Ashley McBryde’s small-town concept album, artist Adeem’s inspiring songwriting, and Willie Nelson’s celebration of the restless The pinnacle of country music this year, country music pushes the boundaries even further
Flashback This November’s CMA Awards, consensus Because it was one of the “more country” shows in recent memory. The same can be said for 2022’s music from Nashville, Texas and in-between. Kelsey Ballerini, Joshua Hedley, Lenny Wilson, Ashley McBride, Charlie Crockett and Hayley Whitters all bring elements of a bygone era Infused into their albums: whether it’s the rugged Seventies, the golden Eighties, or the glamorous Nineties. (Lenny Wilson even writes about the era’s “strawberry wine” in “Watermelon Moonshine” outstanding she bell bottom country album. ) Yet, no matter how far back or how recently each album looks back, they manage to sound fresh and modern.
Of course, country music can also be at its best when it comes to daring.Kane Brown released an LP with fiddle and trap sounds, Paul Cauthen produced an Country Funk Compilation Made for clubs, Miranda Lambert makes records that sound a bit country, a lot like Seventies rock (plus B-52’s!).
Still, the lyricism of country music and its American cousin, American music, continues to define the genre. In 2022, names like Zach Bryan, Adeem the Artist, Jimmie Allen and the ever-present Willie Nelson add some new classics to the classics. Find them all on our list of the year’s best country albums.
