The best country albums of 2018
Image: Photo: Kacey MusgravesPhoto: Ashley McBryde Photo: Colter WallGraphic: Libby McGuire
From one angle, the country music narrative in 2018 was distinguished by consistency. Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s easygoing soul-twang confection “Meant To Be” spent a staggering, record-setting 50 weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart, while the vast majority of award winners and chart-toppers are all familiar household names. But dig a little deeper and it becomes clearer that the country-music landscape is less monolithic than it’s ever been. Women once again stretched the genre’s boundaries and wrote indelible songs—even if things such as festival lineups, the albums charts, and radio spins once again didn’t reflect these creative leaps—while newcomers such as Kane Brown and Ashley McBryde provided refreshing spins on mainstream country. If anything, it’s most precise to say that country music is a big tent under which Americana, roots, indie-folk, alt-country (and all variations in between) now comfortably coexist, as reflected in the 10 albums below.
Courtney Marie Andrews, May Your Kindness Remain
May Your Kindness Remain is one of those rare albums that truly has it all: soulful arrangements, timeless production, and most importantly, a songwriter at the height of their powers. Courtney Marie Andrews’ voice elicits the same devastation at a whisper as it does at a belt—with true grit, she slow-burns the story of a Mexican immigrant on “Border,” and swells with heartache on the path to reunion during “Long Road Back To You.” [Matt Williams]
Brandi Carlile, By The Way, I Forgive You
Brandi Carlile unfurled a masterpiece this year, a jangly, orchestral album that could stand alongside classics from Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton. Carlile’s rich timbre sings sagas about the addiction-plagued “Sugartooth” and the tragic life of “Fulton County Jane Doe,” but most compelling is the autobiographical “The Mother,” perfectly capturing how parenting instantly changes who you are—“The first things that she took from me were selfishness and sleep”—and how you wouldn’t change back for anything. [Gwen Ihnat]
Brent Cobb, Providence Canyon
“I think you can write songs that mean something,” Brent Cobb told The Fader this year, “but they can groove too.” Damn, can they ever. Providence Canyon’s country funk conjures a simmerin’ Southern summer so vividly that you can feel the sweat collect on the back of your neck, exploring Cobb’s Georgia home, the murder of Wayne Mills (“The King Of Alabama”), and the only reason worth doing anything: love of the game (“When The Dust Settles”). [Matt Williams]
I’m With Her, See You Around
Although there was never any doubt that I’m With Her would create a sterling debut album—after all, the band’s lineup features A-list songwriters and harmonizers Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, and Sarah Jarosz—See You Around is greater than the sum of its parts. Highlights include the sinewy folk-blues of “I-89”; the stirring, crystalline folk-pop of “Pangaea”; and a stunning take on Gillian Welch’s “Hundred Miles” that begins with haunting a cappella vocals. [Annie Zaleski]