After courting the mainstream with 2021's
Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'
,
Lainey Wilson
channeled all her twangy, retro charm into its follow-up,
Bell Bottom Country
, which crossed over onto the pop charts and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
Wilson
's fifth LP,
Whirlwind
, continues her upward trajectory and tendency to mix rock, pop, and funk with her distinct brand of fun, unabashed, Louisiana-bred country. Working again with producer
Jay Joyce
, she co-wrote the material during a busy period touring her previous album, a process that yielded a leaner, more concise batch of songs. Momentum is clearly on her side, and she brings a refreshing sense of energy to songs like "Keep Up with Jones" and "Hang Tight Honey," a pair of unstoppable, fizzy country-rockers.
Miranda Lambert
guests on the unfettered anthem "Good Horses," though at this point
has become a star in her own right and can carry an album just fine; the week of its release,
made it into the Top Ten on the Billboard 200. ~ Timothy Monger