The culture wars that have defined country music in recent years seemed somewhat tamer this year. That doesn’t mean the issues that have divided households from Nashville to SoCal have been resolved.

This year in country music was all about artists discovering ways to innovate old forms and traditions. In some cases, like Eric Church’s Evangeline vs. the Machine and Carter Faith’s stunning debut ...

Country music doesn’t necessarily associate with astounding success on the Billboard 200. This is primarily due to the fact that most people listen to pop music and not country music. Although, given ...