There’s so much music cluttering our minds on a daily and weekly basis, and too often, we forget about albums as soon as we hear them or write about them. This page is meant to keep those rare, special records that earn a 10/10 rating from us at Country Exclusive immortalized and unforgotten, and if you’re new to the site or to country music in general, these albums are an excellent place to start for good music and to learn what we’re all about here at CE. This certainly does not include every good album ever reviewed here, or even every excellent album, but just like the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, this is meant to be incredibly exclusive, holding up the absolute best of the best as shining examples of country music being carried proudly forward into the future.
*Albums are presented in the order they were reviewed, starting with the most recent*
Lori McKenna: The Tree
An album that defines and embodies country music–it’s very simply about real life, things we’ve all experienced and to which we can all relate. Lori McKenna has a gift for taking even the most mundane things in life, like folding clothes and sweeping the floor, and turning them into the most poetic expressions of songwriting. She’s one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, and The Tree is one of her strongest albums to date.
Brent Cobb: Providence Canyon
Full of grooves and grit and soul that can only come from Brent’s home state of Georgia, Providence Canyon is a glorious ode to Southern music and culture. It’s country and funk and soul all at once, fun and infectious enough to show to your country detractor friends while still carrying rich, meaningful songwriting. It was conceived and born out of life on the road, and the highway is infused into every note and riff of this record, keeping the atmosphere carefree and the replay value high.
Angaleena Presley: Wrangled
A sweeping, sometimes harsh, often angry examination of the struggles faced by women on a daily basis, from harmful marriages to judgment by one another to the institutional sexism across the country industry. but for all its anger, Wrangled is delivered in a candid, infectious, and relatable fashion, expressing something important while also providing a unique sound and charming lyrics, keeping this album fresh and interesting throughout.
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives: Way Out West
Marty Stuart sets the desert to music in this cinematic portrait of the American West. The lyrics aren’t always western; in fact, they are often absent, but the story is told through the music and mood, a forward-thinking idea in any genre, but especially in country where lyrics and storytelling are hallmarks of the discipline. Marty Stuart has been an innovator in country music throughout his career, keeping country cool and vibrant in that way that only a few can. Way Out West is the perfect example of paying tribute to the roots of the genre while simultaneously keeping country moving forward in new, exciting ways.
Courtney Marie Andrews: Honest Life
From the folk rock side of roots music comes the beautifully written and sung Honest Life. Andrews’ voice transcends genre in a way that so few performers have managed to do well over the years. Her music is reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt, blending folk, country, vintage pop, and rock elements into a style all her own. The writing is poignant, and the vocals are flawless. A truly timeless record.
Dori Freeman (self-titled)
A masterpiece in every aspect, from the lyrics to the melodies to the vocals to the production. This is a showcase of the Appalachian sound, so important to country’s history but largely lost in these modern days. They say country music is a thing of the past to be forgotten and ignored, but Freeman renounces that notion by delivering an album which embraces the most primitive modes of rural American music and somehow managing to make it all work in 2016. This is her debut, and she has since released another fine record. hopefully, there will be many more years of inspiring music from her to come.
Turnpike Troubadours (self-titled)
Representing the Red Dirt subgenre of country music are the Turnpike Troubadours. One of the best live acts in all of country music, Turnpike have made a career out of blending country and rock, traditional and contemporary, releasing albums full of vibrant instrumentation as well as thoughtful, masterful songwriting. Evan Felker is one of the greatest songwriters of our time, and yet a Turnpike album is also something accessible and energetic. This is the perfect band to start with when introducing someone to independent country, or to country music in general, for that matter, and this record is just one great place to begin.
Maddie & Tae: Start Here
This album is one of the strongest cases in recent history for the fact that pop country isn’t inherently bad and can even be great. The only album on this list at the time of this writing in March 2019 to have come out of the mainstream, Start Here is one of the most important records in the Hall of Fame for the genre as a whole. Maddie & Tae may not be completely traditional, and their songwriting may not be as deep as some of the others on this list, but it’s albums like these which can turn the tide in Nashville and bring back those fans that radio ceaselessly courts. We need this generation to carry the torch for country music forward, and it’s a record like this, boasting traditional instrumentation and lyrics that speak to younger fans, which will help instill that passion for our beloved country music in a new generation and keep that music living on.
Kasey Chambers: Bittersweet
Sometimes it’s necessary to look beyond America, the birthplace of country music, to find some of the best artists still making that music proudly today. Kasey Chambers is a household name in Australia, and if only America’s mainstream could accept this kind of quality, country music would certainly be in a far better state. Chamber’s discography is vast and varied, with sonic influences from country, folk, pop, rock, and gospel, and Bittersweet is one of several great records reviewed by her so far on CE. Definitely a worthy place to start your journey into modern roots music.
Blackberry Smoke: Holding All the Roses
Here it is, the original, the first-ever album to be given a 10/10 here and coincidentally, the first independent album to top the Billboard Country albums chart. Southern rock is arguably even more endangered than traditional country music these days, and Blackberry smoke is one of the best bands keeping that sound and spirit alive. This is one of two excellent records by blackberry smoke which have been reviewed here, and this band came very close to being the first to achieve two 10/10 ratings. Their entire discography is worth exploring for fans of both southern rock and traditional country.