These 4 Innovative Country Albums From 2020 Will Always Be Timeless

The start of a new decade is always an exciting time in music, for any genre. But especially in country music, a new decade almost always signifies a new chapter as well. These four country albums all came out in 2020 and are ones we will still want to listen to for years to come.

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‘Starting Over’ by Chris Stapleton

Starting Over might go down in history as one of Chris Stapleton’s best albums. All four of the singles, including the title track, were multi-platinum hits for Stapleton. Both the title track and “You Should Probably Leave” remain among Stapleton’s best-selling singles of his career.

Although not a single, Starting Over also includes “Maggie’s Song,” a sad but true song Stapleton wrote about his dog, Maggie, who passed away.

‘Never Will’ by Ashley McBride

Never Will is Ashley McBryde’s sophomore record. The 11-track record features “One Night Standards”, McBryde’s first Top 15 single. It also includes “Martha Divine,” which, along with “One Night Standards” and “Hang In There Girl” from the project, make up a trilogy to complete a storyline.

But the most important song on Never Will might be “Stone”. McBryde wrote the song with Nicolette Hayford, about the tragic loss of McBryde’s brother.

“I was madder than a hornet the day we wrote that song,” McBryde tells MusicRow. “My knee-jerk reaction is to go to anger first, and if we weren’t going to write it from an anger standpoint, then as we wrote those verses, I thought, ‘It is about losing my brother. But it’s also about finding out that I didn’t lose all of him.’”

‘Born Here, Live Here, Die Here’ by Luke Bryan

Born Here, Live Here, Die Here is Luke Bryan’s seventh studio album. The record features four singles, which all became No. 1 hits for Bryan. Born Here, Live Here, Die Here includes “Knockin’ Boots” and “One Margarita”, both multi-platinum hits for Bryan.

Although he now lives in Nashville, Bryan’s Born Here, Live Here, Die Here is an ode to those who still love living in a small town.

“I grew up in that type of town where so many people are happy being born there, living there, and certainly dying there,” Bryan tells The Tennessean. “There’s nothing like the people of small towns and how real they are.”

‘Here And Now’ by Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney’s 19th studio album, Here And Now is a true masterpiece. 12 songs (plus four more on the deluxe version), Here And Now includes songs like “Tip Of My Tongue” and the title track.

A talented songwriter, the song always wins for Chesney. It’s why only two of his songs appear on the album.

“I wrote four or five more that just didn’t end up making the record, because maybe it had too many ballads or it just didn’t fit or whatever,” he tells Taste of Country. “I like the record to have a flow, to have a certain energy. But it’s different.”

Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMA