And the winners are...
1. St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Half the City (Single Lock)
I’m always a sucker for retro soul, so I instantly fell in love with this Alabama group, which expertly conjures up the best of Memphis and Muscle Shoals while allowing impassioned lead singer Paul Janeway to work it with all the pained intensity of that other hardest working man in show business.
2. Whiskey Myers – Early Morning Shakes (Wiggy Thump)
Like the similarly excellent Blackberry Smoke, Texas’ Whiskey Myers plays a swampy, bluesy, rowdy, country-tinged and R&B-fueled brand of greasy guitar boogie that showcases the best of modern Southern rock (think Black Crowes) without all the calculated redneck posturing that’s unfortunately come to be associated with the genre.
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3. Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (High Top Mountain)
With his Waylon-like vocal delivery, Simpson expands on honky-tonk tradition with his sharply crafted philosophical musings to create an excellent album of country music that is rooted in the past, but feels strangely immediate in a way that has nothing to do with modern country radio.
4. The Howlin’ Brothers – Trouble (Readymade)
With strains of early country string bands, stomping juke joint blues, and unhinged bluegrass, this is a delightfully ramshackle collection of frenetic songs performed with acoustic instruments, but coursing with electricity nonetheless.
5. Nikki Lane – All or Nothin’ (New West)
Produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Lane sounds like somebody threw Loretta Lynn, Luncinda Williams and Phil Spector into an Americana blender, tossed in a perfectly balanced mix of retro sensibility and modern cool and created something that’s both timelessly familiar and remarkably fresh.
6. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams (Blue Note)
Ryan Adams returns with a little more gloss and shine, but with the same songwriting chops of a master craftsman.
7. Justin Townes Earle – Single Mothers (Vagrant)
Adorned with slinky pedal steel guitar lines that weave in and out of Earle’s tasteful soul-influenced arrangements, this is a confessional album from a singer-songwriter who is very different from – but becoming just as great as – his famous father.
8. Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits (Signature Sounds)
With elements of pop and classic blue-eyed soul, these guys kind of remind me of Bonnie Raitt with a little more grit.
9. Hurray for the Riff Raff – Small Town Heroes (ATO)
Breezily understated Appalachian-influenced melodies make for a natural and organic record that’s often sparsely acoustic, but sometimes perfectly punctuated with hauntingly shimmering electric guitars that set just the right tone for each well-sculpted tune.
10. Hard Working Americans – Hard Working Americans (Melvin)
Fronted by Todd Snider, one of the greatest songwriters around, this semi super-group includes members of Widespread Panic and Chris Robinson’s band who cover the music of others for a thematic ode to the working man that sounds like a delightfully loose and gritty bar band at their very best.
11. Various – The New Basement Tapes: Lost on the River (Harvest)
Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Rhiannon Giddens from the Carolina Chocolate Drops join forces with T. Bone Burnett to create music for a stockpile of forgotten Bob Dylan lyrics from 1967 with amazing results.
12. Old 97’s – Most Messed Up (ATO)
Hard to believe these guys have been around for more than 20 years, but they prove they certainly still know what they’re doing in this return to the unadorned immediacy of some of their earlier albums.
13. The Black Keys – Turn Blue (Nonesuch)
A little more adventurous than their previous couple of records, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney stretch out to explore the rugged side of psychedelia without losing the signature Black Keys appeal.
14. Angeleena Presley – American Middle Class (Slate Creek)
Like Kasey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, and her Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe before her, Presley is part of a refreshing crop of sharply literate female singer-songwriters who are keeping authentic country music alive in the face of tired “dirt roads and pickup truck” fare that seems to dominate the airwaves.
15. Jack White – Lazaretto (Columbia)
I’ve always liked the idea of Jack White better than Jack White, but this album captured my attention with the fantastic title track and held my interest through a diverse set of musical explorations that seems to capture his varied musical proclivities in a way that doesn't seem as contrived to me as it has in the past.
16. The Delines – Colfax (El Cortez/Delines)
This laid back record sounds like the marriage of R&B and alt-country in a lonely late night smoky bar.
17. Prince – Art Official Age (Warner Bros.)
Back on Warner Bros., Prince returns with his inimitable brand of funky retro-grounded grooves and future-looking experimentations that have always made him a genre unto himself.
18. Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else (Bloodshot)
With a great voice and raw honesty in her songs, Loveless is like a hard-edged version of Lucinda-Williams-meets-the-Gin-Blossoms for a new generation.
19. Beck – Morning Phase (Capitol)
If Kanye thinks Beck doesn’t respect artistry, he clearly hasn’t listened to this beautifully constructed album, which was the rightful winner in this year’s Best Album category at the Grammy awards.
20. Fire Mountain – All Dies Down (This is American Music)
The debut record from this Alabama indie group channels the authenticity of a band like Whiskeytown with a little extra sparkle that reminds me of some solid 90s guitar pop.
21. Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (Capitol)
This album confirms yet again that Mary J is an incredible singer (duh!) with both old school chops and modern sensibilities.
22. Old Crow Medicine Show – Remedy (ATO)
With tight harmonies and a no-holds-barred approach to early American musical influences, Old Crow Medicine Show balances tradition and attitude in a way that makes me think of them as the Clash of bluegrass.
23. Lucinda Williams – Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone (Highway 20)
The always-soulful poet laureate of Americana launched her own record label to release this 20 song double album showcasing her deceptively simple and unerringly insightful approach to songcraft.
24. Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways (RCA)
These eight songs recorded in eight different cities with guest artists joining them for each stop are not so much a reflection of each city’s musical identity as they are a reminder that Dave Grohl and company are a fantastic arena rock band (in the very best sense of the term) wherever they happen to go.
25. The Secret Sisters - Put Your Needle Down (Universal Republic)
Expanding on the plaintive sisterly harmonies of their excellent debut album from a few years back, this T. Bone Burnett produced follow-up pushes them in new sonic directions while preserving the fundamental appeal that very much suggests what the Everly Brothers would sound like if they were the Everly Sisters.
26. Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans (ATO)
With a little less bombast and a little more Stones-influenced edge, this is a particularly strong outing from the leaders of the new school of progressive Southern rockers.
27. Jonny Two Bags – Salvation Town (Isotone)
I was pleasantly surprised by this super-solid rootsy rock record from Social Distortion’s guitarist.
28. Ed Sheeran – X (Atlantic)
I was slightly shocked to discover that I like Ed Sheeran, but he’s really good at making earnest well-crafted positively-minded pop music, and sometimes music is just about making you feel good (which is the same reason I also like Pharrell Williams).
29. Benjamin Booker – Benjamin Booker (ATO)
Like the Black Keys, this scrappy guitarist takes us to the intersection of soul and punk, while always preserving the ragged energy of early rock and roll.
30. Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread (Blue Note)
This excellent record explores the richness of Southern culture from an angle that owes more to Flannery O’Conner than the caricatures that too often populate the current incarnations of her famous father’s chosen genre.
31. Hiss Golden Messenger – Lateness of Dancers (Merge)
This is a pretty cool record that channels a little old-school Dylan, a little folk-infused rustic country, and a touch of Muscle Shoals soul that captures something like the mood of Laurel Canyon by way of North Carolina.
32. Noah Gundersen – Ledges (Dualtone)
With a notably warm and inviting voice, Gundersen is a quietly reflective singer-songwriter with a lot of heart.
33. Don Williams – Reflections (Sugar Hill)
8. Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits (Signature Sounds)
With elements of pop and classic blue-eyed soul, these guys kind of remind me of Bonnie Raitt with a little more grit.
9. Hurray for the Riff Raff – Small Town Heroes (ATO)
Breezily understated Appalachian-influenced melodies make for a natural and organic record that’s often sparsely acoustic, but sometimes perfectly punctuated with hauntingly shimmering electric guitars that set just the right tone for each well-sculpted tune.
10. Hard Working Americans – Hard Working Americans (Melvin)
Fronted by Todd Snider, one of the greatest songwriters around, this semi super-group includes members of Widespread Panic and Chris Robinson’s band who cover the music of others for a thematic ode to the working man that sounds like a delightfully loose and gritty bar band at their very best.
11. Various – The New Basement Tapes: Lost on the River (Harvest)
Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Rhiannon Giddens from the Carolina Chocolate Drops join forces with T. Bone Burnett to create music for a stockpile of forgotten Bob Dylan lyrics from 1967 with amazing results.
12. Old 97’s – Most Messed Up (ATO)
Hard to believe these guys have been around for more than 20 years, but they prove they certainly still know what they’re doing in this return to the unadorned immediacy of some of their earlier albums.
13. The Black Keys – Turn Blue (Nonesuch)
A little more adventurous than their previous couple of records, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney stretch out to explore the rugged side of psychedelia without losing the signature Black Keys appeal.
14. Angeleena Presley – American Middle Class (Slate Creek)
Like Kasey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, and her Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe before her, Presley is part of a refreshing crop of sharply literate female singer-songwriters who are keeping authentic country music alive in the face of tired “dirt roads and pickup truck” fare that seems to dominate the airwaves.
15. Jack White – Lazaretto (Columbia)
I’ve always liked the idea of Jack White better than Jack White, but this album captured my attention with the fantastic title track and held my interest through a diverse set of musical explorations that seems to capture his varied musical proclivities in a way that doesn't seem as contrived to me as it has in the past.
16. The Delines – Colfax (El Cortez/Delines)
This laid back record sounds like the marriage of R&B and alt-country in a lonely late night smoky bar.
17. Prince – Art Official Age (Warner Bros.)
Back on Warner Bros., Prince returns with his inimitable brand of funky retro-grounded grooves and future-looking experimentations that have always made him a genre unto himself.
18. Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else (Bloodshot)
With a great voice and raw honesty in her songs, Loveless is like a hard-edged version of Lucinda-Williams-meets-the-Gin-Blossoms for a new generation.
19. Beck – Morning Phase (Capitol)
If Kanye thinks Beck doesn’t respect artistry, he clearly hasn’t listened to this beautifully constructed album, which was the rightful winner in this year’s Best Album category at the Grammy awards.
20. Fire Mountain – All Dies Down (This is American Music)
The debut record from this Alabama indie group channels the authenticity of a band like Whiskeytown with a little extra sparkle that reminds me of some solid 90s guitar pop.
21. Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (Capitol)
This album confirms yet again that Mary J is an incredible singer (duh!) with both old school chops and modern sensibilities.
22. Old Crow Medicine Show – Remedy (ATO)
With tight harmonies and a no-holds-barred approach to early American musical influences, Old Crow Medicine Show balances tradition and attitude in a way that makes me think of them as the Clash of bluegrass.
23. Lucinda Williams – Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone (Highway 20)
The always-soulful poet laureate of Americana launched her own record label to release this 20 song double album showcasing her deceptively simple and unerringly insightful approach to songcraft.
24. Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways (RCA)
These eight songs recorded in eight different cities with guest artists joining them for each stop are not so much a reflection of each city’s musical identity as they are a reminder that Dave Grohl and company are a fantastic arena rock band (in the very best sense of the term) wherever they happen to go.
25. The Secret Sisters - Put Your Needle Down (Universal Republic)
Expanding on the plaintive sisterly harmonies of their excellent debut album from a few years back, this T. Bone Burnett produced follow-up pushes them in new sonic directions while preserving the fundamental appeal that very much suggests what the Everly Brothers would sound like if they were the Everly Sisters.
26. Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans (ATO)
With a little less bombast and a little more Stones-influenced edge, this is a particularly strong outing from the leaders of the new school of progressive Southern rockers.
27. Jonny Two Bags – Salvation Town (Isotone)
I was pleasantly surprised by this super-solid rootsy rock record from Social Distortion’s guitarist.
28. Ed Sheeran – X (Atlantic)
I was slightly shocked to discover that I like Ed Sheeran, but he’s really good at making earnest well-crafted positively-minded pop music, and sometimes music is just about making you feel good (which is the same reason I also like Pharrell Williams).
29. Benjamin Booker – Benjamin Booker (ATO)
Like the Black Keys, this scrappy guitarist takes us to the intersection of soul and punk, while always preserving the ragged energy of early rock and roll.
30. Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread (Blue Note)
This excellent record explores the richness of Southern culture from an angle that owes more to Flannery O’Conner than the caricatures that too often populate the current incarnations of her famous father’s chosen genre.
31. Hiss Golden Messenger – Lateness of Dancers (Merge)
This is a pretty cool record that channels a little old-school Dylan, a little folk-infused rustic country, and a touch of Muscle Shoals soul that captures something like the mood of Laurel Canyon by way of North Carolina.
32. Noah Gundersen – Ledges (Dualtone)
With a notably warm and inviting voice, Gundersen is a quietly reflective singer-songwriter with a lot of heart.
33. Don Williams – Reflections (Sugar Hill)
The understated Don Williams is one of the great underrated country singers of all time who, at 74, retains his mellow tone and irresistibly laid-back delivery.
34. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence (Interscope)
All hype aside, this is a vibey reverb-drenched record that reasserts (in a decidedly non-upbeat way) that Lana Del Rey is a really good singer.
35. Toumani Diabete and Sidiki Diabete - Toumani & Sidiki (Nonesuch)
If you decide, this year, to buy only one album of instrumentals by a Malian father and son duo playing the 21-string West African instrument called the kora, this should probably be the one.
36. Shovels & Rope – Swimmin’ Time (Dualtone)
This South Carolina duo (in music and marriage) is a harmony-rich roots music powerhouse who prove on their second album that they’ll be Americana mainstays for a long while.
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37. Sharon Van Etten – Are We There (Jagjaguwar)
It’s a little moody and a little dark, but I like it!
38. Tweedy – Sukierae (Anti)
Jeff Tweedy and his drumming son Spencer move through an engaging set of the elder Tweedy’s songs that feels rawer and more intimate than much of his excellent work that he creates at his day job fronting Wilco.
39. Billy Joe Shaver – Long in the Tooth (Lightning Rod)
As the title suggests, the dusty Texas troubadour may be getting older, and his voice may show his 75 years, but his songwriting still reminds us why he’s a legend of the outlaw country movement.
40. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream (Secretly Canadian)
Dreamy, moody 80s synth pop usually doesn’t penetrate my awareness, but I dig this record because of the great songs!
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41. Lera Lynn – The Avenues (Lera Lynn Music)
Still another highly skilled female singer-songwriter who incorporates country, pop, and Americana into an excellent brew of confessional warmth.
42. Spoon – They Want My Soul (Loma Vista/Republic)
This is a lean and muscular low-fi rock record that finds the band returning to form after quite a few years outside the major label mainstream.
43. Robert Ellis – The Lights from the Chemical Plant (New West)
I didn’t love the first couple of songs on this album, but after that this alt-country troubadour hooked me with his highly crafted tunes, which showcase both his keen observations of the human condition and his wry sense of humor.
44. Eric Church – The Outsiders (EMI Nashville)
Although it retains a bit of the swagger and self-conscious wordplay that I find distasteful in contemporary country music, this expertly-produced set is an ambitious, sweeping and original record that seamlessly incorporates elements of rock and hip hop into twangy banjo-ladden country traditionalism in a way that feels fresh and daring.
45. D’Angelo and the Vanguard – Black Messiah (RCA)
This is a funky (but not particularly accessible) release from the once-mighty neo-soul crooner, which after a few listens just made me happy to be hearing his voice again fourteen years after his last album.
46. The Earls of Leicester – The Earls of Leicester (Rounder)
This acoustic super group (Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Shawn Camp, etc.) plays pure unadulterated old-style bluegrass in tribute to the legendary Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
47. Curtis Harding – Soul Power (Burger)
This record doesn’t always have the teeth I wish it did, but Curtis Harding is a rough-around-the-edges R&B singer who channels classic Southern soul without sounding like an imitator.
48. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger – Midnight Sun (Chimera Music)
The psychedelic duo of Charlotte Kep Muhl and Sean Lennon employ an expansive pallet to explore the outer reaches of their musical creativity without becoming too wacky to remain accessible.
49. Shakey Graves – And the War Came (Dualtone)
This melodic gravelly-voiced troubadour is the alter ego of actor Alejandro Rose-Garcia, who kind of reminds me of Ryan Bingham, and who has made a record that’s pretty dang good!
50. Taylor Swift – 1989 (Big Machine)
OK, I give up. I’m in.
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