It was a dismal year for music in terms of the number and quality of entire albums. But I was lucky to come across a few, and here they are (in alphabetical order by artist):
1989
Ryan Adams
I first dismissed this
album as a lame gimmick. After all, how come Adams couldn’t just put his energy
into writing his own album, rather than making his personal arrangements of a Taylor Swift pop album? But then you
hear his adaptation and realize it’s one of the best albums released this year.
Of course, the fact that it is one of the best speaks volumes about the state
of music and new releases this past year – the fact that an adaptation album
made the top list – but, regardless, it’s still one of the best. Adams takes bubble-gum
pop music and turns it into alternative indie rock for all ages. A song like
“Bad Blood” sung by Swift sounds like some pop anthem, but Adams’ version is
haunting and cerebral while also maintaining its catchy chorus and musical
hooks. Whether Adams’ album is a gimmick or not, it’s an essential album to
check out!
Favorite track:
(tie) “Blank Space” and “Out of the Woods”
Coming Home
Leon Bridges
Nobody wants to be
heralded as the next “insert legendary musican’s name here!” But sometimes,
whether an artist wants it or not, it’s inevitable. That’s why I couldn’t help
tones but hear heavy of Sam Cooke
when I first heard Leon Bridges’
debut album, “Coming Home.” But he’s not the excitable Cooke; he’s the
slow-groovin’ Cooke! Bridges’ songwriting heralds back to the time of great
soul and he writes, plays and sings it as effortlessly as if he took a trip in
a time machine from the mid-1960s. Bridges manages to craft a wonderful album
that’s just as comfortable to play whether you’re cruising down a long highway
or sitting at home on a rainy morning. Each of the songs are filled with
something sorely lacking in most of today’s music: soul, meaning and harmony.
Favorite track
– “Smooth Sailin'”
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Florence + The Machine
Florence + The Machine
have been a force to be reckoned with ever since their debut album! Their
newest album does not disappoint as Florence
Welch continues to showcase her stunning, haunting voice! If there is one
paramount thing the band has going for it in order to make it legendary, it’s
that most bands (and their singers and therefore sounds) have a distinct sound
– a sound like no other band out there. And
Florence + The Machine have that kind of distinct sound! With this release,
Welch and the band have swam into deeper waters in terms of the songwriting of
the lyrics. There weren’t many hits this year, but this band’s album was a
bonafide one!
Favorite track – "Ship to Wreck"
Medicine
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
I know everyone threw a lot of attention to Jason Isbell this past year, and while his album is good, it's not as good as the latest album from Tennessee natives Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors' seventh album, Medicine. The album features a lot of alternative/folk rock with a small tinge of country in it. I'm ashamed to admit this is the first I've heard of Holcomb, but better late than never! Holcomb delivers songs full of soul and music with catchy guitar licks and a beautiful melody with his wife, Ellie Holcomb. There's a nice, steady mix of faster tempo songs and lazy, slow songs. This is one of the bands I'm most happy about discovering this year!
Favorite track: "Here We Go"
Little Neon Limelight
Houndmouth
In a year not full of
many hits for me, this diamond-in-the-rough couldn’t help but shine. I had
never heard of this band before this album, but when I did hear it, I wanted
more! Houndmouth is some of the best
soul/blues/rock out there! It’s a great southern California alt. rock-blues
album with tones of Black Crowes, Kings of Leon, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Grace Potter all in one! Houndmouth is helping to bring back the
blue-eyed soul of which I am a big fan and they one of the few albums released
this year that regular rotation in my car and at work!
Favorite track – (tie) "Otis" & "Say It"
Wilder Mind
Mumford & Sons
Upon first listen of this
album, I wasn’t sure whether I liked it or not. Wilder Mind doesn’t have as
many of the usual catchy musical hooks their previous folk albums had, and it’s
the first time the band has gone heavily electric. Upon the news of the release
of this album, there were many fans who were wary of the idea of the band using
electric and it instantly reminded me of the backlash Bob Dylan received from his fans and critics when he first went
electric with his fifth album, Bringing It All Back Home, and particularly when he first performed with an electric
guitar to boos at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Since I’m a big fan of
Mumford & Sons, I listened and was really excited for their shift to
electric instruments. The first listen wasn’t anything special, but the next
listen warranted a handful of songs I enjoyed. The third listen had me enjoying
the entire album. Wilder Mind is not
an instant hit that hooks you right from the start but it is a hit nonetheless.
There are some songs which are a bit repetitive but songs like “Broad-Shouldered
Beasts” and “Ditmas” more than make up for it.
Favorite track – “Broad-Shouldered Beasts”
Selfies on Kodachrome & Top Hat on Fleek
Postmodern Jukebox
Year and year again, Scott Bradlee’s music ensemble has
released successful album over and over – most times maybe three albums per
year! Bradlee created Postmodern Jukebox after leaving school and studying jazz
piano. What started off as Bradlee taking contemporary pop songs and
rearranging them to sound as if they came from various eras and genres (i.e.,
1930s jazz or 1960s girl group, etc.), soon turned into him getting together
some like-minded musicians and damn good various singers recording songs and
music videos. Two of his latest albums made my best list this year, all
consisting of various musicians and spanning many different genres over many
different decades. If you are a fan of big band, jazz, doo wop, torch singer, and
any other such genre, then Postmodern Jukebox will be the answer to your
prayers!
Favorite track(s): “I’m
Not the Only One” & “Hey There Delilah”
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
The BEST album of the year! Nathaniel Rateliff formed
his band, The Night Sweats, and decided to bring back a genre so sorely needed:
true soul and blues rock! With his self-titled album – along with Leon Bridges’ Coming Home album – Rateliff sings, wails, and plays with a
deep-rooted, guttural voice and sound, making the heart and soul packed in each
song burst through the speakers. Their breakout hit, “S.O.B.,” which Rateliff
wrote about the pains of overcoming alcohol abuse, is a rollicking soul rocker
and one of the best on the album. Rateliff brings Motown soul back and is
easily one of the best new artists to have emerged in the past 10 years! I can’t
wait to see what he and the band come out with next!
Favorite
track – (tie) “Howling at Nothing” & “S.O.B.”
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