3 Unexpected Country Albums Made by Unexpected Musicians

Nowadays, country music is no longer just for country musicians. Regardless of what side you fall on in that regard, there is one objectively good facet—it is diversifying country music. However, this is not a new phenomenon. Recently, it’s been fairly more marketed and these country outsiders have been far more successful. Though, this has been going on for decades, you just didn’t know it.

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The reason you might not know about these certain albums is simple, they weren’t generally successful and publicized. Frankly, it seems the musicians who made these albums were admirably just trying to do something new. So, here are three unexpected non-country musicians to make country albums.

‘Detour’ by Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper is a staple of the ’80s. Her songs “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and “True Colors” are youthful anthems of the decade and as a result, she’s been labeled as an ’80s icon. Not a bad label to have by any means, however, it is rather limiting and hinders one ability to create something “off-brand.” Although, that didn’t stop Lauper, as she released her debut country album, Detour, in 2016.

The album is mainly a compilation of country and western cover songs. Some of the more notable covers featured on the album include Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” and “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline.

‘Heartland’ by Nelly

It seems Nelly quickly hopped onto Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” train with his debut country album, Heartland. Released in 2021, the album features a laundry list of decorated country musicians including, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, and Breland. However, there are a few more to mention.

Given the long list of collaborations, it seems Nelly was a tad bit ahead of the game when it comes to featuring A-list artists on their album. Nevertheless, Nelly’s debut country album was his eighth studio album and his first full-length LP in eight years.

‘Tuskegee’ by Lionel Richie

Released in 2012, Lionel Richie’s 10th studio album is his first and only country album. All the songs featured are re-imagined Lionel Richie songs and feature some of Nashville’s biggest acts. Some big-name players featured on the album are Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Kenny Rogers, Jimmy Buffet, and Willie Nelson.

Unlike Nelly and Lauper, Richie’s album was incredibly successful and became his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Secondly, the album became Richie’s first album to sell over a million copies in the US since his 1986 album, Dancing on the Ceiling. Who knows, maybe Lionel Richie should tip his toe back into country music. After all, now is a better time than ever to do so.

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