Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 100 country radio stations nationwide. Producer Amber co-hosts the show with him every night from 7PM to midnight. Together they play the best new country music and interview today's top stars, like Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Brantley Gilbert, Lady A, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert + more! 

There is a fall crisp in the air, and as we enter into the end of 2021, we are about to get a ton of new country albums dropped on us. This is great news for all of us country fans, as we need some new tunes to match the new time of year that is upon us. October brings us just that.

Oct. 8: Reba McEntireRevived Remixed Revisited will be released. Reba is putting a new spin on all of her biggest songs. This is a three-disc box set, and it's going to have a little something for every Reba fan out there. One thing I'm looking forward to, is her working with Dolly Parton and re-recording her 1993 hit, "Does He Love You," originally recorded with Linda Davis.

Oct. 8: Old DominionTime, Tequila & Therapy arrives from one of my favorite bands ever. I have already gotten to hear this album, and let me tell you, it's amazing. I can't wait for everyone to hear this thing, too.

Oct. 15: Zac Brown Band, The Comeback hits streaming and shelves worldwide. Zac has had to cancel some shows recently, due to him getting COVID-19, but the album release is moving ahead as planned. I love the song on here called "Same Boat." It has that classic ZBB sound, and really hits home about how we all need to get along, as we are all just humans living lives together, in the same boat.

Buckle up, because there is a ton of country music coming for you to consume in October of 2021. Other albums scheduled for release this month include:

Oct. 1: Brandi Carlile, In These Silent Days
Oct. 1: Lily Rose, Stronger Than I Am
Oct. 1: Logan Mize, Welcome To Prairieville 
Oct. 8:
Cody Johnson, Human (The Double Album)
Oct. 8: Josh Turner, King Size Manger
Oct. 8:
Old Dominion, Time, Tequila & Therapy
Oct. 8: Reba McEntire, Revived Remixed Revisited
Oct. 15: Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Georgia Blue
Oct. 15: Kelly Clarkson, When Christmas Comes Around
Oct. 15: Leah Turner, Lost In Translation EP
Oct. 15: Ryan Hurd, Pelago
Oct. 15:
Toby Keith, Peso In My Pocket
Oct. 15: Zac Brown Band, The Comeback
Oct. 22: Brett Eldredge, Mr. Christmas
Oct. 22: Brett Young, Brett Young & Friends Sing the Christmas Classics
Oct. 22: Dillon Carmichael, Son of A
Oct. 22: Jessie James Decker, The Woman I've Become EP
Oct. 22: Lady A, What a Song Can Do
Oct. 22: Pistol Annies, Hell of a Holiday
Oct. 29: Hayes Carll, You Get It All
Oct. 29: Morgan Evans, Country and the Coast Side A

What new country album are you most excited for in October 2021?

Best Country Albums of 2021 - Critic's Pick

There have been many creative country albums in 2021, but not all have hit the mark. Artists are more than ever toying with distribution methods and packaging as much as they are new sounds, so you get double and triple albums, Part 1 and Part 2, and digital EPs in lieu of a traditional 10 or 11-song release.

The bar for an EP on this list of the best country albums of 2021 is higher than an LP, but one project did crack the Top 10. Too much music proved to dampen other artist's efforts, although Alan Jackson's first album in years was filled with country music we couldn't turn away from. Where Have You Gone has 21 songs, but somehow no filler.

More than ever, this relied on staff opinion and artistic merit to allow for some parity among major label artists and independents. The 10 albums listed below are not ranked, although the year-end list published in the fall will crown a true best album of 2021.

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