Year-End Rodeo 2016: Individual Ballots

Our final lists of the 40 Best Singles of 2016 and 20 Best Albums of 2016 are up and running, and we’re pleased with the discussion they’ve already generated! As we did last year, we have decided to post each of our writers’ individual ballots for the year-end countdowns, so we can give at least a bit of attention to even more great music from 2016.

When tabulating our lists, we assign points using a weighted ballot that prioritizes the music that each contributor feels most passionately about. The total points across all ballots are added together, and then a consensus multiplier factor recognizes the music that resonated most strongly with the Country Universe crew as a whole. Over the past several years, we’ve tinkered with our formulas a bit, and we’re pleased with how our methodology produces lists that allow for our individual writers’ unique voices and tastes to be reflected while also recognizing quality music with across-the-board appeal.

For 2016, we saw mainstream stars and veterans like Miranda Lambert, Wynonna, and Dwight Yoakam ranked alongside lesser-known acts like Tami Neilson, Aubrie Sellers, and Parker Millsap on our albums list, while Carrie Underwood and Eric Church both landed two entries our singles list alongside strong entries from Lambert, Tim McGraw, and Kree Harrison.

A few quick stats for posterity’s sake: Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings and Brandy Clark’s Big Day in a Small Town were the only albums to appear on all four ballots. Several singles landed on all four ballots when including some “honorable mention” votes: Lambert’s “Vice,” Church’s “Record Year” and “Kill a Word” with Rihannon Giddens, Beyonce & The Dixie Chicks’ “Daddy Lessons,” Reba’s “Just Like Them Horses,” Clark’s “Love Can Go to Hell,” McGraw’s “Humble and Kind,” and Underwood’s “Dirty Laundry.”

So, without further adieu, each of our writers’ personal ballots are listed below.

Kevin John Coyne:

Albums

01. Brandy Clark, Big Day in a Small Town
02. Miranda Lambert, The Weight of These Wings
03. John Prine, For Better or Worse
04. Lucinda Williams, The Ghosts of Highway 20
05. Wynonna & The Big Noise
06. LeAnn Rimes, Remnants
07. Joey+Rory, Hymns That Are Important to Us
08. Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
09. Sarah Jarosz, Undercurrents
10. Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Things That We Are Made Of
11. Cyndi Lauper, Detour
12. The Time Jumpers, Kid Sister
13. Sara Watkins, Young in All the Wrong Ways
14. Loretta Lynn, Full Circle
15. Lori McKenna, The Bird & The Rifle
16. Dwight Yoakam, Swimming Pools, Movie Stars…
17. Various Artist, Southern Family
18. Sean Watkins, What to Fear
19. Various Artists, The Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris
20. Dolly Parton, Pure & Simple

Singles

01. Reba McEntire, “Just Like Them Horses”
02. Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
03. Tim McGraw, “Humble and Kind”
04. Eric Church, “Record Year”
05. Little Big Town, “Better Man”
06. Carrie Underwood, “Church Bells”
07. Brandy Clark, “Love Can Go to Hell”
08. Beyonce & The Dixie Chicks, “Daddy Lessons”
09. LeAnn Rimes, “How to Kiss a Boy”
10. Eric Church feat. Rihannon Giddens, “Kill a Word”
11. Carrie Underwood, “Dirty Laundry”
12. Wynonna & The Big Noise, “Jesus & A Jukebox”
13. Artists of Then, Now, & Forever, “Forever Country”
14. Trisha Yearwood, “Broken”
15. Sean Watkins, “What to Fear”
16. Maddie & Tae, “Sierra”
17. Lori McKenna, “Wreck You”
18. Brandy Clark, “Girl Next Door”
19. Toby Keith, “Beautiful Stranger”
20. Runaway June, “Lipstick”

Albums

Jonathan Keefe:

Singles

01. Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
02. Drive-By Truckers, “Surrender Under Protest”
03. Tami Neilson, “Holy Moses”
04. Eric Church, “Record Year”
05. Beyonce & The Dixie Chicks, “Daddy Lessons”
06. Margo Price, “Four Years of Chances’
07. The Last Bandoleros, “Where Do You Go?”
08. Kree Harrison, “Dead Man’s House”
09. Maren Morris, “My Church”
10. Chris Janson, “Holdin’ Her”
11. Morgane Stapleton feat. Chris Stapleton, “You Are My Sunshine”
12. Drake White, “Livin’ the Dream”
13. Anderson East, “Devil in Me”
14. Lydia Loveless, “Longer”
15. Turnpike Troubadours, “Come As You Are”
16. Reba McEntire, “Just Like Them Horses”
17. Luke Bell, “Sometimes”
18. Cody Jinks, “I’m Not the Devil”
19. Eric Church feat. Rihannon Giddens, “Kill a Word”
20. Aaron Watson, “Bluebonnets (Julia’s Song)”
Honorable Mention: Tim McGraw, “Humble & Kind,” Brandy Clark, “Love Can Go to Hell,” Carrie Underwood, “Dirty Laundry,” Maddie & Tae, “Sierra,” Wynonna & The Big Noise feat. Susan Tedeschi, “Ain’t No Thing,” Parker Millsap, “Pining,” Mark Chesnutt, “Oughta Miss Me By Now,” Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Something Tamed, Something Wild,” Sturgill Simpson, “Brace for Impact (Live a Little),” Stephanie Quayle, “Drinking with Dolly.”

Tara Seetharam:

Singles

01. Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
02. Beyonce & The Dixie Chicks, “Daddy Lessons”
03. Maren Morris, “My Church”
04. Eric Church, “Record Year”
05. Carrie Underwood, “Dirty Laundry”
06. Eric Church feat. Rihannon Giddens, “Kill a Word”
07. Kree Harrison, “Dead Man’s House”
08. Brandy Clark, “Love Can Go to Hell”
09. Reba McEntire, “Just Like Them Horses”
10. Morgane Stapelton feat. Chris Stapleton, “You Are My Sunshine”
11. Tami Neilson, “Holy Moses”
12. Anderson East, “Devil in Me”
13. Maddie & Tae, “Sierra”
14. Parker Millsap, “Pining”
15. Drake White, “Livin’ the Dream”
16. Tim McGraw, “Humble and Kind”
17. Little Big Town, “Better Man”
18. Cody Jinks, “I’m Not the Devil”
19. Luke Bell, “Sometimes”
20. Billy Currington, “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To”

Leeann Morrow Ward:

Albums

01. Sara Watkins, Young In All the Wrong Ways
02. Elizabeth Cook, Exodus of Venus
03. Loretta Lynn, Full Circle
04. Joey+Rory, Hymns That Are Important to Us
05. Miranda Lambert, The Weight of These Wings
06. Tami Neilson, Don’t Be Afraid
07.  The Time Jumpers, Kid Sister
08. John Prine, For Better or Worse
09. Aubrie Sellers, New City Blues
10. Sarah Jarosz, Undercurrents
11. Buddy Miller & Friends, Cayamo Sessions at Sea
12. Various Artists, The Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris
13. Brandy Clark, Big Day in a Small Town
14. Dwight Yoakam, Swimming Pools, Movie Stars…
15. Wynonna & The Big Noise

Singles

01. Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
02. Wynonna & The Big Noise, “Jesus & a Jukebox”
03. Eric Church feat. Rihannon Giddens, “Kill a Word”
04. Beyonce & The Dixie Chicks, “Daddy Lessons”
05. Reba McEntire, “Just Like Them Horses”
06. Blake Shelton, “Savior’s shadow”
07. Artists of Then, Now, & Forever, “Forever Country”
08. Sara Watkins, “Young In All the Wrong Ways”
09. Alan Jackson, “The One You’re Waiting On”
10. Dolly Parton, “Pure & Simple”
11. Toby Keith, “Beautiful Stranger”
12. Elizabeth Cook, “Dyin'”
13. Wynonna & The Big Noise feat. Susan Tedeschi, “Ain’t No Thing”
14. Carrie Underwood, “Dirty Laundry”
15. Brandy Clark, “Love Can Go to Hell”
16. Maren Morris, “My Church”
17. Billy Currington, “It Don’t Hurt Like Like it Used To”
18. Maddie & Tae, “Sierra”
19. Kacey Musgraves, “Late to the Party”
20. Aaron Lewis, “That Ain’t Country”
Honorable Mention: Tim McGraw, “Humble and Kind,” Mark Chesnutt, “Oughta Miss Me By Now,” Carrie Underwood, “Church Bells,” Chris Young feat. Vince Gill, “Sober Saturday Night,” Sara Watkins, “Move Me.”