Our Favorite Americana Albums of 2026 So Far

It's been a strong year for roots and Americana albums so far, with big names like Sturgill Simpson and Taj Mahal releasing acclaimed albums and lesser-known stars like Chicago Farmer and Tim Easton putting out quality work. Narrowing the list down to my favorite 10 was a chore, but I've finally managed it. Doing so made me cut some outstanding albums like Cat Clyde's Mud Blood Bone and, since I don't include live albums in my favorites list, also my favorite album this year, I'm With Her's sublime Sing Me Alive. But you'll find some gems here if you dive down the rabbit hole. Where we reviewed the album, I've linked it. Where we didn't, I've included a YouTube link to one of my favorite tracks.

10. A Different Thread- Over Again
Trans-continental duo A Different Thread does a great job of combining Robert Jackson's grounding in British folk with Alicia Best's Appalachian influences to create something that is something completely different than anything you've heard. On Over Again, the duo tackles subjects like corporate greed, climate change, gun violence, and finding a ray of hope in our darkest hours.
Standout Track: “Columbine”

9. Whitehorse- All I Want Is All of It
It's a year for duos in Americana music, and one of this year's best is the newest album from mercurial roots act Whitehorse. The husband and wife duo of Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland have been all over the roots map since their formation in 2010. On All I Want Is All of It, they return to their folk-rock roots, taking a DIY approach in the studio that emphasizes first takes over perfection and leaves in environmental sounds captured during recording rather than editing them out. The result is a wholly satisfying album that shows off not only the duo's vocal skills but also their crack band's chops.
Standout Track: “2155”

8. The Infamous Stringdusters- 20/20
It would have been easy for jamgrass troubadours, the Infamous Stringdusters, to celebrate 20 years as a band with a greatest hits compilation or perhaps a live album showcasing their always electric concerts. But if 20 years have shown us anything, it's that Infamous Stringdusters never do things the easy way. Instead, the band released a massive 20-song album of new material that has the kind of genre-defying style that has defined their career as not just a progressive bluegrass outfit but a band who are willing to stretch into new territory.
Standout Track: “Gospel 22: Let Him Move”

7. Lucinda Williams- World's Gone Wrong
Americana queen Lucinda Williams has never been one to shy away from strong opinions, so, needless to say, in these divided times, she's got plenty to share. And, befitting her place in Americana royalty, she brings together an impressive roster of friends to guest on the album. Brittany Spencer provides a vocal assist on the title track. The great Mavis Staples sits in on a stunning cover of Bob Marley's “So Much Trouble in the World.” And the gospel-tinged “We Have Come Too Far to Turn Around” features piano and vocals from Norah Jones. When Lucinda speaks, it's worth listening to, and on World's Gone Wrong, she shares one of the best protest albums of 2026 so far.
Standout Track: “So Much Trouble in the World”

6. Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band- Time
What can one say about Taj Mahal that hasn't already been said? Over a long and storied career, the 84-year-old bluesman has branched out into more genres than can be counted, and he's nailed every one. With some occasional flirts with other genres, Taj and his crack band keep it bluesy throughout Time, especially on the album's title track, which is an unearthed and previously unknown Bill Withers original. Elsewhere, Taj Mahal is joined by Ziggy Marley on a cover of his father's “Talkin' Blues” and by Jon Cleary on the Delta-soaked “Rowdy Blues.”
Standout Track: “Time”

5. ISMAY- Half Truth
Avery Hellman, the creative force behind alt-country project ISMAY, took a deep dive into poetry writing after researching a podcast about Lucinda Williams. The result of that poetry is much of the content of Half Truth. Half Truth is by far ISMAY's most literary album, with lyrics about letting go of expectations, embracing new expectations, mental health, and reconciling the dreams of youth with the realities of age.
Standout Track: “I Don't Look at You”

4. Charley Crockett- Age of the Ram
Country neo-traditionalist Charley Crockett concludes his Sagebrush Trilogy with the story of Billy McClane, The Rustler. While musically, Crockett and producer Shooter Jennings don't stray far from his country roots, the mere fact that they not only created a concept album, but a concept trilogy, and released the lot in just over a year shows just how sneakily experimental Crockett is.
Standout Track: “Fastest Gun Alive”

3. Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds- Mutiny After Midnight
“Americana” is an enormously broad musical genre, and it could still be argued that Sturgill Simpson, the mad genius behind Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds, is too big to fit inside it. Mutiny After Midnight careens like a pinball between rock, country, pop, disco, and a dozen or so other subgenres while never losing cohesion. At this point, none of this should be a surprise for anyone who has followed Simpson's career, but somehow he still manages to pull out a lick or a lyric that makes you say “I didn't see that coming...”
Standout Track: “Make America Fuk Again”

2. Tim Easton- fIREHORSE
While Tim Easton enlisted some high-profile Nashville help on fIREHORSE, from producer Kevin Nolan to Lainey Wilson's rhythm section to Jeremy Lister, it's Easton who truly shines here. Long one of Music City's best-kept secrets, Tim Easton is a true storyteller in the John Prine tradition, and the tales he tells on fIREHORSE are universally interesting and filled with characters you want to know more about. If you like your roots music a little rough around the edges, more than gently used, and always honest, fIREHORSE is an album you're going to want on your turntable.
Standout Track: “Never Punch the Clock Again”

1. Chicago Farmer- Homeaid
Chicago Farmer works with producer Chad Staehly (Hard Working Americans, Great American Taxi) and his longtime touring band, The Fieldnotes, to produce an album that is more rocking than his usual folksy output, and it works perfectly. There's an easy camaraderie that permeates Homeaid, and you can tell that the band playing on the album isn't a random assemblage of session players but a group accustomed to each other's habits. It's a definite sonic left turn for Chicago Farmer, but he sticks the landing in a way that should draw new fans while never alienating his existing ones.
Standout Track: “Peshtigo”