The Nominees
Kelsea Ballerini – Patterns
Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter
Eric Church – Evangeline vs. the Machine
Jelly Roll – Beautifully Broken
Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas
The Lowdown
For the first time in Grammy history, country albums will be separated into two categories: Contemporary and Traditional. The change comes just a year after Beyoncé’s country music foray with Cowboy Carter earned her a nod and win last year — and at a time when Nashville seems to be opening its doors to new crossovers.
“The table just keeps getting bigger, and it’s really exciting for the genre for there to be more space,” says Claire Heinichen, a Senior Editor for Country at Spotify. “I feel stars of the magnitude of Beyoncé and Post Malone coming in really was that moment for a lot of people to realize how big this genre has gotten.”
The Grammys’ decision to split “contemporary” and “traditional” country into two categories may not have been a direct reaction to Beyoncé and Malone stepping into the genre’s insulated world, but Heinichen sees Bey’s win as a “wake-up call that the genre deserved more than just one spot.”
Kelsea Ballerini, who released a likely contender at next year’s Grammys with the song “I Sit in Parks,” carried on her legacy of blending pop and country while staying true to the storytelling roots of Nashville on Patterns. “It’s fun, shiny, and emotional,” says Heinichen. “She embodies what it means to blend genres while staying authentic as a country storyteller but still resonating with a pop fan.”
Jelly Roll has that pop crossover appeal too. The rapper-turned-singer connected with audiences far beyond country, thanks to his preacher-meets-artist persona, and Beautifully Broken feels like a pep-talk extension of that brand. “His superpower is how he connects with people,” says Heinichen. “He’s managed to make a mark across generations, which makes him an obvious winner to me. The Grammy voting body already knows his name and has been exposed to his music in a meaningful way.”
Editor’s picks
But the race will likely come down Tyler Childers’ Snipe Hunter and Eric Church’s Evangeline vs. the Machine, both of which approach the idea of “what is country music” in different ways.
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Who Should Win
Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter
The Kentucky songwriter delivered a knockout of an album that brought fans back to his Purgatory-era grit, pairing biting songwriting with a more expansive sound. From start to finish, it’s a stunner, and captures an artist unafraid to take chances. In one song, “Bitin’ List,” he sings about contracting rabies and spreading it to those he dislikes. In another, “Oneida,” he pines vulnerably for an older woman. Snipe Hunter catches its prey.
Who Will Win
Eric Church – Evangeline vs. the Machine
Church has always been one of mainstream Nashville’s most courageous risk-takers but he outdoes himself on Evangeline, a record that is every bit country as it is Seventies rock. Callbacks to Charlie Daniels exist alongside musical allusions to Pink Floyd, and Church leans hard into immersive sonics: horns, strings, and a rousing choir make this a headphones listen. Church is an 11-time Grammy nominee but has never won. He’ll break the streak this year.
