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Sometimes an artist's best album is their debut. It may be a bit counter-intuitive that it can work out that way, but it's said that an artist's strongest album is their first because they've had their whole lives to write it. Now this often is not the case, of course, but there's definitely some truth to it. I mean, just think Guy Clark’s Old No. 1, Steve Earle’s Guitar Town, John Prine’s John Prine, or Ryan Bingham’s Mescalito. Those were some legendary debuts. And each year, a new wave of artists join the rank with the release their debut records. Sometimes these debut albums come from established artists who have already made a name for themselves through touring and single or EP releases prior to the release of a full debut record, but most of the time it's a strong debut that catches the attention of a few fans and begins to spread like wildfire through social media word of mouth. So, in an effort to bring some of these artists and their spectacular debut projects to light, I've compiled a list of my top 15 debut records of 2024, along with 10 additional honorable mentions, that all country music fans need to check out. With the debut record now behind them, I am sure that all of these artists and bands will go on to release plenty of even better albums throughout their careers, but all of these are going to be pretty hard to beat. And before people get upset about it - I didn't include Zach Top's Cold Beer & Country Music in this list because, according to Spotify, his self-titled project Zach Top released in 2022 was his debut album. Moreover, if Spotify lists a project as an EP as opposed to album, like The Castellows' 7-track project A Little Goes A Long Way for example, I didn't include it either. Lastly, after giving it much thought, I excluded Noeline Hofmann's impressive debut project Purple Gas, despite it being listed as an album, since two of the seven tracks are different versions of the title track. It's becoming more and more difficult each year to determine what constitutes a full length album... But with those disclaimers out of the way now, check out my favorite debut albums of 2024 below: 15. Jayce Turley - Broke Down 14. Nick Taylor - Not Alone 13. Sentimental Family Band - Sweethearts Only 12. Holler Choir - Songs Before They Write Themselves 11. The Honkytonk Wranglers - Hangin' Around 10. Zach Meadows - Road to Nowhere 9. Fox N' Vead - Barely Getting By 8. Colby T. Helms - Tales of Misfortune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0fols_Rm3A 7. Sam Barber - Restless Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iMPhRWExTo 6. Kade Hoffman - Relics & Remnants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCfqwnHo2f8 5. Kimmi Bitter - Old School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpWPIxcqVDY 4. The Droptines - The Droptines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSXB1grqP5A 3. Maggie Antone - Rhinestoned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiWA4_15NX0 2. Taylor Hunnicutt - Alabama Sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN3O8K8CYaY 1. JR Carroll - Dark Cloud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHqadPa30Wo Honorable Mentions Make sure to check out these albums, too! Darby Sparkman - Darling of the Dust Into the Fog - Carolina Moon Kassi Ashton - Made From the Dirt Keller Cox - Good Again, Amen Luke Grimes - Luke Grimes Max McNown - Wandering (Love Me Back) Oliver Anthony - Hymnal of a Troubled Man's Mind Secret Formula Band - Roll Them Dice Shawna Thompson - Lean on Neon Willow Avalon - Stranger

Dear Ella Langley, I am officially adding a cover request of Heart's "Barracuda" to my 2025 country music wish list. The holidays are here, which means our favorite artists are finally getting some R&R as touring is ending for the year (or at least until after Christmas), and they are getting some time at home to relax. But our definition of relaxing might be different than theirs. While they are not on stage every night, musicians often still mess around on their instruments to keep their skills sharp or might use the downtime to pen a new ditty or two. Ella Langley gave fans an inside look at how she spends her downtime, and to nobody's surprise, it involves a guitar. Typically, we see Langley sporting an acoustic guitar on stage, but at home, she's dabbling with her electric guitar and firing up the classic track "Barracuda." Langley highlights a short clip of her sitting behind her couch, shredding the legendary introduction of the 1977 song. While She notes in the caption that she's "much better at this song on Guitar Hero," the deep chugs of the melody are spot on and evoke a sense of nostalgia. Also, shoutout to Langley for the Guitar Hero reference because, let's be honest, all music-addicted kids grew up playing this song and "Slow Ride" on the game. The short clip Langley shared got my brain thinking that if anyone in country music today were to lay down a cover of this track, Langley would be the perfect fit. She has the voice to hit the notes and growls that Heart portrays in the song. @ellalangleymusic1Much better at this song on guitar hero♬ original sound - Ella Langley I was not the only one with this thought as the comments filled up, asking the Alabama native for more. "I was really hoping to hear you sing it!! You’re so talented, Ella." "We neeeed more you have the voice for it." "Sing it." Langley performed a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" with Maggie Antone during a show this year and blew it out of the park. The cover of "Dreams" shows that Langley has the old soul feel that these legendary '70s and '80s rock groups carried, and I think that would translate perfectly into the grittiness of "Barracuda." @whiskeyriff @Ella Langley @maggie antone // ?: @Langley Loyalists #whiskeyriff #ellalangley #maggieantone #fleetwoodmac ♬ original sound - Whiskey Riff This year, we saw a softer side of Langley's vocals with "You Look Like You Love Me," but we recall the rip-roaring sound she curated with Koe Wetzel on "That's Why We Fight." If she had taken that spirit into a cover of "Barracuda," I think she'd have a hit cover on her hands. Hell, I believe Langley would even blow "Crazy On You" by Heart out of the water. Ella Langley is a badass, without a doubt, so it would be awesome to see her expand on this snippet a bit more. Fire up the original track while you're here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeMvMNpvB5M