What Are You Listening To?..

“I put that record on – girl you know what song.. And I let it play again and again” – Chris Stapleton

For this blog post I wanted to write a list of my 10 favourite albums from the last year or so. Some of these are older than one year but they have pretty much defined my playlist over the last 12 months (these are in no particular order):

1. Storyteller – Carrie Underwood
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – Choctaw County Affair
   – Smoke Break

   I was lucky enough to attend the Australian leg of her Storyteller tour. It was by far the best concert I’ve ever been to – she’s  an incredible performer. I even got to meet her! – Picture below (you’ll have to excuse my ‘deer in the headlights’ expression). If you’ve ever wondered what she is like in person, she’s very sweet & genuine. I walked out an even bigger fan!

   

2. Traveller – Chris Stapleton
   
   Favourite tracks:
   – Tennessee Whiskey
   – Fire Away

   I actually discovered Chris Stapleton one day through Spotify. ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ ended up on my “Discover Weekly” playlist and I immediately fell in love with this album.

3. Ripcord – Keith Urban
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – Blue Ain’t Your Colour
   – Wasted Time

   Finally new music from Keith! This one sounds pretty different to his previous albums but every song is catchy as hell. I got to see him perform live in December last year and boy can he entertain a crowd!!

4. Hero – Maren Morris
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – I Wish I Was
   – I Could Use a Love Song

   Maren is probably the artist that I am most excited about in all of country music. This album is honestly amazing – it lives in my car CD player and I listen to it daily. I’m so glad this artist is starting to be recognised!

5. The Breaker – Little Big Town
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – Rollin’
   – Better Man

   Ok this one has only been released for 2 days but I have to include it. It is all I’ve listened to since the second it was released and I’m OBSESSED! Little Big Town never disappoint!

6. The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – To Learn Her
   – Vice

   This album is an emotional rollercoaster. I first listened to it on the train on the way to work the morning it was released and I was laughing one minute, then crying my eyes out the next (yes, in public!). This is some of her most honest and raw work yet and you can always count on Miranda to make you feel something when you listen.

7. Deep Tracks – Faith Hill
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – Somebody Stand By Me
   – Back To  You

   Ahh Faith Hill was actually one of my favourite artists back when I was a kid! Her vocals on this album are brilliant and I’m so excited to see her tour with Tim McGraw next year!!

8. Puxico – Natalie Hemby
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – Cairo, IL
   – Lovers on Display

   Natalie Hemby has penned some of my absolute favourite songs from some of my favourite artists. So to say I was excited by the release of her solo album is the understatement of the year. Every song on this album is incredible and I hope it gains some recognition in upcoming country music award ceremonies!

9. Southernality – A Thousand Horses
   
   Favourite Tracks:
   – Smoke
   – First Time

   This album is a hell of a lot of fun! It has a country meets rock-n-roll feel to it. This is another one that I discovered through Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” playlist. I’m really hoping these guys will be around CMA Fest this year – I’m dying to see them perform live.

10. Black – Dierks Bentley
    
    Favourite Tracks
    – Why Do I Feel
    – Black

    Dierks has been a favourite of mine for a long time! This album is no exception. I like to put this on when I’ve got a long train trip ahead of me and just chill out. I would recommend this one to everyone!

 

Well that just about wraps it up! All of these albums and artists left a huge impression on me. If you’re looking for new music, give these albums a go! 🙂

What albums have left an impression on you?

Bel x