Country music has always been much more of a song-based genre than it has celebrated formats like albums. A great artist can build their career on hit singles much faster than they can releasing albums and, historically, albums have often been simple collections of hit songs rather than being pieces of art that stand proud in their own right. That has changed in recent years as artists like Kelsea Ballerini have begun to tell whole stories across the chronology of albums, and wait until you hear HARDY’s ‘the mockingbird & THE CROW’ in January if we are talking about ambitious album concepts.
However, 2022 has been a great year for single and song releases in our genre and it was incredibly hard drilling down into a short form list of 10 songs for this feature. Below is the long list Spotify playlist that we collated over the year which helped us arrive at our top 10. There are 40 tracks on it!!!
Here are our Top 10 Country music songs of 2022 – in no particular order.
Cody Johnson – ‘Til You Can’t’
A real no-brainer for the list, this one. THE zeitgeist Country music song of the year and one that you couldn’t escape from if you tried. Wonderful mixture of meaning and melody that all Country artists strive for.
Morgan Evans – ‘Over For You’
With neither Morgan or Kelsea yet to reveal the details behind their recent split and divorce this is the only clue that we have as to what happened. The split, which seemingly came out of the blue for Evans as much as it did for the fans, has spurred the singer-songwriter to dig deeper than he ever has before and the end result is a song that sits head and shoulders above anything we’ve heard from him before. Heartbreak isn’t nice for anyone but it’s helped Evans show what he’s truly capable of as an artist.
Ruthie Collins – ‘Hypocrite’
Ruthie talked to us about the origins of this terrific song earlier in the year and it has lived with us since. This is the sort of song that should dominate the FM radio airwaves and we can’t wait to hear if there is new music coming from her in 2023.
Scotty McCreery – ‘Damn Strait’
Each album he releases seems to find this talented artists going from strength to strength and ‘Same Truck’ was no different. This song has everything we look for in Country music: honest storytelling, relatable experiences and damn fine melodies that live with you long after the song has finished.
Priscilla Block – ‘Like a Boy’
Priscilla Block is forging her fledgling career on good time and fun but this track, on her debut album, ‘Welcome to the Block Party’ is the stand out song on that release and shows us where she could go in her career a few years down the line. Coming across like a Trisha Yearwood ‘greatest hit’, ‘Like A Boy’ is a morality tale that you’ll be wanting to sing in the shower for months to come.
Caitlyn Smith – ‘Maybe in Another Life’
Simply devastating. We had the privilege of watching Caitlyn sing (and cry) her way through this song a number of times this year and it never becomes less impactful. A truly huge song with huge implications. This could possible be our favourite song of the year if we were in the business of ranking this list even further.
Randy Houser – ‘Note to Self’
If we are talking songs that would be right at the top of a top 10 list, this beauty would need to be in the mix. Randy Houser’s triumphant ‘Note to Self’ is everything that we love about the genre of Country music. Full of wisdom and melody, we had the pleasure of seeing Houser sing it in the Nissan Stadium in June during CMAFest and his vocals filled every inch of that gargantuan arena effortlessly.
HARDY & Lainey Wilson – ‘Wait in the Truck’
One of the most original songs we’ve heard in a while with an immensely cinematic story too. Drama, murder and melody with both HARDY and Lainey hitting some big notes as he comes to her rescue like a knight in shining armour. Great video too.
Cole Swindell – ‘She Had Me at Heads Carolina’
Alongside Cody Johnson, Cole Swindell’s number one hit was probably the most played song of 2022. But there is a reason why songs are played so much and that’s because they are great! This 90’s leaning homage to Jo Dee Messina’s classic is a complete ear worm and it came in about four different formats and guises too.
Madeline Edwards – ‘Mama, Dolly, Jesus’
This song is an absolute banger full of fire and sass from an artist that should have a great big 2023. Go check out her outstanding ‘Crashlanded’ album if you are unaware of what she can do. This one should rule the airwaves in the months to come if it is sent to Country radio.
