Rounding out the rest of 2026.
As we’ve seen so many times in the past few years, 2026 has been filled to the brim with stellar album after stellar album from week to week. Despite the controversy as of late, Zach Bryan officially kicked things off on January 9th with the release of his stellar sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top. Later that month, we also saw brilliant debuts from the likes of Kashus Culpepper on Act I and the severely underrated duo Low Gap on Geneva.
The rest of the winter months would be highlighted by the likes of Megan Moroney snagging her first all-genre #1 with her junior record, Cloud 9, Clay Street Unit proving why they’re one of the most underrated bands on Sin & Squalor, Luke Combs continuing his hot streak with the release of his “comeback” album, The Way I Am, and Flatland Cavalry and Drayton Farley ending March on a high note with brilliant albums of their own on both Work of Heart and A Heavy Duty Heart.
Of course, you can’t not mention the convoluted rollout of Sturgill Simpson’s latest outing as Johnny Blue Skies on Mutiny After Midnight, Ella Langley’s record-shattering release of Dandelion, Ernest setting sail on Deep Blue and Kacey Musgraves’ feature-filled outing on Middle of Nowhere in the spring.
The summer came around, and we were treated to a plethora of stellar efforts month-in and month-out. These include some of our favorite alternative country bands such as The Red Clay Strays’ Grateful, 49 Winchester’s Change of Plans and American Aquarium’s New Ways to Lose. There was also stellar releases from fan-favorites such as Charley Crockett on Clovis, Charles Wesley Godwin on Christian Name, Colby Acuff on HANDMADE HORSEPOWER, The Wilder Blue on Cinco and Billy Strings on So Much For Goodbyes.
Of course, this isn’t even mentioning Koe Wetzel’s The Night Champion, Cody Johnson’s Banks of the Trinity, Wyatt Flores’ Scared of Heights, Willow Avalon’s Pink Pocket Pistol, Silverada’s Living Proof, Red Shahan’s Hard Land, Killers frontman, Brandon Flowers country music debut, Thrasher and many, many more.
Simply put, it’s been a massive year for country music, both commercially and critically, and it’s honestly somehow just as jam-packed as we close out 2026.
September will close with two high-profile releases in the mainstream from Riley Green with That’s Just Me on the 18th and Kenny Chesney with Silver Sands Marina on the 25th. Alternative country fans are also getting some major albums from the likes of Dylan Gossett’s sophomore album, Ramblin’, Jason Scott and the High Heat’s Play Boy, Ian Noe’s long-awaited return on Canyon Falls Trailer Band and Wade Bowen’s The Version of Me You Get.
October is fast approaching with some incredibly interesting releases, highlighted on the 2nd by Miranda Lambert’s “country and disco” record, Crisco, and the red-hot Kaitlin Butts’ dropping Hello, Honky Tonk on the 30th. Additionally, we’ll receive posthumous records from legends such as John Prine (Found Dogs – Oct. 9) and David Allan Coe (A Million Reasons – Oct. 16).
To end 2026, we’ll receive two incredibly special releases to end the year. The first comes on November 13th when Randy Travis releases his first new album since his 2013 stroke, Same Old Way, which contains 12 brand new tracks from the vault. Finally, Shooter Jennings is set to drop the second posthumous record from his father, Waylon Jennings, on December 11th with the highly-anticipated Diamonds.
September
September 18
- That’s Just Me – Riley Green
- Signs – Luke Bryan
- Play Boy – Jason Scott and the High Heat
- Love Ain’t For the Faint of Heart – Laci Kaye Booth
- Fools For The Fleeting – Katie Pruitt
September 25
- Silver Sands Marina – Kenny Chesney
- Canyon Falls Trailer Band – Ian Noe
- Ramblin’ – Dylan Gossett
- The Version of Me You Get – Wade Bowen
- Pullin’ Out – Wheeler Walker Jr.
- Heartland Rock and Roll – Corey Kent
- Learning To Unlove You – Harper O’Neil
October
October 2
- Crisco – Miranda Lambert
- The Hard Truth – Wynonna
- Sunriser – Lee Brice
- The Day I Hang It Up – Gavin Adcock
- Taking the Long Way (20th Anniversary Edition) – The Chicks
October 9
- Found Dogs – John Prine
- Appalachian Funk Tree – Levi Foster
- Tigirlily Gold – Country & Midwestern
- Pick You Up – Sheryl Crow
October 16
- A Million Reasons – David Allan Coe
- Midwestern – Belles
- 650 – Wyatt McCubbin
- Dreamin’ Out Loud: 30th Anniversary – Trace Adkins
October 23
- Watertown – Brothers Osborne
- One For The Losers – Colby T. Helms
October 30
- Hello, Honky Tonk – Kaitlin Butts
- Buried Treasures – The Oak Ridge Boys
November
November 6th
- Made You Look – Hudson Westbrook
- The Universal Bubba – Willi Carlisle
November 13th
- Same Old Way – Randy Travis
December
December 11th
- Diamonds – Waylon Jennings
