April brings another stacked slate of new releases by a broad range of country and Americana acts, from transcore guiding light Mya Byrne's brilliantly-titled Rhinestone Tomboy to future Nashville megastar Nate Smith's self-titled debut.
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The most anticipated of of them all, Caitlyn Smith's self-produced High & Low tells honest tales about the highs of her personal life and the lows that play out beyond the public eye.
"Nobody can have the highs without the lows," Smith shared (as reported by Music Row). "When I decided to produce this album, I knew it was going to be a challenge-and musically it was a beautifully stretching and exciting experience. But it brought me into this unexpected season of life where I started facing all these roadblocks that were holding me back. Fear. Doubt. Denial. And I was really forced to finally bring these issues into the light. I went from hiding behind my songs to being able to say it out loud in the room-and that's something I'm really proud of.
As for what's hit shelves and streaming services already, January brought us the latest evolution of Margo Price's fenceless approach (Strays), Hardy's exploration of heavy rock (The Mockingbird & THE CROW) and a self-titled solo flight by Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard. February kept the momentum rolling with full-lengths by living legend Shania Twain (Queen of Me) and modern megastar Dierks Bentley (Gravel & Gold). And of course March set the bar for new music high with Luke Combs' Gettin' Old.
Read on for a roundup of albums and EPs out in the first half 2023. We skip those without a firm release date, such as Darius Rucker's otherwise confirmed Carolyn's Boy. Expect more to be added soon, with new releases rumored for Cody Jinks and Zach Bryan.
January
Jan 6: Tale of Two Towns, Brandon Ratcliff
Jan. 9: Memory Lane Sampler, Old Dominion
Jan. 13: Factories, Farms, & Amphetamines, Myron Elkins
Jan. 13: Go West, Laid Back Country Picker
Jan. 13: Strays, Margo Price
Jan. 13: The Sign Shop Project, Troublesome Hollow
Jan. 13: I'm Not Crying, You're Crying, Whitehorse
Jan. 20: Listen to the Music, Brothers of the Heart
Jan. 20: Let's Do Country Right, Easton Corbin
Jan. 20: I Can Almost See Houston, Howdy Glenn
Jan. 20: The Mockingbird & THE CROW, Hardy
Jan. 20: It Is What It Is EP, Jordan Harvey
Jan. 20: Appalachian Gothic, Erik Huey
Jan. 20: The Elephant in the Room, Zach and Maggie
Jan. 24: Carnival Dust EP, Dust Bowl Faeries
Jan. 26: Cradle, Starling Arrow
Jan. 27: North Georgia Rounder, Pony Bradshaw
Jan. 27: One Night in Nashville, Cheat Codes
Jan. 27: Long Way From Home, JD Clayton
Jan. 27: Darkest Hour, The Gibson Brothers
Jan. 27: All the Eye Can See, Joe Henry
Jan. 27: Know No Leash EP, Coleman Jennings and the Roaddogs
Jan. 27: Come Get Your Wife, Elle King
Jan. 27: Every Acre, H.C. McEntire
Jan. 27: Tyler Hubbard, Tyler Hubbard
February
Feb. 3: Live at Levons!, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
Feb. 3: Landmarks, Helene Cronin
Feb. 3: Big Talk, Jarrod Dickenson
Feb. 3: Grandfather Courage, Fantastic Negrito
Feb. 3: Lost Voices, Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz
Feb. 3: Close Enough to Hear, Mile Twelve
Feb. 3: Feel Good Country, Sundy Best
Feb. 3: Anarchist Gospel, Sunny War
Feb. 3: Kentucky Blue, Brit Taylor
Feb. 3: Queen of Me, Shania Twain
Feb. 10: Homemaker, Jill Barber
Feb. 10: Living in a Song, Rob Ikes & Trey Hensley
Feb. 10: I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell, Chase Rice
Feb. 10: This Road, The Runaway Grooms
Feb. 10: Flower Shops (The Album): Two Dozen Roses, Ernest
Feb. 17: Bluebird Days, Jordan Davis
Feb. 17: Boomerang Town, Jaimee Harris
Feb. 17: The Waiting Room, Alex Mabey
Feb. 17: Izzy Miller Sings 'Extra Bacon' and Other Chart-Topping Hits, Izzy Miller
Feb. 17: Nate Smith, Nate Smith
Feb. 24: Gravel & Gold, Dierks Bentley
Feb. 24: Glorieta, Matt Hillyer
Feb. 24: Teenage Dixie, Muscadine Bloodline
Feb. 24: Stampede, The Shootouts
Feb. 24: Dead Man, Channing Wilson
March
March 3: Lovin' of the Game, Michael Cleveland
March 3: Country Goes Metal/Righteous Vendetta, Country Goes Metal
March 3: The Restless, Karen Jonas
March 10: The Big Bottle of Joy, Matt Andersen
March 10: 52-This Year, Kristian Bush
March 10: Lo-Fi High Hopes, Matt Charette
March 10: I Saw The Arkansas, Dylan Earl
March 10: Pedal Steel EP, Amanda Kate Ferris
March 10: Heads Carolina, Tails California: The Best Of Jo Dee Messina, Jo Dee Messina
March 10: Lover's Game, War & Treaty
March 17: Say What You Like, Doug Paisley
March 17: Stoned Cold Country, Various Artists
March 24: Gettin' Old, Luke Combs
March 24: Cedar City Sweetheart, Andrew Gabbard
March 24: Celebrants, Nickel Creek
March 24: 29: Written In Stone (Live From Music City), Carly Pearce
March 24: TWENTY SOMETHING: Messing It Up, Alana Springsteen
March 24: When The Trouble's All Done, Ellie Turner
March 24: One Of These Days, Chancey Williams
March 31: Poets & Old Souls, Bryan Martin
March 31: Mighty Poplar, Mighty Poplar
March 31: The Girl I Was, Jenna Paulette
March 31: Wrong Songs: Musings From The Shallow End, Ray Scott
April
April 7: Colors of My Mind, Carolina Story
April 7: Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads, Dan Montgomery
April 7: White Buffalo, Ian Munsick
April 7: Jake Worthington, Jake Worthington
April 14: Fearless (Live at the Ryman), Jackson Dean
April 14: Western Chill, Robert Earl Keen
April 14: High & Low, Caitlyn Smith
April 14: Pretty Little Poison (Sampler) EP, Warren Zeiders
April 21: Life Upside Down EP, Morgan Evans
April 21: So Help Me God (Deluxe Edition), Brantley Gilbert
April 21: Red Sky, Hunter Hayes
April 21: Southerland EP, Southerland
April 21: A Tribute To Flatt & Scruggs, The Infamous Stringdusters
April 21: Train Track Worktapes, Tenille Townes
April 21: Cadence, Cinder Well
April 28: Fire It Up, Gord Bamford
April 28: Rhinestone Tomboy, Mya Byrne
April 28: Jesus and Jesse James, Brandon Davis
April 28: The Compass Project - East Album, Brett Kissel
April 28: The Hard Way, Alyssa Micaela
April 28: Damn Love, Kip Moore
April 28: Unlearn, Griffen Palmer
April 28: Nate Smith, Nate Smith
April 28: Stereotype Broken, Cole Swindell
April 28: One Night in Texas: The Next Waltz's Tribute to the Red Headed Stranger, Various Artists
April 28: I Am a Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100, Various Artists
May
May 5: Stray Dog, Justin Moore
May 5: Lucky, Megan Moroney
May 12: Never Enough, Parker McCollum
May 12: Religiously. The Album., Bailey Zimmerman
May 19: Glory Days, Chapel Hart
May 19: Yesterday's News, Robert Ellis
May 19: Peace Mountain, Nicholas Jamerson
May 19: Primrose, Jordyn Shellhart
May 19: Altitude, Marty Stuart
May 26: A Tribute to Vern Gosdin, Melonie Cannon
May 26: Proud of the Country, Travis Tritt
June
June 2: Whitsitt Chapel, Jelly Roll
June 2: TEN to 1, Lonestar
June 2: At The End Of The Dirt Road EP, Drew Parker
June 23: Dive Bars & Broken Hearts EP, Michael Ray
June 23: Blonde EP, Tigirlily Gold
