country music cool to pop fans. This also means she runs the risk of being neither fish nor foul to find favor with an established country music constituency. Am I Okay? is still distinctly country pop with all the trappings thereof. But you also can’t discount the depth and roots of this effort. It’s music you may not listen to, but you’re proud if your daughter does. (read review)

10. Carly Pearce – Hummingbird


With an uncommon adherence to country sounds for a contemporary popular artist, and bolstered by reams of clever songwriting and spirited performances, Carly Pearce turns in an inspired and compelling album that once again distinguishes her as a major label artist able to accumulate appreciation across country music’s cultural divides.

You could almost forget about Carly Pearce with all the attention being paid to Lainey Wilson lately, and Megan Moroney now quickly coming up on her heels. Don’t overlook Carly Pearce and hummingbird. It’s a strong mid-career effort, mature but current, accentuates her vocal strengths with the little crack in her voice at the end of phrases, and should have been considered for big awards. (read review)

9. Scotty McCreery – Rise & Fall


If you need yet another sign that country is country once again, give Scotty McCreery’s Rise & Fall a spin. Scotty McCreery has caught country fever, and has released perhaps the most traditional country album of his career. We’ve always known that Scotty McCreery had this in him. He made his way through American Idol singing the songs of Travis Tritt, George Strait, Alan Jackson, John Anderson, John Michael Montgomery, and Josh Turner. And unlike other singers, Scotty can handle those low end songs of Josh Turner and others as one of the greatest baritone/bass voices in modern country.

McCreery co-wrote every song on Rise & Fall. This is the moment for artists like Scotty McCreery to step up and take advantage of the music opening up and sounding more country. For some, they’re having to figure out how their songs and voice fit into this new paradigm. But for McCreery, it’s the moment he’s been waiting his whole career for. (read review)

8. Josh Turner – This Country Music Thing


When rounding out the list of the greatest country music singers of our era, you better make sure Josh Turner is at or near the top of your survey or you’re rendering the entire exercise irrelevant and ill-informed. It’s not just the way he can reach down and grab those bass notes with authority. It’s the woody, earthen tone they come with, and the conviction behind his voice that makes him elite.

This Country Music Thing is Turner’s first real original album in five years, and luckily, it doesn’t try to be anything that it shouldn’t. It’s just Josh Turner singing eleven country songs with a voice that makes everything sound better, and showcases a performer doing things other country singers just simply can’t. You hear him go low as he sings the title of the opening song “Down In Georgia,” and you’re immediately sent high into country music heaven. (read review)

7. Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas


They say that well-behaved women seldom make history. Let’s just say that Miranda Lambert has made quite a bit of history during her country music career. This is one of those albums that comes at a point in an artist’s career when they know big radio play is beyond their reach, the award shows have begun to move on, and it’s time to stop giving a shit—or to put it more aptly—to start giving a shit about the most important things.

For Miranda, this means heading back to her home state of Texas, saddling up with good friend and frequent co-writer Jon Randall as producer, and posting up at Austin’s legendary but comparatively quaint Arlyn Studios to make the album she wanted to make as opposed to an album to meet the expectations of anyone else.

Miranda Lambert is not a traditional country artist and never has presented herself as one. She’s Miranda Lambert. And the argument can be made that Postcards from Texas is the most Miranda Lambert album that she’s made in years, swear words and all. This is who she is. And whether you find joy in the album throughout, or in fleeting moments relegated to certain songs, it feels right to celebrate Miranda Lambert being herself. (read review)

6. Randall King – Into The Neon


Into The Neon picks up right where Randall King left off with Shot Glass, meaning genuinely unabashed country songs full of the kinds of sounds and sentiments that you think of when you think “country music.” Randall King and co-producer Jared Conrad clearly studied all those ’90s country albums featuring the plucks and bends of folks like Brent Mason, because they have that sound down tight to a sometimes eerie time travel-like degree.

18 songs is a lot to digest, but it goes down smooth when Randall King is serving them up. Though King’s neotraditional sound might be similar to others, what he has that many don’t is an actual country voice to compliment them. Not only is Randall’s tone custom tailored for this type of throwback country, King is a master of knowing how to cunningly move in and out of phrases with a natural slickness. It’s just a joy to hear the guy sing, no matter what it is. (read review)

5. George Strait – Cowboys and Dreamers


Good music never gets old or goes out-of-style. It only becomes more legendary. George Strait was supposed to have retired from the road and most everything else ten years ago, but he might be as popular as ever, and his music is just as relevant as it’s ever been as the retro cycle and time has been very kind to his catalog. That’s why despite his best efforts, Strait just doesn’t seem to be able to stay away.

George Strait did his duty, to God, to country, to family, and to country music. He owes us nothing more. Anything else is gravy. Yet he still takes moments to contribute like he does on Cowboys and Dreamers.

Years previous in country music as Bro-Country was dominating everything and making many country fans hang their head in shame, we kept searching for a hero or savior who could come to our rescue. But in truth, we never needed that. The catalog of “King” George and other country legends was always there, and so was their influence and legacy. Sometimes in the noise of the present tense, all of that can get lost temporarily. But when the dust settles, there it is like a rock and a steady hand on the rudder.

That’s the music of George Strait. (read review)

4. Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar Scene


In perhaps his most focused and thematic work to date, Zach Bryan exhibits some refinement in both his writing, his singing and playing, and the production approach. The Great American Bar Scene feels a bit more purposeful compared to his self-titled work from 2023, though remains distinctly raw and unpolished. Once again, it’s Bryan who spells it out himself in the words to one of his songs, “I like out of tune guitars and taking jokes too far.”

This is a quieter and more melancholy album, perhaps less country than previous works, and captures a maturing young man whose thoughts and problems have moved on from young adult concerns to bigger and more daunting questions. The ages of 27 and 28 are referenced specifically in songs. He still seems starry-eyed and grateful in many respects. But Zach has settled somewhat into this crazy life that has been foisted upon him, and found more equilibrium to compose his thoughts in a forward thinking manner as opposed to the fever of a given moment.

This week in Nashville, executives in suits, professional songwriters with their little song ideas, session musicians with their formulaic licks all loaded up, producers with 808 beats ready to go in the cue, they will all report for duty and go about their daily routine like nothing has changed. But it has. Nothing makes sense anymore, yet it all makes more sense than it ever has. And it’s due to Zach Bryan. (read review)

3. Cody Johnson – Leather (Deluxe Edition)


Just like the original Leather album, Cody Johnson does a devil of a job selecting strong songwriting material and performing it with passion. Producer Trent Willmon puts forth an admirable effort taking different approaches to each individual song to make the experience interesting throughout. And most importantly, the 2nd half of Leather is a solid country music release into the mainstream market, maintaining Cody Johnson as one of the most traditional and reliable performers in that universe.

Something that distinctly separates this second installment of Leather songs from the first one is the participation of Cody Johnson himself as a songwriter. The first dozen songs didn’t feature even one Johnson co-write. On Leather (Deluxe Edition), Cody Johnson has three co-writes, which happens to include the final song “The Mustang” that he co-wrote with Wes Bayliss of The Steel Woods.

Leather (Deluxe Edition) doesn’t just add 13 tracks to his current album. It continues to add to Cody Johnson’s solid legacy as a consistent and trusted traditional-leaning performer, impervious to the temptation to sell out, and committed to keeping country music country. (read review)

2. Luke Combs – Fathers and Sons


Fathers & Sons is far and away the best-written album of Luke’s career. It’s also far and away the most country-sounding album of his career. Poignant, purposeful, heartfelt, and graced by perfect timing, it’s everything you were hoping it might be when Combs announced it, and nothing you were worried it could have become as he tries to compete for attention in the crowded music space.

The key to a good song about sons, fathers, or family in general, is to capture the emotion inherent in these familial relationships without being overly sappy and sentimental. Like a Hallmark movie, if the pandering for an emotional moment is too obvious, it will fall flat. Working in grays and nuance, and not stating the most obvious is how to land an emotional wallop. Let the audience come to some of the conclusions themselves.

Timing is so essential to the potency of this album, just like it’s essential to all great musical moments. Luke Combs made this record when his kids were still young, and that fresh feeling of fatherhood was still coursing through his veins, and his own father is still around to savor these moments. And yes, releasing it on the week of Father’s Day when so many fathers, sons, and daughters are celebrating helps center your attention on the subject matter, and savor it like it’s meant to be. (read review)

1. Zach Top – Cold Beer & Country Music


You have to let out a little chuckle whenever you see some knucklehead outside of the country music sphere saying that the genre is in disarray and needs saving by some superstar outside of the fold. Meanwhile in the real world, country music is going through a major resurgence with actual country music as the spearhead. Listeners young and old are awakening to the eternal relevancy of a good country song, and are supporting true country music at a level we haven’t seen in many years.

There is perhaps no better sign of this country resurgence than the surging popularity of 25-year-old Zach Top. It’s not that traditional throwback ’90s-sounding artists haven’t been around for years. Many of the original artists from the ’90s are still going strong and releasing good music too. But with Zach, his music has caught fire like he’s the next new thing, even though his sound is older than he is.

Zach Top’s big on Tik-Tok. His songs are finding traction on mainstream country radio. It’s all happening for Zach, and when we talk about “’90s country,” we’re not talking about close approximations or music “inspired” by the era. His new album Cold Beer & Country Music sounds like it is straight off a ’90s country radio playlist from artists like Randy Travis or Alan Jackson, backed by the timeless playing of folks like Brent Mason and Paul Franklin. (read review)

OTHER TOP ALBUMS SOME MIGHT CONSIDER “MAINSTREAM”:

Dwight Yoakam – Brighter Days – (read review)
Jamey Johnson – Midnight Gasoline – (read review)
Shawna Thompson – Lean On Neon – (read review)
The Mavericks – Moon & Stars – (read review)
Willie Nelson – Last Leaf on the Tree – (read review)
Willie Nelson – The Border – (read review)

OTHER MAINSTREAM ALBUMS RECEIVING REVIEWS:

Midland – Barely Blue – (read review)
Riley Green – Don’t Mind If I Do – (read review)
Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind – (read review)
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well – (read review)
Post Malone – F-1 Trillion: Long Bed (Note: the deluxe edition songs of this album comes higher recommended than the standard album) – (read review)

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