Country Albums You Might Have Missed So Far in 2025

Avery Anna - let go letters

Country-pop darling Avery Anna made one hell of a splash last year with her debut album, Breakup Over Breakfast. Boasting bonafide fan-favorites like 'vanilla' and 'Make It Look Easy,' it feels like that record was the equivalent of a baby's first steps.

Now, a year later, Anna has fully hit her stride with her sophomore record, let go letters.

Born out of an ongoing fan opportunity that allow her show attendees to "write down a letter about anything that [they] want to let go of that [they're] dealing with in [their] life that [they] just need to get off of your chest," the Arizona native compiled a handful of those fan-written letters to create the bones of the 2025 project.

Where Breakup Over Breakfast found the artist testing the country-rock waters, let go letters sees her diving in headfirst with songs like the high-octane 'Mr. Predictable,' gut-wrenching 'Wish You Well,' the Maggie Antone-graced 'Giddy Up!' and the electric betrayal on 'GRAVE.' Yet, amidst the noise, Anna never abandons her trusty piano, with equally powerful and heartbreaking offerings like 'daddy don't,' 'skinny,' 'my mother lies' and more.

There's something to be said about the fact that let go letters wasn't created to be a commercial success; there's not really any tried and true radio singles or big in-your-face promotion. Instead, the heart behind this project lies in Anna humbly taking these freely given stories of alcoholism, body dysmorphia, self esteem struggles and mental health battles, and turning them into something altogether more meaningful and beautiful.

let go letters is a snapshot of the human condition. It's an album that needed to be made with stories that needed to be shared, and no one could steward it better than Avery Anna.

Favorite Song: 'Giddy Up!' (feat. Maggie Antone)

- Lydia Farthing

William Beckmann - Whiskey Lies & Alibis

There’s a quiet confidence running through Whiskey Lies & Alibis, the latest offering from Del Rio’s own William Beckmann.

Without crashing trends or leaning too hard into nostalgia, Beckmann has managed to craft a record that feels both timeless and right on time. It’s country music the way it’s meant to be: warm, worn-in and humming with heart. He doesn’t posture or push; instead, he leans into classic storytelling with an old-school crooner's tone and a steady hand. The production is crisp but never overdone, often letting his voice take the lead with the support of steel, piano and twang that nods to the greats.

There’s a thread of emotional clarity throughout, whether he’s unpacking heartbreak, regret or quiet resilience. Yet, what makes Whiskey Lies & Alibi’s feel special is how easy it all sounds; like flipping on a favorite record you didn’t know you’ve been missing.

Rather than chasing the extremes, Whiskey Lies & Alibis sits in the in-between. Beckmann captures those moments after the bar closes, when memories start spinning and the weight of decisions settle in. It’s a portrait of a man trying to do better while acknowledging where he’s been, and the subtle honesty of young love and heartbreak that gives the album staying power.

Favorite Song: 'Honky Tonk Blue'

- Caitlin Hall

Ken Pomeroy - Cruel Joke

Back in May, a sage singer-songwriter and country-folk’s latest rising star released a staggering debut album.

Ken Pomeroy fashioned an imperative collection with Cruel Joke, weaving empathy and love into a dozen tracks all for the purpose of making us feel a little less alone in this life.

Throughout the album, the Oklahoma-raised artist draws from her Cherokee heritage, her Red Dirt roots and every ounce of wisdom she’s gathered in her 22 years. She carries with her the teachings of her Mamaw, the immutable strength of her storm-weathered community, an inseparable connection with nature and, as a result, comes equipped with a truly incomparable understanding of the world around her.

While it was originally overshadowed by the release of Morgan Wallen’s 37-song monstrosity earlier this summer, Cruel Joke shouldn’t be overlooked for much longer, the vulnerable and compassionate album one worth taking with you into the rest of the year.

Favorite Song: ‘Stranger’

- Alli Patton

S.G. Goodman - Planting by the Signs

If you haven't been listening to S.G. Goodman's Planting by the Signs then we don't actually know how you've made it through the last few months.

The Kentucky singer-songwriter decamped to Sheffield, Alabama, alongside co-producer Drew Vandenberg and guitarist/songwriter Matt Rowan, her longtime musical collaborator with whom she parted ways and then reconciled with in the time between 2022’s Teeth Marks and now, to make her latest record.

With its blend of soul baring, intimate folk and sloppily cool indie rock, Planting by the Signs was a true Americana masterpiece, inspired by belief, love, loss, reconciliation, getting back to nature and the ancient Appalachian wisdom of planting by the signs–i.e. the idea that cutting your hair, or laying down shingles, are best timed to lunar and planetary cycles.

Songs like 'Fire Sign,' 'Satellite' and 'Michael Told Me' have become timely little comforts to us here in the Holler offices over the last few months, on those days that feel like end days when it's difficult to make any sense of the world. These are beautiful, simple, honorable songs to steer you through these dark and confusing times.

God bless S.G. Goodman for making this truly lovely record.

Favorite Song: 'Solitaire'

- Jof Owen

Bryce Leatherwood - Bryce Leatherwood

If you’re a fan of Zach Top (who isn’t, right?), then you need to get Bryce Leatherwood on your radar.

The 2022 winner of The Voice USA is quickly cementing himself as one of the next flag bearers for country music’s neo-traditional resurgence. The Georgia crooner laces charisma and swagger into his commanding baritone across this debut offering. Leatherwood easily flits between the charmingly tongue-in-cheek (‘In Lieu Of Flowers,’ ‘Where The Bar Is’) and the endearingly vulnerable (‘Still Learning’).

As is to be expected from a Voice victor, Leatherwood’s vocals steal the show throughout this record, but there are plenty of colorful songwriting flourishes and witty turns of phrase to satisfy those looking for a little more lyrical depth.

Keep an eye–or an ear–out for Leathwood’s impressive cover of George Strait’s iconic hit, ‘The Fireman,’ which captures the levity and playfulness of the original.

Favorite Song: 'The Finger'

- Maxim Mower

Jesse Daniel - Son of the San Lorenzo

Coming straight out of the heart of California, Jesse Daniel’s Son of the San Lorenzo moves with the musical ripples that run through the rivers of the sunshine state, recalling the moments that saw him finding himself in the “bars and dancehalls from Fort Worth to Bakersfield.”

Taking musical advice and inspiration from The Byrds, Eagles and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Daniel has captured the trailblazing originality that was soaring out of the west coast in the '70s and added his own characters into the story, crafting an album with a distinctly Californian identity.

Whether stitching together the beauty of his own personal love story with some crying steel guitar on ‘Jodi,’ carving out a grittier edge on the rough and rowdy ‘Crankster’ or leaving us with the lasting twang of a Telecaster on ‘The End,’ Son of the San Lorenzo is a love letter to the places, people and records that made him.

Stepping deeper into his own personal tales and identity than ever before, it's an invitation to gain insight into who Daniel has been, hopes to be and is right now. In his own words, “I ain’t done running yet, truth told I’ve just begun.”

Passionate, profound and personal, it’s a 2025 highlight.

Favorite Song: 'Mountain Home'

- Daisy Innes

Caylee Hammack - Bed Of Roses

On her 2020 major label debut, If It Wasn’t For You, Caylee Hammack rendered depictions of her own life story filled with heartache, determination and hope, all guided by the forces of down-to-the-bones honesty. While Hammack’s rafter-shaking vocals became sought after in Music City, it was her multifaceted talents as a songwriter and producer that made her a talent to watch.

With ample momentum, it would be understood to find a creatively hesitant sophomore effort as many artists receive misguided directives from the powers that be the moment that success enters stage left. Though, most artists don’t possess Hammack’s intriguing instincts.

Bed of Roses isn’t just a finely curated 13-song collection but a prismatic, technicolor world filled with passion, despair and fervently felt love. Hammack’s choice to co-author a companion novel to further expose the stories behind these songs isn’t a coincidence but a strategic choice of her all encompassing vision.

Bed of Roses doesn’t just beg for a stage adaptation, it quite rightly demands it. Upon each listen, the world becomes bigger and brighter. Imagine the dewy watercolor backdrops of the gorgeously traditional title track. Or envision the dimly lit drama of revenge soaked ‘Breaking Dishes.’ Ponder the audience’s reaction to the reimagined glory of a timeless classic with ‘Mammas.’ And all before intermission!

Send us the ticket pre-order now. We’ll be there opening night to watch Hammack take her rightful place at centerstage and flowers will be thrown at curtain call.

Favorite Song: 'No I Ain't'

- Soda Canter

Tyler Braden - devil and a prayer

It makes sense that the two tracks that have put Braden on the map for his debut album are a combination of its title. ‘MORE THAN A PRAYER’ and ‘DEVIL YOU KNOW’ have blown up for the Alabama native, garnering hundreds of millions of streams, and rightly so

What else are sleeping on from this album, though?

With grungy guitars, heavy drums and goosebump inducing drops, Braden delivers the rockier side of country music whilst still maintaining that genre integrity. That’s not to say it’s all loud and lacking emotion, though, just wait for ‘YOU DON’T GET TO CRY’ and ‘CALL ME FIRST.’

It’s a crank-it-up-loud, sing-it-with-the-windows-down, leave-it-all-on-stage kind of album and, considering it’s his debut record, Braden has well and truly knocked it out of the park.

Favorite Song: 'HOW IT STARTS'

-Georgette Brookes

Kelsey Waldon - Every Ghost

Now practically a stalwart of the late John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, Kelsey Waldon’s Every Ghost sees her characteristically artful mix of twangy southern charm and smokey Appalachian mystique set unabashedly against the backdrop of her own painful memories and the hope of what may flourish in their wake.

Plain spoken enough not to need any filler, Every Ghost’s compact tracklist of nine carefully chosen songs covers sobriety, trauma and the human need for self-reflection in order to grow. As she told Holler earlier this year, “I’ve already hurt the worst that I could and lived to tell the story. We can be thankful for our ghosts.”

This attitude is exemplified in 'Tiger Lilies,' a simple and elegant tune about the flowers that bloom cyclically from her grief for a loved one, meaning they’ll never really die. Skilfully straightforward and hauntingly beautiful, it’s an effectively indicative litmus test for the entire record.

Favorite Song: 'Tiger Lilies'

- Holly Smith

Willi Carlisle - Winged Victory

This summer, Willi Carlisle’s latest album, Winged Victory, seemed to swoop in, perch for a moment and then promptly fly away, taking to the ether with its witty, sincere and urgent messages in tow.

As it often goes with the beloved folk troubadour, Carlisle’s fourth studio album is flush with pure love and beautiful humanity as he delivers songs meant to salve and satiate. Still, Winged Victory seemed to fly under the radar, a broader audience perhaps unprepared to be washed in the artist’s stark convictions, uncomfortable joy and complete empathy. He pours into 11 tracks all that he is, laying bare his hopes and dreams against a swirling vaudevillian-folk, odd-grass soundscape.

Winged Victory truly is a treasure to behold. Don’t let this one soar away again without getting from it what you truly need.

Favorite Song: 'Beeswing'

- AP

Angel White - GHOST OF THE WEST: THE ALBUM

When Angel White unveiled the first part of his debut album, GHOST OF THE WEST, last year, we were hooked. Moreover, when the artist released the project in its entirety this past March, we couldn’t believe that it didn’t become an instant mega-success.

Cinematic and sweeping, dreamy and enrapturing, moody and moving–the album is beautifully intimate, finding the young artist traversing love and loss, meditating on family and identity, as well as paying homage to his Texas roots. The record and its 15 tracks put on full display White’s innate talents and artistic intuition, acting as the perfect introduction to his genre-blurring genius.

If you haven’t yet waded into GHOST OF THE WEST, we highly recommend it. It may very well become a new favorite, with its creator bound to top your must-watch list.

Favorite Song: ‘DOWN BY THE RIVER’

- AP

Hailey Whitters - Corn Queen

Hailey Whitters’ latest studio album, Corn Queen, is full of clever lyrics, nostalgic country melodies and beautiful collaborations.

Whether you’re in your feels and need a still moment (‘Casseroles’) or you fancy a feel-good track to turn all the way up on a backroad drive (‘Shotgun Wedding Baby’), Whitters has delivered it all in this no-skip 17-track record.

A standout track on this album that has garnered significant traction is the beautiful collaboration with Charles Wesley Godwin. ‘I Don’t Want You’ was released as a single and, alongside ‘Casseroles,’ really set the tone for this album–top tier writing and heartfelt sentiments.

Closing with ‘DanceMor’, Whitters honors the dance hall she used to visit growing up and encourages listeners to relax into and embrace the lighter side of life–and we 're absolutely going to dance more with this album on repeat.

Favorite Song: 'Shotgun Wedding Baby'

- GB

Kat Hasty - The Time of Your Life

It’s genuinely unjust that Kat Hasty isn’t already your favorite artist. One listen to The Time of Your Life and you’ll understand exactly why she should be.

If you need a reference point, picture the take-no-shit fire of The Chicks and Miranda Lambert, the whip-smart dryness of Megan Moroney and Kaitlin Butts, and the red-dirt vulnerability of Wyatt Flores and Turnpike Troubadours. Even then, you’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what Hasty delivers here.

It’s the back half of the record that really has us in a chokehold. If 'Kalispell' is a beautifully sad meditation on what could’ve been, then 'Idaho' is a tender exploration of what might still be — a song about love, family, and finding peace in whatever this world (and maybe something greater) has in store for us.

In Hasty’s words, it’s simple: a slow kind of contentment. For us as listeners, it’s something bigger — a whole-hearted vision of belonging and the dreams we carry with us.

Favorite Song: 'Kalispell'

- Ross Jones

JD Clayton - Blue Sky Sundays

JD Clayton’s Blue Sky Sundays is a perfect mix of front porch sunshine, psychedelic '70s country-rock grittiness and down-to-earth southern charm.

Kicking off with the breezy ‘Let You Down,’ a sweet harmonica-driven melody drops into a groove and the album kicks off for 40 minutes of skillfully-shaped southern funk.

Taking the road out of Nashville and back home to Arkansas, Clayton seems to have settled into a sound that’s built on all of the places he’s been so far. Window open wide, guitar in hand, beer at his feet and the sun seeping in, the sounds of his own record collection weave throughout the tracklist and settle into every nook of the album, leaving a light layer of experimental dust coating the passion that sits at the heart.

With a couple of covers given the Clayton twist, Tracy Chapman’s ‘Give Me One Reason’ remains bluesy but gets some grit thrown into its riffs, while Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Mississippi Kid’ goes from the deepest of swamp-rock to highest of clouds as every second of the track is decorated with psyche-country details.

Clayton has developed his own personal style and on Blue Sky Sundays he’s condensed it into an album that, as of yet, hasn’t been replicated by any other country leaning artist in 2025. For an album released at the beginning of the year, it hasn’t yet lost its charm, originality or listenability. In fact, it will thrive in the summer months and hold onto its sunshine as the year moves on.

Favorite Song: 'Dirt Roads of Red'

- DI

Maddie & Tae - Love & Light

Maddie & Tae continue to be one the most underrated and quietly enduring acts in modern country music.

Part-time observers may remember them casually for viral hits such as 'Girl In A Country Song' or 'Die From A Broken Heart,' but on their sixth full length album, Love & Light, the duo exemplify exactly what has kept their career self-assuredly pushing on more than a decade since their debut.

They’re equally as capable of producing bonafide bar-floor filling bangers, such as the anthemic 'Sad Girl Summer,' as they are soulful, self-referential tracks like 'One Hit Wonders,' which gives a ponytailed wink and a cheeky rug-pull to the naysayers by not actually being about their own careers but a brief romantic flame.

Paired with pristine vocals and slick Nashville presentation, Love & Light is true to its title, finding the pair in a place of contentment that’s as true to them as it is satisfying for the listener.

Favorite Song: 'What A Woman Can Do'

- HS

Cristina Vane - Hear My Call

Cristina Vane might not be a household name just yet, but her latest album, Hear My Call, makes a compelling case that she could be soon.

Woven with wild-woman honesty, ancient tones and fire-lit folk charm, the record feels like a call from the mountains and you’re lucky to pick up. Fusing rock grit with banjo plucked roots, Vane balances dusty Americana with a kind of timeless mysticism. Tracks like 'Do You Want to Lose' and 'Little Girl From Nowhere' dig into restlessness and reckoning, while the title track–a duet with Molly Tuttle–climbs to emotional altitudes with banjo war cries and poetic flare.

There’s no shortage of swagger either as 'You Ain’t Special' and 'Shake It Babe' carry rockabilly bravado that offsets the slow burn of ballads like 'Getting High in Hotel Rooms.'

What makes this album special, though, its its emotional range. It’s as rebellious as it is reflective. If Hear My Call proves anything, its that Vane is a storm worth chasing, and she’ll always be one step ahead.

“Artist and a dreamer, forever in-betweener.” Enough said.

Favorite Song: 'Whims of Good Men'

- CH

Watchhouse - Rituals

I was at an odds to even include 'Rituals' in this list because I want to keep it all to myself.

It's selfish, but its an album you greedily want to keep a secret, a cherished treasure that speaks to you and you alone. At the end of the day, when you settle back, put on some headphones under a gorgeous twilight sky or in front of a fire and fall into the world that Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz so graciously allow us to adventure in, everything feels at peace from outside your own.

At the same time though, that's why an album like 'Rituals' should be shared far and wide - a gift from one to another to revel in its warmth, beauty and essence. If 'Endless Highway (Pt.1)' has us questioning our place in this world, then what better way to do that than with one another?

Share this far and wide, your friends will thank you for it.

Favorite Song: 'Rituals'

- RJ

John Morgan - Carolina Blue

The popularity of John Morgan’s Jason Aldean collaboration, ‘Friends Like That,’ ended up being so immense that it largely overshadowed the debut album that spawned it.

Don’t underestimate the North Carolina singer-songwriter as a one-hit-wonder, though; Carolina Blue is full of visceral storytelling, irresistible, electric guitar-fueled hooks and unashamed down-home pride. ‘Way Out Would,’ which pivots around a wonderful piece of wordplay, will delight fans of HARDY’s rowdy HIXTAPE series, while the likes of ‘Long Ride Home’ and ‘She’ll Always Be’ showcases Morgan’s sweeter, romantic side.

Throughout this project, his distinctive drawl glides across twang-infused instrumentals, with Carolina Blue serving as an enchanting first chapter for the country prodigy.

Favorite Song: 'She'll Always Be'

- MM

Kassi Valazza - From Newman Street

Feeling as much like a fond farewell as it did a hopeful step into the future, the follow up to 2023's Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing came about after the singer relocated, seemingly by accident, from Portland to New Orleans.

Returning to Portland to record with Matt Thomson at Echo Echo Studios, Valazza named the album From Newman Street in tribute to the apartment she lived in there and left with a heavy heart. The album touches softly on those feelings of restlessness and emotional rootlessness that so many of us are feeling these days.

With half the songs on the record written in Portland and the second half in New Orleans, Valazza put her heart on the line again with a set of songs that gently kneaded and rolled you warmly into submission. Sitting at the end of a long lineage of American country-folk singers that begins with Joan Baez and Judy Collins and trails down through British folk singers like Vashti Bunyan and Sandy Denny, before taking in some influence from the '70s Ladies From The Canyon like Karen Dalton and Linda Perhacs, From Newman Street felt like a long-buried time capsule unsealed to let all sorts of melancholy loveliness float free and fill the air.

At a time when we're all feeling a little lost and overwhelmed by the world, there was something beautifully reassuring about the steadfast timelessness of From Newman Street.

Favorite Song: 'Your Heart's a Tin Box'

- JO

I'm With Her - Wild and Clear and Blue

It takes a millisecond of scrolling to be connected to the natural disasters, wars, oppression and general divide that plagues our planet... not to mention having to see your love-to-hate ex live their best life from a click away. This kind of power has made having the ability to truly disconnect such a painstaking struggle, which is why moments of respite are such momentous blessings.

Super folk group I’m With Her’s latest offering, Wild and Clear and Blue, is 2025’s greatest meditative retreat from the pangs of a world gone mad. The innate connection between Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan is as mighty as it was on their 2018 debut, See You Around, with fine crafted instrumentation and striking harmonies filled with inherent heart.

Whimsical instrumentation adds a timeless dimension to the meditative ‘Ancient Heart.' As they sing of “swimming in the ancient light” it diminishes the harsh walls of resentment and opens the heart to the mystery of the journey ahead. Meanwhile, the nostalgic layering of the title track reminds us all to find the simple joys of our pasts while honoring the blessings of the present.

Though, it's the irresistible cadence of ‘Find My Way to You’ that serves as the electric element of the collection. “With the wind between the leaves, a little rustle at my feet / Through the shadows of the trees, I’ll find my way to you,” they sing brightly not as a lament to a long lost love, but of searching and maintaining the most important relationship of all, with ourselves.

Favorite Song: 'Standing on the Fault Line'

- SC