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By Bobby Peacock
20. "You Look Like You Love Me"
by Ella Langley and Riley Green
This one immediately got me by its spoken-word approach. (What was the last song to take that route? Was it that cringe duet between Tommy Shane Steiner and Bridgette Wilson? I bet you have no idea what I'm talking about.) The barroom encounter is so common, but I think this is one of the few that is shown from the woman's perspective on the first verse. And I admit, I did genuinely giggle the first time I heard the hook: "Excuse me, you look like you love me." Hearing the second verse from the guy's perspective is pretty interesting, too; it shows they're on similar wavelengths, and she has some agency in the situation. The honky-tonk shuffle of the production and catchy chorus are worth your time, but its spoken-word narrative is really what made me put it on this list. Sometimes, just having a unique energy can greatly elevate a song, and this one is up there as one of the most unusual hits of 2024 in my book.
19. "$10 Cowboy" by Charley Crockett
According to a quote I found online, a "$10 cowboy" is "anyone who has hustled to get by, who didn’t fit in, who has slept on other people’s couches, or the street, who has fallen down, gotten up, and ventured from home chasing a paying gig, or a new start." Charley Crockett has indeed played music on the streets to get by, and his life story took him to northern California, France, Spain, and Morocco, among other places. He's also a hell of a performer, with a cool cowboy swagger the likes of which I cannot find a direct comparison. Charley's ability to convey lines such as "If you're a $10 cowboy / Then you already know / That there never was a rider / Who couldn't be thrown" shows that he's open to others' struggles because he's been through his own, too. His smooth, laid-back delivery fits in with the honky-tonk guitars and Wurlitzer electric piano for a delightful little slice of country-soul with a highly relatable message.
18. "She's Somebody's Daughter (Reimagined)"
I think my sister's marriage left me more vulnerable to wedding songs than before. Either way, this is an interesting extrapolation of existing country music themes. The woman wearing tight jeans in the bar, the subject of many a one-night stand, the one unfairly objectified in the worst of bro-country? She's got her own life story, and someone else loved her first. (Remember Heartland?) I think it's surprisingly convincing in how he's able to build off existing themes and expand on the relationship the woman in question has to her father. Even if images of her learning how to drive, getting her heart broken for the first time, or going off to college aren't the most inspired, they still fill in a lot of blanks and make the woman in question feel real. I also like the line "If you don't treat her right, hers won't be the only heart you're breaking," which shows the father's protection of his daughter is empathetic. My sister actually grew up without a father figure in her life (she was adopted at birth and raised mostly by our then-divorced mother), but that doesn't mean I relate to this song any less. She's still somebody's daughter.
17. "Hang Tight Honey" by Lainey Wilson
I've been highly critical of Lainey Wilson, as I feel her music is bland and lacking in identity. But this is her first solo outing that I genuinely liked. Jay Joyce instantly brings a funky drum beat and interesting guitar textures, giving Lainey a sense of energy that has been sorely lacking from everything else she put out. It's a common-place lyric about a touring musician who can't wait to get home to their lover, but there are some very clever lyrics such as "Just know they're singing along to all them songs I wrote about you / And I'll be saving all my love for you come Sunday afternoon" (which I would love to believe is a reference to Pake McEntire). But what ultimately bumps this song up for me is just how engaged Lainey sounds -- the production is an unrelenting driving beat with Jay Joyce's usual sonic wizardry, and Lainey finally puts a degree of spunk to her voice that reminds me of Shelly Fairchild's debut album (aka "what if Gretchen Wilson were actually good?"). I wish she had more songs like this, and fewer like "4x4xU" or the dreadful "Whiskey Colored Crayon."
16. "Little Bit Crazy" by Blackberry Smoke
This one is a delightful little Southern rocker; if it's not breaking much new ground lyrically or sonically, it's too damn fun for me to care. I hear a little bit of Skynyrd mixed with "Honky Tonk Women" and "Keep Your Hands to Yourself." But other than the occasional Kentucky Headhunters album, who else is really making old-school Southern rock like this anymore? What's old is new again, and it makes me tap my toe every time. Charlie Starr has the right level of grit and cocky playfulness to sell such a clever lyric as "I gotta be a little bit crazy, or you would drive me outta my mind." We don't know what it is that makes her the way she is, but he sells the hell out of it. It's light-hearted, catchy fun, and it definitely got my attention on first listen -- while still being strong enough to hold up to repeated listens. I was a latecomer to Blackberry Smoke, but they've definitely won me over time and time again.
15. "Rough Around the Edges" by Exile
A few months ago, I did a deep dive on Exile that resulted in me buying a couple books about them and expanding the hell out of their Wikipedia article. (I also became Facebook friends with keyboardist Marlon Hargis, who's a really cool guy.) I can still remember hearing "Kiss You All Over" in a grocery store and being shocked by the fact that this was the same band who did "Woke Up in Love" and "Give Me One More Chance." So I'm pleasantly surprised to hear they're still out there recording, and sounding as great as ever. I've seen critics even at the time pan their eighties work as bland, samey yacht-rock, but I don't get that vibe at all. This manages to be a lot looser and rawer, but still identifiably Exile -- the same five guys from the mid-80s lineup. (It's Les Taylor on lead vocals, but you can still hear J.P. Pennington's un-diminished pipes on harmony.) This is a similar concept to "Real Good Man" by Tim McGraw, in that the unpolished guy is still the right one for his woman. If it's not the most original concept on paper, it's aided by clever lines such as "I don't shine like some pin-up poster cowboy / And neither does a diamond when you dig it up." He doesn't sound like a blustery meat-head when he says he's "I ain't interested in being politically correct / I stand right up and say what I believe," either. Just like Girls Next Door on last year's list, this one makes it by merit of proving that time has not yet run out for some of these eighties country acts to keep reminding me why I liked them in the first place.
14. "Think I'm in Love with You" by Chris Stapleton
Another year, another great Stapleton song. This one is a wonderfully laid-back groove underneath his trademark voice -- that same passionate gravelly tone you've heard on just about everything he's put out. But it never tires for me, because he can mix it up. Unlike the thundrous "White Horse," this one is more of a slow-burn, but it still feels like an extension. The conflicted narrator of "White Horse" seemed to be hesitant to fall in love, and here, a lot of that same emotion is in play: "I think I'm in love with you / I didn't know it at the time." I also like the turn in the second verse to elaborate on the "power" she has over him, boiling over into a scream of "woman!" There's also some fantastic muted guitar work, and a string section on that intense second verse. Every second of this song just sounds amazing in that unique Chris Stapleton way. A purist might say this is a straight-up soul song with zero concessions to country, but when it sounds this damn cool, what's there really to complain about?
13. "Sounds Like the Radio" by Zach Top
Zach Top is the dark horse of 2024. A new guy on a new label, born in 1997 yet looking and sounding like the radio, back in '94, you know. As crowded as the market is for '90s country nostalgia, Zach captured one of the things that I think made that era stand out: a sense of fun. The loosely shuffling melody reminds me of a slightly refined version of Neal McCoy's "The City Put the Country Back in Me," and it's got nods to "Chattahoochee," "Party Crowd," and "Jukebox Junkie" to boot. If it looks light on the surface -- indeed, its main theme is just having a good time listening to some '90s country gold -- it's elevated to greatness by how thoroughly he captures the vibe. This isn't some Midland-level cosplaying; this is a guy who has a genuine admiration for an era he wasn't around to witness first-hand. And the fact that he has other killer songs on the album is proof that this isn't some fluke; expect "I Never Lie" to rank high on my 2025 list. This song sounds like a damn good time, indeed.
12. "I'll Pay the Price" by Dwight Yoakam
New Dwight in 2024? Hell yeah. I went to see Dwight in October, and I swear, he hasn't aged a day since 1993. He's still got that swagger and talent, and he can still shake his ass in tight jeans. Oh yeah, and he's still got that eclectic blend of all the coolest forms of country out there -- rockabilly, Bakersfield sound, alternative, Americana -- that still sounds fresh the zillionth time I've heard it. This is a twist on the usual "I know it's wrong, but I want to be with you one more night" formula, with a delightfully less-is-more lyric ("..take any deal thrown by your hand / And pay the price to hold it again"). It's on the more honky-tonk side of production, leaning heavily into steel guitar and tic-tac bass, twisting its way left of center with a few funky drum patterns, seventh chords, Hammond organ, and a layered Eagles-style chorus. I never tire of his mix-and-match approach, and Dwight has never once felt to me like he's come even close to running out of ideas. Dwight's character in the song may regret his actions later on, but there's nothing to regret when listening to another song off Dwight's extremely crowded top shelf.
11. "Bigger Houses" by Dan + Shay
I know you're all looking at me funny now: A Dan + Shay song on the favorites list? Yeah. It turns out that when they drop the simpering vocal tone and hyperbolic romance, they can really surprise me. It also helps that this is probably the countriest they've ever sounded. I love the prominent mandolin and Dobro; there aren't even drums or programmed percussion! Their vocal tone is gentle, relaxed, and beautifully harmonized. It's also got a relatable message of how material goods aren't as important as being around loved ones. Maybe circumstances are making me more receptive to this message than it would have at any other times. This year, my stepfather's death resulted in my mother moving back in with me, and my sister got married. It's easy to get all emotionally bent out of shape over changes like this; to look around at the fixer-upper with drafty windows and a broken bathtub that my mom and I are currently living in, and feel like I should be much better off at 37. (Especially after I read about the 34-year-old real estate broker who bought a local mall for $5 million and managed to successfully turn it around...) But by making the focus of this song "happiness" and not "love," I think they hit on a more broadly relatable message that I'm unafraid to admit cheered me up, too.
10. "Backseat Driver" by Kane Brown
As I said on the worst list, my pivot toward liking Kane Brown is not just a bit I do to get a rise out of Trailer and/or Farce the Music readers. While I still found "Miles on It" to be his worst single by far, I'm willing to accept that as a momentary aberration if this is the follow-up. This song immediately caught my attention by being framed as a conversation between father and child during breakfast at McDonald's -- reminding me of my own childhood breakfasts with my dad at McDonald's. (I can still remember him setting me on the counter and asking me to spell "railroad crossing," to which I would respond "R-X-R.") The child in this song is a delightful stream of consciousness, ranging from questions about squirrels and bees, or how the car she's in even runs, to harder-hitting views on why he gave money to a homeless man... or why he's holding in emotions when he gets cut off in traffic. And I think it's that balance of the whimsical and the meaningful that keeps the song grounded. Everything here sounds like something a small child would ask a parent; I wouldn't be surprised if some of these lines actually did come from his daughter. Kane has a smooth delivery that sounds like he's both entertained and doing a little self-reflection, and I love the production -- mandolin, fiddle, and Dobro, with actual drums! This sounds to me like a realistic portrayal of an imaginative, curious child who is allowed to be that way because she's got a parent willing to engage with her. (In other words, I'm reminded not only of my younger self, but also of my nephew.)
9. "Break Mine" by Brothers Osborne
Brothers Osborne never let me down. This one has a slow, spacey, somber vibe that reminds me of "21 Summer." Unlike that one's love nostalgia, this is a take on the commonplace one-night stand. I love TJ's ability to rock out ("Shoot Me Straight"), be meaningful and sympathetic ("I'm Not for Everyone"), and yet be every bit as compelling when he cools things down. In a way, this reminds me of Kenny Chesney's "Come Over" in how it conveys the mix of melancholic desperation. (I also really dig those high synths on the second verse.) It's a hell of a hook, too: "If you're looking for a heart to break, then get here in a straight line / And break mine." But more fascinatingly to me, this is another time where a BrOs song can be interpreted as having gay themes. There are no pronouns, and "baby" is neutral enough to also apply to another man. This interpretation is all the more plausible in that both TJ and co-writer Shane McAnally are themselves openly gay, and TJ has confirmed that "21 Summer" was itself about a relationship with another man. Perhaps I'm reaching a bit, but the fact that such an interpretation is even remotely plausible is that little extra bit that makes this song for me. And either way, it's still another great song by my current favorite major-label country act.
8. "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey
Yeah, I know; this one's everywhere. But I have yet to burn out on it. Shaboozey's soulfulness feels so refreshing and un-forced, and his genre fusion is a definite pleasure to me. Unlike most artists who straddle pop, rap, and country, he feels like he came across his sound naturally -- and even better, found a way to manage adding the other influences without subtracting country. Sure, his girl may want a fancy handbag, but she also wants groceries and he's burnt out from the daily grind -- who can't relate? Just like anyone else, he's got problems, and he and his buddies want to grab a few drinks. The J-Kwon sample is completely seamless, aided by his easy-going vocal delivery, acoustic guitar and hand claps. In an era where hip-hop influences feel limited to programmed beats and Auto-Tune, this is refreshingly organic. By tying the party to real-world troubles, it instantly feels more substantial than other party jams of its ilk. It's also catchy in all the best ways, and just has an overall chill, positive vibe that clearly resonated across almost all boundaries imaginable. By the way, did you know that if you Google this song, the page rocks back and forth?
7. "Three Days" by Michael Reynolds
Remember Pinmonkey? If you answered yes, then you're my kind of people. For a long time, I wondered what happened to these guys. It doesn't help that the lead singer had such a generic name as "Michael Reynolds." But a chance encounter online with Chad Jeffers (another member of the group) pointed me to this song. His high lonesome bluegrass tenor is still gloriously intact. This guy is so low down that he's just sitting in the darkness and silence; he's stuck in a small town, chasing other dreams, and drinking his sorrows away. Even the love of a woman wasn't enough to pull him out of his funk. But it seems he's turned to more spiritual sources for a more positive outlook: "three days and redemption draweth nigh" is clearly a nod to Luke 21:28. The imagery is clever -- even when he moves away from the religious and into more conventionally colorful terms such as "tarnished nickel sky" -- and moving, illustrating a broken man trying to find a ray of hope at his worst times. It's very chill on the production, with mostly just a couple guitars, allowing for Michael's voice to take the forefront. He sounds like the kind of weary soul he's playing in the song. In a way, it reminds me of Pinmonkey's bluegrass-y take on the Staple Singers's "Stay with Us" in terms of delivering a message of hope in dark times, using obvious Christian backing without ever being judgmental or ham-fisted. If we will never get another Pinmonkey album, then an equally strong solo outing from their former lead singer is every bit as welcomed.
6. "2033" by Chapel Hart
I still remember discovering Chapel Hart via Country Universe. I was floored by the sincerity, warmth, and fantastic harmonies of "I Will Follow," to the point I ranked it my favorite single of 2021 and have given a spot to them on every subsequent year-end best list. I thought for sure the America's Got Talent appearance would boost their profile, maybe get them picked up by a major label. But they still seem to quietly exist under the radar. I can totally see how the question of "will we ever hit the big time?" can be on the minds of any country music artist who's worked for years and years -- but especially a group of three Black women trying to break through in a genre that's historically been overwhelmingly white and male. Danica has always had a very emphatic voice, but here, her tone is more hushed and vulnerable as she asks her future self, "does it ever change and do we overcome the fear?" The harmony arrangement is fantastic, with some counterpoints and echoes that flow naturally against the melody. (Another great line: "My thoughts lost in the wind, it's killing me / God, I sure wish I had a time machine.") It's easy to extrapolate a sense of "will things ever get better for me?" from these lyrics, which feel like an inversion of Brad Paisley's stunning "Letter to Me," and find comfort in Chapel Hart's hopefulness. But I think the added subtext of who's singing it makes it all the more fascinating. I really do hope things are that great in 2033 for Chapel Hart, because they deserve it.
For the longest time, I've just never liked Beyoncé. I think part of it is the constant exposure and hype; the buzz of the Beyhive is very loud. I also found her to have an "everyone is beneath me" level of emotional imperviousness both on and off the record, combined with songs such as "If I Were a Boy" that really rubbed me the wrong way. I'll admit these factors made me initially unwilling to dig deeper into her catalog, although I do like "Irreplacable" and "Halo." In short, I had no freaking clue what to make of her doing a country album. Was Cowboy Carter trend-chasing, or using her position to elevate lesser-known Black country artists? (The inclusion of Linda Martell alone has me inclined to believe the latter.) Todd in the Shadows touched on how he thought Lemonade showed a previously-unseen level of vulnerability from her in the wake of Jay-Z's infidelity. Though I know even less about Jay-Z than I do Beyoncé, I can see how even the biggest power couple in the world might get rattled by the revelation that they, too, are not immune to being cheated on just like any other couple. So I think that left the door open just enough for me to get my first glimpse at Queen Bey off her throne. It's a look back at the teenager being famous as a member of Destiny's Child before she even gets a chance to have a normal teen life ("at fifteen, the innocence was gone astray"), sleeping on a bus, and still grinding away in her 40s; she's still stressed out, sorting through decades of emotions that she's fought to keep under wraps. And most importantly, she understands how much harder she had to work to get there as a Black woman. Her vocal tone sounds just this side of breaking down and crying, up against a production style that's emphatic but never overpowers her -- and works in some delightful steel guitar. So not only is this a great, emotionally charged song on its own merits... it's also the song that finally made me understand just who Beyoncé actually is.
4. "Called You by Your Name" by The War and Treaty
As a church musician, some of my favorite songs to play are Black spirituals. They're meant to be simple, easy-to-sing, uplifting messages, their origins hold a very high point of cultural relevance, and they're just so damn fun to perform. This one looks so very simple on paper -- two four-line verses, one of which is sung twice, and a chorus that consists of one line sung four times. But just on lyrics alone, I think the choice of Isaiah 43:1 (."..do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by your name, you are mine") is an inspired one. It's a passage of comfort in times of fear, and a message I think will resonate with anyone who hears it. Of course, as is common with War and Treaty songs, this one rises to greatness with an absolute barn-burner of a performance. Tanya Trotter starts off with a slow, soulful cry of "you can definitely feel it," which then drops into a blisteringly fast toe-tapper of a chorus. The driving tempo doesn't let up throughout, aided by Tanya and Michael's soulful deliveries -- both solo and unison, they just tear it up! I also really dig that muted trumpet. I may be an agnostic, but I do know when the spirit is moving.
3. "Dirt Cheap"/"The Painter" by Cody Johnson (tie)
A while back, I was playing around on an aerial photograph website and found a picture of my mom's childhood home (later the home of my grandmother) as seen in the 1980s. Within a mile radius are my uncle's house, my sister's former house, my stepdad's childhood home, and tons of former farmland that I watched get claimed by condos and retail stores. And I just happened to be riding in my sister's car down a road not far from here when I first heard "Dirt Cheap." Calm, sympathetic, twangy, Cody recalls a story of an old man politely declining to sell his land to developers. The narrator is never angry, nor does he hold a sense of country-boy superiority; he gently recalls all the vivid memories in that piece of land. And that's the way it is with Grandma's house: even after all that's changed around it, the memories remain of watching CMT in her living room and using tuna fish cans to build a mini-golf course in her backyard. So why did I make this a double entry with "The Painter," when I usually limit these to one per artist? Well, remember how I mentioned my stepdad? After he died in October, his family recalled his long battles with alcoholism, and how unfulfilled he felt until my mom came into his life. My mom -- the one who, just like in Cody's song, "finds the beauty in the thrown away and broken things" and takes pictures of the sunset every night -- took a chance on an alcoholic former boxer blinded by early-onset dementia, and no doubt made his last few years far more vivid than they would have been otherwise. Between this song, "'Til You Can't," and "On My Way to You," I think there are fewer mainstream artists who understand me more innately than CoJo right now.
2. "I Am Not Okay" by Jelly Roll
I respect Jelly Roll for being candid about his personal life and his efforts to improve the lives of others (most notably, his testifying before Congress to push for anti-fentanyl legislation). He is an extremely unique figure in country music, and I'm glad he found his way in even if his music. While he had a few songs that I thought lacked the magic of "Son of a Sinner," this simple yet effective ballad is his best yet. We don't know within the context of this song what is causing his internal anguish, but I think he more than capably keeps the lyrics open-ended enough to have broad appeal without sacrificing any emotional stakes. Lines like "I know I can't be the only one who's holding on for dear life" and the subtle shift from "it's all gonna be all right" to "we're all gonna be all right" show a level of empathy, underscored by his impassioned gravelly voice and the subdued production. Right after my aforementioned stepfather's death, my mother had to move back in with me for a time. She heard this song and said immediately it was how she felt after his death. After doing so, she shared it with friends, and they immediately had the same reaction she and I did. I had heard it a couple times on the radio at work, but once I paid full attention to the lyrics, I knew this was a song for the stepchild, the widow, the recovering addict -- for anyone who is "not okay." We're all gonna be all right.
1. "Rotations" by Adeem the Artist
Adeem the Artist wrote this song about parenthood, and specifically about their becoming a parent during their "Saturn return" (when Saturn returns to the location it was at the time of a person's birth). I don't follow astrology, but I immediately understood the parent-child dynamic expressed and the symbolism behind changes in one's life. Their daughter is playing ukulele, drawing, and making potions out of plants in the yard. When I was young, I would haphazardly strum a cheap guitar along to the radio, draw road maps on almost any surface imaginable, and play with every dandelion I found in the yard. But what I lacked for the most part was a father figure; my parents divorced when I was only 4, and I saw my father with increasingly less frequency until he died in 2016. Around the same time, my stepdad entered my life: first, mom would only see him sporadically, but as his dementia progressed, they moved in together so she could take care of him. I knew his time was limited, especially after they married in July 2023. But I also knew he loved me and he loved music. "When I'm gone, you'll carry on and carry all that there is left of me with you" sounds like the kind of sentiment I imagine he would have expressed to me. I admire the warm, gentle read -- just vocals, guitar, and a short muted trumpet solo. But most of all, I admire Adeem's ability to weave highly specific and slightly unconventional details into an instantly relatable narrative.
Honorable mentions: "Fall of Summer," "Messed Up as Me"
These lists only cover singles; otherwise, "Jupiter's Faerie" would be #1
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