Favorite Albums of 2015

These were my favorite new albums of 2015:

Brett Eldredge - Illinois: This is the second album from Brett and he decided to name it after his home state, Illinois. This collection is a wonderful mix of sounds from multiple musical genres while still being heartfelt country at the core. Songs like Fire and Shadow have a strong rock edge while his duet with Thomas Rhett, You Can't Stop Me, has a light and funky disco beat. And of course, with a wonderful voice like his, he had to include some amazing love songs like Wanna Be That Song and If You Were My Girl. The lead single, Lose My Mind, is a high energy song that makes you want to get up and dance and the second single, Drunk On Your Love, perfectly takes you to that drunken love place.

Carrie Underwood - Storyteller: The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood decided to show a slightly different side of herself on her 5th collection of all new material. Where earlier songs like Blown Away and Something In The Water are all out vocal showcases where she proves she can belt out the big notes more impressively than anyone else, this album shows her holding back a little more. Her songs have always been true to the great country tradition of telling the stories of people's live and she goes into it full throttle here. The drama of an abusive husband is told in Church Bells, a cheating husband in Dirty Laundry and a perfect husband in Heartbeat. The sound of the album is also more traditional country than her previous albums, but she can easily sing anything. On her third album, Play On, she did a special song about her mother, appropriately titled, Mama's Song. Here, she shows some love to her father on The Girl You Think I Am. The range of different stories she tells on this collection shows her unique ability to convincingly interpret lyrics and relate to her audience.