The 10 Best Country Albums of 2022: Staff Picks

In 2022, country music veterans, established artists and newcomers incorporated a range of styles, from ’80s and ’90s country, folk, R&B, classic rock and more to frame urgent, detailed storytelling and vulnerable musical vignettes.

Some projects, like Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville and Miranda Lambert’s Palomino, offer sonic sketches of quirky, fictional towns or an escape to charming map dots and larger cities across the country. Other artists, such as Lainey Wilson, Zach Bryan and Hailey Whitters, delve deep into their own stories, cementing their artistic visions in the process.

Here are Billboard‘s picks for the 10 best country albums from 2022: