While there's something mysteriously interesting about artists who take it slow and create anticipation between projects, those who release a constant stream of new music keep audiences engaged and build a loyalty with their fans that's hard to describe unless you've seen or felt it on your own. The digital environment where most of today's music industry takes place makes releasing new music almost too easy (you can take a recording on your phone and have it on Spotify, et al. in less than a week) but it also provides the perfect way for smaller, independent artists to build a catalogue and following without the need for major investments, which is where record labels historically have popped up to screw the people actually making and performing music out of a large percent of the dollars generated. Sure, counting down the days to
Sturgill's latest album was fun and everyone loves when an artist like
Jamey Johnson makes a comeback, but the ones out there who are consistently putting out new projects for our enjoyment deserve to get some attention for it. Before we get into it, let's go over the criteria used to put the list together.
- Only songs that are on an album or EP count towards the Total Songs Released metric. Individual singles and features on other people's songs do not count.
- Types of projects that count towards Total Songs Released and Total Projects Metrics:
- Original LP
- EP
- Live Album
- Deluxe Original LP
- Acoustic Album/EP
- Cover Album
- Christmas Album
- Gospel Album
- Types of projects that DO NOT count towards Total Songs Released and Total Projects Metrics:
- Rereleases (Greatest Hits, Repackaged/Themed EPs, etc.)
- Original LP (where a Deluxe version of the same project exists)
Obviously, that first point shows I'm valuing the release of projects over sporadic singles and I will stand by that decision; the move away from complete albums is doing nothing but harm to the genre and we owe it to ourselves and those that came before us to support those who still put out cohesive bodies of work. Before we get into the list, I want to put out a few Honorable Mentions and artists of note that didn't crack the top 10 but deserve to get some shine. Since the start of 2020...
- American Aquarium has released 6 projects (4 Original LPs and 2 Cover Albums) and 58 songs
- Colby Acuff has released a full length LP in every single calendar year since 2020. 5 albums, 63 songs
- Despite releasing only 3 projects, Ernest put out 61 songs, clearly due to the trend of huge albums coming out of Nashville
- Riley Green has released 7 projects in less than 4 years, mostly EPs.
- Carly Pearce put out 3 Original LPs and a Live Album for a total of 61 songs
- Morgan Wade put out 6 projects (3 Original LPs and 3 EPs) for a total of 56 songs
Apologies to anyone we may have missed... now without further adieu, here's the 10 country artists that have released the most music since the start of 2020.
Willie Nelson
- Total Songs Released: 189
- Total Projects: 11 - 7 Original LPs, 3 Live Albums, 1 Cover Album
Despite clocking in at 91 years old,
Willie Nelson maintains a touring and release schedule of a man a third of his age. The sheer volume of new music that Willie Nelson gave us recently is astounding but considering he's doing this over 62 years after his debut album came out is surely a feat that we will never see again.
"Last Leaf" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NySpcFpPcQg
Charley Crockett
- Total Songs Released: 155
- Total Projects: 11 - 5 Original LPs, 2 Live Albums, 2 Cover Albums, 2 EPs
Without question, Charley Crockett is the king in this regard. In less than 4 years he's churned out 5 new studio albums, which is beyond impressive to turn things around that quickly. I've found myself behind on listening due to how short the time between projects can be, but make no mistake, quality was not lost in the quantity.
"America" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK89bntEg5w
Zach Bryan
- Total Songs Released: 131
- Total Projects: 8 - 4 Original LPs, 1 Live Album, 3 EPs
Zach may have burst onto the scene with
American Heartbreak in 2022 but by that point he was already bringing new music to his fans seemingly every week on YouTube. While we won't be getting a post album EP, Zach says he's recording his next album next year, meaning we may be in the first ever prolonged period without a Zach Bryan release, but I wouldn't be surprised if something drops out of the blue. https://twitter.com/zachlanebryan/status/1829874831237792057
"Oak Island" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSwHdfXPR7o
Morgan Wallen
- Total Songs Released: 82
- Total Projects: 3 - 2 Original LPs, 1 Rerelease
Despite Morgan only releasing two albums since 2020, he racked up an astounding 82 songs, and that doesn't include the singles and features he's done. I did include the
Stand Alone project that was released against his wishes because, for better or worse, it is part of his catalogue now.
Muscadine Bloodline
- Total Songs released: 74
- Total Projects: 9 - 4 Original LPs, 5 EPs
The boys from Alabama sure have been winning big time recently. They just got tapped to provide direct support for Post Malone on his
F-1 Trillion tour and have seen some truly astronomical success for an independent duo. They get tons of credit for consistently posting covers and acoustic videos on social media, but even their track record for studio content is up there with the best of them.
"Daffodils" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqooNVnR05A
Dolly Parton
- Total Songs Released: 71
- Total Projects: 3 - 2 Original LPs, 1 Christmas Album
I have to say, the fact that Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton are in the top 5 most active artists of today is crazy. Much of Dolly's recent catalogue came from her
Rockstar - Deluxe album, which contained 39 songs, but even that alone is no small feat. Queen Dolly remains on top.
"Shine" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plUD6vN80dg
Russell Dickerson
- Total Songs Released: 69
- Total Projects: 3 Original LPs, 4 EPs
Uhm, yeah, not much to say here other than I was not expecting this...
Reba
- Total Songs Released: 68
- Total Projects: 4 - 1 Acoustic Album, 1 Christmas Album, 1 Gospel Album, 1 EP
Another country legend still makin things happen late in their career. Sadly we didn't get a new Original LP but she gave us a buffet table of cool music to listen to of late.
"I Can't" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7HVxVn844g
Cody Johnson
- Total Songs Released: 67
- Total Projects: 2 Original LPs, 1 Live Album, 1 Christmas Album
CoJo is no newcomer to country music and boy am I excited that he finally got his dues. And don't give me crap on including the Christmas album, that's a work of art right there.
"Dirt Cheap" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdVN4ZiJUTE
Luke Combs
- Total Songs Released: 65
- Total Projects: 4 Original LPs
If there's one artist on this list that can be pointed to for their consistency, it has to be Luke Combs. No, the volume isn't a sky-high as Charley Crockett but all of these songs come from 4 rock-solid studio albums. No rereleases, no EPs, just plain old good country music. It's hard not to root for Luke, even though he's already clearly on top of the world.
"Where The Wild Things Are" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoJwvnDuAR0
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