Issue #79: Our Favorite Songs and Albums of 2024

Bad year for humans, good year for country music, so it goes

It’s that time of year: ranking shit time! Except we are not doing any ranking here at Don’t Rock the Inbox, because no one said we had to. We loved so many songs and albums this year, we’re presenting them to you in alphabetical order. We hope you’ll let us know in the comments what you loved too (only open to subscribers, but we are running a sale!), and we also hope you found some of your favorites on this very newsletter, if we are doing our jobs correctly!

First off, we partnered with Stereogum again to pick our favorite country albums of 2024. Thanks Stereogum! You can find the whole list over at their website here.

For songs, we loved classic country, we loved some bros, we danced to some honkytonk, some country pop, some non-super-country-but-twangy enough stuff. And we picked ones that didn’t appear on any of our favorite albums - with one exception that we both loved AND appeared on our albums list: Sierra Ferrell’s “Dollar Bill Bar.” It’s Beatles, it’s country, it’s catchy and pretty perfect. Otherwise, we each picked 10 tops to share with you here. Can’t wait to see what 2025 holds…

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Don’t Rock the Inbox’s Favorite Country & Americana-ish Songs of 2024:

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)," Shaboozey: We've talked about this song plenty (and, I will note, called that it had all the makings of a hit!) — but it's hard to overstate what a specific coup Shaboozey pulled off here, turning a 20-year-old pop-rap smash into an even bigger hoedown-ready stomp-clap smash. It was a brilliant choice, and it's made him a superstar. This is the follow-up to "Old Town Road," if much more explicitly directed at Nashville and made within its infrastructure. The dark side of this song is that it has illuminated for the millionth time just how far Music City will go to keep Black artists at arm's length — but Shaboozey is clearly getting the last laugh. — NW [This is a top song for my household, too. What does it say that the two songs of the past decade that me and the kids have most enjoyed dancing to together are country songs by Black men? We ain’t dancing to Luke Bryan I’ll tell you that. - MM]

"And Countin'," Scotty McCreery: The most consistent Music Row country artist, to me, was…Scotty McCreery? Only narrowly missed being one of my top albums of the year, for it's sheer…competence! No Bryan-style angst, no faux-Wallen clumsy R&B lifts, no Jelly Roll-esque screaming — just solid, memorable country pop tracks like this one, a drinking song that deserves a spot on every party playlist. — NW

"Apiary," Creekbed Carter Hogan: An extended folk jam that simmers with heat and intensity, sounding both eclectic and ancient at once. — NW

“Back to You,” Denitia: I think Denitia could write perfect little acoustic country songs while sleepwalking, because Sunset Drive is full of them (case in point, the gorgeous “I Don’t Get High”). But I love this one that comes with a little bit of a chug and some Bakersfield guitar. Just such a memorable, timeless tune. - MM

"Bitch On The Sauce (Just Drunk)," Miranda Lambert: The way Miranda hits those long notes is just really hard to match. This one reprises some "White Liar" energy, which is basically peak ML. — NW

"Critterland," Willi Carlisle: Because we're all here for all the love we can stand! And all the exuberant inclusivity anthems we can find! — NW

“Darkest Hour,” Eric Church: One of those melodies that seems to have existed forever, in a song that pushes boundaries of country music, of Eric’s voice, of instrumental arrangements. This one did a rarity: got me so excited to hear what was going to come next. - MM

JOINT FAV: “Dollar Bill Bar,” Sierra Ferrell: It’s Beatles, it’s country, it’s catchy and pretty perfect [My no. 3 most played song of the year per Spotify (sorry). Just a plain old banger, right from the opening chords — fun, catchy and irreverent. "Guys like you are a dime a dozen…" I need to scream-sing it, immediately. — NW].

“Fault Line,” Carly Pearce: Pretty much every song on Carly new album, Hummingbird, is good, and I love how she creeps more and more country on every record (when’s that bluegrass one coming, Carly? We all wanna know). This is my favorite of the bunch though, and when she sings “I turn into the bitch that you say I am” I let out a little whoop. She sounds so, so, good in this lane – and it’s not all dudes bringing back classic country sounds, it’s just that Carly doesn’t have to do the dress up cosplay. - MM

“Gentle Violence,” John Moreland: From one of the best writers around, a song about the small ways we hurt each other, all the time. - MM

“Haw River,” Chase Rice: Yes, a bro is on our list. Yes, this is one you should reconsider. Rice tells the story of injustice and violence perpetrated on indigenous people by the catholic church…and does it stunningly well, to a powerful, anthemic chorus. – MM

"I Got Time," Brittney Spencer: A breezy and bright summertime anthem that deftly channels Sheryl Crow — the best vibes of 2024. — NW

"I Love America Better Than You," Aaron Lee Tasjan: An earworm that is also a perfect rebuke of performative patriotism. Protest music that you can't help singing along to is protest music achieving its end goal!! — NW

"Johnny Moonshine," Maggie Antone: Speaking of earworms! Spent months with this one on repeat, because with a hook like that how can you not… — NW

“Lighting in July (Prairie Fire)",” Noeline Hoffman: While “Purple Gas” got some attention via Zach Bryan, I love this quicker-paced dancehall-ready western. A singular kind of voice too. - MM

“Revelator,” Phosphorescent: Another not exactly a country song for me (see directly below), but I contend that it’s twangy enough to belong here. Just a brilliant meditation on growing old, becoming a parent and thinking about what it means to change – “I don’t even like what I like any more” Matthew Houck sings, hitting that point so many of us do when we’re confronted with new versions of ourselves in midlife. Or were the old versions bullshit to begin with? - MM

“Right Back to It,” Waxahatchee featuring MJ Lenderman: This is my #1 most listened to song of the year (right in front of “Dollar Bill Bar,” ha) and definitely my most listened to album of the year. It may not be country-country, but it’s built on the roots of it, and it’s just the perfect balance all around. - MM

“Texas Hold Em,” Beyoncé: I squealed when I heard Rhiannon Giddens on the banjo opening the song, and haven’t stopped dancing since. - MM

"Together We Will Sink Or Swim," Vandoliers: The song for the moment, and for all moments. Starts with a scream for catharsis, and then shows listeners exactly how to channel that feeling: Into dancing and helping each other. — NW

"YODEL-AY-HE-HOE," Gracee Shriver: This song was…removed from streaming and I don't know why! It is aggressively fun, sounds great and in a just world would be on the radio. In part putting it on this list so it doesn't get memoryholed! — NW

“You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me),” Kaitlin Butts: Loretta Lynn would be thrilled with this kiss off to a shitty man, from Kaitlin’s perfect Roadrunner!, which is definitely one of my favorite albums of the year that I wrote about here. This song is killer on the album, and firey as hell live. - MM

*Bonus, from a friend of the newsletter* "Rest When I'm Dead," David Forsyth: A little honky-tonk treat that I have been listening to all year long. — NW