It was officially declared this week that we are now out of the mid-2020s. How crazy it is that the decade is already well past halfway.
The 2020s have already given music fans over six years of new releases, trends, and evolving sounds. And while blues rock doesn't have the same mainstream presence it once enjoyed during previous generations, the genre has continued to thrive.
Some of the biggest names in blues and rock have released standout records in the 2020s, while other artists have kept pushing the boundaries of what blues rock can sound like.
Blues rock albums that have defined the 2020s so far
With the first half of the decade now in the rearview mirror, it's a good time to look back at some of the best blues rock records we've gotten from the 2020s thus far.
5. DARKFIGHTER by Rival Sons
Since their 2009 debut studio album, Before the Fire, Rival Sons have quietly established themselves as one of the most polished and consistent blues and hard rock outfits in the genre in the last two decades. Their gritty blues rock energy and dynamic vocals and instrumentation have given Rival Sons their own unique presence in the modern rock landscape.
On their seventh studio album, DARKFIGHTER, Rival Sons continue to build on their retro-rock sound while incorporating influences from other subgenres like southern rock and stoner rock to craft a pretty substantive and dynamic listening experience.
While DARKFIGHTER draws a lot of inspiration and musical influence from classic rock legends like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath, this record doesn't sound like a cheap knockoff of those sounds or styles of rock music.
Instead, this record uses imaginative production, seamless guitar riffs, and soaring vocals to give the listener of this album a consistent and memorable experience.
The fuzzy guitar riffs, powerful vocals, and rangy acoustic sounds create a musical experience that is both rooted in nostalgia and still feels pretty fresh and modern.
4. Flight b741 by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
While blues and classic rock aren't the usual subgenres that fans of the band have gotten used to over the years and decades from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, some of their more expressive and interesting genre experiments have created amazing bodies of work in the 2020s.
Flight b741 is a blues-heavy record that just brings good vibes and that laid-back feeling you expect to get from a well-crafted and smooth southern rock project. The energy and the vocal performances that King Gizzard brings on this project make this a straight-up good time for any fan of classic rock, blues, and/or southern rock.
King Gizzard has really made a name for themselves by experimenting with multiple different genres while treating each project and influence they venture into with the care and research it deserves. In the case of Flight b741, King Gizzard paid this 60s and 70s classic rock sound the respect it deserves on what was then already their 26th studio album.
The relatability and laid-back vibes on Flight b741 make this the type of album I could pop open a beer and put on while going fishing with friends or kicking back at a summer backyard barbecue with my family.
3. I Must Be Dreaming by Alabama Shakes
The newest record on this list is also the one that got Brittany Howard back in the studio, working with bandmates Zac Cockrell and Heath Fogg. I Must Be Dreaming is Alabama Shakes' first studio album since the critically acclaimed 2015 record Sound & Color.
I Must Be Dreaming pulls influences and sounds from a range of different musical inspirations, including psych rock, soul, and southern rock.
The combination of Howard's vulnerable and direct storytelling with the psychedelic instrumentation and guitar riffs gives I Must Be Dreaming the one-of-a-kind textures and lyrical prowess that you'd expect from a great psychedelic soul and blues rock record.
Howard and Alabama Shakes always manage to stay true to their unique style and identity while sounding fresh and inspired with each new release in their impressive discography throughout their career.
I just felt like I was floating while listening to tracks like "Garden" and "Another Life" that highlight Howard's ability to glide over lush instrumentation with rangy and oddly soothing vocals.
2. No Name by Jack White
Jack White has been a household name for rock fans for over two decades now. From his time as the frontman, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the iconic garage rock band The White Stripes to his well-established solo career, White has been at the forefront of blues rock, hard rock, and alternative rock since the late 1990s.
White's sixth solo studio album, No Name, is one of the most raw, stripped-back, and consistent albums of his entire discography. The southern blues-rock inspiration, grimy guitar riffs, and defined energy have really made this record a modern garage and blues-rock classic.
While No Name can be considered a blues rock record, it sits at the intersection of multiple rock subgenres, including garage rock, punk blues, and noise rock. The result is an album that pulls together many of the sounds and influences that have defined White's career without feeling like a retread of his earlier work.
No Name was nominated for the Grammy Award for the Best Rock Album of 2025, and it was named one of The Needle Drop's top five best albums of 2024.
1. Ain't Done With The Blues by Buddy Guy
Blues legend and pioneer Buddy Guy is still putting out tremendous blues projects in his 80s in this decade. Guy's 2025 masterpiece, Ain't Done With The Blues, calls back to so many of the aspects and characteristics of what makes blues rock great.
From the stunning instrumentation to impeccable songwriting, Guy remains at the top of his game at 89 years old on this beautiful record, Ain't Done With The Blues.
Ain't Done With The Blues combines aspects of soul, gospel, R&B, and blues to create the type of scintillating experience you get from listening to a great Guy album. But he does this in a way that only he can, with his emotional range, showmanship, and exquisite guitar technique.
Guy received his ninth Grammy Award in 2026 in the category of Best Traditional Blues Album. This comes nearly a decade after he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2015, on top of multiple other Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Blues Album and Best Contemporary Blues Album.
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