Let’s be honest here: As fun as it is to compile (and peruse) these sorts of year-end deals, the fact is, the very idea of a definitive “best of” list is rather absurd. If a roomful of critics somehow all agree upon one album being the best of its genre, and it happens to be different from your personal favorite, don’t for a minute think you somehow got it wrong. Because as you can tell by looking at the individual ballots submitted by each of our contributors below, even a roomful of critics will rarely all agree on a consensus No. 1. Sure, certain albums may well pop up on several different lists, suggesting that, yeah, there really is something pretty special about Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free, or that finding a lot to love about James McMurtry’s Complicated Game isn’t all that complicated. But even though a lot of us ranked those particular titles amongst our favorites, they by no means topped every list and the rest of our individual picks represent a pretty wide and varied selection of exceptional offerings from across the Americana landscape — from Texas legends like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Joe Ely, and Robert Earl Keen to rising stars like Jamie Wilson (who was destined to make a name for herself even before folks started calling her a Trisha), William Clark Green, Parker McCollum, and Oklahoma’s John Moreland and Turnpike Troubadours. And that’s not counting the albums some of us picked that that the rest of us admittedly never even heard of, let alone heard — just because it’s easier than ever these days for great records to slip under the radar on both the national and regional level.

All that said, though … if you see an artist or album on any of the lists that follow that you’re unfamiliar with, rest assured they’re worth seeking out. Naturally, the same goes for all of the albums that made our “Master List,” compiled by assigning 1-10 points for each album on the individual ballots (10 points for each No. 1 pick, 9 for each No. 2, etc.). When all the points were tallied, Isbell’s Something More Than Free actually did come out on top — and pretty decisively, too, albeit with Moreland’s High on Tulsa Heat not too far behind. But we also had a four-way tie for No. 9, which just reinforces the point that 2015 was a pretty damn good year for Americana roots ’n’ roll.

The Master List
Something More Than Free

1. Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free (54 pts)
2. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat (50 pts)
3. James McMurtry, Complicated Game (31 pts)
4. Turnpike Troubadours, Turnpike Troubadours (30 pts)
5. Shinyribs, Okra Candy (25 pts)
6. Joe Ely, Panhandle Rambler (23 pts)
7. Ray Wylie Hubbard, The Ruffian’s Misfortune (21 pts)
8. Jamie Lin Wilson, Holidays & Wedding Rings (20 pts)
9. (4-way tie)
Chris Stapleton, Traveller (18 pts)
David Ramirez, Fables (18 pts)
Dwight Yoakam, Second Hand Heart (18 pts)
Parker McCollum, The Limestone Kid (18 pts)
10. Rod Picott, Fortune (17 pts)


Individual Ballots

Richard Skanse
Editor
Ruffians Misfortune

1. Ray Wylie Hubbard, The Ruffian’s Misfortune
2. Joe Ely, Panhandle Rambler
3. Kathleen Taylor, Broken by Design
4. Rod Picott, Fortune
5. Robert Earl Keen, Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions
6. Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
7. Jamie Lin Wilson, Holidays & Wedding Rings
8. Gurf Morlix, Eatin’ at Me
9. Ashley Monical, Facing the Shadow
10. Brandy Zdan, Brandy Zdan

Kristen Townsend
Office Manger/Artist & Label Relations/Marketing
David Ramirez Fables CD

1. David Ramirez, Fables
2. John Moreland, High On Tulsa Heat
3. Jamie Lin Wilson, Holidays & Wedding Rings
4. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
5. William Clark Green, Ringling Road
6. Parker McCollum, The Limestone Kid
7. Courtney Patton, So This Is Life
8. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
9. Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
10. Blue Water Highway Band, Things We Carry 

Kallie Townsend
LoneStarMusic.com Online Sales & Customer Service
Turnpike Troubadours CD

1. Turnpike Troubadours, Turnpike Troubadours
2. Kacey Musgraves, Pageant Material
3. William Clark Green, Ringling Road
4. Haley Cole, Illusions
5. Jonathan Tyler, Holy Smokes
6. Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen, Hold My Beer Vol. 1
7. Parker McCollum, The Limestone Kid
8.  Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
9. Statesboro Revue, Jukehouse Revival
10. Folk Family Revival, Water Walker

Holly Gleason
Contributing Editor, Nashville
Servant of Love

1. Patty Griffin, Servant of Love
2. Jason Isbell, Something More than Free
3. Steve Earle, Terraplane
4. Kacey Musgraves, Pageant Material
5. Dwight Yoakam, Second Hand Heart
6. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ruffian’s Misfortune
7. Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, Django & Jimmie
8. Ryan Adams, 1989
9. Allison Moorer, Down to Believing
10. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat

Lynne Margolis
Contributing Editor, Austin
Busted Jukebox

1. Jason Isbell, Something More than Free
2. Shovels & Rope, Busted Jukebox Volume 1
3. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
4. Joe Ely, Panhandle Rambler
5. Aaron Lee Tasjan, In the Blazes
6. Patty Griffin, Servant of Love
7. Kristin Diable, Create Your Own Mythology
8. Shinyribs, Okra Candy
9. James McMurtry, Complicated Game
10. Various Artists, Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City 

Andrew Dansby
Contributing Editor, Houston
If Ive Only One Time Askin

1. Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
2. Daniel Romano, If I’ve Only One Time Askin’
3. David Rawlings Machine, Nashville Obsolete
4. Ashley Monroe, The Blade
5. Brandi Carlile, The Firewatcher’s Daughter
6. Robert Earl Keen, Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions
7. Shinyribs, Okra Candy
8. Ryan Adams, 1989
9. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
10. James McMurtry, Complicated Game

Kelly Dearmore
Contributing Editor, Dallas/Fort Worth
Compliated Game

1. James McMurtry, Complicated Game
2. Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen, Hold My Beer
3. David Rawlings Machine, Nashville Obsolete
4. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
5. Turnpike Troubadours, Turnpike Troubadours
6. Lindi Ortega, Faded Gloryville
7. Brent Best, Your Dog, Champ
8. Jason Isbell, Something More than Free
9. Whitey Morgan, Sonic Ranch
10. Joe Pug, Windfall 

Mike Ethan Messick
Contributor
Okra Candy

1. Shinyribs, Okra Candy
2. Turnpike Troubadours, Turnpike Troubadours
3. Jamie Lin Wilson, Holidays & Wedding Rings
4. Gus Samuelson & Sinner Man, Gus Samuelson & Sinner Man
5. Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Squelch
6. The Damn Quails, Out of the Birdcage
7. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
8. Bart Crow, The Parade
9. Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
10. Ashley Monical, Facing the Shadow

D.C. Bloom
Contributor
Traveling Kind

1. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, The Traveling Kind
2. Brandi Carlile, The Firewatcher’s Daughter
3. James McMurtry, Complicated Game
4. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
5. Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear
6. Dwight Yoakam, Second Hand Heart
7. Dan Bern, Hoody
8. Glen Hansard, Didn’t He Ramble
9. Susan Herndon, Vagabonde
10. Greg Trooper, Live at the Rock Room

Tiffany Walker
Contributor
High on Tulsa Heat

1. James McMurtry, Complicated Game
2. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
3. Bob Dylan, The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Volume 12
4. Joe Ely, Panhandle Rambler
5. Steve Poltz, Folksinger
6. Gurf Morlix, Eatin’ at Me
7. Steve Earle, Terraplane
8. Danny Schmidt, Owls
9. Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield, Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliot Smith
10. Various Artists, Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins

Adam Dawson
Contributor
RP Fortune

1. Rod Picott, Fortune
2. Chuck Hawthorne, Silver Line
3. Kevin Gordon, Long Time Gone
4. John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat
5. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ruffian’s Misfortune
6. Jackie Green, Back to Birth
7. Chad Elliott, Wreck and Ruin
8. Michael O’Connor, Bloodshot Vagabond
9. Aaron Lee Tasjan, In the Blazes
10. Mike June, Poor Man’s Bible

J. Poet
Contributor
Gil Landry

1. Gil Landry, Gil Landry
2. The Mavericks, Mono
3. David Ramirez, Fables
4. Dwight Yoakam, Second Hand Heart
5. Justin Townes Earle, Absent Fathers
6. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, The Traveling Kind
7. Alison Brown, Song of the Banjo
8. Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, Lost Time
9. Lead Belly, Smithsonian Folkways Collection
10. Crown and the Canyon, Leaving Soon

Cody Oxley
Contributor
The Limestone Kid

1. Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
2. Parker McCollum, The Limestone Kid
3. Shinyribs, Okra Candy
4. Chris Stapleton, Traveler
5. James Pardo, American Lotus
6. Turnpike Troubadours, Turnpike Troubadours
7. Folk Family Revival, Water Walker
8. Mike & the Moonpies, Mockingbird
9.  Haley Cole, Illusions
10.  Blue Water Highway Band, Things We Carry