Well deserved.
On Thursday Rolling Stone released their list of “The 100 Best Albums of 2023,” and country artists were well represented.
Among the entries were Megan Moroney’s Lucky at 43, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s Weathervanes at 25, and Zach Bryan’s Zach Bryan coming in at number 10.
The magazine was very complimentary of all three artists in their publication of the list. Bryan‘s self titled record was one of the most commercially successful entries on the list, and Rolling Stone gave a small nod to that fact. Speaking on the album, they said:
On this year’s biggest country album, Zach Bryan’s heartland rock (“Fear and Friday’s”) and stomp-and-holler folk (“East Side of Sorrow”) is just as arresting as his classic country duets (“I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves) and intimate front porch gems (“Smaller Acts”).
Jason Isbell‘s unique blend of genres and deep subject matter has long been a darling of these types of publications, and this year’s acknowledgement is no different. Speaking on the album, they had this to say:
One of American music’s best songwriters hit another peak with his brutally beautiful ninth studio album. The songs on Weathervanes tremble with anger, desperation, and fear.
Moroney‘s inclusion on the list may have been the most surprising of the three country artists recognized this year. Rolling Stone tends not to give much love to mainstream country, so to see Megan get the nod on a list like this is a testament to the potential of one of country’s top newcomers of 2023. In praise of the record, Rolling Stone said:
The exciting mainstream country debut of 2023 belonged to the Georgia-raised Megan Moroney, whose Gen Z iteration of three chords and the truth involves plenty of SEC football and social-media scrolling… But Lucky is also an exercise in mastery of tradition, from the Shania-style romp of the title track to the devastating piano ballad “Mustang or Me.”
For fans wondering where Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At a Time or Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old are, it is important to note that Rolling Stone‘s list is not influenced by popularity, and is a subjective ranking based on artistic merits.
Further, the publication tends to highlight artists and sounds that are more experimental and underground. It is rare to see them include big mainstream names on these lists in any genre, which makes the inclusion of big names like Bryan and Moroney even more impressive.
Check out the full list here: