It's a good year to be a country music fan. From a pop country queen to an outlaw country legend, here are eight upcoming country albums we're excited to hear.
Turnpike Troubadours, A Long Way From Your Heart
Turnpike Troubadours
We still don't know much about the upcoming release from Turnpike Troubadours, A Long Way From Your Heart. The band has yet to release a single from the upcoming release. But it doesn't take much to know that anything the Oklahoma boys do is likely going to be great. The Red Dirt band's fanbase has steadily kept growing since the release of their breakout 2012 album Goodbye Normal Street and their self-titled 2015 record. Look for A Long Way From Your Heart on Oct. 20.
Shania Twain, Now
Shania Twain
The reigning pop country queen is plotting a comeback. Shania Twain's first album in 15 years, Now, will drop Sept. 29. Even though the album's first single was heavily overproduced, we're excited to see what else the country diva has in store.
Billy Strings, Turmoil and Tinfoil
Billy Strings/ Facebook
Billy Strings has been making waves on the Americana and bluegrass circuit for a while now. Now the young Michigan native, who blends the spirit of metal music with the traditional sounds of bluegrass, is set to release his debut album Turmoil and Tinfoil on Sept. 22.
Whitney Rose, Rule 62
Whitney Rose/ Facebook
Whitney Rose's 2015 album Heartbreaker of the Year flawlessly mixed torchy love songs with honky tonk boot scooters to create one of the best debut albums of the year. Now the native Canadian turned Texan is gearing up to release her second full-length album, Rule 62, on Oct. 6. The album's first single, "Can't Stop Shakin'," is a throwback country-soul song in the vein of '60s girl groups like The Ronettes. If the song is any indication, Rule 62 is sure to be another great album from Rose.
Radney Foster, For You to See the Stars
Radney Foster
Radney Foster is one of country music's most beloved and prolific songwriters. His songs have been recorded by everyone from Keith Urban to the Dixie Chicks and he burned up the country charts in the late 80s as part of the duo Foster and Lloyd. Foster will release his 11th studio album, For You to See the Stars, on Sept. 15.
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer, Not Dark Yet
Allison Moorer/Facebook
Sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer have each had successful careers on their own. Lynne won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2001 and Moorer rose to fame when her song "A Soft Place to Fall" was used in the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer and nominated for an Academy Award. Still, fans longed for a collaboration between the siblings and, thankfully, we won't have to wait much longer. On Aug. 18, Lynne and Moorer will release Not Dark Yet, a collaborative album featuring cover songs of Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan and Nirvana.
Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tell the Devil I'm Getting There As Fast As I Can
Photo: Mary Keating Bruton
It doesn't get cooler than Ray Wylie Hubbard. The outlaw country legend has always lived on the fringes of mainstream country stardom, penning Texas country standards for folks like Jerry Jeff Walker and mentoring young guns like Hayes Carll. But Hubbard doesn't need anyone to record his songs. He's doing just fine with that on his own. The Lone Star State poet will release his latest album Tell the Devil I'm Getting There As Fast As I Can on Aug. 18. We recently debuted his duet with Patty Griffin, "In Times of Cold," which appears on the upcoming album.
Various Artists, Johnny Cash Forever Words: The Music
ABC Television/Getty Images
Earlier this year, 41 of Johnny Cash's poems were published in the book Forever Words: The Unknown Poem. After Brad Paisley set the poem "Gold All Over the Ground" to music, Cash's son John Carter Cash was inspired to give the musical treatment to more of his father's words. Carter Cash launched the project Johnny Cash Forever Words: The Music, calling on artists from Nashville and beyond to set the poems to music.
Recently, Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly teamed up to perform "To June, This Morning" at Tennessee's Blackberry Farm. The song will be included on the highly anticipated album, which will also feature performances from Jamey Johnson, Brad Paisley, Jewel and the late Chris Cornell. The album is set to be released this fall. No official release date has been given at this time.
