The 2000s brought with them an explosion of new styles and artists into country music, from Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” to Tim McGraw’s patriotic tribute; its hits covered a spectrum of topics and emotions.
Innovative songwriting techniques expanded country music’s repertoire of themes and perspectives, covering themes ranging from domestic violence to 9/11 patriotism. These hit songs helped shape country music in the 2000s while leaving an impactful mark on audiences worldwide.
Taylor Swift
Country artists of the 2000s were famed for creating memorable tunes that explored a wide array of emotions. Many of their hits continue to resonate today, attesting to the timeless appeal of this genre. From Shania Twain’s women-empowering anthem “Hell No!” to Carrie Underwood’s revenge-fuelled tune “Revenge Ride”, these 2000s country hits are some of the most noteworthy and lasting.
During the Y2K era, country music rose in popularity as pop influences began seeping into its genre. While traditionalists such as George Strait remained on charts, contemporary artists like Brad Paisley and Lee Ann Womack began producing crossover albums that achieved critical acclaim; newcomers such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood quickly made an impactful statement with powerful vocals and relatable lyrics.
Taylor Swift’s music combines country with elements of pop and rock. Her unique blend has enabled her to become a multi-platinum singer/songwriter; she co-wrote songs for John Mayer and Boys Like Girls before creating two tracks for Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana soundtrack.
Taylor signed with Big Machine Records following a showcase at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe and soon released her debut album “Small Town Girl.” Her single, “Red High Heels,” quickly rose in popularity on country music radio stations and helped launch her career.
Pat Green proved the success of country music without traditional instruments with his album “Wave on Wave.” His moving song about overcoming hardship earned critical acclaim and commercial success, while Tim McGraw’s powerful track, “Live Like You Were Dying” reached listeners and earned multiple Grammy Awards. Meanwhile, Dixie Chicks’ defiant song, “Not Ready to Make Nice,” caused controversy after their comments regarding President Bush; yet its powerful vocals and message ultimately propelled their career forward and brought incredible success.
Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack was ahead of her time when it came to reinstating traditional country. An excellent singer often compared with Dolly Parton, Lee Ann captured the spirit of country music during its late 2000s revival era with clear vocals full of emotion backed up by tasteful fiddles and steel guitars that never distracted from her song. No matter whether it’s for tearjerking emotional reasons or dancing around to, Lee Ann Womack will have something perfect here for everyone!
Although Womack may not have amassed as many hit singles as other female artists of her day did, she made her mark in country radio. Her debut album earned a Gold certification; its lead single “Never Again, Again” hit #23. This tune explored a woman’s sorrow after experiencing the death of her lover.
Womack would go on to record and release albums throughout her long career, penning songs for other performers such as Shania Twain and George Strait.
In 2005, she released There’s More Where That Came From, an album tailored towards traditional country. This release proved hugely popular within the industry and became one of the year’s top records. This record featured songs about drinking and cheating with its characteristic older country twang and string instrumentation; Allmusic found this record sounding similar to Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, and Dolly Parton albums from the 70s.
Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney may not have experienced the instant breakthrough success enjoyed by some of his peers, but he managed to amass an admiring following through hard work and pop-friendly ballads that resonated with Nashville’s middle-class working class. His “Average Joe” persona fit right in with country radio in 2000s; leading him on an incredible multi-platinum career journey.
Chesney made waves early on with his beach-kitsch album covers, like this one featuring a shirtless man immersed in water. This image set the standard for his early albums – fourteen in total were released; though occasionally switching styles (such as Cowboy Daddy), most were consistent in style with his beach aesthetic.
With its rolling intro, this song showcases how Chesney’s 2000s albums began shifting away from traditional songwriting towards more crossover sounds and genres that complemented his storytelling and production quality that was tight and flawless.
As BNA Records closed, Chesney moved over to Columbia Records, releasing albums that moved further towards popular-leaning territory – leading to hits that remain staples on country and adult contemporary radio today.
Chesney had an exceptional talent for communicating relationship angst through music, and this tearjerker from 1999’s Everywhere We Go shows this perfectly. Although its story may be simple, its impactful music makes this tearjerker an instant classic and also reached #1 on both Country and Adult Contemporary charts simultaneously.
Sugarland
In the 2000s, numerous well-known rock artists made the leap into country music, most notably Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish fame who went on to find success as a country artist himself. Other successful crossover artists include Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert.
Sugarland quickly established themselves as one of the top country music acts during this decade with Jennifer Nettles’ bold vocals and Kristian Bush’s harmonic arrangements making for one of its most iconic acts – Twice the Speed of Life was their debut album and following it came an array of hit singles that kept their fan base growing steadily.
Sugarland stood out among bro-country artists by maintaining traditional rural themes while adding modern R&B production (think George Strait’s “I Got a Car” and Randy Houser’s “Runnin’ Out of Moonlight”). Furthermore, their lyrics were both smart and often humorous.
Though many country music hits of this era were celebratory, some featured more reflective content, like Carrie Underwood’s 2005 debut hit “Before He Cheats.” This revenge-driven tune showcased her powerful vocals and remains popular with listeners to this day.
Brad Paisley’s duet with Alison Krauss on “Whiskey Lullaby,” another poignant and moving ballad from that same era, is another powerful moment from that period – an emotive ballad about loss and longing with an irresistibly melodic line that brings both hope and despair into sharp relief.
Jason Isbell of the Drive-By Truckers gained attention both traditional country fans and urban hipsters when his critically acclaimed album Southeastern was released in 2013. This dark yet reflective look at modern Southern life features haunting imagery and raw emotions; also marking an evolution away from their punk-influenced sound towards creating meaningful songs that resonated with fans of traditional country music.
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts were one of the most beloved country acts during the 2000s. Led by singer Gary LeVox and multi-instrumentalist Jay DeMarcus, they rose quickly in popularity during their initial launch in 1999 and, by 2010, had 13 hits on Billboard country charts (five at No 1) with impressive sales numbers that ensured continued popularity for years afterward.
Although their sound was predominantly country, their style also heavily incorporated elements from pop music – this resulted in massive crossover success across genres and audiences alike. Acts like Carrie Underwood were able to capitalize on this crossover success by topping both country and pop charts with songs like “Before He Cheats.” Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss’ ballad “Whiskey Lullaby” also reached No.1 status across both adult contemporary and country charts simultaneously.
Though immensely popular, they struggled to shake the label many of the press attached them: the country equivalent of boy bands. Though their careers saw some decline later in the decade, with 2017’s Back to Us album they managed to recapture some of their former glory.
The 2000s marked a new era for country music with increased mainstream pop influence, thanks to an influx of younger listeners. A significant factor was Tyler Childers and Cody Jinks emerging as talented independent musicians that showed country had room for all types of musicians.