Best Albums of 2015 So Far: 1st Quarter Report

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.

 1. Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear

2. J.D. McPherson - Let the Good Times Roll

 3. Blackberry Smoke - Holding All the Roses

 4. American Aquarium - Wolves

5. James McMurtry - Complicated Game

6. Wrinkle Neck Mules - I Never Thought It Would Go This Far

 7. Allison Moorer - Down to Believing

 8. JEFF the Brotherhood - Wasted on the Dream

 9. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

10. Butch Walker - Afraid of Ghosts

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11. Benton Leachman - Bury the Hatchet

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

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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.

Favorite Albums of 2012 So Far: March

I was originally going to call this the "first quarter report," but since two of these will be released in the 2nd quarter, but they're too good to exclude... that wouldn't do.

Favorite Albums of 2012 (So Far)

1. Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home $5.00 at this link!

2. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - There is a Bomb in Gilead (Due out in May)

3. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls (Due Out April 10)

4. Lucero - Women and Work $5.99 at this link!

5. Shooter Jennings - Family Man $5.99 at this link!

6. Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

7. The White Buffalo - Once Upon a Time in the West

8. Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker & Yim Yames - New Multitudes

9. The Deadfields - Dance in the Sun

10. Kellie Pickler - 100 Proof

Strong new releases that I've not had time to completely digest yet: 

Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Grifter's Hymnal

Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Going to Change the Way You Feel About Me Now

Cary Hudson - Mississippi Moon

Sons of Bill - Sirens

Top 20 Albums of 2018 - First Quarter Report

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

2. Caitlyn Smith - Starfire

3. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere

4. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

5. First Aid Kid - Ruins

6. Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain

7. Caleb Caudle - Crushed Coins

8. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

9. Courtney Patton - What It's Like to Fly Alone

10. Buffalo Tom - Quiet and Peace

11. Ruby Boots - Don't Talk About It

12. Wade Bowen - Solid Ground

13. Mike & The Moonpies - Steak Night at the Prairie Rose

14. Trixie Mattel - One Stone

15. Whiskey Wolves of the West - Country Roots

16. Anderson East - Encore

17. Josh Grider - Good People

18. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams

19. Ross Cooper - I Rode the Wild Horses

20. Pedigo's Magic Pilsner - s/t

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*there are a few recent and forthcoming albums I haven't listened to enough to rank yet

**This is just Trailer's top 20 - year end list will include all contributors

Best Songs of 2011: 1st Quarter Report

Click the song titles to listen.

1. Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Exit Ghost

(tie) Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Codeine (free & legal mp3 download of this song at the link)

3. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - She's So Scandalous

4. Hayes Carll - Bottle in My Hand

5. Left Lane Cruiser - Pig Farm

6. Chris Young - Tomorrow

7. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'

8. Alison Krauss & Union Station - My Love Follows You Where You Go

9. Austin Lucas- Thunder Rail

10. Ponderosa - Devil on My Shoulder

11. Sunny Sweeney - Staying's Worse Than Leaving

12. Amos Lee - Flower

13. Drive-by Truckers - Mercy Buckets

14. John Popper & the Duskray Troubadors - Champipple

15. The Decemberists - Don't Carry It All

Top Albums of 2023 So Far: First Quarter Report

No reviews, no comments, no links, just a list... 

1. Lucero - Should’ve Learned by Now

2. Pony Bradshaw - North Georgia Rounder

3. Drayton Farley - Twenty on High

4. Sundy Best - Feel Good Country

5. Brit Taylor - Kentucky Blue

6. Muscadine Bloodline - Teenage Dixie

7. The War & Treaty - Lover’s Game

8. JD Clayton - Long Way From Home

9. Myron Elkins - Factories, Farms & Amphetamines

10. Jamie Harris - Boomerang Town

11. The Band of Heathens - Simple Things

12. The Panhandlers - Tough Country

13. Meg McRee - Is It Just Me?

14. Channing Wilson - Dead Man

15. White Reaper - Asking for a Ride

16. Ritch Henderson - Fallacies & Four-Letter Words

17. Mason and the Gin Line - Sangre

18. Amanda Fields - What, When and Without

19. Slaid Cleaves - Together Through the Dark

20. Wolfpen Branch - Long Hill to Climb

21. Margo Price - Strays

22. Ben Chapman - Amber Sound, Vol. 1

Top Albums of 2020 - First Quarter Report

1. Futurebirds - Teamwork

2. Katie Pruitt - Expectations

3. Brandy Clark - Your Life is a Record

4. Gabe Lee - Honky Tonk Hell

5. Ashley McBryde - Never Will

6. Rookie - s/t

7. Marcus King - El Dorado

8. Jesse Daniel - Rollin’ On

9. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

10. Hailey Whitters - The Dream

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*there are a few recent and forthcoming albums I haven't listened to enough to rank yet

**this is just Trailer's top 10 - year end list will include all FTM contributors

Favorite Albums of 2024: First Quarter Report

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 Someday I won’t be too lazy to write some short review blurbs, but for now, here are my early favorites of 2024.

1. The Droptines - s/t

2. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

3. Jonathan Peyton - Nothing Here’s The Same

4. Sierra Ferrell - Trail of Flowers

5. Sarah Jarosz - Polaroid Lovers

6. Old Heavy Hands - Small Fires

7. Shane Smith & The Saints - Norther

8. Taylor Hunnicutt - Alabama Sound

9. Blackberry Smoke - Be Right Here

10. Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

11. The Black Crowes - Happiness Bastards

12. Taylor McCall - Mellow War

13. Willi Carlisle - Critterland

Some other early favorites in no particular order:

Amigo the Devil - Yours Until the War is Over

Cody Jinks - Change the Game

The Montvales - Born Strangers

Lizzie No - Halfsies

Ellis Bullard - Honky Tonk Ain’t Noise Pollution

Mery Steel - She’s Back!

JJ Grey & Mofro - Olustee

Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips

Sam Morrow - On the Ride Here

Luke Grimes - s/t

Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive

Jordan Lee King - By and By

Casper McWade - Something for the Pain

Favorite Albums of '09 - First Quarter Report

Click on underlined artist names for their Myspace pages to listen! (Ben doesn't have a solo Myspace, but you can listen to samples on the Amazon link)

Feel free to comment on any of these, or to suggest some other great albums of early 2009!

1. Ben Nichols - The Last Pale Light in the West
A collection of gritty narratives based on Cormac McCarthy's gore-soaked epic, "Blood Meridian," it's as passionate and powerful as anything I've heard this year (and much of last), despite the narrow focus. I'm a huge fan of Ben's full-time gig, Lucero, and looking forward to their major label debut later this year, but it'll have to really be something to top this.
Prime track: "Toadvine"

2. Justin Townes Earle - Midnight at the Movies
This is the one where son overtakes father. Justin's warm, reedy vocals and classic country sound with a modern feel make this quite an engaging album.
Prime track: "Mama's Eyes"

3. The Gourds - Haymaker!
Ridiculously fun as always, but the song-craft never suffers for the sake of party and vice versa. Not quite up to the high bar set by their previous release, Noble Creatures, but still a very strong effort.
Prime track: "Shreveport"

4. Phosphorescent - To Willie
A loving ode to a legend. Nelson's songs retold through a filter of reverent indie folk sound great and remind you that Willie's not just an entertainer and troubadour, but a songwriter of the highest order. Phosphorescent's not bad either, putting their own stamp on the songs, not just performing rote covers.
Prime track: "The Last Thing I Needed (First Thing This Morning)"

5. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
An indie-folk band with some of the most beautiful vocals you'll ever hear, Great Lake Swimmers take a step in a new direction on this outing, upping the tempo a bit and eschewing the stripped down approach for an array of new instruments, to nice effect. "Pulling on a Line" is my favorite song of the year thus far.

6. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Metal! Smart, masterfully technical and fairly innovative, but still headbangingly hard, Mastodon's beast of a record should appeal to fans of anybody from Iron Maiden and Metallica to Coheed and Cambria. Great music for working out, or washing the dishes.
Prime track: "Oblivion"

7. The Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours
Prime track: "All the Money I Had is Gone"

8. Scott Miller - For Crying Out Loud
Prime track: "Sin in Indiana"

9. Eric Church - Carolina
Prime track: "Where She Told Me to Go"

10. Strand of Oaks - Leave Ruin
Prime track: "End in Flames"