There’s a song called “Country’s Cool Again”on Lainey Wilson ’s new album, “Whirlwind.”It’s not one of the autobiographical numbers on the record, but maybe it should be, because Wilson herself is a big reason why country music is seeing renewed cachet in the culture.In a male-skewing genre that hasn’t really generated a new female superstar since Maren Morris broke out in 2016, Wilson has become the reigning current standard-bearer for women in country.
And she didn’t do it by going after pop crossover, but by being so true to her roots that she’s attracted fans from across the fence who had no idea that what they really needed out of music right now was a hardcore Louisiana accent. Wilson’s hot streak began when her major-label debut single, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” hit No. 1 three years ago, even as she was enjoying recognition from a small recurring role in “Yellowstone” and several early song syncs on the series.
Collaborations have factored into her rise (she shared top 5 hits with Jelly Roll, Hardy and Cole Swindell), but no outside assists are necessary when what audiences really buy into is just Wilson — a sweet-voiced cross between Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton who’s as good-natured as she is gutsy, whose talk of horses and 4x4s somehow makes her more magnetic even to city slickers, and who has a hell of a good song sense. “Whirlwind” is another superior example of Wilson’s ongoing collaboration with producer Jay Joyce.