Marissa R. Moss
View all posts by Marissa R. Moss October 19, 2026 Add us as a Google Preferred Source
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Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Derek White/Getty Images for TNT Sports; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella Leading up to the Grammy nominations on Nov. 16, Rolling Stone is breaking down 11 different categories. For each, we’re predicting the nominees, as well as who will (and who should) win on Grammy night.
With the country album nominations now split into traditional and contemporary categories, things are a bit more interesting (and complicated) when it comes to records with twang. What’s not complicated, though? Ella Langley’s dominance this year. Her sophomore LP Dandelion is the one to beat, which is probably an impossible feat. “We’re talking about a cultural phenomenon here,” says RJ Curtis, executive director of Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. Still, it’s a category rich with dynamic records made by some of the genre’s biggest stars.
Best Contemporary Country Album – Our Predictions
Luke Combs, The Way I Am Carter Faith, Cherry Valley Ella Langley, Dandelion Megan Moroney, Cloud 9 Kacey Musgraves, Middle of Nowhere
Who Will Win?
Ella Langley, Dandelion Once again, everything is coming up Ella Langley. But it’s a tough category, primarily led by boundary-pushing records made by female artists. “It’s a statement year for women,” says Ward Guenther of Nashville’s live institution Whiskey Jam and a country music host for Apple Music. “Ella, Kacey, and Megan with huge projects. Carter Faith has an outside, but critically deserved, chance to join them. It’s fun to hypothesize, but realistically this goes to Ella.” Dandelion is deserving: an excellent, expansive country album co-produced by Langley, Miranda Lambert, and Ben West, with scores of memorable moments that aren’t just “Choosin’ Texas.” Leslie Fram, a country music executive who leads the artist-development company FemCo, agrees. “Contemporary country voters reward big, crossover-friendly albums that still feel rooted in the genre,” she says. “And this fits perfectly.”
Who Should Win?
Carter Faith, Cherry Valley Langley will take the prize, but it shouldn’t outshine the creative, vibrant songwriting and vocal performances on Faith’s Cherry Valley. Fully formed debut albums don’t come around that often, but Faith’s Tofer Brown-produced concept LP shows an artist who knows exactly who she is. It’s the kind of project that will never be fully embraced by country radio, but deserves the spotlight, and new audiences, that a Grammy can bring. “She is truly writing because she feels what she feels,” Brown told Rolling Stone.
