Dan + Shay review – valiant pop princes’ off-kilter hoedown
The country duo charm a lustful crowd with an evangelical hour of skywritten love songs and falsetto floor-fillers
The 50 best albums of 2018, No 8: Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
The country artist’s acid-enhanced fourth album sparkled with magical melodies that felt like they had been around for years
Maren Morris review – acoustic warmth from country chart-topper
This low-key set ahead of a big-room tour next year shows off Morris’s powerful storytelling and luminous voice
Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel review – country with no time to waste
Country supertrio’s new album tackles everything from divorce to prison in luscious production and wistful lyrics
A Star Is Born soundtrack review – instant classics full of Gaga’s emotional might
Bradley Cooper shows he can sing as well as act and direct but it is Lady Gaga’s pop prowess that lifts each track, be it spectacular piano ballads or heart-rending duets
Shania Twain review – barnstorming, thigh-slapping spectacular
Brash staging, old-school charisma and a bulletproof back catalogue power an energetic performance from the Canadian superstar
Carrie Underwood: Cry Pretty review – precision-tooled country with a soupçon of sad
It’s not actually horrible, but Underwood’s sixth album feels almost as if it was produced by an algorithm
Rosanne Cash review – haunting hymns and sharp lyricism
Armed with acoustic guitars, the country singer comes into her own with a career-spanning set of poignant pop-country
Lori McKenna: The Tree review – country favourite with terrific eye for detail
The country singer-songwriter packs abundant wisdom and telling detail into her songs about the tensions of domestic life
Lindi Ortega: Liberty review – Faustian, haunted country
A homage to Tarantino, country star Ortega’s album is a more wild west saga than straight country fare
Don McLean review – nostalgic rock’n’roller doesn’t wave bye to American Pie
The country rocker pays tribute to his musical heroes with a rapt trip down memory lane – and a dig at Kanye West
Kylie Minogue: Golden review – yearning country reinvention
The “Nashville album” offers artists a chance to work with bulletproof songwriters, foreground their craft, or age gracefully. This is the backdrop to Kylie Minogue’s 14th album, the product of two weeks writing in London (before recording it over there). … Continue reading
Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour review – universal classic from acid-dropping country star
Drugs, futurism, LGBTQ rights … Musgraves’ new album confirms she is not your average Nashville star
C2C festival review – side-eye and satin suits in biggest country celebration yet
The millennials who are reshaping country music dominated the lineup of the three-day fest, but Emmylou Harris and others kept tradition alive