FTM's Favorite Albums of 2014: Very Honorable Mentions

 

Being mentioned here while still outside the top 50 may seem like a slight to these albums, but in a year I listened to 200+ new albums and sampled countless others, these were all worthy of hours of play each. Also, it was a consistently strong year for music (if not as full of stone cold classics as some) so there was a lot of good stuff to choose from. This is just one guy's opinion (next year FTM will likely begin having a composite list from our 3 contributors plus me), so sometimes it's not about actual quality of an album, but how it affected me on an emotional, critical and intellectual level. These are all very strong releases.

Very Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
 

Ronnie Fauss - Built to Break

Sunny Sweeney - Provoked

Parker Millsap - s/t

Counting Crows - Somewhere Under Wonderland

The Secret Sisters - Put Your Needle Down

Shovels & Rope - Swimmin' Time

Eric Church - The Outsiders

Rodney Crowell - Tarpaper Sky

Red Eye Gravy - Dust Bowl Hangover

Matthew Ryan - Boxers

Dierks Bentley - Riser

Josh Nolan - Fair City Lights

Phillip Fox Band - Heartland

The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams

Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers

Arlo McKinley & the Lonesome Sound - s/t

Willie Nelson - Band of Brothers

 Benjamin Booker - s/t

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want

TV on the Radio - Seeds

Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line

 Miranda Lambert - Platinum

Jeff Whitehead - Bloodhound Heart

The Bigsbys - Good Will Suitcase

Those Crosstown Rivals - Hell and Back

Chad Sullins and the Last Call Coalition - Wicked Spell

Sundy Best - Bring Up the Sun

Mat D and the Profane Saints - Holyoke

Rosanne Cash - The River & The Thread

Josh Grider - Luck & Desire

 YG - My Krazy Life

Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright in the End

 Eli Young Band - 10,000 Towns

Robyn Ludwick - Little Rain

Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy

Jenny Lewis - Voyager

Top Albums of 2014: 1/2 Report

This will change a great deal in the next 6 months, but it gives you a good snapshot of just how strong the music world is right now - despite my usual rantings and ravings otherwise.

1. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

2. Adam Faucett - Blind Water Finds Blind Water

3. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

4. John Fullbright - Songs

5. Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis - Our Year

6. The War on Drugs - Lost In the Dream

7. Drive-by Truckers - English Oceans

8. Jimbo Mathus - Dark Night of the Soul

9. Fire Mountain - All Dies Down

10. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Dereconstructed

11. Old 97s - Most Messed Up

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

13. Kelsey Waldon - The Goldmine

14. Caleb Caudle - Paint Another Layer on My Heart

15. Nikki Lane - All or Nothin'

16. Matt Woods - With Love From Brushy Mountain

17. Jason Eady - Daylight and Dark

18. Josh Nolan - Fair City Lights

19. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold

20. Beck - Morning Phase

21. Whiskey Myers - Early Morning Shakes

22. Willie Nelson - Band of Brothers

23. Jeff Whitehead - Bloodhound Heart

24. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else

25. Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun

Best Albums of 2014 So Far: 1/4 Report

Subject to change, one of these hasn't been released yet, blah blah disclaimers...

1. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

2. Drive-by Truckers - English Oceans

3. Jimbo Mathus - Dark Night of the Soul

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

5. Beck - Morning Phase

6. Jason Eady - Daylight and Dark

7. Josh Nolan - Fair City Lights

8. Whiskey Myers - Early Morning Shakes

9. Red Eye Gravy - Dust Bowl Hangover

10. Chad Sullins and the Last Call Coalition - Wicked Spell

11. Jeff Whitehead - Bloodhound Heart

12. The Bigsbys - Good Will Suitcase

13. Lake Street Dive - Bad Self Portraits

14. Those Crosstown Rivals - Hell and Back

15. Hard Working Americans - s/t

16. Rosanne Cash - The River & The Thread

17. Mat D and the Profane Saints - Holyoke

18. Water Liars - s/t

19. Robert Ellis - The Lights From the Chemical Plant

20. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want

YouTube Gems: Josh Nolan - When I Was Young

From his forthcoming album, Fair City Lights (Due April 4), here's Josh Nolan with "When I Was Young." Highly recommended for fans of John Moreland, Bruce Springsteen, John Fullbright, and Lucero.