Showing posts with label Best of 2021. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best of 2021. Show all posts

Jan 6, 2022

Matthew's Top 10 Albums of 2021

These were counted in our year-end list.



By Matthew Martin


1- Morgan Wade- Reckless

There's not much to say about this album that hasn't been screamed from the rooftops already. Morgan Wade is an exceptional talent writing catchy songs. The production on this album is top notch and the band matches the energy on each song. The future is bright for Morgan Wade and if you aren't on the bandwagon, hurry up and hop on. Top Song: Wilder Days


2- Sturgill Simpson- The Dood and Juanita

When Sturgill goes country, Sturgill is at his very best. When Sturgill creates an album using Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger as a template, you know you're in for something seriously good. And, Sturgill doesn't disappoint. The album explores all different aspects of mountain music while telling a compelling story throughout the album. If this is, in fact, Sturgill's final album, it's a hell of note to go out on. Top Song: Shamrock or Ol Dood (Part I)


3- James McMurtry - The Horses & The Hounds

There isn't an artist out there who has gotten better with age more than James McMurtry. I truly believe that. No other artist has let their music and lyrical content match the lessons they have learned over their long lives the way McMurtry has. On what might be his best album, McMurtry gave up a good bit of the guitar playing to focus on the singing and it works. I miss the jangle of McMurtry's guitar at times, but his band more than makes up for it. Top Song: Canola Fields


4- Sierra Ferrell- Long Time Coming

No album surprised me more than this one. Sierra Ferrell knocked me off my feet with this grand slam of an album focused on old time country music. This is Appalachian music at it's best. The music and band are impeccable but Ferrell's voice matches and surpasses each. She is going to be a long time in this music business and look forward to seeing how to progresses moving forward. Top Song: West Virginia Waltz


5- Charles Wesley Godwin- How The Mighty Fall

By far my most anticipated album of the year was CWG's follow up to his debut album, Seneca. And he fully delivered. The band CWG compiled for this album made the perfect backdrop for these beautiful and tragic tales on this album. From the scratchy fiddle to the roaring guitar solos, this album is not to be missed. CWG also has some of his best work to date on this album and I believe there is no place to go but up for this talent. Top Song: Jesse


6- John R Miller- Depreciated

I had never heard of JRM, but this album changed that and for good reason. The lyrics are reminiscent of John Prine. The voice is reminiscent of Jay Farrar. What more could you ask for? Top Song: Shenenandoah Shakedown


7- Joshua Ray Walker- See You Next Time

For the final installment of Joshua Ray Walker's trilogy, JRW uses all the influences he has to create a distinct album that only he could pull off effectively. And you can't convince me that anyone right now has a better voice than JRW. Top Song: Flash Paper


8- Drayton Farley- A Hard Up Life

Seems like the last couple of years have been big for country music that is simple, direct, and cutting. From Tyler Childers to Zach Bryan, it's been a recipe for success and Drayton Farley is following that recipe to the same effect. This album is effective and devastating. I can't wait to see what this guy can do with a full band behind him. Top Song: Pitchin' Fits


9- Ottoman Turks- II

The boys for Dallas have done it again. They have created an album that is as much The Stooges as it is Dwight Yoakam. More people should know Ottoman Turks. If you don't know them, get to know them. Top Song: 35 to Life


10- Bo Burnham- Inside

Not a usual album for these lists here, but I can't help it. This album was incredible. You can watch the special on Netflix and it's great, but the music is what makes this. The album works just as effectively. I know there are a lot of albums that feel very appropriate to the times we are in- the mental anguish, the nerviness, the isolation- but there is none that is more effective at parsing out those feeling than this one. Truly an album for our times. Top Song: All Eyes On Me

Jan 3, 2022

Megan's Top 11 Albums of 2021

These were counted in our year end poll.

 By Megan Bledsoe

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11. Brandi Carlile—In These Silent Days


10. Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, and Jon Randall—The Marfa Tapes

Perhaps it is only because of these songwriters’ stellar reputations that we are compelled to pay attention to a release like The Marfa Tapes. But the other side of this is that only special artists like these three could actually write and perform an entire album acoustically, with sounds of wind and fire and cows and planes echoing in the background, and manage to hold our attention simply because of the strength of the songs and the raw emotion and boundless charisma present in the delivery. It’s fair to say that anyone else who tried this would likely be ignored, but not many others could accomplish this with the same beauty and grace that Ingram, Lambert, and Randall have, keeping us listening long after the novelty of the approach has worn off and only the songs and performances remain.


9. Cole Chaney—Mercy


8. Carly Pearce—29: Written in Stone

What a joy to see an album like this emerging from Music Row and to watch Carly Pearce’s deserved success. To call Pearce’s divorce record  the best mainstream country album of 2021 would be true but would also be selling the project short; it is simply one of the best country records of the year, no qualifiers. The fact that it came to us from mainstream Nashville only serves to prove that hope still lingers on Sixteenth Avenue.


7. James McMurtry—The Horses and the Hounds

James McMurtry’s songwriting is like that of no other. His prose is vividly rich in detail but composed in such a plainspoken manner that it remains accessible and relatable to us all. There is something uniquely charming about his frankness, something inherently poetic and refreshing in reflecting on all of the world’s hardships and then expressing a problem so mundane as constantly losing one’s glasses. These ruminations constitute some of the best songs of the year, and McMurtry remains one of the most interesting songwriters of his generation.


6. Shane Smith & the Saints—Live from the Desert


5. Margo Cilker—Pohorylle

Margo Cilker’s debut album is a classic case of the sum being better than its parts. There are no lyrical masterpieces and nothing to reinvent the wheel from a musical standpoint. Nevertheless, the simple yet lush arrangements, the production which carefully and thoughtfully enhances each song, Cilker’s excellent capacity for writing melodies and hooks, and the sense of place and general mood surrounding this whole record all come together to make one of the year’s standout albums.


4. Amythyst Kiah—Wary + Strange


3.  The Steel Woods—All of Your Stones


2. Charles Wesley Godwin—How the Mighty Fall

Charles Wesley Godwin, through the poetry of his songs and the haunting qualities of his voice, has managed to set Appalachia to music. If Seneca was a perfect encapsulation of the place, then How the Mighty Fall can be called a perfect encapsulation of the region’s people. More than that, it is a commentary on desperation itself, both the circumstances which lead to it and the various lengths to which one will go when faced with it. Artists are often plagued by the idea of the sophomore slump, but Godwin second album is just as exceptional as his first.


Album of the Year: Jason Boland & the Stragglers—The Light Saw Me

The very audacity of the idea, the concept of making a country record about alien abduction and time travel, is proof enough of the innovation of Jason Boland & the Stragglers and should be applauded. But to pull it off so expertly and to somehow craft a story so universal and compelling is another thing entirely. Somehow, this eccentric album is one of the most accessible, engaging records of Boland’s career and demonstrates that country music can still cover new ground in 2021. Boland & the Stragglers prove that even within the confines of traditional country music, artists can still be creative, original, introspective, and forward-thinking.

Dec 29, 2021

Best Songs of '21 Spotlight / Cody Jinks / "I Don't Trust My Memories Anymore"

Kevin's Top 11 Albums of 2021

(These were counted in the staff voting for top 20 of the year)


By Kevin Broughton

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1. Jesse Daniel – Beyond These Walls

 

If FTM had a “follow-up album of the year” category, this one would win it unanimously. Stretching his legs from the Bakersfield love fest that was Rollin’ On, Daniel – by focusing on the simple things in life – has broadened his focus, showing a grateful audience just how great country music can be. He’s made a great leap forward with his vocals and songwriting, and those were already high bars. There’s not a weak cut on this album. 

 

2. James McMurtry – The Horses And The Hounds

 

He’s just the Godfather. 

 

I picture a room full of accomplished singer-songwriters trading shop talk when McMurtry walks in, and all of a sudden you can hear a pin drop. It’s been six years since his last album, and just like last time, there’s an effortless feel to this magnificent work of art. McMurtry combines imagery, geography and unrequited love better than Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett or Townes. I literally listened to “Canola Fields”  seven times before moving on to the second cut. It’s on par with “Tangled Up In Blue.” 

 

3. Mike & The Moonpies – One To Grow On

 

I’ll be shocked if this one doesn’t win the FTM overall prize. It’s merely flawless.

 

4. Charles Wesley Godwin – How The Mighty Fall

 

Speaking of great follow-ups, Geez. Seneca, Godwin’s stellar breakout record from 2019, was just a warmup, it seems, for his 2021 offering. There’s an intensity to his writing this time around that solidifies a rightful claim to be mentioned in the same breath as his Appalachian brethren: Simpson and Childers. 

 

5. Jeremy Pinnell – Goodbye L.A.

 

One of the best pure country albums of the year. Ties of Blood and Affection in 2017 was a phenomenal record, but with a solid assist from quirky producer Jonathan Tyler, Pinnell has written his masterpiece. We should all give thanks that there’s a longer road in front of him than there is behind. And, who wants a monthly FTM  Q & A with this jiu-jitsu practitioner on the intersection of mixed martial arts & country music? 

 

6. Zach Schmidt – Raise A Banner

 

This was a record a long time in the making, but the Pittsburgh-born artist made the most of his time. Is it nice to walk into a studio with The 400 Unit for a backing band and Sadler Vaden producing? Sure. But this writing stands on its own, and even if You Don’t Know Zach Schmidt…you know the deal. 

 

7. Blackberry Smoke – You Hear Georgia

 

Twenty years strong. Only a small handful of artists* can begin to make Southern rock like these guys. They’ve added some personnel to fill out the sound and become one of the darlings of the elite Yellowstone set-list crowd, but what you hear is what you get. “Hey Delilah,” one of many gems, is a love letter to Lowell George. 

 

8. *Rob Leines – Blood, Sweat & Beers

 

This legit blue-collar rocker fronts a power trio turned up to ELEVEN, reminding the world and his Los Angeles environs of his proud Georgia roots. Skynyrd and CBD fans, step on up. 

 

9. Tennessee Jet – South Dakota

 

A toned down follow-up to (my #1 in 2020) The Country gives the listener an even more intimate setting to sample this man of letters’ writing. “William Faulkner,” just like the author, indeed. 

 

10. The High Hawks – The High Hawks

 

What started as a fun thing for a collection of jam/string band guys became a passion project – with tours to boot. Open, free and joyous, smart money says this ain’t a one-off. 

 

11. Mac Leaphart – Music City Joke

 

Just outstanding writing that leaves folks wanting more. 

 

 

Dec 21, 2021

Best Songs of '21 Spotlight / Yola / "Be My Friend"

Farce the Music's Top 26 Songs of 2021

Why 26? These are the 26 songs that felt most 'right' being on here.
~Trailer
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1. Jason Eady - French Summer Sun

2. James McMurtry - Canola Fields

3. Morgan Wade - Wilder Days


Dec 16, 2021

Best Songs of 2021 Spotlight / James McMurtry / "Canola Fields"

Farce the Music's Top 20 Albums of 2021

 Staff vote included me (Trailer), Kevin Broughton, Megan Bledsoe, Robert Dean, Scott Colvin, Travis Erwin, Jeremy Harris, and Matthew Martin.

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20. Cole Chaney - Mercy


19. Langhorne Slim - Strawberry Mansion


18. TK & the Holy Know-Nothings - The Incredible Heat Machine


17. John R. Miller - Depreciated

I had never heard of JRM, but this album changed that and for good reason. The lyrics are reminiscent of John Prine. The voice is reminiscent of Jay Farrar. What more could you ask for? ~Matthew Martin


16. Mastodon - Hushed and Grim

Mastodon has been one of my favorite bands for over a decade…even before I learned drummer/singer Brann Dailor went to my high school…or that he grew up less than a mile from my house. How I didn’t know him back then still baffles me. Anyway, I thought this was an OK Mastodon release when it came out, but after hearing these songs live…WOW…it’s one of their best. ~Scott Colvin


15. Mac Leaphart - Music City

Music City Joke is an album that is sneaky good with simple intelligence and honest observation at the heart of the writing and a traditional sound to the music. ~Travis Erwin


14. Olivia Rodrigo - Sour

This album is so good it hurts. The first time I heard it all I could think was it reminded me of Billie Eilish’s groundbreaking “When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?” That special…unique. Trust me, in 10 years people are going to treat this release like Taylor Swift’s “Red” album…now. This record has legit bangers like “Brutal” “Jealousy, Jealousy” and “Good 4 U” to thoughtful heartbreakers like “Déjà vu,” “Driver’s License” and “Traitor.” ~Scott


13. Jason Boland & The Stragglers - The Light Saw Me


12. The Steel Woods - All of Your Stones


11. Margo Cilker - Pohorylle

Margo Cilker’s debut album is a classic case of the sum being better than its parts. There are no lyrical masterpieces and nothing to reinvent the wheel from a musical standpoint. Nevertheless, the simple yet lush arrangements, the production which carefully and thoughtfully enhances each song, Cilker’s excellent capacity for writing melodies and hooks, and the sense of place and general mood surrounding this whole record all come together to make one of the year’s standout albums. ~Megan


10. Emily Scott Robinson - American Siren

Simple honest writing that speaks with a genuineness. ~Travis


For me, the most intoxicating voice in roots music, and she backs it up with knife-edge honesty and conversational poetry that reaches into your soul. ~Trailer


9. Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita

When Sturgill goes country, Sturgill is at his very best. When Sturgill creates an album using Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger as a template, you know you’re in for something seriously good. And, Sturgill doesn’t disappoint. The album explores all different aspects of mountain music while telling a compelling story throughout the album. If this is, in fact, Sturgill’s final album, it’s a hell of note to go out on. ~Matthew


8. Jesse Daniel - Beyond These Walls

If FTM had a “follow-up album of the year” category, this one would win it unanimously. Stretching his legs from the Bakersfield love fest that was Rollin’ On, Daniel – by focusing on the simple things in life – has broadened his focus, showing a grateful audience just how great country music can be. He’s made a great leap forward with his vocals and songwriting, and those were already high bars. There’s not a weak cut on this album. ~Kevin


7. Billy Strings - Renewal

With a voice that makes old men listen, a look that makes old women run, and lyrics that make anyone think, Billy Strings hits it out of the park with Renewal. From start to finish a bluegrass legend is being built. This is the sound and the man that will define and carry the genre for years to come. ~Jeremy


6. Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days

With vocals that are unmatched and songs written with real heart, In These Silent Days is the album and song we all need after coming out of quarantine. Brandi continues to define herself and her songwriting which are featured on “Right on Time,” “Broken Horses,” and the title track. A masterpiece from start to finish as well as the perfect way to continue to add impressive accomplishments to Grammy-winning producer Shooter Jennings’ resume that began with once making Trailer’s worst vocalist in country music list. ~Jeremy Harris


Not a single miss for me here and Carlile had the best performance on SNL in a long while.  this album is just one that rises above its competitors in ways I haven’t found an album since Isbell’s Southeastern stood out from other albums that year. ~Travis


5. Mike & The Moonpies - One to Grow On

...merely flawless. ~Kevin


An album that sounds like the world’s best bar band captured their true sound and appeal. I haven’t heard them live yet, so I don’t know if that’s accurate, but it sure feels that way. A record that’s consistently inspired and inspiring. ~Trailer


4. Sierra Ferrell - Long Time Coming

Without fail there seems to be one album every year that sneaks up on me, transfixes and ultimately knocks me on my ass. I had never heard of this artist before Trailer hyped her upon the album’s release. I can’t even wrap my head around this record. This is probably a horrible comparison, but take the best parts of Camper Van Beethoven, Kat Edmonson and Lindi Ortega and multiply it by 100. ~Scott


3. James McMurtry - The Horses and the Hounds

James McMurtry’s songwriting is like that of no other. His prose is vividly rich in detail but composed in such a plainspoken manner that it remains accessible and relatable to us all. There is something uniquely charming about his frankness, something inherently poetic and refreshing in reflecting on all of the world’s hardships and then expressing a problem so mundane as constantly losing one’s glasses. These ruminations constitute some of the best songs of the year, and McMurtry remains one of the most interesting songwriters of his generation. ~Megan


He’s just the Godfather. 

I picture a room full of accomplished singer-songwriters trading shop talk when McMurtry walks in, and all of a sudden you can hear a pin drop. It’s been six years since his last album, and just like last time, there’s an effortless feel to this magnificent work of art. McMurtry combines imagery, geography and unrequited love better than Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett or Townes. I literally listened to “Canola Fields”  seven times before moving on to the second cut. It’s on par with “Tangled Up In Blue.” ~Kevin 


2. Charles Wesley Godwin - How the Mighty Fall

Charles Wesley Godwin, through the poetry of his songs and the haunting qualities of his voice, has managed to set Appalachia to music. If Seneca was a perfect encapsulation of the place, then How the Mighty Fall can be called a perfect encapsulation of the region’s people. More than that, it is a commentary on desperation itself, both the circumstances which lead to it and the various lengths to which one will go when faced with it. Artists are often plagued by the idea of the sophomore slump, but Godwin second album is just as exceptional as his first. ~Megan


Speaking of great follow-ups, Geez. Seneca, Godwin’s stellar breakout record from 2019, was just a warmup, it seems, for his 2021 offering. There’s an intensity to his writing this time around that solidifies a rightful claim to be mentioned in the same breath as his Appalachian brethren: Simpson and Childers. ~Kevin


1. Morgan Wade - Reckless

There’s not much to say about this album that hasn’t been screamed from the rooftops already. Morgan Wade is an exceptional talent writing catchy songs. The production on this album is top notch and the band matches the energy on each song. The future is bright for Morgan Wade and if you aren’t on the bandwagon, hurry up and hop on. Top Song: Wilder Days ~Matthew


There are notes of Lucinda and Elizabeth Cook – and Garbage and Matchbox 20 oddly enough –  in Morgan Wade’s presentation, and I can’t get enough of it. There’s a knowing tone of confidence mixed with a questioning undercurrent of sadness all through the album. She’s enough of the way through the journey of finding herself to have an air of comfort taming the tension. The balance of those two feelings makes Reckless a real winner. ~Trailer


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(Others receiving multiple votes: Flatland Cavalry, Drayton Farley, Red Shahan, Vincent Neil Emerson, Yola, Carly Pearce, Ashley Monroe, Tennessee Jet)


Nov 29, 2021

Top Albums Every Year of Our Existence



It's almost Year-End List season, (Our 2021 albums list should be ready around mid December) so it's time for a recap of which albums topped our lists in past years. 


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No links, no summaries, no pretty album covers, just lists.

Who knows? 

Maybe you'll see something you've been forgetting to check out.

———



2020

1. American Aquarium - Lamentations

2. The Wilder Blue - Hill Country

3. Tennessee Jet - The Country

4. Zephaniah Ohora - Listening to the Music

5. Chris Stapleton - Starting Over

6. Ward Davis - Black Cats & Crows

7. Ruthie Collins - Cold Comfort

8. Futurebirds - Teamwork

9. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions

10. Tami Neilson - Chickaboom!

11. Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin’ Grass Vol. I

12. Run the Jewels - RTJ4

13. Waylon Payne - Blue Eyes, The Harlot…

14. Arlo McKinley - Die Midwestern

15. Jaime Wyatt - Neon Cross

16. Ashley McBryde - Never Will

17. Jesse Daniel - Rollin’ On

18. Margo Price - That’s How Rumors Get Started

19. Elizabeth Cook - Aftermath

20. Kathleen Edwards - Total Freedom




2019

1. Vandoliers - Forever

2. Ian Noe - Between the Country

3. Tyler Childers - Country Squire

4. Charles Wesley Godwin - Seneca

5. Mike & The Moonpies - Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold

6. Kelsey Waldon - White Noise / White Lines

7. Jade Bird - s/t

8. Jason Hawk Harris - Love and the Dark

9. Dalton Domino - Songs From the Exile

10. Whiskey Myers - s/t

11. Molly Tuttle - When You’re Ready

12. Cody Jinks - The Wanting

13. Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury

14. Black Pumas - s/t

15. The Highwomen - s/t

16. Caroline Spence - Mint Condition

17. Emily Scott Robinson - Traveling Mercies

18. (Tie) Tom Russell - October in the Railroad Earth

18. (Tie) Left Lane Cruiser - Shake and Bake

20. Hayes Carll - What It Is




2018

1. Lucero - Among the Ghosts

2. Jamie Lin Wilson - Jumping Over Rocks

3. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You

4. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

5. Cody Jinks - Lifers

6. Joshua Hedley - Mr. Jukebox

7. American Aquarium - Things Change

8. Ruston Kelly - Dying Star

9. Whitey Morgan & the .78s - Hard Times & White Lines

10. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

11. Shooter Jennings - Shooter

12. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers - Years

13. Brent Cobb - Providence Canyon

14. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere

15. Caleb Caudle - Crushed Coins

16. John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness

17. Great Peacock - Gran Pavo Real

18. Blackberry Smoke - Find a Light

19. Sleep - The Sciences

20. High on Fire - Electric Messiah



2017

1. Tyler Childers - Purgatory

2. Turnpike Troubadours - A Long Way From Your Heart

3. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound

4. Colter Wall - s/t

5. Chris Stapleton - From A Room, Vol. 2

6. Gregg Allman - Southern Blood

7. Jason Eady - s/t

8. John Moreland - Big Bad Luv

9. Shinyribs - I Got Your Medicine

10. Travis Meadows - First Cigarette

11. The Steel Woods - Straw in the Wind

12. J.D. McPherson - Undivided Heart & Soul

13. Chris Stapleton - From A Room, Vol. 1

14. Zephaniah OHora - This Highway

15. Steve Earle - So You Wannabe An Outlaw

16. Lee Ann Womack - The Lonely, The Lonesome and The Gone

17. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Youth Detention

18. Hellbound Glory - Pinball

19. Lillie Mae - Forever and Then Some

20. Margo Price - All American Made



2016

1. Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth

2. Cody Jinks - I'm Not the Devil

3. Lori McKenna - The Bird and the Rifle

4. Brent Cobb - Shine On Rainy Day

5. Austin Lucas - Between the Moon and the Midwest

6. Justin Wells - Dawn in the Distance

7. Flatland Cavalry - Humble Folks 

8. Drive-by Truckers - American Band

9. Blackberry Smoke - Like an Arrow

10. Caleb Caudle - Carolina Ghost

11. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it From Here…

12. (tie) Jeff Shepherd & the Jailhouse Poets - s/t

12. (tie) The Sword - Low Country

14. Luke Bell - s/t

15. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial

16. Brandy Clark - Big Day in a Small Town

17. Elizabeth Cook - Exodus of Venus

18. Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - Bomber Heights

19. Arliss Nancy - Greater Divides

20. Quaker City Night Hawks - El Astronauta



2015

 (2015 was the first year we did a staff-voted list)

1. Turnpike Troubadours - s/t

2. James McMurtry - Complicated Game

3. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

4. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

5. Whitey Morgan - Sonic Ranch

6. American Aquarium - Wolves 

7. The Yawpers - American Man

8. Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune

9. John Moreland - High on Tulsa Heat

10. Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smokes

11. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (tie)

William Clark Green - Ringling Road (tie)

Jason Boland and the Stragglers - Squelch (tie)



2014

1. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

2. The War on Drugs - Lost In the Dream

3. Adam Faucett - Blind Water Finds Blind Water

4. Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness of Dancers

5. Old 97's - Most Messed Up

6. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

7. Run the Jewels - RTJ2

8. Kelsey Waldon - The Goldmine

9. Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden

10. Lee Ann Womack - The Way I'm Livin'

11. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Dereconstructed

12. Stoney Larue - Aviator

13. Tami Neilson - Dynamite!

14. Cory Branan - The No-Hit Wonder

15. Fire Mountain - All Dies Down

16. St. Paul and the Broken Bones - Half the City

17. Don Williams - Reflections

18. Matt Woods - With Love From Brushy Mountain

 19. Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives - Saturday Night/Sunday Morning

20. Jimbo Mathus - Dark Night of the Soul



2013

1. John Moreland - In the Throes

2. Jason Isbell - Southeastern

3. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain

4. Arliss Nancy - Wild American Runners

5. Drew Kennedy - Wide Listener

6. Run the Jewels - RTJ

7. Brandy Clark - 12 Stories

8. Austin Lucas - Stay Reckless

9. Fifth on the Floor - Ashes and Angels

10. Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose

11. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

12. Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park

13. Shooter Jennings - The Other Life

14. Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork

15. Ha Ha Tonka - Lessons

16. Son Volt - Honky Tonk

17. Guy Clark - My Favorite Picture of You

18. Possessed by Paul James - There Will Be Nights When I'm Lonely

19. Vince Gill and Paul Franklin - Bakersfield

20. Todd Farrell Jr. and the Dirty Birds - All Our Heroes Live in Vans



2012

1. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - There is a Bomb in Gilead

2. Marty Stuart - Nashville, Vol. 1 Tear The Woodpile Down

3. Chris Knight - Little Victories

4. The Pollies - Where the Lies Begin

5. Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street

6. The Departed - Adventus

7. Dwight Yoakam - 3 Pears

8. Uncle Lucius - And You Are Me

9. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, M.A.A.D. City

10. The Trishas - High, Wide and Handsome

11. John D. Hale Band - More Than I Can Handle

12. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

13. Lindi Ortega - Cigarettes & Truckstops

14. Shooter Jennings - Family Man

15. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls

16. Arliss Nancy - Simple Machines

17. Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home

18. Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven

19. Matt King - Apples and Orphans

20. Lucero - Women and Work



2011

1. The Damn Quails - Down the Hatch

2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Here We Rest

3. Hellbound Glory - Damaged Goods

4. Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO

5. Jimbo Mathus - Confederate Buddha

6. Cary Anne Hearst - Lions and Lambs

7. Butch Walker and the Black Widows - The Spade

8. The Black Keys - El Camino

9. Adele - 21

10. Ponderosa - Moonlight Revival

11. Austin Lucas - A New Home, In the Old World

12. Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Heart of a Dog

13. Stoney Larue - Velvet

14. Drew Kennedy - Fresh Water in the Salton Sea

15. Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire

16. Pistol Annies - Hell on Heels

17. Wilco - The Whole Love

18. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Scandalous

19. Mastodon - The Hunter

20. Will Hoge - Number Seven



2010

1. Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song

2. Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer

3. Two Cow Garage - Sweet Saint Me

4. Austin Collins & The Rainbirds - Wrong Control

5. Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

6. Joe Pug - Messenger

7. Trampled by Turtles - Palomino

8. Kasey Anderson - Nowhere Nights

9. Rodney Hayden - Tavern of Poets

10. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way

11. Paul Thorn - Pimps and Preachers

12. Truth & Salvage Co. - s/t

13. Dirty Sweet - American Spiritual

14. The Black Crowes - Croweology

15. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

16. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

17. Randy Houser - They Call Me Cadillac

18. Hellbound Glory - Old Highs and New Lows

19. The Black Keys - Brothers

20. Drive-by Truckers - The Big To-Do



2009

1. Charlie Robison - Beautiful Day

2. Ben Nichols - Last Pale Light in the West

3. Buddy and Julie Miller - Written in Chalk

4. Magnolia Electric Company - Josephine

5. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

6. BettySoo - Heat Sin Water Skin

7. Wrinkle Neck Mules - Let the Lead Fly

8. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels

9. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'em What Your Name Is

10. Drew Kennedy - An Audio Guide to Cross Country Travel

11. The Black Crowes - Before the Frost...Until the Freeze

12. Justin Townes Earle - Midnight at the Movies

13. Son Volt - American Central Dust

14. The Devil Makes Three - Do Wrong Right

15. Slaid Cleaves - Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away

16. Joshua James - Build Me This

17. Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane

18. Miranda Lambert - Revolution

19. Krizz Kaliko - Genius

20. Mastodon - Crack the Skye



2008 

1. Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

2. Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song

3. Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones

4. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers

5. Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind

6. Sun Kil Moon - April

7. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

8. The Felice Brothers - s/t

9. Two Cow Garage - Speaking in Cursive

10. Fleet Foxes - s/t

11. NQ Arbuckle - XOK

12. Blitzen Trapper - Furr

13. Chris Knight - Heart of Stone

14. Metallica - Death Magnetic

15. Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof

16. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

17. Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life

18. Bruce Robison - The New World

19. The Steeldrivers - s/t

20. Drag The River - You Can't Live This Way

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