Hey ya’ll, Brooke here from Stars and Guitars. We’re continuing to bring you our lists of the best and worst 2020 had to offer and this week we’re moving on to the albums. Now, I know in the age of streaming and single song downloads you might be thinking “I don’t listen to albums anymore.” Well, you’re in luck, because now we can tell you which albums are must-listens and which you can skip right over.
Starting off our list of worst albums is Aubrie Sellers and her release ‘Far From Home’. For those of you that don’t know, Sellers is the daughter of country superstar Leann Womack and that influence can be heard within five seconds of the first song. She claims to have a “garage country” sound, and this album honestly sounds like a bad garage singer that never would’ve gotten a record deal without her mother’s influence. Her lyrics lack depth and any future projects from her can hopefully only go up from here.
Granger Smith and Tyler Farr’s albums, ‘Country Things Volume 1’ and ‘Only Truck In Town’ respectively, can both be described as bad bro country. Smith’s lyrics are juvenile and his vocals are nothing to write home about. Don’t make your 2020 worse by wasting your time with this one. Farr is someone that I was excited to hear new music from, I just wish it wasn’t this EP. He has a great voice and I know he’s capable of quality lyrics. But the closest we got to him being emotional on this collection is him singing about his dog. Pass.
Another highly anticipated EP that delivered subpar results was ‘Bettie James’ by Jimmie Allen. This was a collection full of collaborations that has varying degrees of success, leading to a finished product that was frankly uneven. Don’t get me wrong, there were definite bright spots, but not enough to salvage the EP as a whole. And then there’s ‘Goldmine’ by Gabby Barrett. I got the feeling that she was trying to imitate a bunch of different artists here, which makes for an album that lacks cohesion. I honestly don’t think she even knows what kind of artist she wants to be and maybe she should figure that out before her next album.
Now let’s talk about some of the best albums released this year. Given the strides the women in country music have made in 2020, it should be a surprise to absolutely no one that women make up our entire list of best albums. There are 3 debut albums worth mentioning, proving that the crop of rising female country stars can rival the queens that have come before them. ‘Lady Like’ by Ingrid Andress is unapologetic in its idea that women don’t have to conform to the standards that men set for them. Andress has become somewhat of an award show darling and I can only hope she’s bought herself a nice trophy case for the years to come.
Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack are the other newcomers on our list with ‘The Lemonade Stand’ and ‘If It Wasn’t For You’ respectively. Townes runs the gamut of topics, from love, poverty, the afterlife and equality. But what it also does brilliantly is places the listener at a concert right in their bedroom, which is something we could all use these days. And while our worst list tells you albums that you can skip, you can use that time to listen to Caylee Hammack’s project on repeat. If you look up “well-rounded” in the dictionary, there should be a picture of this album cover. If she ever gets to tour, her musical director will have an exceptionally easy time building a concert around this album.
Rounding out our list are the veterans of the group, Kelsea Ballerini and Maddie & Tae. Ballerini with her third album has refreshingly upbeat takes on otherwise depressing topics like a cheating partner or partying too much. And she hugs the line of both pop and country beautifully where if the listener only consumed one genre exclusively, she’d have a place in both while still being authentic. The most emotional album of the bunch is easily ‘The Way It Feels’ by Maddie & Tae, but also isn’t without the sass these ladies are known for. The hooks are top-notch and allow for everyone to get one or more of these songs stuck in their head. Even though this is the longest album on the list, you’ll find yourself begging for more after it’s over.
Did your favorite or least favorite make the cut? Let us know down in the comments and I’ll be back next week with our final installment on our year-end best and worst lists. Take care.
