4 of the Best Country Albums of the 1990s (And I Bet You’ve Never Heard of Them)

The 90s were really a great time for country music. There are countless albums from that era that have not only aged well but will probably still be loved for decades to come. And many of those albums, sadly, have been more or less forgotten by mainstream country fans. Let’s jog your memory and dive into a few super underrated country albums from the 1990s, shall we?

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‘Hope Floats’ Soundtrack

Remember Hope Floats? This adorable 1998 drama was quite popular, and the country edge it had, considering the story was set in Texas, made it the perfect film to add in some great country tunes. The soundtrack for Hope Floats was a turn-of-the-century essential. And if you were a kid at the time, I bet your parents still have this CD tucked away somewhere. This country soundtrack features everyone from Garth Brooks to Gillian Welch to Martina McBride to Bob Seger. It’s a real throwback, to say the least.

‘Stones In The Road’ by Mary Chapin Carpenter

I couldn’t leave Mary Chapin Carpenter off this list of country albums from the 1990s. She’s probably one of the most underrated country artists of the 90s to ever debut. While the 1992 classic Come On Come On was her most commercially successful album, I really do love her 1994 follow-up, Stones In The Road. It’s a deep and poignant album, and Carpenter mastered the art of blending country with folk.

‘Learning As You Go’ by Rick Trevino

Rick Trevino made some gorgeous country music, and it’s not surprising that he enjoyed the charting success of 14 singles in his career. The 1990s were really his heyday, and one of his finest releases was Learning As You Go in 1996. However, this album never gets mentioned with the other great releases of the era in country music. He got his flowers, but I still think Trevino was massively underrated.

‘Whatever Comes First’ by Sons Of The Desert

Ah, Sons Of The Desert. Their debut 1997 single “Whatever Comes First”, was their only Top 10 hit on the country charts. Some would consider them one-hit wonders. I think they deserve a better rap than that, and I wish they had continued on instead of breaking up in 2004. Whatever Comes First is one of the best country albums of the 1990s. The band added a modern, youthful energy to country music at the time, and they deserve more credit for this stellar debut album.

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