Great albums are only great because of the songs that are featured on them. As 2025 comes to a close, we look back on all the incredible music released this year. Keeping up the momentum built in 2024, country music artists came out of the gates swinging in 2025 and have continued to deliver incredible lyrics and memorable moments. The Red Clay Strays finally overthrew Old Dominion for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Zach Top was named as CMA New Artist of the Year, and Ella Langley and Riley Green closed out an incredible run on awards for their smash hit “You Look Like You Love Me,” becoming the first song in CMA history to be named as Song of the Year, Single of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year (which was won during the 2024 CMA Awards). And 2025 brought us many memorable drama moments like Brianna Chickenfry continuing to talk about her breakup with Zach Bryan, Gavin Adcock and Zach Bryan getting into a heated argument at Born & Raised Festival, or Gavin Adcock getting into it online with artists like Charley Crockett, Benjamin Tod, and (again) Zach Bryan. But back to the music… As our returning readers know, we here at Whiskey Riff share our Top 40 Albums of the Year each December, which is compiled by our team of writers, editors, and beyond. It feels like each year it’s getting harder and harder to rank 40 albums, given the caliber of music that’s getting released these days. While we are taking on the near-impossible task of ranking these albums, we are also turning the question back on y’all, wanting to hear your thoughts on 2025 releases. We already heard from you guys about what albums you think should hold the coveted number one position on the Top Albums of the Year list. But we also want to hear which songs you all were loving too, whether they came from an album you were hyper-fixated on or a one-off release. We asked, you delivered. View this post on Instagram Without further ado, here are some of the best country songs released this year. “Heaven Passing Through” by Turnpike Troubadours “Intro” by Treaty Oak Revival featuring Edgar Viveros of Ben Quad “Crucified Son” by Charley Crockett “South Of Sanity” by Zach Top “Port A” by Treaty Oak Revival “Back To Me” by Colter Wall “Tennessee” by The Creekers “People Hatin'” by Red Clay Strays “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley “If I Had Never Lost My Mind” by Carter Faith “I Got Better” by Morgan Wallen “Circa 1943” by Chase Rice “On The Red River” by Turnpike Troubadours “Game I Can’t Win” by Charley Crockett “Good While It Lasted” by Jason Isbell “Luck Of The Draw” by Laci Kaye Booth “She Makes” by Zach Top “American Trail” by Dylan Gossett  2025 brought us some incredible singles and songs. I can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for country music.The post Country Music Fans Sound Off On Their Favorite Songs Of 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Your #CMAawards Vocal Group of the Year, ladies and gentlemen ✨

obsessed with these two ? #CMAawards

New data shows this state led the nation in total TV viewing hours in 2025, with Southern states dominating the top of the list. Continue reading…

Country music star Riley Green had himself quite the weekend out on the water. The “Worst Way” singer shared a video on social media of he and some others on a deep-sea fishing expedition in Costa Rica. Though the conditions weren’t ideal (looks like rain poured down on them during the trip), Green was still able to reel in a 300-pound blue marlin. Since Riley Green is an avid angler, this fish must have been on the top of his list of dream catches. In case you didn’t know, blue marlin are massive fish, and can weigh in at over 1,500-pounds. Just try to imagine a fish the weight of a smart car swimming and surfing through the sea… that’s how big they can get. On average, the marlin weigh in at around around 300 or 400 pounds. So this one that Riley Green was battling comes in on the “average” side of the scale. That being said, a 300-pound fish is nothing to sneeze at. Especially when they are considered to be armed and dangerous. What do I mean by that? Oh, I’m just referring to the literal spear that the fish have attached to their face, which they use for hunting. Marlin aren’t afraid to use it, as they’ll swim through groups of fish, injuring them with the spear and making them easier to obtain for a meal. That spear can also be dangerous for fishermen – or in this case, Riley Green – as they try to reel in the trophy fish. That’s kind of what makes them a fisherman’s dream. There’s an element of danger mixed in with the fact that the blue marlin almost always put up a long and hard fight once they are hooked. They are known for jumping clear out of the water as they battle, which makes for a breathtaking reel-in experience… and one heck of a workout. It certainly seems like Riley Green was battling the elements from every direction. The weather in Costa Rica was bad, and the 300-pound fish he was going to war with was a worthy opponent. But it ultimately wasn’t too much for the experienced fisherman to handle. Green was eventually able to reel the sucker in, even as he and the others aboard were pelted with non-stop rain. There was even a chance for Riley Green to lean over the boat for a photo/video op. Considering he makes a living with his hands (at least partly), I would have been a little nervous holding onto the blue marlin’s sharp snout. The country music star didn’t seem to mind, and was all smiles as someone snapped a picture/video to remember the moment. And it’s a good thing they got the footage of the release when they did, because the marlin snapped not too long after and got away. And I don’t know if it was the rough water or the long reel-in that got the best of Riley Green, but he got up from the side of the boat a tad gingerly. He admitted that the fish “whipped his butt,” so I’d guess that it was a combination of both that had Riley feeling a little beat up: “Got my butt whipped by a 300-pound blue marlin today… hard to beat it.” View this post on Instagram The post Riley Green Went To War With A 300-Pound Blue Marlin In Costa Rica & Has The Video To Prove It first appeared on Whiskey Riff.