It’s not until you actually start combing through the hundreds of records you’ve listened to over a decade that you realize how daunting the task really is.

Fred Phillips’ Best of 2019 list includes Gloryhammer, Tom Keifer, Soilwork, Sturgill Simpson, Wind Rose, Parkway Drive – yes, Parkway Drive – and others.

A very topical album, a group of overlooked Southern rockers and the return of a country legend highlight this Best Country and Southern Rock of 2016 list.

Bob Wayne, Sturgill Simpson, Whiskey Myers and Whitey Morgan are included in Fred Phillips’ Best of 2014 list for country and Southern rock.

Sturgill Simpson? The genuine article. Bob Wayne? Back with his best ever.

Two albums into his solo career, Sturgill Simpson remains one of the most interesting characters in country music.

I certainly don’t claim to be any sort of expert on country music. I’m a metal kid from the sticks who was reintroduced to my country roots through Johnny Cash’s resurgence in the early 1990s. You May Also Like: Shooter Jennings – ‘Shooter’ (2018) How Loretta Lynn Broke the CountryRead More