Grammys 2025 Predictions: Best Country Album Nominees

In advance of the Grammy nominations on November 8th, Rolling Stone divided into 13 different categories. For each of them, we predict the nominees and also say who will (and who should) win on Grammy night.

In a genre where 30-track playlists are often presented as “albums,” country music had a banner year for legitimate, concise works of art. Sturgill Simpson stepped off the grid and took on the mantle of Johnny Blue Skies, Kacey Musgraves cultivated an Earth Mother worldview, Lainey Wilson took an honest look at her sudden fame, and Chris Stapleton made his most cohesive album since his debut. traveler. And then there was Beyoncé, who parlayed her Texas upbringing and country music's black roots into a true masterpiece. While the CMA Awards may have been rejected Cowboy CarterThe Grammys probably won't make the same mistake.

“I expect she'll get the recognition she missed at the CMA Awards,” says Storme Warren, host of TuneIn's country station “The Big 615” and a 41-year broadcast veteran. “No matter what you think of her as a country artist, you can’t deny the global success of this album.”

Rachel Whitney, Head of Editorial, Nashville, Spotify, says: “I would be shocked if Beyoncé wasn’t in the country album category.”

Best Country Album – Our Predictions

Beyonce, Cowboy Carter
Kacey Musgraves, Deeper well
Sturgill Simpson, Passage Du Desir
Chris Stapleton, Higher
Lainey Wilson, Whirlwind

Who will win?

Chris Stapleton, Higher
Stapleton has won in this category three times, and that kind of consistency and voter familiarity cannot be underestimated. But Higher is also packed with standout songs — like lead single “White Horse,” which won best country song at last year's Grammys, and “Think I'm in Love With You” — making it a worthy winner. Warren says Stapleton found a new gear with the album. “What Stapleton does as a writer and singer and the connection he creates with his fan base and with country music is just incredible,” he says. “I find Higher represents the true evolution of who he is.”

Who should win?

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
To listen Cowboy Carter From start to finish, it's about getting an education in not only the black influence on country music, but also what led Beyoncé to make this stunning album. The LP is, in every way, Beyoncé's story and her country's story. “That’s what she is,” Whitney says. “She, with the help of many incredible country songwriters and artists, has created an extraordinary project that encapsulates both the history and future of country music in a truly elegant way.”

Prediction of the field

Wilson won best country album last year Bell Bottom Landand Warren believes she could do it again Whirlwind. “This is Lainey Wilson’s Joshua Tree. It represents everything she wanted to be,” he says. “This album is spectacular through and through.” Warren also says to keep an eye on Musgraves, who have returned to a more country sound Deeper well. “She has a poetic, visual and cinematic gift that just doesn’t exist in many artists,” he says. “The best have this.”

Whitney is high Deeper well also, comparing Musgraves' renewed country vibes to those of Sturgill Simpson Passage Du Desir. “This year we're seeing some artists return to their original sound and reach out to their fans with music that sounds a lot like what they started with,” she says. But Whitney warns against sleeping on an unconventional nominated album: the soundtrack to the summer hit Twisterwhich features a mix of big names (Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert) and rising stars (Wyatt Flores, Warren Zieders). “Twister was a real fan favorite this year and featured a lot of great songs,” she says. “In some cases it has even produced artists.”

Luke Combs' fathers and sons and Willie Nelsons The border could also find themselves in the running, but Zach Bryans Great American bar scene possibly conspicuously absent – Bryan reportedly did not submit the album for Grammy consideration.