Country music has been scorching hot so far in 2026.
We may just be five months into the year at this point, but there has been an unbelievable amount of fantastic music released already this year. There have been some heavily anticipated albums from non-mainstream heavy hitters like Ryan Bingham and 49 Winchester that have lived up to the hype and even exceeded expectations. Some of the biggest names in country music like Ella Langley and Luke Combs have even proven that mainstream country music is in a pretty cool spot right now, at least compared to a decade or so ago.
The majority of my favorite records thus far in 2026, though, have come from the up-and-comers poised for a breakthrough and the perennially underrated artists who quietly continue to deliver some of the most compelling music in the genre. Accordingly, I’ve put together a list of my 25 favorite albums released so far this year, and I have to say, the sheer mass of spectacular albums out there made this exercise quite cumbersome. I mean, there were well over 50 albums I wanted to include in this list, so there were plenty of difficult exclusions.
As a result, I am sure I have made plenty of controversial omissions, and it’s very possible your favorite album didn’t make my list. These rankings, of course, are completely subjective and will almost certainly shift as the year goes on, but for now, these are the 25 records that have defined my listening year to date, with the top 15 ranked in order.
Check out my ranking here:
Charley Crockett – Age of Ram
Drayton Farley – A Heavy Duty Heart
Ella Langley – Dandelion
Flatland Cavalry – Work of Heart
Jarrod Walker – Nighthawk
Johnny Blue Skies – Mutiny After Midnight
Kashus Culpepper – Act I
Luke Combs – The Way I Am
Southall – Kinfolk
William Clark Green – Watterson Hall
The Top 15
15. Tyler Halverson – In Defense of Drinking
Song Pick: “More Hearts Than Horses”
14. Brit Taylor – Land of the Forgotten
Song Pick: “Warning You Whiskey”
13. Braxton Keith – Real Damn Deal
Song Pick: “Don’t No More”
12. Jordan Lee King – King of the Bluegrass
Song Pick: “Virginia”
11. Benjamin Tod – Vengeance and Grace
Song Pick: “Vengeance and Grace”
10. Vincent Neil Emerson – Blue Stars
Few artists out there capture the spirit of independent country music in their songwriting quite like VNE, and his latest effort Blue Stars continues to build on that reputation. Across the project, he delivers some of his most quietly affecting songwriting to date, grounded in lived-in imagery and emotional honesty. The result is a subtle but powerful reminder that Emerson remains one of the genre’s most consistent and compelling storytellers.
Song Pick: “The Great Highway”
9. Colton Bowlin – Grandpa’s Mill
Grandpa’s Mill is the soundtrack to the 21-year-old Bowlin’s upbringing and coming of age in his hometown of Albany, Kentucky, where his life was often centered around family, friends, and time spent working at his grandfather’s feed mill. When Bowlin’s grandfather passed away just over a year ago, and his family decided to sell the business, it only seemed right to dedicate an album inspired by the people, stories, and circumstances that shaped him into the man he is today to his grandfather. And Grandpa’s Mill was the result.
Taking on a nostalgic tone as the young artist reflects on these memories, he manages to set the scene clearly and paint a picture for the listener with imagery-laden lyricism and captivating storytelling. Though rooted in his own experiences with the Bluegrass State as the backdrop to his life, the universal nature of the underlying themes and sentiments conveyed through Bowlin’s songwriting – such as love, family, and mortality – is sure to resonate with listeners no matter where they reside.
Song Pick: “Clinton County”
8. Josiah & the Bonnevilles – As Is
Few songwriters are as effective in their ability to make deeply personal songs feel universally relatable quite like Josiah Leming. Performing under the Josiah & the Bonnevilles moniker, the Tennessee native has cultivated a devoted following over the last several years through vulnerable and emotional songwriting, and As Is feels like the strongest collection of songs he’s released to date.
The album finds Leming grappling with life’s struggles, heartbreaks, and hard-earned lessons with a level honesty that has become his trademark. While the introspective songwriting remains front and center, As Is also expands upon the sonic foundation of his previous work, incorporating a broader palette of sounds without sacrificing the intimacy that has always made his music so compelling.
Song Pick: “Carolina Heart”
7. Colby Acuff – Handmade Horsepower
His seventh album in as many years, Colby Acuff’s Handmade Horsepower might just be his most dynamic yet. Released on the heels of a high-octane, meme-fueled marketing campaign spearheaded by Acuff himself, the albums taps into a sound that differs from his prior catalog, yet won’t be a surprise to anyone who has heard him live. Blending elements of hard-driving southern rock with a West Coast honky tonk sound reminiscent of Dwight Yoakam and even Merle Haggard, it fits Acuff’s vocals perfectly.
With some of his most assertive songwriting yet, Acuff doubles down on themes of individuality and creative freedom, pushing back against the expectations of the country music machine. At its core, Handmade Horsepower is a statement record — one that warns against compromising identity or artistic integrity in pursuit of fame or approval, and instead champions the value of doing things entirely on your own terms, something that Acuff has embodied throughout his career. Especially in recent years.
As if the album itself weren’t enough, Acuff dropped a movie to go along with it.
Song Pick: “Play For Keeps”
6. Ben Chapman – Feet On Fire
Having married his wife Meg McRee and become a father all in the past year or so, Ben Chapman has experienced quite a bit of change lately, and Feet On Fire comes as a result.
Largely set in the present tense with anecdotal references to past experiences sprinkled throughout, the 12-track project weaves seamlessly through restless reflections and heartfelt love songs, balancing moments of lighthearted romance with the uneasiness brought about by uncertainty and change. Still, a few more whimsical tracks lighten the mood at times and shine a light on an aspect of Chapman’s music that is equally as important as his top-tier songwriting: his one-of-a-kind sound.
Landing sonically in a sweet spot somewhere between Marcus King, Daniel Donato, Jason Isbell, and Brent Cobb, Chapman is carving out a lane with a blistering, guitar-driven blend of country, blues, funk, and jam-heavy rock & roll. These traits are apparent throughout his catalog, and Feet On Fire is no exception. In fact, this album finds Chapman at what may be his peak, both sonically and lyrically, and positions itself as a potential breakthrough moment in his career.
Song Pick: “Feet On Fire”
5. Shelby Stone – Silveryear
Finding herself thriving on the rock and roll side of red dirt instead of as a soft-spoken and sensitive songwriter, Silveryear punches you in the mouth from the moment the first track gets going, and Shelby Stone doesn’t let up until the last note of the 17-track project.
With a distinct sound and impressive songwriting, Silveryear isn’t just any debut record – it marks the moment that Stone arrives as a serious force on the rock-leaning edge of Red Dirt. A bonafide star in the making finally letting the rest of the world in on something she and her circle have known for a while now: Shelby Stone isn’t just coming up, she’s already here. And Silveryear is proof.
Song Pick: “How Much More”
4. Clay Street Unit – Sin & Squalor
Few bands have ever managed to generate as much momentum without a debut album to their names as Clay Street Unit has over the past few years. Through relentless touring and a genre-defying live show that has steadily transformed first-time listeners into devoted fans, the Colorado outfit built a strong grassroots following before ever releasing their debut record.
Patience from both the band and the fans paid off, though, as their highly anticipated debut Sin & Squalor dropped at just the right time. Produced by Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters, the album showcases everything that has made Clay Street Unit such a compelling act from the start. Drawing equally from country, bluegrass, Americana, and jam band influences, the record is nearly impossible to fit neatly into a single box, yet it never feels unfocused. Instead, the band’s eclectic sound serves as the perfect vehicle for the thoughtful songwriting and collaborative musicianship that define the project.
If you want to read more about Sin & Squalor, check out this interview with frontman Sam Walker.
Song Pick: “Rollin'”
3. The Droptines – Drought Flower
The Droptines’ most cohesive project to date, Drought Flower captures life’s vicissitudes with descriptive lyricism and clever wordplay as frontman Conner Arthur urges the listener to find beauty in the struggle. A lyrical masterclass, the album covers topics of grief, inadequacy, mortality, resilience, and more with the use of nature-centered imagery and metaphor as well as grandiose biblical allusions.
From a sonic standpoint, this record is a welcomed extension of the distinct DIY sound they’ve built thus far, which feels just as much at home in an old Texas dancehall as it does in a major city’s underground rock and roll scene. The Droptines are undeniably country, but the heavier guitar tones and gritty vocals give the project a harder edge.
I’ve been saying it for a while now, but The Droptines are poised to be one of the next breakthrough acts out of Texas in the next few years, and Drought Flower is an emphatic step forward in that direction.
Song Pick: “Tombstone”
2. 49 Winchester – Change of Plans
In a few years, as the 2020s are coming to an end, we’ll look back at 49 Winchester as one of the most important bands of the decade, and their new record Change of Plans will be one of the reasons why. Produced by Dave Cobb, the band’s major label debut is their most sonically diverse project yet, with 10 potent tracks that weave seamlessly between honky tonk heaters, soulful ballads, and flat-out rock and roll songs.
It’s easy to sound good when you have Isaac Gibson’s world class vocals leading the charge, but it’s the blistering musicianship from a tight knit outfit held together by a trio of childhood friends that truly separates 49 Winchester from the glut of impressive alt-country bands this day in age. Their signature Appalachian Soul sound thrives at the root of each track on the record, enhancing Gibson’s deft lyricism and even a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes.”
Song Pick: “Bluebird”
1. Ryan Bingham – They Call Us the Lucky Ones
For more than two decades, Ryan Bingham has built a career out of turning his own experiences into songs for restless souls — cowboys, drifters, vagabonds, road warriors, and anyone who fantasizes about such a way of life. But on his latest record, They Call Us The Lucky Ones, he sounds less like a man outrunning the darkness of the past and more like one who has found peace in the light of the present.
The ironically titled album still carries the scars of the hard-lived experiences that have always defined Bingham’s music. But in this project he reframes those experiences through a lens of love and gratitude – emotions that have become especially prominent in this current chapter of his life. It’s no coincidence that this is Bingham’s first album since marrying his wife, Hassie Harrison, nor is it a coincidence that it is his first project recorded with The Texas Gentlemen as his backing band.
I discussed the album with Bingham and wrote about it in depth if you want the full story, but the fact of the matter is that They Call Us The Lucky Ones finds Bingham at his best, both lyrically and sonically, and that makes for the best album of the year so far.
Song Pick: “Blue Skies”
