The year 2025 is coming to a close, filled with the chaos of finishing the year strong, personally and professionally, before you begin the madness of the holidays. But in all of the madness, it’s only right to take a look back on all the good that came with the year, including some of the best music that was released this year and moments that occurred in the industry. 2025 was another stellar year for country music, building off the momentum that 2024 gave us. Morgan Wallen continued his hot streak with the release of I’m The Problem, which was recently named Apple Music’s most-listened-to album in 2025. The Red Clay Strays finally overthrew Old Dominion for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, which feels like a massive step for country music, and Kenny Chesney took No Shoes Nation to the Las Vegas Sphere for a one-of-a-kind concert for country music fans. And on top of that, female country stars continue to prove they are the future powerhouses of the genre with Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Laci Kaye Booth, and more all releasing stellar songs this year. This, of course, only scratches the surface of all the memorable country music moments from 2025. If you’re a returning reader, then you know that 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. But before we share our list of favorites, it’s only right to turn the question on our fans, followers, and readers for them to share what their top albums of the year were. View this post on Instagram The overwhelming winners from this question were the Turnpike Troubadours with The Price of Admission, which was gifted to fans in April, and the second record that got a lot of votes was the newly released Treaty Oak Revival project, West Texas Degenerate. I am in complete agreement with you there, folks. Those two records capture two ends of the country music spectrum, highlighting rocking anthems and more traditional stylings that captured the hearts of country music fans. As for other records mentioned, here are some of the responses you all shared with us: ‘Ain’t In It For My Health’ – Zack Top ‘Whomp Whack Thunder’ – Whiskey Myers ‘Smokestack Town’ – Ole 60 ‘…And What Was Left Behind’ – Muscadine Bloodline ‘Songbird’ – Waylon Jennings ‘I’m the Problem’ – Morgan Wallen ‘Westward’ – Dylan Gossett ‘Solitary Tracks’ – Kip Moore ‘Memories and Empties’ – Colter Wall ‘Parker McCollum’ – Parker McCollum ‘Snipe Hunter’ – Tyler Childers ‘Foxes in the Snow’ – Jason Isbell ‘Dollar A Day’ – Charley Crockett This list of course is much shorter than 40, and while our Top Albums of the Year list will feature much more than this, I am feeling very confident that most of these albums will make the list. But we also have some other incredible albums that should be highlighted, like Willow Avalon’s Southern Belle Rasin’ Hell, Muscadine Bloodline’s Longleaf Low-fi, or Colby Acuff’s incredible concept record, Enjoy the Ride. From debut albums to unearthed music from the genre’s trailblazers, 2025 brought us an incredible year of music… and boy, looking back on it makes me excited to see what 2026 has in store. Fire up a few tunes from this list of records while you’re here: “Heaven Passing Through” “Rowdy Days” “Blue Star” “Living By The Hour” “Bitin’ List” The post Country Music Fans Sound Off On Their Favorite Album Of 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.