The Avett Brothers- “Orion’s Belt” (Thirty Tigers)
This is the kind of vintage Avetts tune that we hadn’t heard in quite some time prior to the release of this year’s self-titled effort: full-bodied folk-rock riffs, sweeping fiddle licks, chipper vocals, and a wry but uplifting commentary on the state of society. A new favorite in a prolific body of songs.
Bon Iver- “Speyside” (Jagjaguwar)
Perfectly timed for the crisp autumnal air, Bon Iver returns with the kind of haunting folk lament that he’s made a signature out of. His signature voice and sparse arrangements have both an icy chill and a cozy warmth to them, evoking a sort of tattered beauty as he conducts a whiskey-tinged self-examination on where his choices have led him.
Benson Boone- “Slow It Down” (Warner)
Another swirling, soulful vocal showcase from one of the most powerful voices to emerge in the pop scene in a decade or more. I’m still waiting for him to release a proper single that taps into the charismatic, almost glitzy persona that he’s unveiled on stage, but I’m not going to complain about any opportunity to just hear his voice belt. The nuanced character of his voice just bursts from the speakers, and I love the accelerated key arrangements that add sly color to the chorus.
Leon Bridges- “Laredo” (Columbia)
A straight-forwardly alluring vocal performance from one of today’s best soul-stirrers. Bridges’ sound has become a little too sanded down and smooth in the follow-up material to his sterling 2015 debut; an understandable trap for any voice this velvet smooth. But the cinematic setting of this song is elevated by a Tejano-tinged rhythm-section that inserts some more varied flavor back into his musical palette.
Luke Bryan- “Closing Time In California” (Capitol)
It’s beyond futile to label Luke Bryan as a charicature of his former self, when he has always literally been a charicature of the entire country boy persona itself. It’s what works for his charming personality and he’s never going to venture that far outside those boundaries. But, toned-down tracks like this one remind us of just how sturdy his pure, twangy pipes truly are, and the subtle storytelling powers that linger underneath their surface.
Kenny Chesney- “Just to Say We Did” (Warner)
Like the dozens of Kenny Chesney nostalgia anthems before it, “Just to Say We Did” is nothing offensive nor groundbreaking. It’s well-executed and pleasant on the ears for the three minutes it plays. You’re not going to necessarily remember it specifically after it’s done, but you’re not going to complain if you have to listen to it again.
Dawes- “Still Strangers Sometimes” (Dead Ringers)
It seems as if their down-sizing to a mere brotherly duo has only elevated Dawes’ long-running ability to peel back the commonality of romantic complications and examine them through a fresh, new lens. This is a clear-eyed acceptance that a relationship isn’t going to ever progress into what each party is looking for, but that mature honesty only intensifies the feelings of tension, disappointment, and sadness.
The Decemberists- “Oh No!” (Thirty Tigers)
Another gripping highlight from one of the year’s most richly vibrant albums. With an equally eerie and entertaining narrative, and a fabulous Mavericks-recalling brass sound that gloriously elevates all of the song’s magical elements, “Oh No!” will leave you entranced by the mysterious danger of its story. A moment later, it will lure out a saucy dance-move set you didn’t know existed within your body. A captivating, wholly unique listening experience.
Jerry Douglas- “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Many Hats)
One of the greatest rock songs of all time beautifully reinterpreted through the brilliant powers of one of the greatest living musicians on Planet Earth. Douglas’ inimitable dobro dexterity remains one of music’s truly majestic wonders, and the piece is fleshed out splendidly with superb fiddle, cello, and guitar solos. George Harrison would be mighty proud.
Father John Misty- “I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All” (Sub Pop)
Father John’s vigorously stylish musical vision is firing on all cylinders throughout this latest performance. It’s a colorfully kaleidoscopic stew of cunning vocal deliveries, sardonic reflection, and boundless sonic flourishes that span blues, jazz, rock, soul, and more.
Franz Ferdinand- “Audacious” (Domino)
The Franz clan returns with a blues-tinged, 70s glam-jam that boasts the kind of understated charm that has allowed the band to age gracefully, without ever sacrificing the bawdy rock spirit that has always been the very fiber of their musical identity. Alex Kapranos’ New-Wave tinged vocals are as enticing as ever before. It’s an all-out thrill to hear a track from them.
Wyatt Flores- “Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight” (Island)
Flores is easily my new favorite voice in the Americana/roots scene. There’s such a precise and rugged emotional nuance to his vocal performances, and that simmering intensity is further elevated by the frantic and fiery arrangements here. A key artist to watch for the future.
Foster the People- “Chasing Low Vibrations” (Atlantic)
A delightfully trippy highlight from the group’s delightfully dizzying fourth album. It’s got a simultaneously hazy but surging vibe to it, and it takes very little convincing to just allow yourself to get completely swept away into the clouds of it all.
Hayes & the Heathens- “Nobody Dies From Weed” (BOH)
This union of the alt-country kingpin and the roots-rock troubadours makes for one of the most enjoyable collaborations we’ve been gifted with in sometime. Both of their respective signatures- Band of Heathens’ bluesy barrom chops and Hayes Carll’s wry humor- are given equal and ample showcase here, and to the listener goes the entertaining spoils. I’m eagerly awaiting the full project.
The Heavy Heavy- “Happiness” (ATO)
Holy hell, what a jangly, psychedelic, 60s-kissed treasure is this track and duo to discover! This pair offers a sound so equally refreshingly different yet gloriously classic that it almost derailed my ability to complete the rest of this list, as I became instantly determined to experience the rest of their burgeoning catalog.
Lady Gaga- “Happy Mistake” (Interscope)
We’ll have to wait for the impending theatrical release of the upcoming Joker sequel to know if this surprise batch of music truly fits into the narrative context of the film or not, but I’m certainly not going to argue with Lady Gaga using the project as an excuse to revisit her marvelous powers in the jazz and classic pop realms. Gaga plays so many wondrous roles within her vast artistry, but her talent as a pure, tried and true vocalist will always among the ultimate coats she wears. The confessional story of this original is particularly raw, especially given the visual theatrics that have always defined her aesthetic. It’s as gorgeous as any other moment in her canon.
Mickey Guyton- “House on Fire” (Capitol)
Guyton will always be at her artistic best when she’s digging deep into her personal adversities like on “Black Like Me”, but when she smartly balances those hefty moments out with shimmering, romantic fare like this, she proves that she’s as capable with a sweet country-pop hook as anyone in Nashville.
Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood- “I’m Gonna Love You” (Warner)
Johnson’s white-hot winning streak continues here with the kind of modern country duet that will be catnip for producers this CMA Awards show season. Carrie Underwood’s pure voice remains one of the sweetest sounds to behold in contemporary music, and Cody’s humble yet full-throttle twang more than holds up his end of the bargain.
Samara Joy- “You Stepped Out of a Dream” (Verve)
The jazz scene’s most acclaimed recent breakout star stamps her indelible mark on this Ziegfield Girl standard, with a vibrantly textured record that spills over with varied and exquisite instrumental touches and a show-stopping vocal showcase. Joy’s modern vision for the art of jazz doesn’t skew as experimental as someone like Laufey, but she offers an equally bold and relevant path forward for the genre, while paying sterling homage to its past.
Maddie & Tae- “What A Woman Can Do” (Mercury)
Why Mercury can’t gather the gumption to allow these two to release another full-length album rather than an endless sludge of EPs is a mystery, and symbolizes Nashville’s resistance to let go of outdated metrics like terrestrial radio play. These girls are getting the Curb Records/Jo Dee Messina treatment like it’s still the 2000s. In any event, their music remains as solid as ever: generous in its rich, organic production and sweet, tender harmonies.
Parker McCollum- “What Kinda Man” (MCA)
McCollum has truly conquered the art of balancing slick, mainstream sensibilities with a gritty Red Dirt backstory. Subtle but incredibly impactful production choices like the booming guitar lick that literally runs through the entirety of the track, or the harmonic flourish at the end of the chorus go a long way in setting a release apart from the rest of the crowded country sausage-fest. And the extra dose of sly charisma in his cowboy voice carries it across the finish line.
JD McPherson- “Sunshine Getaway” (New West)
A cool, cocky rock record that effortlessly dabbles in all of the very best hallmarks of the genre. Some punky attitude here, some trippy riffs there. A pinch of twangy grease, followed by a burst of fuzzy garage rock for good measure. It’s all anchored in electric fashion by McPherson’s brash performance, which increasingly boasts a Lennon-recalling rasp that will make you want to spin the legend’s polarizing Rock ‘n’ Roll in succession with the latest McPherson album.
Midland- “Barely Blue” (Big Machine)
This trio continues to deliver some of the cleanest and most purely alluring productions across all sectors of contemporary music. Their vintage 70s sound is endlessly charming and addictive. Like many of their cuts prior, this gorgeous mid-tempo is knocking on the door of The Eagles’ most divine country-rock classics. Seven years after they were cast as “posers” upon arrival, and Midland continues to school their contemporaries in terms of authenticity and style.
Kylie Minogue- “Lights, Camera, Action” (BMG)
The dance world’s perennial icon has been on an absolute tear the past couple years, and I’m all for watching her strike while her legendary iron is hot. With that said, the successive frequency of her recent releases has shown that even she isn’t immune to dance music’s dangerous trap of monotony. Nevertheless, the fact that her songs aren’t always discernible from the other doesn’t make me any less gleeful when they come on the speakers. Prance, my queen.
My Morning Jacket- “Aren’t We One” (ATO)
As music lovers, we’re at that critical point in the course of an Election Year where we must become heightened in our awareness of pandering, politically-motivated, supposedly socially-minded singles meant to hollowly capitalize on current events. Thankfully, this track from My Morning Jacket passes the litmus test for sincerity in its social commentary. This can be attributed to the alt-rocker’s typically un-mainstream sound, the genuine pathos with which they long for unity, and the single’s reverent Summer of Love undertones.
Tami Neilson- “Always On My Mind” (Neilson)
Tami Neilson and Willie Nelson proved what a magical combination they made on 2022’s “Beyond the Stars”, and the notion of her applying her hair-raising vocals to an entire batch of Red Headed classics is an easy sell. To hear her strip back Nelson’s most bombastic but romantically raw hit with her utterly haunted voice and a gutturally slow guitar moan is nothing short of chilling. It recalls the epic reinvention of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Cowboy Junkies.
Stevie Nicks- “The Lighthouse” (Warner)
To describe a Steve Nicks record as “bewitching” is beyond trite at this point in her career, but that’s precisely what “The Lighthouse” is. At 76, her voice is undeniably a mere shell of what it once was, but true to her legendary prowess, she finds ways to use that minor detail to her advantage. She slowly lures us in with an eerie whisper on the verses, but still packs an emphatic growl on the climax of the chorus, all the while weaving a mysterious, spell-binding musical story like only Stevie Nicks can.
Brad Paisley- “Truck Still Works” (EMI)
I was beyond perturbed when I heard that Brad Paisley was abandoning his rootsy Sons of the Mountains project in favor of a truck-themed throwback to his 2004 hit, “Mud on the Tires”. It reeked of artistic cowardice and desperation from a one-time superstar refusing to accept that his commercial heyday was in the past. With all of that said, “Truck Still Works” pleasantly surprised me in that it’s one of Paisley’s most charming releases in eons. It still feels like a grab for chart relevance, and I still wish we were getting his originally-intended album instead, but its an unquestionable reminder that Paisley remains on his game in terms of waxing humble nostalgia.
Margo Price and Billy Strings- “Too Stoned to Cry” (Loma Vista)
This is an unmitigated, badass match made in hillbilly heaven right here, folks. The emotive heights of their respective twangs. The superb combination of Strings’ bluegrass trappings and Price’s original stone-country sound. The classic C&W narrative of the song itself. Holy smokes, this is worthy of the same rarified air of duets from the likes of Webb & Kitty, Merle & Bonnie, Gram & Emmylou, and George & Tammy. I’ve loved the stylistic path that Price’s last few records have taken us down, but I’m more than ready for her to revisit the sound of Midwest Farmer’s Daughter and All American Made.
Rufus Du Sol- “Break My Love” (Reprise)
An instant trance track, the production straddles a fine line between a comforting warmth and a lingering sense of danger, and singer Tyrone Lindqvist provides some of the most mouth-watering, velvet vocals this side of The Weeknd and “Save Your Tears”.
Gwen Stefani- “Somebody Else’s” (Interscope)
Stefani sounds in fine form on this slightly New-Wave-y slice of rollicking pop-rock. It’s likely far too MOR for those within her fanbase longing for a return to the more biting, quirky trademarks of her No Doubt days and solo smashes like “Hollaback Girl” or “The Sweet Escape”. But when it comes to clean-cut, straight-forward contemporary pop, this is as good as anything out there today, and her ever-unique voice continues to set her apart.
Teddy Swims- “Bad Dreams” (Warner)
The blue-eyed soul master builds on his recent “runaway” success with this excellent preview of his forthcoming sophomore effort, and it retains the high quality of his debut collection. It offers more tastefully moody production that is slick enough for the pop mainstream, while gritty enough to set Swims and his rapturous voice apart. This guy’s filling the wonderful and oft-overlooked niche of mainstream soul in the pop landscape; let’s hope the hits keep coming for him.
Trampled By Turtles featuring LeAnn Rimes- “Out of Time” (Thirty Tigers)
What a richly rewarding piece of music. TByT remains one of the most impressive bands working today, in terms of their musicianship, production standards, and lyrical storytelling. Clearly, they have great taste in collaborators as well. For those that blindly believe that LeAnn Rimes just disappeared after her days in the country mainstream, boy do you have a trove of great music that’s ripe for discovery. She continues to grace new and revelatory territory with her once prodigious voice; hearing her sing the most mountainous terrain of her varied career leaves us foaming at the mouth for a proper bluegrass album from her. A full-blown duets record with Trampled would be welcomed as well.
U2- “Country Mile” (Island)
Culled from the archives as apart of a future retrospective on their 2004 juggernaut, How to Assemble An Atomic Bomb, “Country Mile” doesn’t necessarily harken back to the true core of that record which the band proclaimed as their first straight-forward “rock” album. Instead, it sounds very much influenced by that era’s emergence of Coldplay, and if that casts the song as derivative, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. There’s certainly an influential through-line that connects both bands, Bono’s haunting vocals sound just as impactful against this chiming, starry-eyed alt sound as Chris Martin’s.
The Weeknd- “Dancing In the Flames” (Republic)
The pop enigma remains the ruler of melancholy bops with “Dancing In the Flames”. It’s another utterly hypnotic release defined by walls of synth and a sumptuously downbeat melody that plays to all the strengths of The Weeknd’s silky, lush vocals. Something this pensive has not right to be this catchy, but such results are indeed the greatest power in this artist’s potent arsenal.
Lainey Wilson- “4x4xU” (BBR)
As thoroughly solid of a showcase of Wilson’s expansively layered vocal range as anything she’s yet released. The horse-powered expression of her deafening twang wrings the lyrics for every ounce of sultry romance possible, and are deliciously supported by the rich blues undertones of Jay Joyce’s production.
Stevie Wonder- “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” (Republic)
This era of social conflict stands to benefit as much as any other from the legendary presence of Stevie Wonder’s music, and this new release glows with the same pillars that have defined his staggering body of work, namely tender soul vocals and an empathetic and well-balanced social compass. His voice remains as equally heart-wrenching but hopeful as ever, and the perfectly-timed entrance of a signature harmonica solo is the heart-warming bonus it’s always been.
Dwight Yoakam and Post Malone- “I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang Bang, Boom Boom)” (Thirty Tigers)
I can now officially forgive Post Malone for leaving Dwight Yoakam off his recent country duets project. Turns out he and the overdue Hall of Famer had this one rightfully banked for Yoakam’s upcoming album, his first of original material in over a decade. This single is a certifiable firecracker, stacked with all of the classic elements of Yoakam’s classic Bakersfield rock & roll hybrid: swaggering vocals, humorously sardonic narratives, and blistering country musicianship. And yes, Posty keeps up with the legend every step of the way. Instantly and easily one of my favorite singles of the year.
Yola- “Future Enemies” (Easy Eye Sound)
The beguiling roots powerhouse makes her long-awaited return, and does so with a brooding track that delves as deep into her soul origins as anything she’s recorded to date. It showcases both the physical reach of her impressive pipes, as well as her sparkling gifts as an interpreter. The song’s setting is the onset of a sordid affair that the narrator knows is only going to destroy both parties, and she evokes that dangerous temptation with earthquaking poise.
Zac Brown Band- “I Lost It” (Warner)
A superb cover selection from Lucinda Williams’ landmark 1998 Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, and the band does it joyous justice by soaking it in the most earnest depths of Zac Brown’s voice as well as the stripped, roosty sounds of their early days, which yes, remains the very best iteration of this well-traveled outfit.
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