It was the year in which Morgan Wallen became both a national disgrace and one of the most-streamed artists in any genre, Jason Aldean modeled for a casual wear line aimed at the “Un-Silent Majority” and Carrie Underwood maybe outed herself as an anti-masker.
It was also the year in which several country stars, including Dustin Lynch — who currently has the No. 1 song on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart — performed at “AmericaFest,” the same event where Kyle Rittenhouse received a standing ovation and Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to certain audience members as “yellow people.”
2021 was a depressing time to be a country music fan.
There were bright spots — T.J. came out! Mickey finally released her album! Miranda said gay rights! — but it often felt like the forces maintaining the country music industry status quo were stronger than ever.
At several points this year, I struggled to square my love for the music with my distaste for the culture that surrounds it. I found myself wondering, really for the first time, why any country singer with a conscience isn’t looking for an exit strategy.
But life loves on, and country music remains vital in spite of itself. The year’s best country songs include a horn-heavy countrypolitan smash, a moony Joni Mitchell tribute and an a cappella eulogy for a fictional hound dog, none of which has any chance of ever being played on country radio. Maybe it’s better that way.
“Mexican Restaurant” - Leah Blevins
First Time Feeling, Leah Blevins’ impressive debut, is filled with songs that belie the naïveté implied by its title. One such example is “Mexican Restaurant,” a breakup song that finds Blevins more exhausted than enamored by youthful romance. “Wish I could be what you want, but being wanted only lasts for a while,” Blevins sings with devastating clarity in the chorus. Oof.
“You and Me On the Rock” - Brandi Carlile feat. Lucius
In early November, I was scammed out of $130 while attempting to purchase tickets to see Brandi Carlile perform Joni Mitchell’s Blue in its entirety at Carnegie Hall. I relay this troubling anecdote because it’s a testament to the sheer melodic power of “You and Me on the Rock” — which Carlile and longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth rightly composed on a mountain dulcimer — that I continually return to this song despite the troubling memory it conjures.
“Whispering Waltz” - Sierra Ferrell
The more tragic of the two waltzes on Long Time Coming — the eclectic, strange debut from West Virginia-native Sierra Ferrell — is, surprisingly, the one that doesn’t involve the death of an old flame. Instead, “Whispering Waltz” finds its narrator confronting a tragedy of a different sort: her lover has confessed his feelings for another woman in his sleep. “Now you don’t have to whisper, I know,” the singer offers weakly, a vain attempt at saving face in a pitiless situation.
“Waxahachie” - Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall
I oscillated between several songs from The Marfa Tapes — the demo-like collaboration from Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall that is undoubtedly among the best albums of the year — before finally settling on “Waxahachie,” a Lucinda Williams-esque prayer from a down-and-out woman hoping to find salvation in a small town off I-45.
“Wild Turkey” - Amythyst Kiah
There’s a dreamlike quality to “Wild Turkey,” Amythyst Kiah’s reflection on the suicide of her mother when she was a teenager: images float in and out of view, blurring the lines between the real and the imaginary. But Kiah repeatedly cuts through her own attempts at dissociation with the painful reminder, “She’s never coming back.”
“good wife” - Kacey Musgraves
Despite her increasingly pop-oriented sound, Musgraves remains uniquely attuned to the nuances of country tropes. Here she conjures both Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette — the subversive wit of the former and the pleading emotionality of the latter — for a track that feels less like an ironic send-up of sexist relationship dynamics (there’s “breadwinner” for that) and more like an honest admission of her own limits.
“Younger Me” - Brothers Osborne
Brothers Osborne were outliers even before frontman T.J. came out as gay earlier this year. Though the country-rock duo has scored a few modest hits, radio hasn’t quite figured out what to do with them. “Younger Me,” with its 80s synths and message of self-love, isn’t likely to be a smash in a landscape that increasingly favors sonic blandness and lyrical vacuousness, but it’s everything we needed from mainstream country this year.
“Never Wanted To Be That Girl” - Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
In “Does He Love You,” the legendary duet from Reba McEntire and Linda Davis, two women compete for the attention of the same man. It’s a familiar narrative in country music — call it the “other woman song” — but in this empathic update from Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde, neither party feels animosity toward the other. Instead, in a true-to-life twist, each woman blames herself.
“Persephone” - Allison Russell
“Blood on my shirt, two red buttons,” goes the opening line of “Persephone,” a song about escaping an abusive home and finding refuge in the arms of another girl. Trauma provides the context for this as for so many queer narratives, but the sprightly arrangement and Allison Russell’s warm delivery convey the healing power of loving kindness.
“Sam” - Sturgill Simpson
In a year when wedding songs (which I consider a cynical form of emotional manipulation) dominated the country airwaves, one of the year’s few genuine tearjerkers was Sturgill Simpson’s tribute to a beloved hound dog. Even as plot of The Ballad of Dood & Juanita remains somewhat murky, “Sam” comes through strong and clear.
“Wilder Days” - Morgan Wade
The hook that drives “Wilder Days” — the lead single off Reckless, newcomer Morgan Wade’s assured first album — is so massive that some will try to convince you that this is a pop song. Don’t listen to them.
“Sexy After Dark” - Joshua Ray Walker
In a year when every night out felt like a transgression — even during the halcyon summer months when breakthrough cases were relatively rare and the term “fully vaccinated” felt meaningful — no song captured the self-indulgent thrill of a night on the town quite like “Sexy After Dark.” The ghost of Conway Twitty quaketh.
More Songs I Loved in 2021
“Asheville Blues” - Adeem the Artist
“Heels in Hand” - Priscilla Block
“Strawberry Wine - Spotify Singles” - Breland
“I Will Follow” - Chapel Hart
“If I’m Not in Hell” - Erin Enderlin
“Smoke” - Mickey Guyton
“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” - Miranda Lambert and Elle King
“Long Journey Home” - Miko Marks
“If Trouble Comes a Lookin’” - Emily Scott Robinson
“Down the Middle” - Runaway June
“Sober & Skinny” - Brittney Spencer
“Magnolia Blues” - Adia Victoria
You can listen to each of the above songs on the Sidewinder Spotify playlist. If there are typos in here, I don’t want to know!