With a wealth of new songs and albums dropping every week, keeping up with country music isn’t easy in the modern age. Even artists you enjoy can quietly drop an album, and you’ll only find it when you’re revisiting an old favorite on a streaming platform. At the same time, under-the-radar artists regularly release top-tier music that gets overlooked in favor of a hanful of megastars.
Videos by American Songwriter
There is no way of knowing how many modern country albums have slipped through the cracks over the last few years. So, the short list below is far from exhaustive. However, it’s a good start for anyone who is looking to find new artists or albums to dive into.
[RELATED: I Can’t Get These 4 Country Songs from 2025 Out of My Head, and I’m Not Complaining]
1. Cody Jinks Sings Lefty Frizzell by Cody Jinks (2024)
Modern outlaw country singer Cody Jinks released three albums in 2024. Change the Game got much attention because it was his first as a fully independent artist, and he stopped drinking while working on it. Then, he released The Backside of 30, a remastered version of his 2012 album, 30. Nostalgia helped make it a widely talked-about release. However, most missed his absolutely stellar album of Lefty Frizzell covers.
Cody Jinks Sings Lefty Frizzell is a fantastic album for anyone who enjoys classic country music and Jinks’ voice. He’s not trying to break new ground here. Instead, he’s paying tribute to one of the greats. The tracklist includes songs that Frizzell wrote or recorded, and includes classics like “The Long Black Veil,” “I Never Go Around Mirrors,” “That’s the Way Love Goes,” and more.
2. Lil G.L.’s Honky Tonk Jubilee by Charley Crockett (2017)
Charley Crockett released his breakthrough album, Welcome to Hard Times, in 2020. The album brought classic country sensibilities to a modern audience, and people loved it. However, many don’t realize that Crockett had been regularly releasing music for five years before Hard Times caught everyone’s ears. His 2017 covers album Lil G.L.’s Honky Tonk Jubilee is criminally underrated.
Crockett injects his Gulf & Western swagger into classics like “I Saw the Light,” “Jamestown Ferry,” “Brothers of a Bottle,” and many more. This is the perfect album for someone who wants to hear classic country music with modern production.
3. A Long Way from Your Heart by Turnpike Troubadours (2017)
Oklahoma-based Turnpike Troubadours have made a huge comeback after a years-long hiatus. They announced their return with A Cat in the Rain in 2023. Then, earlier this year, they quietly released The Price of Admission. Longtime fans and Red Dirt devotees were thrilled to see them back in action. While they have been gaining new listeners, they have been largely overlooked by the wider country music community.
A Long Way from Your Heart was the last album the band released before their internal issues led to the hiatus. Like most of their output, this album is fantastic from beginning to end. The band is tight, delivering plenty of pedal steel and fiddle. At the same time, Evan Felker’s songwriting and vocal delivery are both on point. This did not sound like an album from a band that was ready to call it quits. Highlights include “Unrung,” “A Tornado Warning,” “Pay No Rent,” and “Winding Stair Mountain Blues.” This is a great album for someone who wants to dig into the Red Dirt side of country music.
4. You Get It All by Hayes Carll (2021)
Hayes Carll might be one of the most overlooked songwriters in modern country music, and this album is proof. You Get It All isn’t exactly a concept album. It’s not a collection of breakup songs or love songs. However, the tracks largely deal with relationships. Not all of the relationships in these songs are romantic. However, when the songs do turn to familiar topics of love and loss, Carll doesn’t just tread the same ground. The result is an album full of tracks that are clever, relatable, touching, and sometimes funny. In short, it’s a great snapshot of Carll as a songwriter.
At the end of the day, this is a fantastic modern country album. Highlights include “You Get It All,” “Nice Things,” “Different Boats,” “Any Other Way,” and “In the Mean Time.” The latter is a heartbreaking duet with Brandy Clark, another criminally underrated singer/songwriter. This is a great record for anyone tired of hearing the same old thing.
Featured Image by ExclusiveAccess.Net/Shutterstock
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.