Some people say that an artist’s best album is often their first, because they had their whole lives to write it.
While this definitely isn’t always true, there is likely some truth to the statement. Sure, there are plenty of other factors that play into a good album. Experience, in particular, always seems to help artists find their true voice and sound. But there are plenty of artists who, despite the nascency of their careers, come out hot with fantastic debut albums. And it has always been this way. Think Guy Clark’s Old No. 1, Steve Earle’s Guitar Town, John Prine’s John Prine, or Ryan Bingham’s Mescalito, for example, and the list goes on…
It’s an interesting phenomenon to consider, whether there is any truth to it or not. But no matter how you look at it, most artists releasing their debut records, with a few exceptions, typically don’t have as large of a platform or following to share their music as an established artist would.
And of all the great music that was released in 2023, several of the year’s best albums, in my opinion, were debut records.
So, in an effort to shine a light on the work of up and coming artists who have just recently released their first full albums, I’ve compiled a list of my top 25 debut albums of 2023. And believe it or not, there were plenty of great debut albums I had to exclude from this list as well.
I highly encourage country music fans to give all of these albums a chance, and to always keep an eye out for new music from new artists.
Check out my favorite debut albums of 2023 here:
25. True Stories & Flat Out Lies – Tim Goodin
24. Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love Vol. 1 – Them Dirty Roses
23. Something in the Water – Jake Ybarra
22. Won’t Die This Way – Erin Viancourt
“Should’ve Known Better”
21. Unincorporated – El Dorodo
20. Mighty Poplar – Mighty Poplar
19. Headspace – Drew White
18. Lucky – Megan Moroney
“Girl in the Mirror”
17. Long Way From Home – JD Clayton
16. Till the Morning Comes – The Weathered Souls
15. Dark Bar Daisy – Harper O’Neill
14. Jake Worthington – Jake Worthington
“Next New Thing”
13. West on I-10 – Evan Honer
12. Son of Dad – Stephen Wilson Jr.
“American Gothic” ft. Hailey Whitters
11. Is It Just Me – Meg McRee
10. Fallacies and Four-Letter Words – Ritch Henderson
9. Factories, Farms & Amphetamines – Myron Elkins
8. Allergy Season – Levi Turner
7. Crossing Lines – Tanner Usrey
6. Excuse the Mess – Ella Langley
5. Solid Gold – Miles Miller
“Highway Shoes”
4. Better Man – Lance Roark
“Oklahoma Blacktop”
3. Life Lessons – Wyatt Flores
“3/13”
2. Dark Black Coal – Logan Halstead
“Coal River”
1. This Far South – Tommy Prine
“This Far South”
Honorable Mentions – Check these albums out too!
#1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo) – Abbey Hamilton
What, When and Without – Amanda Fields
Livin on the Road – Blake Camp
Can’t Hide Country – Emily Ann Roberts
Introducing: Lauren Watkins – Lauren Watkins
