2016 was a bad year for music. So many legends lost. And it was a slightly down year for albums (to be fair, the past 2-3 years were so stellar, it's hard to compete and unnecessary to complain). However, it was a really good year for songs. Here are the tunes just beyond my top 10 that I feel need recognition - Look closely, some don't have videos. There are, of course, many others I enjoyed through the year, but for me this is the cream of the crop. Farce the Music's top 10 songs of 2016 will be posted tomorrow. ~Trailer
No particular order.
Blackberry Smoke (ft. Gregg Allman) - Free on the Wing
There's something to be said for consistency and dependability. Some consider those descriptors to be boring, but I think they're sturdy and certain. Without the unfailing constants of minerals and gravity, we'd all be floating in the void. Some things just are. Some bands just are.
Blackberry Smoke is. They are and they endure. If you want steady and meaty southern rock n' roll, look to them. Like the mountain, they stand strong against the winds and rains of change. If you're a fan, do you want to hear Blackberry Smoke has cut their hair and smoothed their edges for country radio? Do you want to hear that they've hit the LSD tabs and decided to explore progressive rock? Hell no! We want Blackberry Smoke to give us thick riffs, hard twang, real life, and foot stomping grooves!
That's what they do on their new offering, Like an Arrow. It wasn't broke, and they didn't fix it. Lead man Charlie Starr still has a cocky whine to his voice and he still spits attitude and proverb filled lines about drinking, living, and love. The rhythm section still kicks, they keys still pound, and the guitars still rip.
Opener and first single, "Waiting for the Thunder," is appropriately electric and a gripping welcome back. It's all buzzing guitars and big harmonies and there's even a great organ into guitar breakdown at the bridge. If this song doesn't get you fired up, rock music might not be your thing.
Later on, "The Good Life" breaks you off some fatherly advice. Songs like this run the risk of falling into the "listing songs" category, but Blackberry Smoke keeps it real by focusing more on the messenger and on applying the message - proving that walking the walk is always a bigger impression than talking the talk.
"Workin' For a Workin' Man" is a growling anthem for the blue collar man. It's fraught with anger and determination. "This bait and switch is a son of a bitch" sings Starr, full of piss and vinegar at the injustices eternally shoveled upon the laborer.
"Free on the Wing" closes out Like an Arrow with a guest appearance from Gregg Allman. The song finds hope at the end of a relationship, exploring the ways people move on. The harmonies are especially sweet on this track. Like an Arrow is a perfect title for another great effort from Blackberry Smoke. An arrow goes right where it's aimed, time always rolls on by, some stay low, some get high, and Blackberry Smoke only puts out Grade A slabs of country flavored Southern rock. If you've never given them a listen, they're highly recommended to fans of Whiskey Myers, Fifth on the Floor, Skynyrd, The Black Crowes, etc.
My actual "Best of 2015" list includes four albums not yet released, but since this is labeled as the "1st Quarter Report," I decided to stay true to the title and not include those four. However, you should know that my favorite album I've heard this year is actually Whitey Morgan's Sonic Ranch ...and by a long shot. It comes out in May. But here's the list of my favorite albums released thus far in 2015.
12. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
13. Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight
14. The Delta Routine - You and Your Lion
15. The Lone Bellow - Then Came the Morning
16. The Mavericks - Mono
17. Aaron Watson - The Underdog
18. Ryan Bingham - Fear and Saturday Night
19. Striking Matches - Nothing But the Silence
20. Gurf Morlix - Eatin' at Me ------------------------------------------------------------- Yet to hear or need to hear more of: Gretchen Peters - Blackbirds, Jackson Taylor - Cantina del Diablo, Haley Cole - Illusions, Great Lake Swimmers - A Forest of Arms, Joe Pug - Windfall, Willie & the Giant - s/t, JJ Grey & Mofro - Ol' Glory, Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter, No Dry County - The Night Before, Cody Jinks - Adobe Sessions.
Though just now releasing "Pretty Little Lie," the first single to radio from The Whippoorwill, Blackberry Smoke has been playing new/unreleased songs for months. These guys say to take your typical album cycles and shove them. Here's "Payback's a Bitch," from a late November '12 show.
