Zach Bryan
Three artists dominated country music this year: Zach Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll. Each has his or her own distinct style and lengthy list of accolades, but the trio shares one important thing in common. All three were once underdogs who stuck to their guns and found success their own way, signaling a refreshing turn of the tide within a genre long captive to a rigid formula for up-and-comers and a longstanding homogeneity problem.
Lainey Wilson
Bryan started building momentum last year, finding breakout success with his third album American Heartbreak and its standout single “Something in the Orange.” A truly prolific artist, Bryan released another album this year. His excellent self-titled fourth LP joins a string of EPs and singles in attempting to satiate a rabid fan base who also religiously attend the singer-songwriter’s ever-sold-out shows.
Jelly Roll
Thanks to Wilson, this year’s CMA Awards ceremony ended with a shock. Up against a field crowded with long-established superstars, the Louisiana native took home country music’s top honor when she won Entertainer of the Year as well as four other trophies, including Album of the Year for Bell Bottom Country. And Jelly Roll was perhaps the year’s biggest country music surprise, pivoting from the hip-hop of his earlier career to the rock-influenced country of Whitsitt Chapel. That record has rightfully earned the Antioch native critical praise and a welcoming embrace from the country community.
Luke Combs once again dominated the charts with his latest album Gettin’ Old, which spawned an unexpected hit: a cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 song “Fast Car.” Combs did not release his version as a single, but it found a life of its own anyway. That song was surprisingly polarizing for country fans, some of whom didn’t find Combs worthy of the track. But it did notch Chapman a much-deserved Song of the Year CMA Award some 35 years after she released her version.
Tyler Childers at Bonnaroo, 6/17/2023
It was a great year for straightforward country music, as Ashley McBryde released her fourth album The Devil I Know, a master class in narrative songwriting and emotive singing. Chris Stapleton blew our collective minds with his fifth solo album Higher, a fiery showcase of his virtuosic talents as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. And Tyler Childers made an instant classic with Rustin’ in the Rain, a timeless collection partially inspired by Elvis.
Other artists branched out. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dolly Parton released her first rock record Rockstar — a star-studded double album featuring Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo and other musical luminaries. And Brothers Osborne served up a self-titled LP worthy of repeated spins, thanks in no small part to an expansion of the duo’s sound to include influences of soul, R&B and even disco.
Other notable releases this year include Margo Price’s Strays, Kelsea Ballerini’s Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, Chapel Hart’s Glory Days, Tanya Tucker’s Sweet Western Sound, Turnpike Troubadours’ A Cat in the Rain, Brent Cobb’s Southern Star, Jessi Colter’s Edge of Forever and Amanda Shires and Bobbie Nelson’s Loving You.
Maren Morris and Joy Oladokun at Love Rising, Bridgestone Arena, 3/20/2023
It wasn’t all success stories and great music, though. Much ink was spilled over Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” a tired and generic song only made noteworthy by the thinly veiled racism of its lyrics and the not-so-veiled calls to violence of its accompanying music video. Aldean seems to make the news only for bigoted behavior in recent years, or when he’s calling out other artists like Maren Morris. In September, Morris announced her decision to part ways with the genre. Later, she clarified on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that she’s mostly planning to skirt the toxic parts of the genre, and has been working with producer Jack Antonoff (who produced The Chicks’ Gaslighter). If that means being “not country,” so be it. To help explain her thinking, she shared the songs “The Tree” and “Get the Hell Out of Here,” describing them as “incredibly key to [her] next step” as an artist.
The Grand Ole Opry made strides when the institution invited Adeem the Artist, who is queer and nonbinary, to perform on the show over the summer. It’s hard not to feel like they erased any goodwill, however, when the Opry building hosted Fox Nation’s Patriot Awards in November. That event saw extremist group Moms for Liberty, who famously work to undo LGBTQ rights among other grotesqueries, take home a trophy; it also featured an appearance from anti-trans activist Riley Gaines.
While country music still has a long way to go in terms of inclusivity, a changing of the guard appears to be happening — one driven by fans and the artists themselves instead of industry institutions. To borrow a word made popular this year by another former country star, the genre is poised to enter a new, um, era — one that could flourish even more in 2024.
Talking with Bully’s rock ’n’ roll polymath Alicia Bognanno, counting down the year’s top local albums and more
