Ella Langley’s sophomore set is destined for the canon.
Ella Langley
Dandelion
Big picture, she has delivered the exact right album to capitalize on the momentum that’s making her a true superstar, and all credit to her and her collaborators for understanding the stakes and the ways to meet the moment without sacrificing too much along the way.
The writing is not as consistently sharp as on her debut, but the highs are just as high, and they also, importantly, are the songs that foreground her interior life and agency. She continues to develop a clear persona that’s interesting and valuable because it emphasizes personal growth.
Tellingly, it’s the tracks that nod to Music Row trends that she isn’t setting herself (“Be Her,” “You & Me Time”) that could’ve been edited for thematic cohesion and quality control. When she, West, and Lambert lead, their work here is inspiring and distinctive, and it’s thrilling to hear a current artist whose influences – Janie Fricke, Juice Newton, and Earl Thomas Conley are all over this record – go farther back than the hits of their own childhood, and one who creates a direct throughline from what women of Kitty Wells’ era put up with to today.
And, for as much as I’m still on the fence about her politics, her work itself is in no real way problematic and actually challenges some of those perceptions. This is going to end up as one for the all-time canon, and that’s worth celebrating.
Alex Miller
More Country Than You
A talented enough singer and bandleader that it begs the question of why he seems to be angling for a spot as the Tracy Byrd (or Daryle Singletary, whose “Too Much Fun” he covers here) to Zach Top’s Alan Jackson among the 90s revivalists. Aim higher, young’un.
Tennile Townes
The Acrobat
She’s dropped the ill-fitting bids for US country radio crossover play, and the result is a career-best effort that in every meaningful way – vocal tone and timbre, stripped-down arrangements, incisive narratives – recalls the best of Lori McKenna, who guests here.
The Droptines
Drought Flower
The alt-country revival continues, and few bring more robust senses of melody, tunefulness to the form than this outfit. The writing is particularly sharp, and they’ve enlisted a few like-minded collaborators (Zandi Holup!) to bring their vision to bloom.
Charley Crockett
Age of the Ram
Like the 3rd entry of many a trilogy, this suffers from making its subtext into text and a preoccupation with its own lore. This isn’t, say, the countless final acts of LotR or anything so egregious, but both Crockett and Jennings do oversell the cinematics of it all.
When they both drop the self-consciousness– lead single “Too Long in Kentucky” absolutely rips– it highlights how well-paired their respective strengths are.
If it ends the Sagebrush project on an uneven note, this does point to better collaborations ahead.
Luke Grimes
Red Bird
Yellowstone actor improves upon a solid debut album by leaning harder into purposeful narratives, and Dave Cobb continues something of a resurgent 2026 run, too. His singing is still a bit affected in an actorly way, but even that shows progress on this set.
Shelby Stone
Silveryear
The most promising and best moments here are those that foreground country flourishes; the rest of the time, she hangs around what sounds like mid-90s AOR. Which, “rock” in this exact sense has been scarce for some time now, so there’s something to that, too.
Thomm Jutz
Ring-A-Bellin’
A beautifully engineered album that allows Jutz’ impeccable guitar work to shine, particularly on the covers he’s selected for this set. The range of styles and interpretations is fairly narrow, though he knows his strengths as a mellow, affecting troubadour.
Carsie Blanton & The Burning Hells
Everything is Great!
What it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in savage humor, a playful approach to folk conventions, and tunefulness across a range of protest-ready styles. This is what it sounds like when a folk singer has actual convictions beyond generating content.
The Delines
Set Up
Their knotty fictions are usually set to a compelling, moody take on Americana. On this outing, not even Amy Boone’s distinctive tone and phrasing can elevate what’s a whole lot more lite jazz than atmospheric country. This is latter-day MCC dull for most of its arc.
Re. Ella Langley: One of the amazing things about the “buzz” surrounding Ella is that a lot of people can’t help but think how much she looks like a cross between Jessi Colter and Linda Ronstadt. It may help to see a pic of Ella today and compare it to how both Jessi and Linda each looked during the mid-1970’s to see the (totally unintentional) resemblance. Of course Ella doesn’t sing like either of them, but then who could?
I was wondering what you would think of the Ella Langley album. I’ve purchased it, but I’ve only had a chance to give it a cursory listen, but I’m liking it so far. I read that she said that Ronnie Milsap was the inspiration for the sound of the album, which is interesting.
I can see the Milsap inspiration here (as well as the other eighties era artists that Jonathan mentioned); definitely has that vibe throughout, which I’d like to consider a definite positive (what can I say, I like Milsap). Another positive is that she can successfully carry a tune, an apparent anomaly in mainstream country these days. I like the album; it sounds great and she sounds great on it.
I’ve always been less enamored of Millsap than many other folks are, so perhaps that’s why I honed in on some of the other points of influence in the production. Either way, Langley, West, and Lambert really did hit their marks in such an inspiring way. As the #1s feature made clear, 80s country is due for a meaningful reappraisal, and Langley’s leading that charge within the mainstream.
…i have avoided to read any reviews on ms. langley’s “dandelion” before making my own mind up. it’s very good and most enjoyable but not as strong as megan moroney’s “cloud 9”, arguably. that one fits her generation, sex and demographic like a plug a matching socket. as limited as she is as vocalist and “stage owner” (until recently at least) – she’s got superpowers in delivering her material from the studio to the right addresses.
i love ella langley’s roger miller infused “i gotta quit”. her cover of “it wasn’t god who made honky tonk angels” is so outstanding (including the little giggle) that all those radio programmers (if most of them not only were oversized recliner chairs in the form of human beings) in the whole u.s.a ought to put it on constant rotation immediately. it makes you dancing in the kitchen and is as good a listen as the perfect “choosin’ texas”. everything about it – she, the production, the piano et al – sounds as fresh as it gets. great too, are those hybrids “loving life again” and “bottom of your boots”. not the least complaints from my pop heart about “be her” either. the “miranda-touch” can be felt almost physically across this beautifully confident production.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see at least a plurality of my fellow critics starting to come to their senses re: Moroney.
I personally don’t see a great utility in comparing Langley and Moroney outside of the timing of their ascents to the genre’s A-list. Artistically, their respective niches and POVs share little meaningful overlap.
But in terms of the reception of their albums, this is what I’ve sourced:
Cloud 9
Allmusic 80
Saving Country Music 77
Spectrum Culture 71
Rolling Stone 70
Pitchfork 67
Paste 50
AV Club 50
Country Universe 40
Dandelion
The Independent 100
Saving Country Music 82
Rolling Stone 80
NME 80
Country Universe 80
Paste 67
So far, outlets that have reviewed both albums have given the edge to Langley. Which, obviously, I think is correct by a huge degree, and I’m confident that’s how things will shake out over the long arc of genre history.
I have to admit that I’m enjoying the Alex Miller album. It’s comforting pure country music that’s easy for me to sink my teeth into.
Braxton Keith has an album coming out next month that more or less addresses my exact criticisms with the Miller set: Super 90s trad, jokes that land consistently, and better taste in direct influences. Be on the lookout for that one!