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No. 10, is country newcomer
M Callahan with his self-titled CD. Although he is not a household name yet in the country world, he certainly deserves to be. His eponymous debut album is a real treat, which features an eclectic mix of songs. Its prime cuts include "God's Green Earth," "Baptized By Your Love," the upbeat "Wrecking My World" and "The Day We Fell in Love."
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No. 9, is Valory Music Company recording artist
Justin Moore. He released his
Off The Beaten Path CD which is a continuation of his previous album
Outlaws Like Me. It offers duets with such artists as Miranda Lambert and southern rock living legend Charlie Daniels. I really love "This Kind of Town" and "One Dirt Road."
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No. 8, is country newcomer
Justin Adams. He released his self-titled EP and for an independent artist, he has done an extraordinary job. From its five tracks, I found four of them to be outstanding. The song "This Cowboy's Gonna Ride" has the potential to be a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Airplay charts.
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No. 7, is
Blake Shelton, the reigning CMA "Entertainer of the Year" who released his
Based on a True Story CD which was highly diverse and pleasant. I really loved his singles "Sure Be Cool If You Did" and his latest radio single, the moving ballad "Mine Would Be You."
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No. 6, is reigning ACM "Entertainer of the Year"
Luke Bryan, who is back with his best album to date with
Crash My Party. The title track is fun and catchy and there are plenty of more radio-friendly tunes on this collection, including "Dirt Road Diary."
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No. 5, is Warner Music Nashville singer-songwriter
Charlie Worsham. His new album
Rubberband is a refreshing and soothing listen. His vocals are lilting and infectious, especially his catchy debut single "Could It Be." Other noteworthy cuts include "Mississippi In July," "Young To See," "Someone Like Me" and "How I Learned To Pray." With songs of this caliber, Worsham is poised for country superstardom.
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No. 4, is Atlantic recording artist
Hunter Hayes. The deluxe edition of his debut album was released this year. Although it is not entirely new, it features five new tracks, four of which are stellar. These include the hit single "I Want Crazy," the catchy "Better Than This," the electrifying "Light Me Up," as well as the poignant "In a Song."
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No. 3, is the Grammy-winning country group
The Mavericks. Their latest album
In Time is a stellar musical work. Raul Malo's lead vocals are as smooth as silk and its song selection is extremely solid. The CD has rich lyrics and it is filled with infectious melodies, harmonies and instrumentals. There is not a filler track on the entire album. It definitely deserves to be nominated for a Grammy award in next year's ceremony.
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No. 2 is
Joe Nichols. He is back with his latest studio album
Crickets which features 16 tracks. He is a neo-traditionalist whose vocals are reminiscent to those of Merle Haggard. My favorite tunes on the CD include the title cut, "Sunny and 75," "Yeah," "Hard to Be Cool" and "Smile On Mine."
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No. 1, is Atlantic recording artist
Brett Eldredge. The best album released this year by a male country artist is Eldredge's
Bring You Back. It is a singer-songwriter's dream to record an album of such excellence, where each and every song is stellar. Although it is hard to choose a personal favorite track, I truly love "Beat of the Music," "Go On Without Me," the moving ballad "Raymond," "One Mississippi," as well as "Signs" and "Don't Ya."
