This post is the fifth and last one about Country Music France’s best of 2023. As we all know, it was a very special year for our genre, with a lot of talented artists, brilliant albums and fantastic songs. I tried to paint a portrait of the last year through a Top 10 EPs, a Top 7 debut albums, a Top 30 albums and the choice of the artist of the year.
This portrait wouldn’t be complete without a ranking of the best 2023 songs. You’ll find below a Top 50 songs and a Spotify playlist including these tunes. Let me tell you that this wasn’t an easy choice and that all my favorite songs of the year can’t be named there. But I think that it’s an accurate selection of the songs that left their mark on this year for me.
Several songs could have been #1 of this ranking, but there can be only one winner. Joe Stamm Band was #4 among the albums for the year, for their impressive “Wild Man” (you can read the review of the album here), that skillfully mixes rock and country music. There’s one song on this album that’s particularly outstanding. Undoubtedly country, with great instrumentation and wonderfully written, it’s an authentic portrait of a midwestern town, brilliantly sung by Joe Stamm. “Dollar General Sign” is Country Music France’s 2023 song of the year.
#50 Paint The Town – Nate Fredrick and the Wholesome Boys
#49 Old Country Song – Whey Jennings feat Wes Shipp
#48 Willin’ – The Golden Roses
#47 Hell & Half of Georgia – Kyle Nix and the 38’s
#46 Halo Too Light – Dallas Moore
#45 This Life I Love – Donice Morace
#44 The Heron – Van Plating feat Elisabeth Cook
#43 Nobody Has To Know Your Mind – John R. Miller
#42 I’ve Seen A Lot Of Highway – Billy Don Burns feat Cody Jinks
#41 Man’s Gotta Eat – Logan Halstead
#40 Lucky – Abby Hamilton
#39 Bring Out The Lillies – Jason Hawk Harris
#38 Left My Heart Behind – Vinnie Paolizzi
#37 Front Porch Swing – Mike Kuster
#36 Lowland Trail – Margo Cilker
#35 West of Tulsa – Wyatt Flores
#34 Stolen Kisses – Matt Hillyer
#33Tequila & Forgiveness – Katie Joe and Elijah Ocean
#32 Break My Heart – Bella White
#31 Texas is My Home – Rich O’ Toole
#30 Granny Used To Honky Tonk – Scott Southworth feat Dallas Moore
#29 Beautiful Liar – Jade Marie Patek
#28 Where Cotton is King – The Panhandlers
#27 El Dorado – Molly Tuttle
#26 Southern Star – Brent Cobb
#25 Give It Some Time – Tanner Usrey
#24 Last American Summer – Flatland Cavalry
#23 It’s Still January – William Beckmann
#22 A Cowgirl Rides On – Victoria Bailey
#21 Lo And Behold – Ward Davis
#20 Super Natural – The Wilder Blue feat Brent Cobb
#19 Burn It Down – Jason Eady
#18 She Ain’t Me – Summer Dean
#17 Golden State – Logan Ledger
#16 You’re Gonna Get Lonely – Whitney Rose
#15 Evangelina – Colter Wall
#14 Playing House – Zach Russell
#13 Cars, Truck and Me – Adam Hood
#12 I’ve Got Her On My Mind Again – Malpass Brothers
#11 Kentucky Blue – Brit Taylor
#10 Roman Candle – Morgan Wade
#9 Norfolk Blues – Drayton Farley
#8 Percheron Mules – Tyler Childers
#7 Drink The River – Gabe Lee
#6 State You Left Me In – Jake Worthington
#5 Chipping Mill – Turnpike Troubadours
#4 All Again – Charles Wesley Godwin
#3 Western White Pines – Colby Acuff
#2 King Of Oklahoma – Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
#1 Dollar General Sign – Joe Stamm Band
Nicolas Davelu
Country Music France 