Country artists tend to stick to their guns musically, opting to continue with their specific flavor of country music for the rest of their careers. Some, though, opt for a healthy dose of experimentation… or completely change their sound for good. Let’s look at a few country stars who surprised fans with very different-sounding albums.
‘Red’ by Taylor Swift (2012)
This was the album that essentially ended an “era” (ha!) for Taylor Swift. Her previous three albums were almost exclusively country releases. Red was the album that began to lean into arena rock and pop. The 2014 album 1989 would follow soon after, and that album almost completely lacked country elements. And it’s not that bad of an album, either, and served as a fine segway for Swift into full-blown pop. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” are just a couple of major singles from this record.
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‘Rockstar’ by Dolly Parton (2023)
When you’re a world-famous and beloved country crooner, franchise tycoon, actress, and philanthropist… what else is there to do? Put out a rock album, of course! Rockstar was Dolly Parton’s very first rock album, but it isn’t totally without a bit of country pop flavor. A ton of collaborators helped Parton with this fun little album, from Steve Perry (Journey) to Ann Wilson (Heart) to John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), among many others. Dolly included quite a few amazing covers on this record, including “Purple Rain” by Prince and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones.
‘Starting Over’ by Chris Stapleton (2020)
This gorgeous album by Chris Stapleton is, at its heart, a country album. However, more than a few fans noticed some pretty big differences between this release and Stapleton’s first three albums. The country roots are still there, but Stapleton really leaned into the blues and soul elements on this record, with a decent dose of rock in the mix. The writing credits on this album are pretty incredible, with the likes of John Fogerty, Mike Campbell (The Heartbreakers), and Guy Clark found throughout. I’m definitely not surprised that Starting Over scored two Album of the Year awards and a Grammy for Best Country Album. Sometimes, adding some additional genre flavor to one’s records can really brighten up the music.
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