The best songs, albums, photos, videos and news events are lined up in this Top 10 of everything great about country music 2014. You'll find one tragedy, but even that's been turned into something sweet. Watch to see what Taste of Country staff named the very best moment of the whole year.

It was an obvious choice, although Carrie Underwood certainly gave the hitmaker at No. 1 a run for his money. A number of factors were considered in cultivating this Best of 2014 list. Reader interest and response was a major factor. Staff opinion and hard numbers also influenced the order. In the end, we looked for 10 positive things that best represent the year that was. If there's something we missed, point it out in the comments section below.

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