Best of 2010

In most years, the best part of undertaking the task of creating a best of list, is highlighting the emerging artists that were unearthed. That was not the case in 2010. It was a year of the tried and true. It was like the a pair of worn out jeans you can't replace, because they are perfectly broken in and comfortable.

There were some good finds, like The Constellations and Phosphorescent. While Austin Collins is not a new name, he firmly established himself with the infectious "Wrong Control". However, my list for 2010 is primarily populated with the familiar, like Old 97's, Patty Griffin and Alejandro Escovedo. The album of the year is Robert Plant's "Band of Joy". Robert Plant is as familiar as it gets. So look at the list below and give me your feedback, whether bad or good, I can take it.

1 Robert Plant-Band of Joy

2 Old 97's-The Grand Theater Vol. One

3 Patty Griffin-Downtown Church

4 Austin Collins-Wrong Control

5 Paul Thorn-Pimps & Preachers

6 Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses-Junky Star

7 Alejandro Escovedo-Street Songs of Love

8 Drive-By Truckers-The Big To-Do

9 Justin Townes Earle-Harlem River Blues

10 Crooked Still-Some Strange Country

11 Steeldrivers-Reckless Side of Me

12 Two Cow Garage-Sweet Saint Me

13 Phosphorescent-Here’s to Taking it Easy

14 Constellations-Southern Gothic

15 Dierks Bentley-Up On The Ridge

16 Marty Stuart-Studio B Sessions

17 Eleven Hundred Springs-This Crazy Life

18 Reckless Kelly-Somewhere In Time

19 John Hiatt-The Open Road

20 Jason & The Scorchers-Halcyon Times

21 Chattam County Line-Wildwood

22 Grace Potter & the Nocturnals-Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

23 Bobby Bare Jr.-A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head

24 Elliot Randall & The Deadmen-Caffeine & Gasoline

25 Infamous Stringdusters-Things That Fly

26 Jesse Malin & the St. Mark's Social-Love It To Life

27 The Gaslight Anthem-American Slang

28 Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs-God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise

29 Pat Anderson -Magnolia Road

30 Railroad Earth-Railroad Earth

31 Ray Wylie Hubbard-A Enlightenment B Endarkenment Hint There Is No C

32 Carrie Rodriguez-Love And Circumstance

33 Dale Watson-Carryin' On

34 Honey Child-Nearer the Earth

35 The Hold Steady-Heaven is Wherever

35 Tim O'Brien-Chicken & Egg

37 Elizabeth Cook-Welder

38 Cherryholmes-IV

39 Willie Nelson-Country Music

40 Los Lobos-Tin Can Trust

41 Steel Wheels-Red Wing

42 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists-The Brutalist Bricks

43 Yarn-Come On In

44 Merle Haggard-I Am What I Am

45 Jim Lauderdale-Patchwork River

46 Tift Merritt-See You On The Moon

47 Great American Taxi -Reckless Habits

48 Jesse Dayton-One for the Dance Halls

49 Pete Yorn-Pete Yorn

50 Kasey Anderson-Nowhere nights

Signposts: Along the Information Super Highway

Cold War Kids - "Something Is Not Right With Me", the first single off the second album, Loyalty to Loyalty, is streaming now on
MySpace The song will be available as a free download on RCRDLBL.com starting Thursday July 24.

Teddy Thompson, who released his 4th studio album, A Piece Of What You Need, last month, has a new video for his single "In My Arms." Teddy is the son of British folk icons Richard and Linda Thompson. This is a great song!

Check out more songs from the Album on MySpace

The Hold Steady's Craig Finn's Top 10 Pet Peeves on The DL

The Old 97's on The DL

WIDESPREAD PANIC TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE GEORGIA MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Frrom their publicist:

Athens, Ga. , July 18, 2008 - Widespread Panic will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame at the 30th Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Show on Saturday, September 20th in Atlanta , GA. The show will broadcast live on Georgia Public Broadcasting and will include a special performance from the b and . Past inductees include Georgia musicians including Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, R.E.M., and the Allman Brothers B and as well as industry professionals such as music attorney Joel Katz and record label owner Antonio “L.A.” Reid. "Sharing this honor... with so many of our greatest musical influences, is something I'm sure none of the B and members imagined when we first started making music together. September 20th is going to be a truly special day for the entire Widespread Panic Family," says John Bell, vocalist and founding member of Widespread Panic.

Kelly gives us 2 new genres on Twangville/Gobblers Knob and while you are there check out Tom's Mixtape

BEST OF 2008 SO FAR

This is my third list of the year. It is based on releases through June 17th. The Truckers are still number one and it will take a great album to knock them off the pedestal. The highest debut is Old 97's at #4. Other notable debuts are My Morning Jacket at #8, Sonny Landreth at #11 and John Hiatt at #14. 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) Tift Merrit - Another Country
3) Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
4) Old 97's - Blame it on Gravity
5) The Waybacks - Loaded
6) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
7) Shawn Mullins - Honeydew
8) My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
9) The Whigs - Mission Control
10) Ashton Shepherd - Sounds so Good
11) Sonny Landreth - From the Reach
12) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
13) Griffin House - Flying Upside Down
14) John Hiatt - Same Old Man
15) The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
16) The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
17) Band of Heathens - Self-Titled
18) John D. Hale - Lost
19) The Waifs - Sundirtwater
20) Gary Louris - Vagabonds
21) Sierra Hull - Secrets
22) South Austin Jug Band - Strange Invitation
23) Eleven Hundred Springs - Country Jam
24) Jim Lauderdale - Honey Songs
25) Black Crowes - Warpaint
26) Del McCoury Band - Moneyland
27) Chatham County Line - IV
28) Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet - Self-Titled
29) Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
30) R.E.M. - Accelerate
31) Railroad Earth - Amen Corner
32) Widespread Panic - Free Somehow
33) Jeb Loy Nichols - Days are Mighty
34) Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
35) Mando Saenz - Bucket
36) The Weepies - Hideaway
37) Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
38) North Mississippi All-Stars - Hernando
39) Ralston Bowles - Rally at the Texas Hotel
40) Tim O'brien - Chameleon
41) Paul Thorn - Long Way from Tupelo
42) George Strait - Troubadour
43) American Gun - The Mean and the Machine
44) Wes Charlton - World on Fire
45) Twilight Hotel - Highway Prayer
46) Black Mountain - In the Future
47) Rhonda Vincent - Good Thing Goin'
48) Carlene Carter - Stronger
49) James McMurtry - Just us Kids
50) Jackie Greene - Giving Up the Ghost
51) Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
52) Austin Collins - Roses are Black
53) Langhorne Slim - Self-Titled
54) The Hollyfelds - Saratoga
55) Malcom Holcombe - Gamblin' House
56) Jason Collett - Here's to Being There
57) Ben Sollee - Learning to Bend
58) Firewater - The Golden Hour
59) Tab Benoit - Night Train to Nashville
60) Marah - Angels of Destruction

Settin'' the Woods on Fire: This Week's Charts

This is a periodic feature in which I post on AWT the top albums and debuts in the airplay charts from Americana Music Assoc., XM Cross Country and FMQB Non-Commercial Adult Alternative chart. I haven't posted the charts in six weeks because there was not a ton of movement for a while. Now that here have been a rash of Spring releases things are shaken up a bit. Links to all of these charts are found to the right in the AWT favorite links list.

Americana Music Association - Airplay Week of May 19th
1) Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
2) James McMurtry - Just us Kids
3) Van Morrison - Keep it Simple
4) Paul Thorn - A Long Way from Tupelo
5) Old 97's - Blame it on Gravity
6) Tim O'Brien - Chameleon
7) John Hiatt- Same Old Man
8) Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
9) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
10) Waybacks - Loaded

Debuts
Railroad Earth - Amen Corner

XM Ch.12 Cross Country - Cross Checking week of May 19th
1) James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
2) Waybacks - Loaded
3) Shurman - Waiting For The Sunset
4) Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players - Honey Songs
5) Carlene Carter - Stronger
6) Stone Coyotes - VIII
7) Matt King - Rube
8) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
9) Tim O'Brien - Chameleon
10)Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers

Debuts
47) Girls, Guns & Glory - Inverted Valentine
48) Guy Forsyth - Calico Girl

FMQB AAA Non-Commercial - Airplay Week of May 19th

1) DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Narrow Stairs
2) OLD 97S - Blame It On Gravity
3) R.E.M. - Accelerate
4) ELVIS COSTELLO - Momofuku
5) BLACK KEYS - Magic Potion
6) COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida
7) AIMEE MANN - Smilers
8) JACKIE GREENE - Giving Up The Ghost
9) STEVE WINWOOD - Nine Lives
10) VAN MORRISON - Keep it Simple

Debuts:
24) James Hunter the Hard Way
25) Mason Jennings - In the Ever

Fresh Thoughts on the New Old 97s

The Old 97s are one of my favorite bands. Maybe even my fovorite. A lot of people are saying the new CD Blame it on Gravity is recapturing their early sound. In fact that has been the tone of most of the reviews I've seen. I don't disagree with that point. However, this album is more than that. It is fresh also. This is no attempt to reproduce early works. What makes Gravity so refreshing to me is that it captures both sides of the band. The first side is the band that made the ground breaking Alt-Country album Too Far to Care. The other side is the band that made one of the best all time Power Pop albums Sattelite Rides. These two sides merge on Gravity and show the OLD 97s are not standing still and certainly are not going backwards. They are reborn and entering a new stage of their career. I for one can't wait to see where it goes.

I would be interested to see what you think. Join the conversation below.

Signposts: Along the Information Super Highway

Here is what som of my blogger friends are covering:

Check out the Old 97s Review on Twangville.

Erica Says:

(Blame it in Gravity) merges the big Johnny Cash-guitar twangy feel that was so prevalent in earlier records like my all-time favorite Wreck Your Life as well as the more straight-ahead Brit Pop twangy feel found on Satellite Rides. The 97s finally seem to realize that you can go home again, and by incorporating the person you used to be with the person you have become, the two halves can create a solid whole that endures

Read Americana Roots review of the New Sierra Hull

Sierra Hull is poised to make a huge impact on the modern bluegrass scene. One can only wonder how she can continue to improve with experience. We should all enjoy this.

Matt at The 9513 says of Ashton Shepherd and her song "Sounds So Good"

Sincerity courses and pulsates through this song. Just as Travis described love in the only words that a country boy understands, Shepherd lovingly sings her life’s soundtrack in a voice imbued with honest, lived experiences

Upcoming Release Highlights - May

May 6th:

Jeb Loy Nichols - Days are Mighty. I will have a full post on this the next few days.

Sierra Hull - Closer. I've written about her before. This 16 year old virtuoso will release her Rounder debut. A Bluegrass who's who guests on the album and Ron Block (Alison Krauss & Union Station) produces.

Liste on MySpace

May 13th:

Old 97s - Blame it on Gravity. Nothing else will matter to me on that day.

Stubbs BBQ SXSW 2008:
MySpace


May 20th:

Cory Morrow - Vagrants & Kings You can listen to He Carries Me and Pre-Order on his website.

Sonny Landreth - From the Reach Sonny’s new album is an album of duets. It will feature guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Vince Gill, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Dr. John and Jimmy Buffett.

Live at Crossroads Music Fest with Clapton:

Sonny Landreth: 'Hell At Home'

May 27th:

John Hiatt - Same Old Man. Another day where nothing else matters.
MySpace

Old 97's Album out May 13

The Old 97’s will release their latest album Blame It On Gravity May 13 on New West Records. According to Paste, they returned to their roots in Dallas to record the album and are trying to recaoture the feel of their debut album.

Say no more you had me at new album.

The Basement - Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs

The Basement generated a lot of hype among the UK press before they released their first album. Early singles hinted at something special and they generated quite a following among fans. For some reason the buzz has been a little slower to build in the US, but they have released their first US CD on Zealous Records, Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs. A recent article in No Depression should help also. The album is an instant classic mixing Americana influenced Roots Rock with British influenced Pop. The songs by the Irish born Liverpool based quartet are infectious. The album bridges a gap between their British and Irish upbringing and Americana Twang. It is evocative of the way Gram Parsons tried to fuse rock and country in his day. In fact you could alter Gram’s description of his own music slightly and call it “Cosmic British-American Music.”

The album starts out with the Alt-Country of “Do You Think Your Moving On.” Other songs like “Summertimes” have more of a Pop style. The Basement is influenced by Old 97s as can be heard on 2 tracks in particular, “When Tomorrow Comes” sounds like Satellite Rides Pop, while “Just a Dream” is redolent of earlier Old 97s. One of the band’s key attributes is the ability to sound upbeat even when using melancholy lyrics.

Check out some of their music:
http://www.zealousrecords.com/thebasementplayer/index.html

This review also appears on: http://twangville.com