Americana has become a catch-all phrase for roots-oriented music that taps primarily into folk and country. It has, however, become a genre that also builds off the folk-rock movement of the ‘60s, the country rock movement of the ‘70s, and the alt-country movement of the ‘90s.
The DMDB aggregated more than 30 lists and then took those albums from 3 or more lists and ranked them according to overall DMDB points. It should be noted that I have created separate lists for country and folk/folk-rock albums, but some of those titles also appear here. Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.
1. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
2. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
3. The Band The Band (1969)
4. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
5. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
6. Grateful Dead American Beauty (1970)
7. The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)
8. Bob Dylan The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
9. Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour (2018)
10. Bruce Springsteen Nebraska (1982)
11. Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005)
12. Chris Stapleton Traveller (2015)
13. Gram Parsons Grievous Angel (1974)
14. Beck Sea Change (2002)
15. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More (2009)
16. Grateful Dead Workingman’s Dead (1970)
17. Mumford & Sons Babel (2012)
18. The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)
19. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand (2007)
20. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (2008)
21. Lucinda Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)
22. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
23. Creedence Clearwater Revival Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
24. Nick Drake Pink Moon (1972)
25. Sturgill Simpson A Sailor’s Guide to Earth (2016)
26. Joanna Newsom Ys (2006)
27. Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline (1969)
28. John Prine John Prine (1972)
29. Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)
30. Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
31. Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell (2015)
32. Gram Parsons G.P. (1973)
33. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972)
34. Kacey Musgraves Same Trailer, Different Park (2013)
35. Bon Iver Bon Iver (2011)
36. Chris Stapleton Starting Over (2020)
37. Johnny Cash American Recordings (1994)
38. Bright Eyes I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005)
39. Elliott Smith Either/Or (1997)
40. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit The Nashville Sound (2017)
41. Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball (1995)
42. Brandi Carlile By the Way, I Forgive You (2018)
43. Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit (2015)
44. Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (2011)
45. Bruce Springsteen Western Stars (2019)
46. Gillian Welch Time (The Revelator) (2001)
47. The Lumineers The Lumineers (2012)
48. Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
49. Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear (2015)
50. John Hiatt Bring the Family (1987)
51. Noah Kahan Stick Season (2022)
52. Phoebe Bridgers Punisher (2020)
53. Zach Bryan American Heartbreak (2022)
54. Tom Petty Wildflowers (1994)
55. The Highwomen The Highwomen (2019)
56. Chris Stapleton From a Room, Volume 1 (2017)
57. Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)
58. Kacey Musgraves Star-Crossed (2021)
59. Hozier Hozier (2014)
60. Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams (1988)
61. Steve Earle Guitar Town (1986)
62. Billy Bragg & Wilco Mermaid Avenue (1998)
63. Ryan Adams Heartbreaker (2000)
64. Zach Bryan Zach Bryan (2023)
65. Wilco Being There (1996)
66. The Avett Brothers I and Love and You (2009)
67. Uncle Tupelo No Depression (1990)
68. Brandi Carlile In These Silent Days (2021)
69. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raise the Roof (2021)
70. Neko Case Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)
71. The Decemberists The Crane Wife (2006)
72. Johnny Cash American III: Solitary Man (2000)
73. Joanna Newsom Have One on Me (2010)
74. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit Reunions (2020)
75. Kris Kristofferson Kristofferson (aka “Me and Bobby McGee”) (1970)
76. The Microphones The Glow Pt. 2 (2001)
77. The Jayhawks Hollywood Town Hall (1992)
78. Jason Isbell Southeastern (2013)
79. The Lumineers Cleopatra (2016)
80. Guy Clark Old No. 1 (1975)
81. Los Lobos How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984)
82. Johnny Cash American V: A Hundred Highways (2006)
83. The Decemberists Picaresque (2005)
84. The Flying Burrito Brothers Burrito Deluxe (1970)
85. Dillard & Clark The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark (1969)
86. Ry Cooder Paradise and Lunch (1974)
87. Townes Van Zandt Townes Van Zandt (1969)
88. Gillian Welch The Harrow and the Harvest (2011)
89. John Hiatt Slow Turning (1988)
90. Bonnie “Prince” Billy I See a Darkness (1999)
91. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit Weathervanes (2023)
92. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals Cold Roses (2005)
93. Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)
94. Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me (2017)
95. Rhiannon Giddens Freedom Highway (2017)
96. Iris DeMent Infamous Angel (1992)
97. Gene Clark White Light (1971)
98. Neko Case Blacklisted (2002)
99. Joanna Newsom The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004)
100. Calexico Feast of Wire (2003)
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First posted 3/22/2024; last updated 11/1/2025. | 
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