Scotty McCreery and Ella Langley are just two of the artists being honored by Rolling Stone for their recent records. McCreery’s  Rise & Fall and Langley’s Hungover are among those listed as the outlet’s The 30 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2024.

Rise & Fall came in at No. 12, with the record lauded for the mature content, an impressive switch for McCreery, who rose to fame by winning American Idol in 2011, when he was not even old enough to vote.

“Scotty McCreery, the fresh-faced kid who won American Idol back when he was 17, is all grown up on Rise & Fall, a record that leaves little doubt about the North Carolina native’s country bona fides,” Rolling Stone shares. “Over 13 tracks, the [31-year-old] sings about the cruel passing of time, crises of conscience and faith, and drinking a whole lot of beer. It’s a country album every bit as legit as Jamey Johnson’s That Lonesome Song — McCreery’s favorite — and one that fans of ‘real country’ need to hear. Start with the Garth Brooks-inspired rave-up ‘Can’t Pass the Bar‘ or the brooding ‘No Country for Old Men,’ which finds a jaded narrator longing for a bygone era in country music: ‘Those days are gone/and they ain’t comin’ back again.‘ McCreery is here to prove him wrong.”

Langley’s debut Hungover album includes her first No. 1 hit, which also earned her her first CMA Award, for Musical Event of the Year.

“Alabama native Ella Langley broke through this year with the hit single ‘You Look Like You Love Me,’ her playful duet featuring Riley Green,” Rolling Stone states. “But that chart-topper is just one chapter of her story: Langley’s full-length Hungover showed the full range of her country powers and made for one of the best debuts this year. She excels at twangy trad-country on songs like ‘Nicotine’ and ‘I Blame the Bar,’ and proves she’s just as comfortable with contemporary vibes on ‘Paint the Town Blue’ and ‘Monsters.’ An expanded edition, Still Hungover, is also worth a listen, especially the won’t-be-tied-down anthem ‘Weren’t for the Wind.'”

Other artists whose records were on the list include Keith Urban‘s HIGH, Miranda Lambert‘s Postcards from Texas, Kelsea Ballerini‘s Patterns, Megan Moroney‘s Am I Okay?, Lainey Wilson‘s Whirlwind and Chase Rice‘s Go Down Singin’, the latter which came in at an impressive No. 7 on the list.

“Everyone loves a redemption arc — especially when that arc involves transforming from one of the genre’s most notorious bros into the architect of one of the most surprising records of the year,” Rolling Stone praises. “As a writer behind Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Cruise,’ Chase Rice spent the first leg of his career trying to relive the success — and rehash the sound — that came along with that megahit. Spoiler alert: It rarely worked. With Go Down Singin‘, Rice had a crisis of conscience, focusing on the evergreen basics instead of the everlasting party, and the result is a sophisticated album that doesn’t feel like some transparent attempt at critical acclaim.

“Instead, it’s part study in storytelling (the stirring ‘Haw River’) and part personal journey to reconnect with what he’s lost, be it his late father (‘You in ‘85’) or the abilities he didn’t know he had to begin with,” the statement continues. “It only goes up from here.”

Sierra Ferrell’s Trail of Flowers landed in the top spot, followed by Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson’s Passage Du Desir, taking second place, and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter in the third spot.

See the complete list here.