The top 20 country songs of 2016

The Brothers Osborne started 2016 off strong with "21 Summer," a great song for people who might be a bit sick of — for lack of a better term — Bro-Country. It's soulful and twangy in just the right ways. Appropriate from the group that won the 2016 CMA for Duo of the Year.

"Parachute" might be the best song Chris Stapleton has ever written, and that's saying something for a man who has written songs for Adele, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney. He's saved his best songs for himself, however. "Parachute" is finely crafted. It's somehow simultaneously jangly in the vein of R.E.M. while still staying true to bluegrass roots. 

I'm a sucker for car songs, and Maren Morris really came through with "80s Mercedes," one of the singles off of her major-label debut album. It's a perfect road trip song, fun and sing-along-able. Who could resist belting "I'm a 90s baaaaaby, in my 80s Merceeeedes"? Not me. Maybe that's why the neighbors look at me weird sometimes.

Just as a reminder: Before he was a country superstar, Darius Rucker was in Hootie and the Blowfish. Keep that in mind when you listen to his heartfelt country ballad "If I Told You." It's pretty unbelievable that he could master multiple genres so well.

I want to get this out of the way early here: There is nothing wrong with relying on tropes as long as the song is good. Sure, Josh Turner's song "Hometown Girl" ticks all the boxes — he comes right out and says, "She's a good girl, but she's not uptight." Of course she is, Josh. She's in a country song.

But at the same time, Turner is a great songwriter, and the instrumentation and earnest delivery of the lyrics elevate the song and turn it into something that is honestly very special.

Little Big Town is such a consistent band. From the first song on, there really haven't been any duds. And though "Better Man" is a little bit different from the high-energy stomping country music you might know the band for (especially if you're a fan of "Little White Church"), it's a great country song.

The vocals are at once cutting and haunting: "I just miss you, and I wish you were a better man." This song is no "Day Drinking," but if you give it a shot, you might like it better.

Yes, this counts. Sturgill Simpson's country-western cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" is a cover, sure. But Simpson does so much with the song, changes it so much, that he really makes it his own (Just like Nirvana did with Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World"). It's unexpected, beautiful and minimalist, and it's more than earned a spot on this list.

There was no way that a collaboration between Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGraw would be absent from this list. Sure, it helps that the music video is pretty much a short film in its own right, telling the story of dirt road racers. The song is pretty great too, blending Florida Georgia Line's and Tim McGraw's strengths incredibly effectively.

It's been a good year for Brett Eldredge. His Cubs won the World Series, and his "Wanna Be that Song" has won our hearts. It's a love ballad, full of steel guitars, slides, harmonies, and salt-and-pepper beards. What more could you ask for out of a love song?

2016 was a great year for car-slash-love songs. "Seein' Red" isn't the most traditional country song on this list — it features heavily distorted guitars and a beat that is more suited to a Whitesnake song — but it all works together in ways that you might not have predicted.

This song came out late in the year (less than a month ago!), and it's already established itself as one of the year's best country tunes. The video is wonderful, but the song itself is a perfect love song to cruise to, preferably with your partner in the passenger seat. 

If his latest song is any indication, Garth Brooks has still got it. Sure, the title is snicker-worthy, but the song itself is perfect for house parties, tailgates, or any other venue that features red solo cups and drunken dancing, thanks to a driving hi-hat beat and jangly guitars.

First of all, yes please, Jason Aldean. I live in Chicago, so a little more summertime would be appreciated. In all seriousness, this song is a great ode to the broken-hearted. Aldean spends the whole song dreaming up excuses, blaming the sun, the weather, the waves, pretty much everything other than himself for a relationship gone sour. It's childish, sure, but it's a feeling everybody has had.

Yep, Sturgill Simpson makes the list twice. He'll be an artist to watch moving forward (assuming you weren't already one of his ardent fans), thanks to the strength of his newest album "A Sailor's Guide to Earth." "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)" melds traditional country with some... odd elements. Like synthesizers. And somehow, it works. Really well.

Yes, this song is a riff on the story of Cinderella. It's silly and self-aware, complete with a refrain sung by a crowd and corny puns. And you know what? That's all great! Country music doesn't have to be sad and serious all the time. Sometimes, it's great to just listen to a song about love, fairy tales and cowboy boots. Thanks for that, Granger Smith.

If there was ever a guy who could craft a chuckle-worthy breakup song out of about 200 puns, it'd be Blake Shelton. It's oddly fun, weird for a song about a breakup/divorce, but it speaks to Shelton's caliber as a songwriter and overall clever guy. 

And by the way, this song totally isn't about his divorce with Miranda Lambert. Totally.

Chris Janson had an impossible job in following up "Buy Me a Boat," one of the best country songs of 2015 (and my personal favorite of the year). "Holdin' Her" was never going to measure up, but that reflects more on "Buy Me a Boat" than "Holdin' Her." Judged on its own merits, it's a clever and heartfelt song about family, love and being a dad. It's wonderful.

First off, I have to mention the music video for the song. It's one of the best country videos I've seen in a while. The song itself is great as well, a not-all-that-bitter ode to the "after" portion of a breakup, where you're either actually getting over an ex or lying about it to make yourself feel better. Plus, thinking about being somewhere on a beach is pretty comforting when it's 30 degrees outside in December.

If only. If only we could really pound fear into a pile of sand and hang hate so it can't be heard.

Eric Church's brilliant "Kill a Word" isn't just a great song, it's an important one about the power of words and trying to do what you can to make the world a better place. Church's soulful voice carries the track, sure, but it's Rhiannon Giddens's backup singing on the chorus that really elevates this song and makes it hit home.

The rest of this list was in no particular order, but this song is right where it belongs — at the end, in the spot reserved for the country song of the year. Lambert is a brilliant songwriter, and "Vice" is one of her strongest songs ever. Synthesizers, reverb and a pounding drumbeat underscore cutting lyrics about making mistakes, making them again and then not making them anymore.

By the way, this song totally isn't about her divorce with Blake Shelton. Why would you even think that?