Saving Country Music’s 2025 Song of the Year Nominees

If you have a song or a list of songs you think are the best of 2025 and want to share, please do so in the comments section below. Feedback will factor into the final tabulations for the winner, but this is not an up and down vote. Try to convince us who you think should win, and why.

Writers: Hillary Lindsey, James Slater, Tom DouglasDeath is a common, if not an easy topic to broach in a song that you want to score an emotional wallop. But taking the custom of dishing out casseroles to the bereaved, and using it to explore how perfunctory this practice can be when your actions don’t go beyond sourcing recipes on Pinterest, is a master stroke of songwriting.

Great country songs often know how to take little artifacts of American Life like the funeral casserole, it makes you rethink how you approach your relationships with friends and loved ones not just around moments of death, but 365 days a year. The way Hailey Whitters poured her heart into this song made a great song even better. It’s from her album Corn Queen.

Writer: Tony LogueTony Logue is a songwriter, but he’s not really interested in poetic eloquence. And to be honest, he may not be blessed with this gift even if he wanted to be. His words come out in the grind and hustle, with no mincing or mealy-mouthed delivery to the sentiments. But that doesn’t mean that his songs aren’t creative or imaginative.

A perfect example is the song “Yellow Rose” about a stripper working to provide for her family, and her anxiety-filled husband. This is the kind of real-world storytelling that separates Tony Logue from the herd of country cosplay and rehashed ideas. Similar to Chris Knight, it’s the plainspoken, unpretentious nature undergirding everyday wisdom that makes Tony Logue songs so compelling.

There’s no warm up with the new Turnpike Troubadours album The Price of Admission. Evan Felker aims straight at your ventricles, and offers up perhaps the album’s most emotional and poetic moment with the opening song.

It’s been said before that it’s the hunting songs of the Turnpike Troubadours where they make the deepest impact, with previous songs “The Bird Hunters” and “The Rut” being State’s evidence #1 and #2. But really these aren’t hunting songs at all. They’re about the strength of family bonds, and how the rhythms of life like the onset of hunting season allow the realizations of these bonds to rise to the front of consciousness.

Writer: Cody JinksThough Cody is rarely so vulnerable in his writing, he completely blindsides you with the sentimentality and heartbreaking story found in the song “When You Can’t Remember” about his father. No spoilers here just in case you haven’t hear it yet, but it is definitely a song . Pondering his own mortality and the passing of time is a recurring theme of Cody’s new album Though some might typecast JInks as a modern country “Outlaw” incapable of keeping up with the Americana crowd when it comes to songwriting, he’s won Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year twice in the past. “David” won in 2015, and “What You Love” won in 2024.

Choosing to write a coal song, including one that involves tragedy, is not entirely novel in country. But to do so in a way that not only avoids feeling tired, but that brings the emotion of a story to the surface is no easy task. Though coal country is the backdrop, this is really a song about love and commitment that is smart and how it avoids certain details to let the listeners imagination fill in the most important moments. You still looking for organization

There might stronger songs on this list. But it’s a song like “Broke” that helps emphasize that the Castellows are not attempting to ride pretty faces and Tik-Tok poses to stardom. They take the art of songwriting incredibly seriously, and see the attention they’ve received as an opportunity present younger audiences with songs of meaning, and that tap into traditional country’s timeless themes.

Writers: Brandon Moore, Nicholas JamersonIn certain parts of eastern Kentucky where songwriting is highly revered, the name of Nicholas Jamerson isn’t just thought of as an equal to titans like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers. It’s held in an even higher regard. Though Jamerson hasn’t achieved the same escape velocity of some of his other Kentucky kindred, he’s also never been tainted by the corrosive ooze of overwhelming success, or enticed to the dark commercial side of music that can be so corrupting.It’s impossible for any among us to not find the words of Jamerson’s “Running Out of Daylight” relatable, while Jamerson also proves his melodic prowess through the song, and his gift for presenting emotion in a vocal performance. From his 2025 album The Narrow Way, it’s also a perfect song for this moment when so many people are feeling so squeezed by time and money, and are running out of time to cash in on the American dream.

Writer: Nikki LaneThere’s little fond recollection found in “Woodruff City Limit.” Instead, the verses find Nikki Lane reckoning with formidable memories that come flooding forth from repressed recesses after her father’s death. Though ultimately, Lane finds a solemn sweetness in all of the pain—if only from the Gibson guitar her father gave her, and understanding that pain was the catalyst for her father’s anger.

It’s often the greatest songs that are not written for an audience, but for the artist themselves to process through their emotions. It just happens to be that the rest of us can listen in, and often use great songs to help us process through grief of our own, or find a level of solace previously unattainable ourselves. “Woodruff City Limit” is one of those great songs.

Writer: Olivia Ellen LloydThe idea that whatever we might be suffering from in life—whether physical pain or emotional trauma—might be worse than life itself—is a cold sentiment that also rings incredibly true when it comes to some of the most unforgiving and hopeless moments. Luckily, there are songs like “Live With It” that confer a level of solace in these moments, stir the emotions of life, and no matter how deep the level of sorrow, remind us why living is always the better option.

Yes, the fiddle finds the sweetest accents of the melody of the song, making the listening experience extra moving. But it’s the heartbreaking little vignettes found in the verses that submerge you in a sweet, yet sorrow-filled mood over the existential crises the characters endure, how they remind you of your own little catastrophes that can emerge on a daily basis, and how you can overcome.

Writer: Evan FelkerWith exquisite writing by Evan Felker, and a deep-sinking lyrical hook bolstering the chorus, “Heaven Passing Through” is definitely a candidate for the best song on the new Turnpike Troubadours record, The Price of Admission.

There’s a lot of specificity to the verses to this song that seem to speak to a deeper story or parallel narrative, like the reference to working a late shift at the nursing home, or washing X’s off your hands. But “Heaven Passing Through” might just be a song about gratefulness and the beauty of moments that employs a multi-generational perspective to its timeline. Either way, it’s a great song, and one that proves that great songs can also come with an infectiousness and immediacy, and don’t always have to go down like a bitter pill.

Caitlin Cannon, Cam Pierce, Cody Jinks, Hailey Whitters, Joe Stamm Band, John Mutchler, Juliet McConkey, Nicholas Jamerson, Nikki Lane, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, Reese Glover, Tami Neilson, The Castellows, Tony Logue, Turnpike Troubadours, William Prince

Either TT song works for me as the choice. Looking at my most listened to songs this year, #1 was Red River and #2 was Heaven Passing Through, so there’’s no denying I agree with either choice. That said, my SOTY could just as easily go to Come December” by Mark Morton featuring Charlie Starr and Jason Isbell. It’s just so good. Feels like you’ve known it your whole life on the very first listen, and keeps getting better with every subsequent spin. Maybe more “southern rock” than country, but whatever. I also give an Honorable Mentions to Colter’s 1800 Miles, CWG’s “It’s the Little Thins” or “Lonely Mountain Town,” Jason Isbell’s “Bury Me” of “Gravelweed,” Charlie Crockett’s “Crucified Son,” “All Around Cowboy,” or “Tennessee Quick Cash,” Justin Wells’ “Little Buildings” or “Queen of Queens,” and The Castellows featuring Flatland Cavalry on “Place They Call Home.”

I think On The Red River is the winner here. I haven’t been blown away by the first listen to a song like I have that one since I can’t remember. Genuinely punched me in the gut first time and its power hasn’t diminished.

I think Do It Myself is my pick for this from Olivia Ellen Lloyd’s album. An incredible song for how it conveys so many emotions of a breakup between including nuance about finding empathy for the person who hurt you. A masterful song I would nominate for this round.

South Texas Lawman is the gem from James McMurtrys album I think deserves consideration here. I love a specific story song about a final character. The absolute bastard of that song is one of my favorite musical characters I can think of.

Blaine Bailey – “Indian Country”
Zach Top – “Lovin’ the Wrong Things”
James Worthington & Marty Stuart – “I’m the One”
Margo Price – “Losing Streak”
Hayes Carll – “I Got Away With It”
Kelsey Waldon – “Lost in My Idlin’”
Hailey Whitters – “Shotgun Wedding Baby”
Ashley Monroe – “Risen Road”
Sunny Sweeney – “Diamonds and Divorce Decree”
James McMurtry – “Sons of the Second Sons”

I quoted Evan here, back in June, that if “a 5 minute waltz about inter generational alcoholism and obscure dog breeds” isn’t song of the year idek wtf we doing anymore…

Gonna stand by that – but given that POA is prolly going to win AOTY and there’s a reasonable chance Trig will spread the wealth, OEL gets my backup vote.

seconding the “Girls from Bristol” shoutout here. Incredible songwriting. Feel like that one flew under the radar since there are so many great songs on that album, but it tells a complete story and has a catchy ass, vivid hook. Sublime.

Brother sure understood the assignment, dayummm. Production is a little muddy there, but clean knife dirty knife sometimes you just wanna bleed a little bit, this’ll do it.

The Delines ~ Don’t Miss Your Bus Lorraine.
Beautifully bleak song from the pen of Willy Vlautin telling the story of Lorraine who is released from prison on a Marijuana conviction only to find it is now legal in her state but she is still an ex felon who can only get dead-end low paying jobs as she boards her bus by the skin of her teeth as she passes weed stores on every street. Doesn’t need to go deep into the story just enough for us to get the unfairness of it all and how a felon “ain’t supposed to make it”
Haunting laid back music with some wonderful brass giving it a cinematic atmosphere.

I think if Joe Stamm had come out with Burn a Candle a little earlier in the year, it would be on the list and not an honorable mention. That song gets better every time I hear it.

I just listened to this song tonight for the first time. Wow. That was honestly the best song I heard all year. Just incredible. I immediately sent it to multiple people to make sure that they have heard it.

Too bad Turnpike might split their vote – Heaven Passing Through may be the most awesomely emotional and reflective song in years. Red River is a close second.

Great list Trigger. Can’t argue with any of these but “When You Can’t Remember” hit me so hard and so deeply the first time I heard it I have to say it’s definitely my SOTY. And then getting a chance to hear him sing it live made this grown as man cry. Such a powerful message about growing old and living a life worth living by making your kids better people. Leaving a legacy of love and example. Knowing you did it the right way and made a difference. An incredible song.

I think one of the Turnpike tracks will probably win and I’m okay with that. But Yellow Rose just comes together and hits me in a way that no other song has in a while and has my vote.

If it were considered, South Texas Lawman by McMurtry would be my winner. A phenomenal, evocative, character-driven story grounded in a feeling many of us are experiencing now is hard to beat in my book.

Both of the Turnpike songs hit me hard, but I’m partial to “Heaven Passing Through.” After being diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, the lyrics have come to have special meaning for me: “Don’t take it personal, the world don’t turn around you. Hold onto the moment like it’s heaven passing through.” Two other songs from 2025 that are beautifully written and pack an emotional punch are Jake Blocker’s “If Heaven Looks Like Arkansas” and Kelsey Waldon’s “Tiger Lilies.”

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and wishing for the best for you. “Heaven passing through” was already song of the year for me but 2 months ago a friend had a heart attack and passed unexpectedly at a young age. Hearing that song after his passing just took it to another emotional level for me.

Glad to see the Ken Pomeroy love here. It was one of my essential albums this year. Not terribly country but it deserved a mention in the AOTY thread. Full of beautiful songs. I also think Coyote with Pomeroy and John Moreland would be high in the running with Cicadas.

I do think you are grading on a curve here in respect to both Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers on here. Their mid stuff is better than 90 percent of others best stuff out there and they seem to get penalized for that.

Also probably not a category but if “most noteworthy partially snippet of a yet to be released song” were a category, you’d think that’d have to go to Zach Bryan for his song about ICE, right?

Yellow Rose is one of those songs that hit you in all the right places. That steady riff at the beginning grabs your attention instantly and the lyrics are incredibly descriptive and visual. You feel the hurt, the desperation and the victory. We’ve all been there in some way, shape or form. Here’s to the Queen of the Yellow Rose!💛

The mixture of bitterness, anger (even though he claims he only wishes he could be angry, there’s some sort of anger running under the surface) and kept it in my mind long after I first listened to it.

Foxes in the Snow 100 times over for me. That song was so frigging haunting, beautiful, well written, and incredible Travis picking-like stuff going on. I know it won’t win, but it is amazing.

Back to make the case for Luke Bell’s “The King is Back” as not only the album but also SONG of the year.
I can’t be the only one to feel like Luke Bell was, in fact, talking to me from heaven when he said:
“I’m sure you’ve all been dying to see me”
We have!
“I bet you’ve all been wondering where I’m at”
I had an idea, but didn’t expect to hear about it from you personally…
“I heard things just ain’t the same without me”
They sure aren’t.
“Hold your hats, the party’s on, the king is back”
Hallelujah!
When has a diamond in the rough like Luke Bell, taken too soon, come back 3 years after dying to release a double album that is just as good if not better than his beloved sole album?!? This doesn’t happen very often right? Probably never? Forget song of the year — this is the gol durn country song of the DECADE.

Of those listed, I have to go “Heaven Passing Through”. Anyone who loves music and over-saturates themselves in it enough to post on a blog can attest that the true “Holy Shit” moments are few and far between. Hearing that song for the first time was one of those.

Aside from those, huge fan of McMurtry’s “Pinocchio in Vegas”. I had heard the track live a few times prior. But really getting a chance to sit with it, I always thought that song had a depth to it that drug the ocean floor. Maybe I’m just off and/or over analytical, but there’s no other song released this year that I thought about more than that one. Counts for something, in my eyes.

Other honorable mentions from me
“South Texas Lawman” McMurtry
“Crimson and Clay ” Isbell
“Til the Stars Won’t Burn” Justin Wells
“Days Gone By” Danno Simpson
“Good Times Go” Grayson Jenkins ft. Pony Bradshaw

Big McMurtry fan here, and I must agree on Pinocchio in Vegas… it took me multiple listens just to scratch the surface. Incredible display of the power of words, though maybe not such an accessible subject. South Texas Lawman is another of his deep character studies he so excels at, but the melody didn’t grab me quite so hard on that one.

Oh you’ll definitely get no argument from me there. It’s hard to choose between those two. Some of that is recency bias on my part too. Turnpike is doing some really cool stage production with the song in the live set right now that drives it over the top in my mind.

They kill the screens and most all of the backlighting and just use white, canned, down lights to shoot “heavenly” beams down through the front of the stage where Felker is singing. It’s so f’king cool.

Casseroles: P – 3, neat take but not a mark of our time; MLQ – 6: great voice and fantastic lyrically, but the music is simple which showcases the lyrics but it could do both; R – 6, song was a good listen on SCM25, but didn’t push much further.

Yellow Rose; P-8, I’ve (sadly) seen the OnlyFans option for hard times, it’s not good. Dang TL picked the right topic; MLQ – 6: Not the strongest voice, his band/sound is good but with simple fills/beats/textures;R-7, song made me perk up to TL, it played a bit above on SCM25.

On the Red River: P – 5, it does not pin itself to a current time, probably the opposite as its theme is timeless. But due to the song itself, I will remember the year it came out; MLQ – 9, Nothing’s perfect or else it’d be a 10. The music and words both play like a movie in my head picturing the story. I think of my love for my dad. “We learned pain was the price of admission and you’re never done paying it down” – “Death doesn’t leave with the best part of you”. Those 2 lines alone bring the smoke. R – 9, it’s the bell cow on a killer album so good it was noted for being snubbed for an award not just getting an award.

When You Can’t Remember; P-3, it’s a relationship song not aimed at marking the year; MLQ – 6: this is CJ’s yin-yang, his lyrics are like a rock n roll song set to country sound with blended rock/country beat. I love listening to it but it is not songwriter depth lyrics or master musicianship. It’s just super enjoyable. R – 6, CJ definitely popped a song higher and harder. In a few years I’ll still listen to CJ’s songs, but I probably won’t remember this one.

Broke; P-7, hardship and lament in a young marriage – pretty spot on to a current culture issue; MLQ – 8, they can play, say what you want, but these ladies are well trained to play classical country instruments, gentle lyrics evoke that “love” she has for her guy – pretty cool; R – 6; I know this song stuck with me a bit this year, played it for my wife and daughter who also said it hooked. (I didn’t think so initially, but turns out this song is pretty strong).

Running Out Of Daylight; P-7, an economic and mortality theme that does say something about a prevailing cultural theme this year; MLQ – 5; He’s no crooner, nice fiddle, reasonable guitar fills but the music is subtle. The lyrics are mid – “granny and her dogs” sort of thing. R – 5, in two years I’ll not remember this song – hard to describe but lacks punch.

Woodruff City Limit; P – 4, not linked to a current time or place; MLQ – 8: Nikki’s got voice, the piano frames the song, instruments play in layers, this was crafted. R – 7; Like most Nikki songs, I say “she should be more popular”, song stuck out among others on the SCM25 while there

Live With It – P – 3, not linked to time or place; MLQ -5: felt like a “songwriter song” – I got lyrics to share so let’s stick them to music. Her voice is pleasant. R – 3; barely remembered this as song this year let alone to come.

Heaven Passing Through; P – 5; it’s a story without a time but the release itself will mark the year cause…MLQ – 9: Again I see the characters from the music and words, that fiddle & steel just say it, even the drum beat makes a mark. Evan’s voice is good, not amazing, but his inflection is skull drilling. R – 8; I will hear this for the next ten years.

I am impressed with Tami Neilson’s songs. The Cody Jinks and Tony Logue songs are close challengers as is TT’s Red River but my favourite song of the year is TT’s Heaven Passing Through. All great songs but Heaven Passing Through is superb.

I love Casseroles, Little Crosses, Caitlin Cannon’s Waiting, and I was lucky enough to watch The Castellows sing Broke here a couple of weeks ago, the gals get an A+. My honorable mention is Mae Estes – I’ll Have What She’s Havin’, it brings a tear to my eye every time I listen to it. Damn good EP too!!!

Well to be honest i didnt hear a song of the year this year that came out this year. Lots of good songs but none that stayed with me. I did have a song like that i discovered this year but it actually came out in 2023. Zebco 33 by cody webb. Even spotify doubled down on that in its wrapped up end of the year thing.

This track is an incredible blend of heartfelt storytelling, rich sound, and powerful musicianship. Logue’s voice carries a raw sincerity that pulls you straight into the narrative, and the production perfectly complements the emotional weight of the song. It’s one of those rare tracks that feels lived-in, honest, and unforgettable.
A truly amazing song with a great story, great music, and a timeless feel.

I’m happy to see your mentioning William Prince, though I feel ‘Thousand Miles of Chain’ and ‘Damn’ and ‘The Charmer’ are all better songs than that track (which is definitely good too). ‘The Charmer’ is an especially powerful heartbreaker that I saw him play live for the first time ever.

Matt Daniel’s ‘Keepin Me Alive’ and ‘Long Way Home’ also rank with those WP cuts, as do Crockett’s ‘Lonesome Drifter,’ Zach Top’s ‘When You See Me,’ the Doobie Brother’s excellent country rock cut ‘Angels & Mercy,’ Jason Isbell’s ‘Eileen,’ and JRW’s poignant ‘I Hope I Have Fun Dying.’

This is an incredibly tough choice. I feel like I could make a strong case for just about all of these songs. Normally I lobby hard for Stamm – and “Little Crosses” and “I’ll Burn a Candle” are right up there for me, along with “Forward” and “Home” – but I have to pick “Heaven Passing Through”. That song just hits different. It gets me in the feels every time. “Woodruff City Limit” and “Time and Time Again” also got a ton of play from me this year.

On the Red River – Turnpike Troubadours. I commented on a reddit post that if there is an year end recap for most spindles on a song I’d probably be the top listener.

Just here to say the same thing I said on the album of the year nominees: South Texas Lawman is the best song of the year. I understand giving it to newer artists, I understand giving it to underrepresented artists and I think that’s important. But that little wink to the listener that McMurtry does on that track… “I used to be young/ I used to understand/ I used to be strong as any man/ I used to be bold/ Nobody bothered me/ I can’t stand getting old/ It dont fit me….” with that cracking drum. If that ain’t country…. Also, 100 million thanks to Trigger for all the work and hustle you do for the great genre of country music! You’ve changed my life for the better and if that ain’t something that I don’t know what is.

Nikki is a strong, strong contender this year. We’ve always known Nikki Lane the hard-drinking, hard-smoking, badass outlaw on the run…but Woodruff City Limit is the first time we’ve really gotten to know how she got here. And the chorus is an earworm to boot.

Just went through my Spotify Wrapped. Heaven Passing Through was my #1 listen, #2 On the Red River. BIlly Strings followed up after that with Gild the Lily, and Alice.

All great songs. If we are splitting hairs, I prefer songs that are written and performed by the same individual, and whose subject matter matches the personal experience of the artist.

Heaven Passing Through, or Broke. I’ll make this simple, just give everything to Turnpike and the Castellows this year. except best mainstream country album. that should go to Chase Rice for Eldora.

…legit offering to start a topic that is a most individual one. i enjoyed all of the above, preferred the castellow’s “sheltered” to “broke” though. additionally and personally, i went back to kane brown’s “back seat driver” quite a few times over the year it seems, was quite blown away by zandi holup, especially her “go find less” and “mary jane, was moved by trisha yearwood’s “years” from the new christmas album the other day, liked the wilder blue’s “the queen of austin” a lot more than i initially thought. understand totally the tough choice between the two troubadours’ songs and tony logue’s “yellow rose” for that matter.

My favorite songs of the year thus far are mostly from the years better heavy metal releases, but as for anything close to country, I think “Brother” by Mark Morton featuring Cody Jinks is fantastic (this might possibly be 2024, now that I think about it, but I think 2025). Also, there are 3-5 songs on Ruston Kelly’s Pale, Through the Window that stood out. “Give Up the Ghost.” “Twisted Root.” “Pickleball.”

My votes for Song of the Year:
“Woodruff City Limit” – Nikki Lane – I’ll give a qualified pushback on Trigger’s assessment that the only good thing Lane finds in her father is the old Gibson guitar. “Every time he called, I dreaded picking up the phone/Were there voices in his head or was he sitting there all alone?” Her feelings toward her father are conflicted, certainly, but I can feel them softening towards her father as they both advanced in years. This is an amazingly well-written song, and the production on it is superb too.
“Pretty Much” – Lukas Nelson – This song brings the feelings of falling in love and looking forward to a life together.
“Little Crosses” – Joe Stamm Band – I’ve never thought much about being a trucker, but this song really puts you right in the seat.
“American Romance” – Lukas Nelson – This is another song off of the eponymous album whose songwriting has grown on me a lot in the last couple of months. “Time won’t tell, it never says a word/I only wait and I can’t say I wait too well.” Outstanding.
“On the Red River” – Turnpike Troubadours – Fantastic song.
“Long Way Home” – Matt Daniel – Great arrangement, solid execution.
“Heaven Passing Through” – Turnpike Troubadours – Also fantastic, though I think I like OtRR a little better.

A couple of dark horse SOTY candidates:
“Keys to the Tacoma” – Joshua Ray Walker – This song might initially seem more like a Single of the Year candidate, but there’s depth to the lyrics here, about lost love and homecoming.
“Territory Town” – Joe Stamm Band – Another more likely SOTY candidate, but the songwriting here is just outstanding.

Woodruff City by Ms Lane. Thats one seriously heavy song that many can relate to. Thats a definite Wow. Nikki has dug deep into her soul and created maybe the best song of her career. And I was already a fan.
Yes Heaven Passing Through is hard to argue against. I get it, and predict a sweep from TT.
Im glad you turned me on to Tony Logue. That young man is the real deal and im digging into his catalog because of SCM. He may reside there along with Joe Stamm, another killer writer and performer we are lucky to be graced with. Really any one of those is a good pick.

The heartfelt lyrics “sucked” the listener in like that of a gifted Poet/Novelist/Writer….plus the classical country vocalizing of the three sisters was emotionally captivating/superb!!!

I don’t know if it is a “song” or a “single,” but the one 2025 song that I can’t stop listening to is Cole Chaney’s “The Unsatisfied.” Such a great song.

Ok, ok I do My Favorite Song of the Year on my Facebook page every year. This year it looks like Texas 42 by Silverada is going to win the coveted award. I have to do a bit more relistening to some stuff but I’m thinking Hayes Carll-We’re Only Human is going to get the Favorite Album nod. Lots and lots of good stuff was released this year I’ve enjoyed it. Saving Country Music wins My Favorite Music Website every year, no one else is even close!

I didn’t know what it meant also I thought it was a road. Finally I looked it up on Wikipedia. it’s a Texas Domino game. 2011 It was designated the official State Domino Game of Texas. Shooting the moon I knew from the card game Hearts, its winning all the points in the hand, I guess you can do that in the Texas 42 game also. I look at the song as a guy reminiscing about old friends and old times.

It has to be one of the Turnpike songs for me, but it’s a damn hard choice. It’s like I said to a friend ahead of seeing them most recently, “What’s an acceptable number for my list of top 5 Turnpike songs? 10? 12?”

I think I give the slight edge to On the Red River because it’s a slightly more accessible song that will both immediately resonate with anyone and also keep growing on you and revealing more layers with each listen. But ask me tomorrow and I might be arguing for Heaven Passing Through.

Runners up for me have to include Running Out of Daylight, Waiting, Sons of the Second Sons, South Texas Lawman, Another Place and Time, I’ll Burn a Candle, and Gravelweed.

Glad I read through the list. I’m guilty of taking Cody Jinks for granted. The last couple/few albums I haven’t given as much play as his early stuff. They were solid 7-8/10’s to me but didn’t fully catch the magic of stuff like the Adobe Sessions. It almost seemed formulaic. Well, giving this song a few more spins after seeing this list and it’s right up there with anything he’s put out before like Something in the Middle.

Man, I put on Price of Admission for the first time at the gym, not knowing what “On the Red River” would have in store for me…four minute later I was crying in front of random strangers at 6AM.

“Woodruff City Limits” is a close 2nd, my family is from that same region of SC, it’s a lot of little mill towns that time has forgotten – places that everyone wants to leave but can never truly remove themselves from. Tying that into the complex relationship Nikki seems to have had with her dad is both beautiful and devastating at the same time. Genius songwriting.

AMERICAN BLUE was released yesterday from Alma Russ and should be considered for song of the year! It deserves a listen! My personal favorite of hers and I’ve heard others say the same. https://youtu.be/8wViYiipn-Y?si=WegOmI-Wz5_Kp6xD

Oof, that poor steel, somebody absolutely made it bawl, super sweet song. I liked the Jackalope single back in the summer too and hoped an album was coming, still do.

Oh jeez. As it says in the introduction, Song of the Year always takes a more loose interpretation of genre and focuses more on the writing. Single of the Year nominees are coming up soon, and will be much more traditional overall.

And to answer question, good luck finding another blog that devotes as much time to traditional country as this one. Go read The Soda Crackers review just posted, and then poke around to see who else is covering bands like these.

Thank you for your explanation! Didn’t want to be disrespectful of your blog. I’m new here, just trying to find somebody who covers traditional country music. I didn’t know you were going to have more nominations. I am from Croatia, EU and usually listen to country stations from Switzerland. Not a fan of americana as I find country music beautiful as it is: honky tonk, bluegrass, western swing etc. I saw Dale Watson back in 1996 for the first time and that is still my favorite show😊

A haunting love ballad we can all relate to.A young newly wed couple, much devoted and in love, trapped in a coal mining job with danger, uncertainty and low pay. “You have to dance with the devil to put shoes on baby’s feet”. “When you come home it’s straight to bed cause you’re too tired to speak”. “If the mine runs out of coal and the town goes under, it’s not the end cause love don’t go BROKE”. Lyrics written by 19-22 yr old young ladies obviously wise and talented beyond their years. Great music, fascinating lyrics both written by three beautiful, talented young ladies who will convert thousands of fans to real country music and are already doing it!

Man, sure are some slooooooow songs on this list. Has 2025 been that depressing of a year? Now that I think about it, yeah, I guess so. I need something a bit more upbeat for my soul.

Source: savingcountrymusic.com