The Best Albums of 2024

Jonathan Keefe

January 26, 2025

Country Universe

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2024 was a year in which creators from historically and presently marginalized communities used their work to put the country music establishment on notice for the ways that they continue to exclude perspectives that challenge their tightly-held status quo. Leading the pack Jett Holden with Melissa Carper, Amythyst Kiah, Sarah King, Joy Oladokun, Katie Pruitt, Adeem The Artist, Beyoncé, Willie Carlile, Denitia, Chris Housman, Liv Greene, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Kyshona, The Mavericks, Lizzie No and more.

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Jett Holden a Black man wearing a wide-brimmed black hat gazes upwards, surrounded by bright red flowers and lush green foliage, with sunlight highlighting his thoughtful expression.

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Jett Holden, Melissa Carper, Amythyst Kiah, Sarah King, Joy Oladokun, Katie Pruitt, Adeem The Artist, Beyoncé, Willie Carlile, Denitia, Chris Housman, Liv Greene, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Kyshona, The Mavericks, Lizzie No, Sarah Shook and The Disarmers, Shaboozey, Steve Slagg, Cecily Wilborn, Yasmin Williams

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Country Universe

The longest-running country music blog, Country Universe was founded on and remains committed to the fact-based notion that country music has never been the exclusive purview of artists who are straight, white, Christian, Southern, and (mostly) men. When focusing on either the genre's history or its present, CU takes a "big tent" approach to the broader country universe and believes that a foundation of empathy makes country music an essential part of our shared popular culture.

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Gay Ole Opry Playlist

Karen & the Sorrows have been building queer country community in Brooklyn by running the Queer Country Quarterly and the Gay Ole Opry (gayoleopry.com) since 2011. Most of these bands have come to play for us, but some we're still wishing on!

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