Big tunes, simple and stripped

A good country song already has the capacity to cut to the heart of nearly any emotional matter, so why not take it a step further and boil the sound down, too? Focusing on the mellow and acoustic, this playlist of contemporary country strips out the frills and leaves you with the essence—that humble, direct, to-the-bone intimacy that probably drew you to country in the first place. Our editors update picks weekly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.