20 country albums that even haters of the genre will love

The fourth full-length album from Texan Kacey Musgraves, “Golden Hour” is a breezy country album with tons of electronic and pop influence. Start with the album’s laid-back, dreamy title track, then move on to the mellow vibes of “Slow Burn” and “Butterflies.” 

Released in 2006, “Taking The Long Way” marked The Chicks’ return to the music world after frontwoman Natalie Maines’s controversial remarks about President George W. Bush following the invasion of Iraq in 2002. It’s a classic country crossover record, imbued with pop influence that balances The Chicks’ traditionally twangy sound. Songs like the powerful anthem “Not Ready To Make Nice” are also a pointed message to the band’s critics, who insisted that they “shut up and sing.” 

As its title might suggest, this 2014 album from country powerhouse Eric Church doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a traditional country record. Blending rock, blues, and country with a hefty dose of Church’s characteristic swagger, it’s a perfect fit for fans of southern rock who don’t mind a little twang in their tunes. 

The final album released by prolific country icon Johnny Cash during his lifetime, “American IV: The Man Comes Around” is a stunning showcase of the Man in Black’s talent. Produced by Rick Rubin, known for his work with hip-hop giants like Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys, the album features Cash at his most emotive and introspective, and traverses the worlds of rock, folk, and country deftly. Fans of Nick Cave will enjoy his mournful duet with Cash on “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and pretty much everyone can appreciate Cash’s tear-jerking take on Nine Inch Nails’s “Hurt.” 

One of the genre’s defining works, the sonic fusion of blues, soul, and country in Ray Charles’s “Modern Sounds In Country And Western” was decidedly ahead of its time. And yet, even all these years later, it still feels totally appropriate to enjoy tracks like Charles’s riff on the Hank Williams classic “Hey Good Lookin’” in 2021. 

In 2020, neotraditionalist Margo Price released “That’s How Rumors Get Started,” her most sonically adventurous record to date. Produced by Sturgill Simpson, the album is really more of a classic rock record than a classically country effort, with swampy, grungy arrangements paired against Price’s stunning vocals on tracks like “Twinkle Twinkle.” 

Even the most virulent country hater can’t deny the universal appeal of Willie Nelson, something that’s made plain on his most iconic work, “Red Headed Stranger.” It may still be characteristically country, but literally, everyone can appreciate “Blue Eyes Cryin’ In The Rain” and “Can I Sleep In Your Arms.” 

Thanks to his ridiculously powerful voice and soul-infused arrangements, Chris Stapleton’s debut solo album is a must for anyone who loves a soulful tune. Consider his cover of the classic country anthem “Tennessee Whiskey,” and the stunning “Fire Away,” both of which are stunning showcases of Stapleton’s vocal prowess. 

A country-pop crossover released in 1977, “Here You Come Again” is replete with upbeat Parton classics. There’s the classic party jam “Two Doors Down,” and of course, the album’s title track, which earned Parton her first top-five pop hit. 

The spitting image of his legendary grandfather, Hank Williams III did not feel it necessary to stick to the “family tradition.” His musical path went decidedly along the punk-hardcore route, but 2006’s “Straight To Hell” brings together country and rock in a uniquely Hank III way. This one’s not for kids, though — when it was released, the album became the first country record to earn a parental advisory sticker thanks to its salty language and decidedly adult content. 

Non-country fans may recognize Darius Rucker from his days as the frontman of pop juggernaut Hootie and the Blowfish, but now he’s making music that’s decidedly a little more twangy. There’s still plenty of pop influence on Rucker’s sound, and it’s perhaps most evident on his 2008 breakthrough album "Learn to Live," which features the #1 song “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” 

Sam Hunt’s 2014 breakthrough album “Montevallo” so thoroughly blurs the line between country, R&B, and pop that it sparked a bit of outrage among country music traditionalists who scoffed as it rose to #1 on the charts. Still, its appeal was broad, thanks to Hunt’s strong vocals and the ever-changing demographics of country fandom. 

Pop-country has flourished since the 1990s, and Kelsea Ballerini is now carrying the torch lit by artists like Faith Hill and Shania Twain. Her 2018 sophomore effort “Unapologetically” is perhaps most indicative of Ballerini’s pop-country prowess, with hits like “I Hate Love Songs” and “Legends,” both of which helped Ballerini reach the top of the charts following the album’s release. 

In 2015, Sturgill Simpson upended the world of indie country with “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,” a trippy, psychedelic record with odes to psilocybin, LSD, and space turtles. The lyrics get into much more deep matters of identity, love, and universal truths, all set to expansive compositions. Still feeling skeptical? Start with Simpson’s stellar cover of “The Promise” by When In Rome.

Absolutely stacked with powerful pop ballads, Keith Urban’s 2002 album “Golden Road” features the Australian artist at his finest. It runs the emotional gamut, from the pensive breakup track “You’ll Think of Me,” smoldering love song “Raining on Sunday,” and the endlessly positive “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me.” 

Released in 2019, Maren Morris’s “Girl” is a fun, empowering album full of catchy hits. Its title track is perfect for any woman who’s having a bad day, while “The Bones,” Morris’s smash-hit crossover success, is decidedly more upbeat. 

An emotionally powerful record from top to bottom, Jason Isbell’s critically acclaimed “Southeastern” is a must for anyone who appreciates strong songwriting — even if it isn’t strictly a country record. Released in 2014, it explores Isbell’s newfound (at the time) sobriety, his relationship with his wife and fellow artist Amanda Shires, and other deeply personal topics. Just start with “Cover Me Up,” a definite tearjerker for anyone who’s ever put someone they love through the wringer. 

There is perhaps no album — or artist — that better exemplifies 1960s country than Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.” A decidedly country-pop effort, it includes the album’s iconic title track, along with Campbell’s cover of Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay,” and “Words,” written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, and Maurice Gibb. 

A trailblazing Black artist in an overwhelmingly white genre, Charley Pride broke barriers in 1966 with "Country Charley Pride." It’s a record with universal appeal that extends far beyond country music, thanks to songs like “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” And even though it isn’t on this album — it came later, in 1971 — “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” is a must-listen for anyone who likes good music. 

Possessing a preternatural talent for bluegrass and one of the most iconic voices in music, Alison Krauss recently held the record for the most Grammy wins that were just shattered by Beyonce. As such, it’s easy to see her broad appeal, especially when paired with legendary Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. On “Raising Sand,” released in 2008, Krauss and Plant share stunning harmonies that anyone who appreciates good vocals will love.