2024 was a huge year for country music, from newcomers like Zach Top and Shaboozey, to veteran pop artists who finally made the switch, last year defied all expectations for the southern sound. I heard hundreds of hours of great music, but a few albums stood out among the rest.
Go Down Singin’ – Chase Rice
Yep, Chase Rice’s first independent album easily takes the #1 spot on this list. At this point, I’ve probably heard it around a dozen times, and it gets better every time. The songwriting was vulnerable and genuine, which is hard to come by these days. I wrote an entire article about the best songs on Go Down Singin’, so check that out here.
Don’t Mind If I Do – Riley Green
Riley Green blew me away this year. “Jesus Saves,” a heart wrenching song solely written by Green about veteran homelessness, an unfortunately neglected topic, became my absolute favorite song of all time. I highly recommend a listen. Even though “Jesus Saves” alone would have earned this album a spot on this list, Don’t Mind If I Do has plenty of other amazing songs. Most notably, “Worst Way”, “Alcohol of Fame”, a song that drastically speeds up and slows down, and the album’s title track, a great duet with new artist Ella Langley.
Fathers and Sons – Luke Combs
It was my dad who introduced me to country music, and it’s become one of the main things we bond over. So when I heard that my favorite artist, Luke Combs, was releasing a concept album about being a father, I was instantly on board. The record was everything I hoped for it to be. As you can guess from the name of the album, some of the songs are about Luke’s relationship with his father (Remember Him That Way, Ride Around Heaven), some are about his sons (The Man He Sees In Me, In Case I Ain’t Around), and some of them fall in between, with separate verse about his dad and sons (All I Ever Do Is Leave, My Old Man Was Right). The core theme of the album is growing up, which is something both dads and their sons can relate to. Fathers and Sons is an emotional rollercoaster, with life lessons along the way, and is well worth a listen.
F-1 Trillion: Long Bed – Post Malone
2024 will be remembered as the year Post Malone officially went country, and he 100% belongs there. F1-Trillion is mostly made up of collaborations, from legendary country artists like Dolly and Hank Jr. to the stars of today, like Jelly Roll and Luke Combs. A big problem that I had, when I initially saw the tracklist, was that there was a severe lack of solo songs, and if Post really belonged in the genre, he should be able to make a banger country song without the help of other artists. However, the day the album came out, Posty also released a surprise deluxe edition, F-1 Trillion: Long Bed, which featured nine amazing solo songs, which sound like they’re straight from the 90’s. The album shattered my expectations, and is full of amazing, genuinely country songs. For collaborations, the best are “Guy For That” (my most streamed song of last year), “Losers”, and the infamously overplayed “I Had Some Help”. For solo songs, the best are “Ain’t How It Ends”, “Who Needs You”, and “Yours”.
Honorable Mentions: The Great American Bar Scene by Zach Bryan, Barely Blue by Midland, Keepin’ the Lights On by Kameron Marlowe, Difftape by HIXTAPE, 9 Lives by Koe Wetzel.
