40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2019

7. With her earlier two albums (2014’s The Goldmine and 2016’s I’ve Got a Way), Kentucky native Kelsey Waldon quietly announced herself as one of the most exciting young voices in country songwriting. To wit, her third album White Noise / White Lines was her first release as a signee to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, which made her the first new addition to the label’s roster in over 15 years. While it’s undeniable that the Oh Boy seal of approval added a level of clout to the release, the LP spoke firmly for itself. Waldon fashioned White Noise / White Lines as a loose autobiography, taking listeners on a tour of the people and places that informed her Kentucky upbringing and, accordingly, how she understands the world. Standout track “Kentucky 1988” summed this up beautifully, serving as an origin story for Waldon and a thesis statement for a richly rendered album that shares more with each repeated listen. B.M.

Read More on RollingStone Here