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It’s that time of year again… Another great year of country music is all but in the books, and now it’s time to look back, reflect, and take stock of everything we’ve been gifted in 2025. Country music is in a GREAT place compared to where it was even just a handful of years ago, so much so that it honestly can make these highly subjective, year-end lists rather unenjoyable to put together. Since first we started Whiskey Riff back in 2014, we’ve compiled an annual “Albums of the Year” list featuring our Top 40 albums, and every year it seems like it gets harder and harder to do. As far as the process goes, it’s pretty simple… I tell all of the writers here, as well as a couple behind-the-scenes folks (about 8 of us), to send me their top albums of the year and then we analyze those lists to make a master short list, ranked by which albums appear the most among us, and where they fall on the list. A fairly democratic process for the most part. This year, that master list featured a whopping 85+ albums that went into consideration, and that’s far from every country album that was released this year… very far from it. You see why this isn’t that much fun anymore? How do take a list of nearly 90 good country albums and whittle that down to 40? It’s extremely difficult to do. But in the modern digital age… we love simple rankings and lists, easily digestible graphics to be consumed on social media in a matter of seconds… so here we go. Country music in 2025 was a continuation of what we saw in 2024… better quality from the mainstream, artists like Zach Top, Parker McCollum, Chase Rice, Jake Owen, Hailey Whitters. And then we also saw more success emerging out of the independent/non-mainstream scene. Bands like Treaty Oak Revival had a breakout year, Red Clay Strays have finally unseated Old Dominion from the awards shows, Charley Crockett, Tyler Childers and Turnpike Troubadours have really become household names at this point. All in all, I think it’s great to see where the genre is headed, but perhaps more importantly, the streaming era has proven that a LOT can be accomplished these days without any love from country radio or any support from a major label in Nashville. You can become a legitimate country music superstar these days, selling BIG arenas, streaming among the giants, and be completely independent from the entire country music scene. It’s a new era, and a great development for country music as a whole, but…. back to the list. I know that many of your favorite records will be featured on this list, but as I say every single year… I truly hope you find something new here as well. I really want these year-end lists to be about reflection, appreciation, and discovery, and not validation of your own music taste. Of course, I’m not that naive. I know as soon as I hit publish, all of the “what about…” or “you forgot…” comments will come raining in, and have at it… I don’t read the comments anyways. But before we get to the list, let’s set some quick ground rules… with the main one largely being that we’re only considering full length studio albums. So that means no EPs (even the long ones), no live albums or compilation albums, and no deluxe editions either, even though some deluxe albums are adding another 8-10 songs these days. Posthumous records count so long as there was original, never-heard-before material. And no… no AI music will even remotely be considered for anything other than our “Worst Country Songs of the Year” list. So without further ado, let’s get to it… Honorable Mentions Like I said earlier, every year when we start gathering up our sort list of albums top consider for album of the year, it ends being a LONG list. It is nearly impossible to narrow them down to even just 40 albums and I strongly considered doing the Top 50 this year. A number of factors can explain why a particular album didn’t make the cut… maybe we just didn’t get enough listens, maybe it snuck under the radar or came out in a jam-packed window and took a backseat to other albums. I’ll admit that there were some in here that I personally just wasn’t that familiar with. I also tried to stay away from albums that didn’t quite feel like they were made in the spirit of country music. For example, while a totally bad*** project, Brent Cobb and the Fixin’s went explicitly rock and roll this year. It was a departure from the usual sound and I think that’s a different approach than some of the Texas country rock acts who’ve made a career under the country music umbrella. Nevertheless, it’s a relatively sizeable group effort here, so maybe a particular album just didn’t quite resonate with all of us here at Whiskey Riff HQ. It doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Either way, here’s a handful of great albums that didn’t make the cut this year, but you should still definitely check out. Honorable Mentions: Kassi Ashton – Made From the Dirt: The Blooms Cole Chaney – In the Shadow of the Mountain The Wilder Blue – Still in the Runnin’ Dylan Gossett – Westward Kolby Cooper – Love You, Goodnight Chancey Williams – Miles On Me Ashland Craft – Dive Bar Beauty Queen Kolton Moore & the Clever Few – A Place That I Call Home Lance Roark – Bad Reputation Philip Bowen – Appalachia Forever William Beckmann – Whiskey Lies & Alibis Lauren Watkins – In A Perfect World Sam Barber – Music for the Soul Joshua Ray Walker – Stuff Jason Boland & the Stragglers – The Last Kings of Babylon Jonathan & Abigail Peyton – How We’ve Come So Far Ruston Kelly – Pale, Through the Window Low Water Bridge Band – Honky Tonk Process Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke Myron Elkins – Nostalgia for Sale Nolan Taylor – Nolan Taylor John Baumann – Guy On A Rock And now… your top albums of 2025… Whiskey Riff’s Top 40 Country Albums of 2025 40. Tanner Usrey – These Days 39. JD Clayton – Blue Sky Sundays 38. Jon Pardi – Honkytonk Hollywood 37. Chase Rice – Eldora 36. Joshua Slone – Thinking Too Much 35. Morgan Wallen – I’m the Problem 34. Leon Majcen – Making a Livin’ (Not a Killin’)   33. Marcus King – Darling Blue 32. Joe Stamm Band – Little Crosses 31. Willow Avalon – Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell 30. Sunny Sweeney – Rhinestone Requiem 29. Nicholas Jamerson – The Narrow Way 28. Kelsey Waldon – Every Ghost 27. Muscadine Bloodline – …And What Was Left Behind 26. Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum 25. Lukas Nelson – American Romance 24. Cody Jinks – In My Blood 23. Jesse Daniel – Son of the San Lorenzo 22. Tennessee Jet – Ranchero 21. Sam Stoane – Tales of the Dark West 20. Luke Bell – The King Is Back 19. Evan Honer – Everything I Wanted 18. Waylon Jennings – Songbird 17. Ole 60 – Smokestack Town 16. Kat Hasty – The Time of Your Life 15. Carter Faith – Cherry Valley 14. Jake Worthington – When I Write the Song 13. Muscadine Bloodline – Longleaf Lo-Fi 12. Charley Crockett – Dollar A Day 11. Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter 10. Kip Moore – Solitary Tracks 9. Whiskey Myers – Whomp Whack Thunder 8. Hailey Whitters – Corn Queen 7. Jake Owen – Dreams to Dream 6. Colter Wall – Memories and Empties 5. Colby Acuff – Enjoy the Ride 4. Eric Church – Evangeline vs. The Machine 3. Treaty Oak Revival – West Texas Degenerate 2. Zach Top – Ain’t In It for My Health 1. Turnpike Troubadours – The Price of Admission It’s only right that you have a playlist of the best country albums of this year… so we made one for you. After all, what good is a list of albums if you can’t listen to the music on the list, right? Cheers. Listen on Spotify Apple Music The post The 40 Best Country Albums Of 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

There are some things in life that money just can’t buy… Last year, Megan Moroney released her first ever holiday project, a three-song EP titled Blue Christmas… duh, which features two original songs “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy” and “Christmas Morning,” as well as a cover of the Elvis classic “Blue Christmas.” I’m simply not a Christmas music person, I think I might listen to a few Christmas songs on December 24th and 25th, but Megan penned one that’s actually incredibly relatable with “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy,” and I think we need to give it proper acknowledgment on the list of great Christmas songs. It’s cute, cheeky little tune that finds her making a pretty simple Christmas list… she just wants a hot cowboy that she can “unwrap like a present”: “Give me tall hot in a stetson Somethin’ I can unwrap like a present Put him in some new Luccheses Make him call me, “Baby” I swear I’ve been good all year Please Santa, please All I want for Christmas is a cowboy Who only wants me” I personally don’t think that’s asking too much… Every year, everyone asks what I want for Christmas, and I always just say some sort of gift card, maybe some new jewelry or perfume… you know, the basics. But the truth is, like Meg, I’d really love to find a tall, hot cowboy under my tree this year (I was going to say something else but someone in my family might read this), and she summed it up perfectly in an interview with Billboard after her CMA win for New Artist of the Year in 2024: “I’m in the market for a cowboy, and I think Santa should bring me one. Tall, hot, wearing a Stetson, and he only wants me.” Preach it, girl… @billboard Just like her song says Shoot your shot w @Megan Moroney in the comments #CMAawards #meganmoroney #interview #redcarpet #countrymusic #cowboy #christmassong #christmasmusic #holidays ♬ In the market for a cowboy – billboard Written by Megan along with frequent collaborators Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter and Micah Carpenter, she nailed every single thought I have about what I really want for Christmas, and that’s what I can appreciate about this Christmas song in particular… it’s so real. Am I writing this partially because we are in full-on holiday party mode, which means seeing people I haven’t seen all year, or are just nosey, prodding about my dating life and asking when I’m going to get married? 100% yes. If I could just wake up and find a hot cowboy under my… tree… then I would never have to suffer through this absolutely annoying time of the year ever again. I just need someone to find me a hot cowboy first. Oh, and Santa, if you’re listening, Kayce Dutton comes to mind as a perfect example if you need some inspiration. I promise, I’ve been really good this year! The top comment on the YouTube video of her performance of the song for CMA Country Christmas about a week ago summed it up best: “Save a reindeer, ride a cowboy.” I think Megan would agree… You can watch her performance from CMA Country Christmas here: “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy” The post Megan Moroney’s “All I Want For Christmas Is A Cowboy” Is One Of The Realest Holiday Songs Ever Written first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

At least there’s one bright spot. It’s safe to say it’s been a quite the busy past two weeks for music publications, streaming services and charts across the world. Over the course of the past ten days, we’ve seen Apple drop their year-end “Apple Music Replay” which crowned Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem the most-listened to album on the platform, Spotify Wrapped also name I’m The Problem the most-streamed album in the U.S. (and eighth-most globally), iHeartRadio name Koe Wetzel’s “High Road” the #1 country song of 2025 across their platforms and most notably, Billboard crowned Morgan Wallen the Top Artist of 2025, along with nearly 20 different #1 spots across a wide array of their various charts. Despite country radio clearly losing the decades-long strangle hold it has had on consumers for the better part of the past five or so years, there’s no denying that it’s still a major player in terms of introducing casual listeners to music as it has throughout history. As pretty everyone knows by now, however, country radio has taken what can only be described as a nose-dive in quality over the years. Gone are the days where you can fire up your local station and hear some stone-cold country songs, complete with some fiddle and steel, or even some hidden gems that a local DJ caught wind of early. Nowadays, you admittedly have to actively seek out the best country music has to offer, whether it’s here at Whiskey Riff, on streaming services or online on various different social media platforms. With all of that being said, Mediabase, the leading services that tracks radio play across the country, dropped the Top 50 most-played songs on country radio in 2025… and it’s a bit of a doozy. Most played songs on US Country Radio in 2025 (Mediabase): pic.twitter.com/qOxXfqu1lp — U.S. Radio Updater (@USRadioUpdater) December 9, 2025 Against all odds, Koe Wetzel’s 3x platinum smash hit with Jessie Murph, “High Road,” took the #1 most-played song on country radio, beating out the likes of Morgan Wallen’s “Love Somebody” (#3) and “I’m The Problem” (#5), Jelly Roll’s “Liar” (#2) and LOCASH’s “Hometown Home,” which bafflingly took the #4 spot despite only having little to no public buzz surrounding the track and a menial 6.7 million streams on Spotify. Rounding out the Top 10 are the likes of Jason Aldean’s “Whiskey Drink,” Shaboozey’s “Good News,” Corey Kent’s “This Heart,” Thomas Rhett’s “After All The Bars Are Closed” and Tyler Hubbard’s “Park.” It should come as no surprise that Wallen owns the most entries on the list with four separate entries with “I Got Better” and “Just In Case” also making appearances inside the Top 50. Jelly Roll claims the #2 spot with three entries including “I Am Not Okay” and “Heart of Stone.” As for some surprises and actual bright spots, Zach Top’s breakout hit, “I Never Lie” makes a Top 20 appearance, co-leaders of this year’s top CMA nominees, Ella Langley and Megan Moroney claim back-to-back spots at #24 and #25 respectively with “weren’t for the wind” and “Am I Okay,” Riley Green’s viral sensation, “Worst Way,” slots in at #28, Parker McCollum’s “What Kinda Man” as well as Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood’s “I’m Gonna Love You” make appearances in the 30s and finally, Eric Church returns to the year-end charts with his lead single off of Evangeline vs. The Machine, “Hands of Time,” at all the way down at #43. That’s about where the positives end. Also existing in the charts are bores such as Chase Matthews’ trap-infused monstrosity, “Darlin’,” Dylan Marlowe and Dylan Scott’s bro-country eye-roller, “Boys Back Home,” Dasha’s viral TikTok song, “Austin (Boots Stopped Workin’)” and Rascal Flatts and the Jonas Brothers’ “I Dare You,” which serves as a simultaneous bow on the present and middle finger to country fans ending the list and slotting in at #50. Another thing to note is the continued lack of women on country radio. Despite Langley, Moroney, Lainey Wilson and the endless talent flying out of the alt. and indie scene, only five songs, not counting features, from female artists appear inside the Top 50, with Wilson owning two (“4X4xU” and “Somewhere Over Laredo”). Ultimately, it should truly come as no surprise that this year’s country radio Top 50 is truly as bad as it is. It’s become more than apparent over the past decade that radio is slowly but surely dying, not only thanks to streaming services but also given the fact that the powers that be simply refuse to adapt to the clearly-changing spot that the genre is in right now. Minimally, it’s nice to see Koe Wetzel, who has been a fan-favorite for years, take the top spot, at least. Top 50 Most-Played Songs On Country Radio (2025) “High Road” – Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph “Liar” – Jelly Roll “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen “Hometown Home” – LOCASH “I’m The Problem” – Morgan Wallen “Whiskey Drink” – Jason Aldean “Good News” – Shaboozey “This Heart” – Corey Kent “After All The Bars Are Closed” – Thomas Rhett “Park” – Tyler Hubbard “I Ain’t Sayin'” – Jordan Davis “Just In Case” – Morgan Wallen “Country House” – Sam Hunt “Friends Like That” – John Morgan ft. Jason Aldean “Happens To Me” – Russell Dickerson “Boys Back Home” – Dylan Marlowe & Dylan Scott “Heavens To Betsy” – Jackson Dean “Fix What You Didn’t Break” – Nate Smith “I Never Lie” – Zach Top “Backseat Driver” – Kane Brown “The Town’s Been Too Good To Us” – Dylan Scott “Single Again” – Josh Ross “I Am Not Okay” – Jelly Roll “Am I Okay” – Megan Moroney “weren’t for the wind” – Ella Langley “Forever To Me” – Cole Swindell “Country Song Came On” – Luke Bryan “Worst Way” – Riley Green “Heart of Stone” – Jelly Roll “Texas” – Blake Shelton “Friday Night Heartbreaker” – Jon Pardi “Bar None” – Jordan Davis “Bottle Rockets” – Scotty McCreery ft. Hootie & the Blowfish “What Kinda Man” – Parker McCollum “Darlin'” – Chase Matthew “I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson w/ Carrie Underwood “Guy For That” – Post Malone ft. Luke Combs “Backup Plan” – Bailey Zimmerman ft. Luke Combs “Wind Up Missin’ You” – Tucker Wetmore “Tough People” – Drew Baldridge “Cowboy Songs” – George Birge “4X4XU” – Lainey Wilson “Hands of Time” – Eric Church “Holy Smokes” – Bailey Zimmerman “I Got Better” – Morgan Wallen “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” – Dasha “Straight Line” – Keith Urban “3,2,1” – Tucker Wetmore “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson “I Dare You” – Rascal Flatts w/ Jonas Brothers The post Koe Wetzel’s “High Road” Named Country Radio’s #1 Song Of 2025, Morgan Wallen Scores Two Top 5 Entries first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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