After a few years of what I can only describe as musical hibernation, where I was listening, but not really listening, and mostly finding comfort in my old playlists … something shifted for me in 2025. New music started sneaking back in, hitting a little harder, sticking a little longer, and slowly making me feel more like myself again. (And if you noticed, I started writing about it again.) I found myself paying attention, rewinding songs, and actually caring in that way only great music can make you care. Full disclosure: this list might lean a little more mainstream than what some folks expect from me, and if I lose a tiny bit of street cred because of it… I’ll survive. (If you don’t like it, go make your own damn list.) These are the songs that soundtracked my year, made me feel something, and reminded me why I fell in love with country music in the first place and honestly, that feels like a pretty good place to be.
Here we go:
Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Nichols – I Got A New One
This song is pure attitude in the best way. “I Got A New One” feels like a windows-down, middle-finger-in-the-rearview-mirror kind of moment, and Elizabeth Nichols delivers it with just the right mix of sass and confidence. It’s sharp, honest, and exactly the kind of song that makes you text your friends and say, “Oh yeah… this one’s a vibe” … which is exactly what I did the first time I heard it.
#5, Zach Top – South of Sanity
And can we talk about Zach Top’s “South of Sanity” for a second? Because whew. This one kicks you in the metaphorical balls. It gives off hardcore Mark Chesnutt “Almost Goodbye” vibes in the very best way. It hit even harder once we realized it’s about his divorce, which led to the collective reaction of, wait… Zach Top was married? Turns out we all have our skeletons, Zach … no judgment here. If anything, heartbreak has a long, proud history of making the very best country songs, and this one absolutely proves it. Sad songs, great mustache, emotional damage… it all tracks and I’m here for it.
#4. Parker McCollum – What Kinda Man
Parker McCollum will probably always be that good-looking kid to me … the one who used to open KOKE Music Series shows at Hill’s Café on Wednesday night, polite as hell, hair perfect, and clearly going places. But then I saw him perform “What Kinda Man” onstage at Tanglefoot Festival in September in Temple, and it fully clicked: this man is no longer just a kid, he’s a full-blown, grown ass rock star. The confidence, the control, the way he owned that stage was unreal. And I’ll be honest, as a 51-year-old menopausal woman, there was a brief moment where I understood the primal urge to throw my own granny panties (purchased in bulk at Sam’s Club, obviously) on stage. This song is just flat out sexy.
#3. Wade Bowen – Hidin Behind This Microphone feat. Cody Johnson
Anytime Wade Bowen and Cody Johnson team up, it already has my full attention and yes, everyone knows these two are my absolute favorites (not in a creepy way… just a very committed, long-term, totally normal admiration situation because I retired my Wade stalker card years ago.) “Hiding Behind This Microphone” pulls the curtain back on what it’s like to be the voice people listen to, the pressure that comes with it, and the temptation to use that microphone as armor. On a much smaller scale, I get that feeling because sometimes it’s easier to talk through a mic (or a keyboard) than to let people see who you really are. The first time I heard this song, my immediate reaction was to want to give both of them a big old hug and a juice box, because it’s that honest, that human, and that real. It’s vulnerable without being dramatic, and it hits even harder coming from two guys who always mean what they sing and both mean so much to me.
#2. Tyler Childers – Bitin’ List
The first time I heard this song on TikTok, my immediate takeaway wasn’t deep reflection, It was how wildly chaotic it is to keep a mental list of people you can’t stand and quietly hope start foaming at the mouth like Old Yeller (RIP). I instantly sent it to the Middle-Aged White Woman Group Chat, which led to all of us spiraling, oversharing, and aggressively compiling our own Bitin’ Lists like it was a group therapy assignment none of us signed up for but absolutely committed to. How can I not love a song that leans all the way into the petty? I mean… have you met me? That is my bread and butter. It’s probably why I loved it so much that I played it on my show that same afternoon and forgot to edit out the F-bomb the first time. (We’re streaming digitally now, so the FCC can SUCK it.) Was it a mistake? Yes. On brand? Also yes. And that’s exactly why this song landed so high on my list. It’s just plain fun, and honestly, we all needed a little more of that in 2025.
#1. Ella Langley – Choosing Texas
The second I heard this song, it made me want to hunt down my Bay Apache lace-up ropers, pull on my Rocky Mountains, and hop in a DeLorean to head straight back to Nephew’s on the square in San Marcos circa 1993. IYKYK. After that first listen, I basically had it on a loop all morning because it just felt that right. Knowing it was co-written by Miranda Lambert made perfect sense … because of course it was. And honestly, it just feels really good to hear women like this back on country radio: strong, real, saying exactly what they mean, and sounding like they belong there … because they F@CKING DO. If my 2025 had a soundtrack, this one is absolutely leading the way and I can’t wait to hear what is to come from Ella Langley.
And that concludes Rita Ballou’s Top Five Songs of 2025, she types obnoxiously in the first person. I don’t know if this list says more about the music or about where I was this year, but I do know it brought me back to a place that feels familiar and good. These songs reminded me why I love country music, why I love this community, and why I still get excited to talk about it … loudly, into a microphone and a keyboard, whether you asked for my opinion or not … and you didn’t.
The End.
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