Over the last few nights I’ve been trying to figure out the best albums of the year in all of the genres that I listen to and have been unsuccessful. I’ve reviewed the artists that are on the iPod and listened to many that I listened to throughout the year. Then I think about what to write draw a blank and write nothing!! So here goes. What kind of a year in music was it this year, well I guess pretty damn good! I got to see two of my all-time favorites live! Seeing Jesse Winchester here in Philly and the great Tom Russell in Vienna. Virginia! My wife and I also saw Flogging Molly twice at the Electric Factory in Philly always a great show. It’s a year that saw new albums from old favorites like Tom Russell. His album Mesabi is certainly high on my list of favorites for the year and Hot Tuna, who released there first album in what twenty years Steady as She Goes and the album is high on several best of the year lists. John Prine took me back to his early years with The Singing Postman Delivers and Carrie Newcomer provided and album Everything is Everywhere which is a collaboration between Carrie and he Khan family Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, all masters of the Indian musical instrument, the sarod. The result is a distinctive and beautiful album that blends Carrie’s lovely singing and songwriting with the ethereal and distinctive Indian sounds of the Khan’s sarod playing.
Then there are all the new musicians that I discovered this year. Many, like the Americas before Columbus, have been around, I just didn’t know about them or in some cases just didn’t listen! I’m sorry John McCutcheon and Joe Crookston that I didn’t listen years ago! So here’s a start of the lists of the music I listened to this year and because I started reviewing the music with the blues, here’s the blues list!’ I’ll limit it to ten and I know I’ll forget a lot!!
Ana Popovic – Unconditional
Big Pete – Choice Cuts
Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl
Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain
Samantha Fish – Runaway
Tab Benoit – Medicine
Damon Fowler – Devil Got His Way
Victor Wainwright and the Wildroots – Lit Up
J J Grey and Mofro – Brighter Days
Ben Prestige – One Crow Murder
Moreland and Arbuckle – Just a Dream
Yeah there’s eleven! Anyway here’s a Spotify playlist
Here’s Joe Bonamassa with “Slow Train” from Dust Bowl