Jason Aldean is a longtime fan and friend of country superstar and "Drowns the Whiskey" duet partner Miranda Lambert, but he says that there are plenty of other country women he admires making music right now, too.

"I like Ashley McBryde," Aldean offered at a recent press conference. "I thought her record [2018's Girl Going Nowhere] was great."

While McBryde and Lambert both trend toward the more traditional side of the genre, Aldean goes on to say that he's also impressed by the artists who experiment with different styles.

"Maren Morris, I love her voice, and I love what she's doing, how she's not staying in country only," he continues. "Like, country's her home, but she can kinda branch out. I dig that; I think that's cool. I know that a lot of people look at [country artists' decisions to explore other genres] differently, but I think country needs her and needs that. As long as [country] stays her home, I think it's great that she goes out and does that stuff."

Kacey Musgraves, too, has been on Aldean's playlist; he calls her third studio album, 2018's Golden Hour, "really cool and different." Still, for Aldean, Lambert is hard to top.

"Miranda, I still love the stuff she does," he adds. "She's one of my favorite female voices out there."

Aldean recently announced his 2019 Ride All Night Tour, which is set to kick off in May. The bill includes a returning tourmate, Kane Brown, as well as another rising female artist, Carly Pearce.

Modern Country Music's Female Trailblazers

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