Simon RushworthCountry music’s never been easier to digest… and more difficult to define. As the genre continues to stretch its creative boundaries, Rushonrock editor Simon Rushworth reveals his top picks for 2025.
10. Parmalee — Fell In Love With A Cowgirl (Stoney Creek)
Fast approaching their 25th anniversary, proven trad country hitmakers Parmalee have lost none of the boys-next-door charm that powered debut EP Daylight.
Fell In Love With A Cowgirl’s seven tracks might have left fans wanting more but everything here was perfectly crafted to soundtrack a lazy North Carolina summer.
The Thomas brothers have become past masters at penning reassuringly comforting country anthems dealing in love, loss and hard luck stories.
Earworm God Knew Better and the upbeat Cowgirl were the coolest tracks but a well-rounded record was built on robust consistency.
9. Ashley Monroe — Tennessee Lightning (Mountainrose Sparrow)
Ashley Monroe’s magical Rosegold was Rushonrock’s Best Country Album of 2021 and Tennessee Lightning maintains the Knoxville native’s rich vein of form.
Four years might have passed between career-defining records but one of the most compelling voices in alt country retains a gritty edge.
Monroe mixed outlaw grooves, pop sensibility and soulful introspection on a record that never outstayed its welcome.
Stripped back, folky The Touch featured a magical turn from Marty Stuart while T Bone Burnett added a hefty touch to opener I’m Gonna Run. But Magnolia was Monroe at her magnificent best.
8. Tyler Braden — Devil And A Prayer (Warner Records Nashville)
It’s almost a year since we had the pleasure of chewing the fat with Tyler Braden on his suitably beefy tour bus.
And the fast-rising country rock star couldn’t have been a more hospitable host ahead of that evening’s show with Brothers Osborne.
Braden’s debut long player was a long time coming but a substantial body of work — 19 tracks repaid the faith of long-time fans — was both bold and confessional.
Kaitlin Butts made her presence felt on standout Might Be Dangerous and Think About Me was a thought-provoking highlight.Â
Devil And A Prayer was risk free and raucous as former firefighter Braden exploded.
7. Zach Top — Ain’t In It For My Health (Leo 33)
The most exciting country music prospect on the planet right now? Quite possibly.
Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney were writ large over a record rooted in trad country and featuring some of the finest fretwork we heard all year.
Lead single Good Times & Tan Lines offered a teasing glimpse into what was to come.
And Ain’t In It For My Health proved to be a shot in the arm for those requiring a welcome boost of tip top Zach Top.
In fact, debut album Cold Beer & Country Music suddenly sounded dated given the quality at the heart of this fabulous follow-up.
Check out dreamy ballad When You See Me and you’ll realise: resistance is futile.
6. Margo Price — Hard Headed Woman (Loma Vista)
When 2023’s Strays landed inside our Best Country Albums of 2023 list we wondered whether Margo Price had peaked. As if.
Hard Headed Woman took that record’s liberal dashes of Southern rock, blues and stoner and continued to push the envelope.
Price isn’t classic country. She’s simply classic.
Covers of Steven Knudson‘s Love Me Like You Used To Do (featuring Tyler Childers) and Waylon Jennings’ Kissing You Goodbye were well placed.
But the originals were the best: Close To You and Nowhere Is Where were wonderfully rich.
5. Morgan Wallen — I’m The Problem (Big Loud)
When a record spends 25 weeks atop the Billboard country music chart it’s clearly a noteworthy body of work.
And Morgan Wallen’s often self-reflective mega seller was a masterful example of modern country music at its commercially ripe best.
Big name collabs with Eric Church, HARDY, ERNEST and Post Malone managed to stay just the right side of bro-country predictable.
But the surprise standout was Wallen’s duet with Canadian popster Tate McRae — What I Want was a truly inspired left turn.
I’m The Problem solved many a summer party soundtrack.
4. Brett Young — 2.0 (Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment)
2.0 wasn’t only about cashing in on RIAA Diamond-certified In Case You Didn’t Know.
But including a reworked version of Young’s 2017 single, featuring Hannah McFarland, was a canny move.
It ensured the Dann Huff-produced follow-up to Across The Sheets stood out from the crowd.
And Brett Young took the opportunity to reinforce his reputation as one of country music’s most affecting singer songwriters.
We said ‘2.0 pitches the former baseball prodigy as a voice of purpose and a beacon of hope for mid 40s drifters everywhere’.
In case you didn’t know… Young just dropped his best record since 2018’s Ticket To L.A..
Read the full review here.
3. Gareth — Steal Your Thunder EP (BMG)
This was billed — by the man himself — as Gareth’s ‘introduction to the world’.
Of course, the canny Ulsterman based in Nashville had been around for some time before Steal Your Thunder dropped in May.
But this was Gareth’s way of making it clear he was finally ready to take on allcomers.
Opening up for Kip Moore across the UK clearly helped boost his profile.
And having tunes like Time Don’t Wait in his back pocket ensured nobody could question those country music credentials.
Steal Your Thunder threatened to steal the show in 2025 — if we had an award for Best Newcomer then Gareth would be our guy.
Read the full review here.
2. Jordan Davis — Learn The Hard Way (MCA Nashville)
After making his mark on Luke Combs’ tour Down Under we described Jordan Davis as ‘a threat hiding in plain sight’.
And sure enough, Learn The Hard Way had country music’s biggest stars nervously looking over their shoulders.
You see this was a record that boasted country roots, leant on Southern rock and even brought Rushonrock-approved bluesman Marcus King along for the ride.
King joined Carly Pearce as Davis’ A-list collaborators on an album that captured the mood of modern country without ever ditching its more familiar tropes.
The ZZ Top-fuelled Good Gone Bad’s a highlight but Learn The Hard Way’s all killer and no filler.
Read the full review here.
1. Mackenzie Carpenter — Hey Country Queen (The Valory Music Co.)
Back in March we said ‘it’s impossible to ignore the might of Mackenzie Carpenter on this outstanding debut’ and nothing’s changed since.
Except the Country Queen’s since starred at C2C, doubled down on her reputation as an in-demand collaborator and won a BMI Song Of The Year award for her I Had Some Help co-write.
Now you’re listening?
We also warned the sceptics not to judge a book by its cover where Carpenter’s concerned.
At first glance you’re looking at a country pop princess. Look again — there’s plenty of substance to complement the obvious style.
Guys Like You, Dozen Red Flags and Gone are the Hey Country Queen go tos but Carpenter floored us from start to finish.
Read the full review here.
Enjoyed catching up with 2025’s year in country? Revisit 2024 here.