New Country Music Artists of 2008

Best of 2008

The minute I heard the opening lines of "Takin' Off This Pain," I was hooked. Who is this girl? Ashton Shepherd is a breath of fresh air in a sea of country pop. I love her whole album. Her debut single became a Top 20 hit, and her second, the title cut from her album is perched to enter the Top 20 soon. She's definitely got the vocal chops, and she wrote or co-wrote every song on the album.

Chuck Wicks broke onto the country music scene with the popular "Stealing Cinderella," which quickly shot up the charts, and became a popular wedding song. The tune eventually peaked at No. 5, and Wicks was invited to join Brad Paisley's Paisley Party Tour. The album has since given country fans another Top 20 single with "All I Ever Wanted." It was on the Paisley Party Tour that Wicks got to know fellow 2008 classmate Julianne Hough. The couple are currently dating (as of November 2008).

I gotta admit, when I first heard that Darius Rucker was going to record a country album, I thought, "Oh no, not another rock artist coming over to country." But, after hearing the quality of music on his album, starting with the first single, "Don't Think I Can't Think About It," which shot to No. 1, I totally changed my tune. The second single "It Won't Be Like This For Long" debuted on late October, and is in the Top 30 already as I write this. Learn to Live is definitely one of the best albums of 2008, and I hope Darius is a country artist for a long, long time.

Heidi Newfield got her start in country music as the lead singer for Trick Pony. Eventually, she felt the call to go it alone, and with the blessing of her bandmates, she released her solo debut What Am I Waiting For in August of 2008. The lead single really got fans interested, and soon "Johnny & June" was soaring up the charts, eventually peaking at No. 11. Heidi has proven that she's not only a part of a band, she can do it on her own too, and quite well.

While Sunset Man isn't James Otto's first album, it's definitely the one that got him noticed. "Just Got Started Lovin' You" was the debut single, and it topped the charts earlier this year. James has a really soulful voice, and I'm sure that he's finally on his way with this great debut.

Jessica Simpson started her career as a pop star, but in 2008, she recorded her first country album, saying she wanted to go back to her roots. The debut single "Come On Over" made its way up the charts, peaking at No. 18. She had an ally in Dolly Parton, who not only co-wrote the title cut, but also sang background vocals on it.

Jewel was another artist that came to country music via a pop career. Her music always had a folksy quality to it, and her debut single "Stronger Woman" resonated with country fans, peaking at No. 13 on the charts. Her album debuted at No. 1, and Jewel, like fellow 2008 classmates Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough was asked to join the Paisley Party Tour in 2008. She also eloped with longtime boyfriend Ty Murray in 2008, adding another joyous event to a great year for the star.

Most people got to know Julianne Hough as a professional dancer on the Dancing With the Stars TV show. She was paired up with winners Apolo Anton Ohno and Hélio Castroneves. But, who knew she had such a great country voice? Her first single "That Song in My Head" with the popular video catapaulted the star to the Top 20 on the charts, and her self-titled album debuted at the top of the charts. She joined the Paisley Party tour in 2008, where she got to know fellow 2008 classmate Chuck Wicks, who was also on the tour. The two are currently dating (as of November 2008).

Lady Antebellum consists of Charles Kelly, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood. They released their self-titled debut in April 2008. The first single "Love Don't Live Here" shot up to No. 3 on the charts, and the trio joined Martina McBride on the road to promote their album. Their second single "Looking for a Good Time" is a Top 20 hit, and still rising. One of the things I love most about Lady Antebellum is that they don't stick with one lead singer. The future looks very bright indeed for this talented group, who picked up the ACM Top New Vocal Group/Duo Award in May, and the CMA New Artist Award in November.

The Lost Trailers have been around a while, having released two independent albums - "Trailer Trash" and "Welcome to the Woods" before being signed by major label BNA Nashville. Their first major label was released in 2006, and produced two singles that failed to crack the Top 40. Magic struck when the guys released the fun "Holler Back." The song eventually reached No. 9 on the charts, and their second single "How 'Bout You Don't" is making its way up the charts as well.

Randy Houser is on the Universal South label, home to Joe Nichols, Phil Vassar, Cross Canadian Ragweed, the Eli Young Band, and others. While you may not have heard of him as an artist before you heard his Top 20 single "Anything Goes," you definitely heard one of the songs he co-wrote, "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" for Trace Adkins. It's sure that we continue hearing more from this talented young star in the years to come.

One day I heard this catchy little song called "Chicken Fried," and soon after, everyone was requesting the song, and it has become the band's first No. 1 song. The Zac Brown Band actually originated four years ago, and they've been touring ever since, playing upwards of 200 dates a year. A live show that leaves people that didn't know who they were when they got there becoming fans, singing along as they leave the show.