Favorites of 2024

Below you will find the songs, albums, artists, live acts and more that were our favorites of 2024.

Albums

Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir

Sturgill returns to the fold with a tour de force that leans into his best eccentric qualities. He put on a disguise to rediscover himself. His rough edges give way to a laid back, happy vibe that is filled with melody and riffs that rival anything he's ever dropped. It was great to have Sturgill back in any form, but we were all lucky this is the way he reclaimed his mojo.

49 Winchester - Leavin' This Holler

Their last record made them a large name in the roots music fold, but Isaac Gibson and company dropped this collection of tunes in August and solidified their place in modern country music. A mix of Appalachia, Red Dirt and Little Feat style picking all comingle to create a sound all their own.

JD Graham -Sergeant of Sorrow

Nobody leaves a JD Graham show with dry eyes. With song titles such as "Percocets and Pawnshops" and "Razorwire Sunrise", you kind of know what you're getting into before your press play. But, what you can't account for is how beautifully Graham can paint a sad picture. This music is from his heart, his experiences and his outlook. It's as real as it gets.

Wade Bowen - Flyin'

Bowen continues his artistic streak of following his own muse, making the music he wants to make on his own terms. He's always done it his own way, but seems to have come into a newfound comfort in his own skin and behind the producer's console. No longer trusting the sounds in his head to others, Bowen's instincts prove to be right once again.

The Red Clay Strays - Made By These Moments

The band of the moment is made by them. The Strays have always been the type of act that must be seen to fully appreciate. However, their recorded output continues to get better and better. This record came on the heels of them achieving national attention and vaulted them even further. They created a sonic motif that pulls from all the best parts of southern, roots music. Country, gospel, rock, soul. It's all there. There's a reason they've become the biggest band around and it's no longer just because of the live show. The songs live up to the hype.

Kelley Mickwee - Everything Beautiful

Mickwee's solo work is often overlooked due to her track record as an outstanding band member (Trishas/Shinyribs) and ability to fit into whatever situation she is thrust into. But, that versatility informs all of the songs here. Her voice is emotive, full of range and large in just the right spots. The River Girl is hitting the note here.

Wyatt Flores - Welcome to the Plains

This was one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year, and Wyatt Flores delivered on the promise of his early flash. Flores is young, yet wise beyond his years and showcases that depth of soul in his songwriting. The instrumentation and production on this album highlight the lyrics and allow Flores to complete a story arc that pays tribute to his Oklahoma roots all while being able to stand alone on its own merit.

Shane Smith and the Saints - Norther

Everything the Saints do is grand. Bombastic vocals, epic stories, harmonies that soar for days. All that they do well is found here.

American Aquarium - The Fear of Standing Still

BJ Barham is perhaps the most prolific songwriter around. He takes a punk rock attitude and combines it with a poet's heart and soul. The output is nothing short of amazing. The characters and settings in his lyrics feel like they are your own, even if you've never experienced the wonder of Duke's Mayonaise while staring at Cherokee purples in the Carolina sunshine.

Landon Hoffman - Time Machine

Hoffman was a name pitched to us last year by a music industry professional. His words were "I haven't been this excited about a young songwriter since the first time I heard Ryan Bingham." Hefty praise. That turned out to be worthy. Hoffman's style isn't like Bingham's, but his raw handle on the English language is very similar. Hoffman has a way of phrasing that evokes Willie Nelson and a knack for cutting to the heart of the matter. This is most definitely a record and artist to pay attention to.

The Buffalo Ruckus - Texas Heat

This is a full-on Texas funk record. This thing has more grooves than a record store. This record will have you dancing, guaranteed. Straight up, it rocks. Nothing else needs to be said.

Charley Crockett - $10 Cowboy

Much like an artist such as Cody Jinks, Crockett has carved his own path by making his own type of music. It defies conventional description. It's country, jazzy, honky-tonk. It's pure Texas and pure Charley Crockett. In a career of boundary pushing, this may be his greatest collection of songs.

Songs

William Clark Green - "Whole Lotta Lubbock"

WCG returned with a song that summoned his journey from the east Texas rose queens to the hardscrabble success he carved out for himself out in west Texas. The pride with which he sings of carrying Lubbock with him everywhere he goes from the Opry stage to every corner of the globe is something every self-respecting Texan can relate to even if you don't like gettin' your guns up.

American Aquarium - "Cherokee Purples"

A nostalgic trip to BJ Barham's youth that proves universal. His grandma's house will be your grandma's house upon listening. The memories are warm and fuzzy and the tones are dulcet.

Cody Jinks - "What You Love"

Chasing dreams is never easy. There's a heavy price to pay for success, in whatever form that may take for each of us on life's journey. Jinks has never been afraid to get personal. This might be his most revealing track.

Silverada - "Radio Wave" "Americana is a myth" is the line in the sand salvo that divides Moonpies/Silverada. And the production/guitars would find a home on country, rock, or yes, even, Americana radio.

Zach Top - "I Never Lie"

So smooth you'd have sworn it was an unreleased track from somewhere in the 1989-1992 timeframe. Nope, all 2024 and all Zach Top here. A clever hook, a stellar production and one hell of a vocal performance.

Wade Bowen - "Nothin' But Texas"

In a career of defining songs, Bowen finally created his very own Texas anthem in the vein of Ray Wylie Hubbard's best dead thumb groove. A non-cliche'd ode to the Lone Star State that has even found its way on to national television broadcasts.

Reckless Kelly - "Keep Lookin' Down The Road"

Powered by a signature Cody Braun mandolin riff and a thundering reckoning of a vocal from Willy Braun, this treatise on optimism is much more layered than the surface would suggest in the light of Reckless Kelly hanging up their touring boots.

The Red Clay Strays - "No One Else Like Me" This could have been one of several tracks of Made by These Moments, but we went with this one because we feel it best encapsulates all that the Strays represent. It has a boisterous vocal performance from Brandon Coleman and riffs for days. It's a musical sermon.

49 Winchester - "Fast Asleep"

Isaac Gibson reaches down deep for the passion and the performance here. He belts this song out in a convincing, yet tender manner. As an aside, an f-bomb has never been rarely been placed in such a perfectly precise location.

Presley Haile - "Mosquito"

Dating back to Michael Martin Murhphey's heyday and beyond, songwriters have been using wild horses as an allegory for life's travails. From Mick and Keith to Garth and numerous acts in between, taming a wild steed proves a pretty handy analogy. Thankfully, Haile provides a loping, fresh take on this turn of phrase and creates a song that sticks with you long after the last note echoes out of the speaker.

Artists

The Red Clay Strays - 2024 was the year these Bama boys went from underground sensation with a lot of buzz to the hottest thing in music period. Sold out shows, streaming records, CMA nominations, two albums and a tidal wave of goodwill. This was the year of the Strays. For good reason. What a ride it has been and what a ride is to come. These guys are just getting started.

Shelby Stone - Stone blazes a trail all her own. She exists in her own stratosphere. She's created it herself and is smart about who she lets in and what she lets out. It will be exciting to watch her career unfold.

Zach Top - Throwback troubadour who can also shred a tele and write a song. Top captured the country's imagination with his smooth, brushpopper era influenced sound and the past 12 months merely appear to be a preview of what is to come for many years ahead.

Wade Bowen - Bowen dropped another stellar record in 2024 and continued to refine his producer talents. He brought Bleu Edmondson out of retirement from behind the console of that record, helmed his own effort and continued to act as the de facto leader of Texas Music.

Taylor Hunnicutt - Alabama is not just cranking out Hoods and Strays, Hunnicutt laid rightful claim to the Alabama sound this year. An album, a buzzworthy Texas summer tour and a continued climb to the top of the conscience of roots music fanatics finds Hunnicutt riding her raspy, soulful voice to uncharted waters.

Wyatt Flores - a youthful Okie songwriting prodigy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He's taking Red Dirt into the Gen Z and Gen Alpha direction with the ghosts of the past and the heart of the future.

Stephen Wilson Jr - A dude that is like no other. He popped up on our year end list last year and has continued to bubble under the current of music's most buzzed about artists for the last year. His inventive phrasing, both with a pen and a guitar, have him poised to continue to set himself apart in the years to come.

Sturgill Simpson - Sturgill recaptured the zeitgeist on the strength of his Johnny Blue Skies project. By embracing his jam band impulses and throwing caution, and expectation, to the wind, Sturgill made a record he was happy with and then just kind of did his own thing. He's always done that, but in 2024 the Blue Skies were awfully fun to hang out in.

Live Acts

Tanner Usrey

Fiery southern rock with twin guitars, a big voice and tons of heartache mixed with whiskey.

Josh Weathers

You might only know him from the Whitney/Dolly cover or his string of TikTok 90's country sensations, but Weathers has been on this part of our favorites list probably a dozen times. The most verstatile and taletned entertainer to be found anywhere. Country, rock, gospel, pop, soul and r&b, this cat can do it all.

The Red Clay Strays

What initially captured folks attention was Brandon Coleman's Elvis like front man persona. Then people became intrigued by the Animal-style drumming of John Hall. But, what really holds it all together is the twin guitars of Drew Nix and Zach Rishel. Andrew Bishop holds the low end and they've added a touring keys player to round out the sound. Go see them once and then you'll be trying to see them every time they're within 500 miles of your current location. They even dropped a live album from the Ryman to solidify their spot on the top of the mountain.

Sturgill Simpson

Sturgill came back, freed of expectations and turned into the best country jam band imaginable. Shredding. Jams. Stories. 15 minute songs. Let's go.

Taylor Hunnicutt

Alabama hellraiser can rip it up and delivers it all with a raspy signature voice backed by an ace band including her husband on lead guitar. A show to not miss.

The Wilder Blue

Laid back harmonies, top notch musicianship and vibes for days.

Ellis Bullard

Ellis headlined our River Jam event two years ago. We described him at the time as Sturgill meets Moonpies. Yep, that still fits.

Treaty Oak Revival Raucous, rowdy and fun. If they're not sloshing beers on the front row, they're dancing around the stage and making you sing along. Possibly the most energetic show on the circuit right now.

Braxton Keith Good country music never goes out of style, it just come back wiht fresh outlooks. Keith and his band are out there on the highway bringing their fresh spin on a classic sound. Worth your money.

Paul Cauthen

Cauthen shook up his backing band and added Chris Watson (William Clark Green, Josh Weathers) to the roster. Cauthen has always commanded a stage and he's never been better than he is right now.

Discoveries

Presley Haile

Dalton Torres

Noeline Hoffman

Cameron Allbright

Logan Ryan

Landon Hoffman