Link copied
The busy summer months are starting to heat up and so are the country music albums that are dropping left, right and center.
Among this week's smoldering offerings are the newest project from country icon, Willie Nelson, The Border. Marking his 152nd album (we did not make this up), the new record finds Nelson at his best and continuing to churn out songs that will stick with us for years to come.
On the other end of that spectrum, we also find two budding artists delivering their newest efforts, including TikTok sensation Shaboozey, whose Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going is sure to turn heads and take over playlists in no time.
Elsewhere, Kameron Marlowe also gifts us with his sophomore record, Keepin' The Lights On, building on his early success and drawing the blueprint for where the young star-in-the-making is going next.
Sit back and relax as we take a look at Holler's New Country Album Release Round-Up:
Willie Nelson - The Border
"The Border Is An Instant Classic"
The thing about a Willie Nelson song is it sticks with you, whether you know it or not. It hitches a ride in your soul with no destination but onward, lending direction when you need it and delighting in the journey when you don’t.
The Border brims with these forever songs. That kind of eternity is threaded throughout the record, becoming an instant classic that has little to do with the hits it provides, but everything to do with the fleeting moments it offers to simply sit and visit with the icon as he tells tales of good times, old friends and lasting love.
Read Alli Patton's full review of Willie Nelson's The Border.
Shaboozey - Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going
"Shaboozey Oozes With Star Power"
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter pushed Shaboozey into the spotlight, but his breakthrough song, ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy),’ cemented his status as a country star to be reckoned with.
On his timeless third album, Shaboozey lets the world know that ‘A Bar Song’ was by no means a fluke. The 12-song collection continues to explore the trials and tribulations of a worn down traveling troubadour, all the while moving the narrative forward through inspired production and Shaboozey’s unmistakable voice – one that’s gravely yet filled with tender emotion. It’s a voice that’s delightfully refreshing to hear in 2024, but also absolutely vital in advancing the genre itself.
Read Soda Canter's full review of Shaboozey's Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going.
Kameron Marlowe - Keepin' The Lights On
"Marlowe Delivers Plenty Of Jabs To The Heart"
Two years after his debut album, Kameron Marlowe’s solid sophomore effort, Keepin’ The Lights On, showcases an artist in possession of an impressive, dextrous voice with a wrangler still in search of a niche. In a scattered songbook that covers love songs, life lessons, death and heartbreak, he veers between straight shooting, classic honky tonk depth and arms-length Nashville cool, favouring the latter in the end.
It's a promising album, able to buoy Marlowe to allow his vocal strengths to sit more confidently at the centre of future projects.
Read Holly Smith's full review of Kameron Marlowe's Keepin' The Lights On.
For more country albums being released in 2024, see below:
