The 2000s were a really interesting era for country music, as pop and rock crossover hits began to hit the airwaves in droves. Some country songs from that era still sound so amazing and fresh today, too, despite dropping way back in the 2000s more than 20 years ago. Let’s take a look at a few bangers that still hit the spot.
“Long Time Gone” by The Chicks from ‘Home’ (2002)
To the surprise of no one, The Chicks (known as The Dixie Chicks at the time) make it to our list of country songs from the 2000s that still sound fresh today. Quite a few tracks from the trio could have made the cut, but I went with “Long Time Gone” because of how beautifully the song brings bluegrass into the then-modern country-pop style.
“Long Time Gone” really resonated with listeners. The track peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban from ‘Golden Road’ (2002)
This Keith Urban hit was all over the radio back in 2002, and it’s a great example of how some artists seamlessly blended together country and rock in the early aughts. Those guitars, that high-energy rhythm… the whole of “Somebody Like You” still sounds so good after all these years.
“Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban was a pretty hefty hit back in 2002. It peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100 and topped the Hot Country Songs chart.
“Kerosene” by Miranda Lambert from ‘Kerosene’ (2005)
This classic from Miranda Lambert not only had a cool aesthetic, but the country-rock song as a whole boasts one of the singer’s best vocal performances. It’s a little Americana, a little alt-country, and a very obvious sign that Lambert was about to become one of the biggest country stars of the decade.
“Kerosene”, unsurprisingly, was a pretty big hit on the charts in 2005. The country rock tune made it to No. 15 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and it also did quite well in Canada.
Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images
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