country
what it is
Country music is a broad term, covering a great many styles of music predominantly created in the southern United States of America - however there are growing traditions of country music elsewhere, particularly in Canada and Australia. Country music is generally characterized by its use of the guitar and its heavily-accented vocals describing life's hardships. A common joke runs that if one plays a country song backwards, the singer's child recovers from an illness, he gets his job back, his wife returns to him and his dog isn't run over by a car.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 1 · mainstream
the pop everyone knows
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make country a playlist
turn these 40 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is country?
Country music is a broad term, covering a great many styles of music predominantly created in the southern United States of America - however there are growing traditions of country music elsewhere, particularly in Canada and Australia. Country music is generally characterized by its use of the guitar and its heavily-accented vocals describing life's hardships. A common joke runs that if one plays a country song backwards, the singer's child recovers from an illness, he gets his job back, his wife returns to him and his dog isn't run over by a car.
What are good country albums to start with?
Try Tailgates & Tanlines by Luke Bryan, Me and My Gang by Rascal Flatts, COWBOY CARTER by Beyoncé, and Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood.
Who are some women making country?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/country/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making country, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20