The Best of Country in 2011

Here we are... the end of 2011. Me and my staff (aka me) searched for the Best of in Country Music for the year and below is what I found. No denying country music is the "it" thing right now and will be for years to come. It is great to be working in country radio.. I am a fan of country music and have been for 12+ years.. it just keeps getting better and the artists are "real" people, like you and me. I've met several of them (from rising stars to one's that have been around a while) during my 10 years at WQMX and honestly, I like them all. Thank you for being a fan of country music & radio and for reading my Nashville Minute Blog.  Have a great 2012.

The Best of Country in 2011

The National League of Junior Cotillions ranked Taylor Swift No. 5 on the "10 Best-Mannered People of 2011." The list recognizes Taylor for inspiring young people through music and manners.

Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas, Eric Church's Chief, Terri Clark's Roots & Wings and The Dirt Drifters' This Is My Blood are among the AllMusic staff's 22 "Favorite Country Albums Of 2011." Check out the full list by clicking here.  

iTunes selected Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party as its Country Album of the Year, Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" the Country Song of the Year, and Eric Church as its Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Ashton Shepherd's Where Country Grows, The Civil Wars' Barton Hollow and Eric Church's Chief are among NPR's staff-compiled " 50 Favorite Albums Of 2011."

Miranda Lambert's Four the Record, Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels and Eric Church's Chief have each earned a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 albums of 2011. The magazine calls Miranda's Four the Record "her most easeful and assured record yet" and says that the Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels is "an album for our Great Recession -- songs about trailer parks, mounting debt and ne'er-do-well men who make hard times harder." Rolling Stone calls Eric "a country singer a rock fan could love -- saluting Jesus and Springsteen, mixing up backwoods twang with power chords and Stones riffs."  

Lady Antebellum's Own The Night tops Amazon's "Best Country Albums of 2011" list. The rest of the top five in descending order are Scotty McCreery's Clear As Day, Toby Keith's Clancy's Tavern, Martina McBride's Eleven and Luke Bryan's Tailgates & Tanlines. Lady Antebellum's "Just A Kiss" also topped the online store's "Best Country Songs of 2011." 

Billboard has also released its list of the Top 10 Country Singles for 2011. Here they are in alphabetical order:

·       "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" - Thompson Square

·       "Baggage Claim" - Miranda Lambert

·       "Cost of Livin'" - Ronnie Dunn

·       "From a Table Away" - Sunny Sweeney

·       "Home" - Dierks Bentley

·       "Honey Bee" - Blake Shelton

·       "Red Solo Cup" - Toby Keith

·       "Remind Me" - Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood

·       "Teenage Daughters" - Martina McBride

·       "You and Tequila" - Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter

·       Honorable Mention: "The Gospel According to Jones" - Eric Lee Bedingfield 

           

Country Music is well represented on the Associated Press' all-genre Album of the Year list. Miranda Lambert's girl group, Pistol Annies, check in at number-seven with Hell on Heels, and Lady Antebellum's Own the Night takes the number-nine position. The Civil Wars land at number-two with Barton Hollow.

And Finally, Rolling Stone has named Nashville the Best Music Scene for 2011. The magazine recognizes hot spots in Music City from venues like Robert's honky-tonk and the legendary Ryman Auditorium, to bars like retro speakeasy Patterson House. They also shine a spotlight on locally owned restaurants, record stores and clothiers.

And that is the Best of Country in 2011. 

Keep it Real and Keep it Country.

George McFly 94.9 WQMX Weekend On-Air Personality george@wqmx.com