An In-Depth Look At The GRAMMYs’ Best Country Album Nominees

With the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards just days away, we’re taking an in-depth look at one of the night’s most coveted categories: Best Country Album. Here, Chuck Dauphin, highlights each of the five albums up for the honor. 

Sam Hunt, Montevallo

When the Georgia native came along with his smash debut hit “Leave The Night On” in the summer of 2014, there was no doubting the fact that Hunt sounded a lot different than anyone else. His style is easily the hardest to peg of each of the nominees in this category. While his half singing / half spoken approach isn’t totally new – Barbara Mandrell chose a similar approach with several of her 70s hits – he has definitely set himself apart with a sound that works well. Follow-up singles “Take Your Time,” “House Party,” and “Break Up In A Small Town” have each topped the chart – but also helped him to become one of the top crossover artists right now. His stint on the recent Lady Antebellum tour shows what a huge star he is going to be in the future. If the GRAMMYs award someone for painting outside of the musical lines, this one just might be the winner.

Little Big Town, Pain Killer

Yes, the Capitol recording artists are known as four of the sweetest and most humble artists on the planet, but also give them credit. They wouldn’t be included in this category were it not for the great creative process they enjoy with Jay Joyce. On their second album together, they managed to assemble one of the most diverse track listings of their career. “Day Drinking” and the energetic title cut both became huge radio staples – and then, there was “Girl Crush.” It’s one of few songs that after 51,234 listens (and I could be exaggerating a little – one way or the other), it just hasn’t gotten old. Karen Fairchild delivered a performance that will stand with the great female vocalists of all time. And, there’s more where that came from. Cuts such as “Good People” and “Quit Breaking Up With Me” resonate with a fun feel that keeps crowds singing along, while “Faster Gun” gives Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook a chance to shine like never before. If the GRAMMYs go with a veteran act at the top of their game – this just might be the winner.

Ashley Monroe, The Blade

One thing is for certain in Nashville… Nobody has a bigger fan base among their fellow artists among female vocalists than Ashley Monroe. And, why shouldn’t they be? When you hear her sing, passion simply oozes from each and every note that comes out of her voice. She’s been compared to a modern day Dolly Parton, and on cuts like “Weight Of The Load” and “Has Anyone Ever Told You,” that comparison holds up. But, this former Pistol Annie is very much her own musical identity, as proven by the pure heartbreak and anguish of “Mayflower” and the gripping title cut – which just might be the single most gripping performance from a Nashville artist this year. While some will point out Monroe’s lack of chart numbers, that simply doesn’t matter. If the GRAMMY voters vote with their hearts instead of Soundscan numbers, this disc has more than a chance.

Kacey Musgraves, Pageant Material

After the slam-dunk of her 2013 debut Same Trailer, Different Park, all eyes were on what Musgraves would do with the follow-up. To our ears, it’s just as good or maybe even better. Though maybe not as big as a commercial success, Musgraves didn’t let down – especially with the tongue-in-cheek (yet admittedly true) feel of the title cut. She got in a sly dig at the industry with “Good Ol’ Boys Club,” and proved to be her truly irreverent self with “This Town” and “Family Is Family.” She also featured one of her most poignant romantic performances on “Somebody To Be Love.” Perhaps the only place this disc fell flat was on “Biscuits,” which I think was too much of an attempt to follow the lyrical content of the first album. Alas, that is simply a minor quibble. Musgraves’ worst day is most artists’ best. If the GRAMMYs go in a direction of recognizing an artist simply staying true to what they do best, Musgraves might very well need to work on her acceptance speech.

Chris Stapleton, Traveller

What has been said about this year’s “Boy Wonder” that hasn’t been said already. The Kentucky native has raised the hopes of true country fans and critics with an album that stands as one of those once-every-decade discs – Stranger like Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger or Randy Travis’ Storms Of Life. Whether radio fully embraces his sound or not still remains to be seen, but you can’t make up sales increases of 6,000 percent. Even in their wildest dreams, UMG’s Mike Dungan and Cindy Mabe had to be among the most surprised people in town with Stapleton’s November post-CMA explosion. Did some get on board with the singer-songwriter because it was the hip and stylish thing to do? No doubt. But, if the GRAMMYs want to honor a man who defied the odds and raised the musical hopes of a town – this award could be his!

The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be hosted by LL Cool J and held on Monday, Feb. 15 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The show will broadcast live on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. EST (5 to 8:30 p.m. PST and 6p.m.-9:30 p.m. MST).

See the full list of country GRAMMY nominees HERE.