Throwing it back the golden era of country music: the 1990s.
Hard to believe that we’re closing in on the year 1990 itself being… 40 years ago. Sure enough, in 2030, we’ll reach that point (pretty quick math by me right?). I can’t even fathom that. What do you mean that the releases of Travis Tritt’s “Help Me Hold On,” or Alan Jackson’s “Wanted” will soon be just as far away as the year 2070? That just seems bonkers.
It’s interesting that, of all the eras of country music, the one that people seem to be drawn to the most is the 90s. There’s definitely a yearning for that sound in the modern day, as acts like Zach Top – who sounds like he stepped out of a time machine straight out of the golden age of country – have commercial success and meteoric rises.
Country music fans are even going back to the era to listen to music that they might have missed, and that prompted one Reddit user to ask the question: What are some “no skip” albums from the 1990s? They actually said the 90s and before, but to narrow it down a bit, I took a look at some of the responses that had releases from 1990 to 1999.
That’s what I love about the beautiful, online forum Reddit. The site acts as a great sounding board that often gives unfiltered, non-sponsored reviews on just about anything you could think of… which is why a country music fans that’s seeking to listen to one new album a week asked the random, anonymous internet for their feedback.
And a “no skip album” is exactly what it sounds like. For younger readers, you probably don’t know what it was like to pop a cassette or CD in and listen to an album front to back. You most certainly don’t know what it was like to unsheathe a vinyl record and carefully drop a needle onto it… unless you’ve joined the movement back to physical records in recent years.
Fans used to listen to an artist’s album front to back, and saying that a project had no skip-worthy songs is big time praise. And country music fans had these projects to share when the topic of “no skip” country albums from the 1990s was presented to them:
“Had a Rhett Akins tape, ‘A Thousand Memories,’ when I was 17. Wore that thing out.”
“Garth Brooks – ‘In Pieces.'”
“Alan Jackson – ‘Don’t Rock The Jukebox.'”
“George Strait – ‘Carrying Your Love With Me.'”
“Brooks and Dunn – ‘Waitin’ On Sundown.'”
“Patty Loveless – ‘When Fallen Angels Fly.'”
“John Hiatt’s ‘Walk On’ is amazing.”
“Alan Jackson’s Here in the Real World.”
“A Place In The Sun by Tim McGraw.”
“Dwight Yoakam – This Time.”
“Brooks and Dunn – Brand New Man.”
“Cross Canadian Ragweed – ‘Carney.'”
“Alan Jackson – ‘Who I Am.'”
Notice a lot of Alan Jackson on that list, eh?
To be frank, AJ is the first person that comes to mind when I think of the era of ’90s country. And he’s put out a number of front-to-back bangers in his day, so it’s no surprise that his name popped up on the list multiple times. Then you’ve got the likes of Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, and George Strait who all had tremendous runs in the 1990s. Looking back with hindsight, it truly was a beautiful time in country music. There were a lot of Keith Whitley responses too, but his albums actually came out in the 80s.
Which artists listed above do you agree with? Disagree with? Did a ’90s country star get snubbed, or did one name deserve too much attention? The beauty of Reddit is that this isn’t an official, exclusive list. It’s just what people with their own musical opinions had to share. There are certainly a lot more country projects from the 1990s that could make the list… maybe a part two of this story coming sooner rather than later?
And if you need some inspiration while you vote, check out our Saved By ’90s Country playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
