Sunday, September 14, 2008

Best of 2008 So Far

This is my Fourth list of the year. It is based on releases through August 19th. The Truckers are still #1 but almost got knocked off by The Hold Steady who debuted at #2. The other top debuts are Reckless Kelly at #5, Alejandro Escovedo at #7 and Chris Knight at #8. Anyway as always leave comments and tell me what an idiot or genius I am. I've been called a lot worse. The list follows:

1) Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
2) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
3) Tift Merrit - Another Country
4) Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
5) Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof
6) Old 97's - Blame it on Gravity
7) Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
8) Chris Knight - Heart of Stone
9) My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
10) The Waybacks - Loaded
11) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
12) Shawn Mullins - Honeydew
13) The Whigs - Mission Control
14) Ashton Shepherd - Sounds so Good
15) Band of Heathens - Self-Titled
16) Drew Emmitt - Long Road
17) Infamous Stringdusters - Self-Titled
18) Wild Sweet Orange - We Have Cause to be Uneasy
19) Sonny Landreth - From the Reach
20) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
21) Griffin House - Flying Upside Down
22) The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
23) The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
24) John D. Hale - Lost
25) Jakob Dylan - Seeing This
26) John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love and Freedom
27) Teddy Thompson - A Piece of What You Need
28) The Waifs - Sundirtwater
29) Donna The Buffalo - Silverlined
30) Gary Louris - Vagabonds
31) Heybale - The Last Country Album
32) Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
33) Sierra Hull - Secrets
34) South Austin Jug Band - Strange Invitation
35) Eleven Hundred Springs - Country Jam
36) Jim Lauderdale - Honey Songs
37) Dr. Dog - Fate
38) The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
39) Black Crowes - Warpaint
40) Beck - Modern Guilt
41) Del McCoury Band - Moneyland
42) Chatham County Line - IV
43) Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet - Self-Titled
44) Have Gun Will Travel - Casting Shadows Tall as Giants
45) Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
46) R.E.M. - Accelerate
47) Railroad Earth - Amen Corner
48) Widespread Panic - Free Somehow
49) John Hiatt - Same Old Man
50) Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
51) The Avett Brothers - Gleam II
52) Rhonda Vincent - Good Thing Goin'
53) Ben Sollee - Learning to Bend
54) Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis - Two Men with the Blues
55) Ralston Bowles - Rally at the Texas Hotel
56) Paul Thorn - Long Way from Tupelo
58) George Strait - Troubadour
59) American Gun - The Mean and the Machine
60) Twilight Hotel - Highway Prayer

Honorable Mention: Whisky Myers, The Weepies, Shelby Lynn, Wes Charlton, Jeb Loy Nicholls, Mando Saenz, North Mississippi All-Stars, Tim O'Brien, Black Mountain, Carlene Carter, James McMurtry, Willie Nelson, Jackie Greene, Langhorne Slim, The Hollyfelds, Malcolm Holcombe, Jason Collett, Firewater, Tab Benoit, Marah

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good list Chip. Hard to argue with any of the choices in the top 10 for sure! I am glad to see you dealt with your "b-word" issues regarding the lovely Ms Edwards. I really dig the Langhorne Slim disc, and would have that in my top 50 list, if I had the guts to make a list such as the one you make...you are far braver than me, good sir.

Trailer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trailer said...

Good looking list and I'll echo Kelly on your change of heart towards Kathleen. I'm pretty sure she'll finish the year in my top 5, but I don't expect everyone to share the same high level of musical taste. ;)
Here's my current top 10:
1. Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
2. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
4. Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
5. Chris Knight - Heart of Stone
6. Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song
7. Sun Kil Moon - April
8. Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof
9. Fleet Foxes - s/t
10. Bruce Robison - The New World

Loon said...

Interesting that your top two are touring together.

While I am unable to be familiar enough with 60+ CDs to rate them, of the ones I am familiar with:
1. Kathleen Edwards - she is just so talented and cool, my favorite female artist.
2. Alejandro Escovedo - a great, multi-dimensional album.
3. Drive-by Truckers - another
great collection of stories.

On my "Need to buy" list are Tift Merrit, Old 97's and Lucinda Williams. (Where is she on here?)

I have always loved Del McCoury and also Rhonda Vincent for old-time Bluegrass.

I heard the Sparrow Quartet on World Cafe and they were fascinating - I need to hear more!

Love your list!


The Loon from http://landoloon.blogspot.com/

Chip Frazier said...

My list was through releases of 8-19 so Bruce Robison and Lucinda Williams weren't on here yet but I feel will be.

Also Langhorne Slim came close but it didn't quite make it. I really like it though.

Anonymous said...

Where's Slim Whitman (IV's
black sheep cousin)
when we need him !!!

Fish

Trip McClatchy said...

Great site - based on your list I'd bet you'd love The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem. It's a top 5 for me.