AWT - Best of 2012

As it seems to be the case every year, there was way too much good music produced in 2012. I try hard to keep up with new releases, but it is often at the expense of time that would otherwise be spent on my favorites. However, for the purpose of  "cussing and discussing" here is my attempt to rank my favorite albums of 2012:

1. Chris Knight - Little Victories:  This may be a bit of a surprise, but this album really meant something to me. There is an honest and heartfelt message of perseverance and hope. His message of survival in hard times derives from his roots. Plus he calls Little Debbies groceries, and that puts "Little Victories" over the top.

2. The Lumineers - Self-Titled: The way they took the musical world by storm is really amazing. Hype usually turns me off. In this case I am glad to see that a group that can put together a body of excellent songs can get this much notice.

3. Mindy Smith - Self-Titled: A brilliant singer-songwriter released what is perhaps the best album of her career. Her lyrics are  moving and profound, but it is her rich vocals and passion give life to her words.

4: Sons of Bill - Sirens: The song "Santa Anna Winds" hooked me on my first listen. Every song after that kept me listening. A true Americana Rock masterpiece. The Sons of Bill  have an almost universal appeal.

5.Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls: I could almost say "See The Lumineers above". The Shakes also came out of nowhere to receive a lot of fan fare. They recorded in and hail from the Muscle Shoals area, and the geographic influence shines forth. Their music is both Southern and Soulful, with a balanced mix of tempo.

6. Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale - Buddy and Jim: These old friends should have recorded together a long time ago. Let's hope there is more to come.

7. Mumford and Sons - Babel: They set the bar high on their previous released. On this release, they raised it. I can't wait to see what they do next.

8. Tift Merrit - Travelling Alone: "Bramble Rose" and "Another Country" are two of my favorite female Singer-Songwriter albums. She may have beat them both this time around.

9. Shovels and Rope - O be Joyful: I was joyful from the first listen. Every song is excellent. They take traditional Americana and make it feel like Rock.

10. Corb Lund - Cabin Fever: Pure Country from rural Canada. The duet with Hays Carll, "Bible on the Dash", and "Gothest Girl I Can" are also the two funniest songs of the year

The next Ten:

11. Steep Canyon Rangers - Nobody Knows You
12. Wrinkle Neck Mules - Apprentice to Ghosts
13. The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter
14. Jack White - Blunderbuss
15. Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's gonna change the way
16. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
17. Dr. Dog - Be the Void
18. Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back
19. Ryan Bingham - Tommorrowland
20. Whispering Pines - Self-Titled

To compare this list to my compadres at Twangville  Click Here

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

Chris Knight - Heart of Stone

Suffice it to say that Chris Knight knows what Nashville has forgotten, that country music is the original narrative of the common man. It grew out of the Great Depression and forged a transcendent bond with its' fans. Country music turned the struggles of rural America into poetry that helped ease the pain of fans for decades. Knight hasn't forgotten the ability of music to sing to the soul of listeners. Probably because he is from coal mining country in Kentucky, which has been in economic upheaval as the rest of America has prospered. Dr. Phil and Deepak Chopkra do not resonate with someone who loses their job or their land or perhaps both. However, the songs on Heart of Stone will speak to them.

There is a certain moral code on this album. Even when times are hard Knight does not glorify people who lose their perspective. Hard times are no excuse to cook meth in your basement ("Hell Ain't Half Full"), or abandon your family ("Heart of Stone"). Conversly he also sings about hope on "Something to Keep Me Going." The power of faith and the fight to keep it is at the heart of "Crooked Road." The latter song is gut wrenching and powerful. In this one song, Knight goes through a lifetime of complex emotions with the central character, who is emerging from the depths with an eye on the future but carrying the scars of the past.

This record also rocks. Knight returned to work with Dan Baird of Georgia Satellites, who produced Pretty Good Guy and The Jealous Kind. In fact, the album comes out of the gate rocking on "Homesick Gypsy." Another great rocker is the song "Another Dollar" that addresses the greed in our society. When people talk about the great songwriters they need to include Chris knight in the conversation. His body of work has earned him that distinction. He certainly sings to the common man in the manner of Cash and Haggard. The album releases on August 19th.



This review also appears on Twangville

We Can't Make it Here Anymore

DEL MCCOURY AND FRIENDS PAY TRIBUTE TO THE STRUGGLES OF RURAL AMERICA

Del McCoury has put out a compilation project that sings about the plight of rural America. The album enlists a stellar group of artists to tell this story. Moneyland, which is also the name of the title cut, invokes the spirit of FDR and his New Deal to tell this story. The first and last cut on the album are excerpts from a couple of FDR’s famous fireside chats, which makes this the first and likely last album review I will do which includes tracks by a dead president. Speaking of dead presidents, money is really the central subject on this project. Every song is really about either the lust for or lack of money, as the greedy are pushing the less fortunate to the margins, especially in rural America.

The songs and musicianship are as compelling as concept. The Del McCoury Band brings two original songs to the table. The first is the title cut "Moneyland" and the other is the hilarious "40 Acres and a Fool," about a new money poser. Country Music Hall of Famer Merle Haggard supplies the 1973 classic "If We Make It Through December" and the more recent "What Happened?," which appeared on his McCoury Music bluegrass debut of last year. The project also includes Emmylou Harris's and Rodney Crowell's glistening take on his "Mama's Hungry Eyes," Dan Tyminski's 2001 recording of "Carry Me Across The Mountain," based on a true Depression era story and Haggard and Marty Stuart's searing "Farmer's Blues." Chris Knight's "A Train Not Running," a more recent tale of economic devastation, is almost painful to listen to but is too compelling to skip.

The album will release on July 8th. The best way to sum it up is in Del's own words. "It's sad to me that country kids can't stay in their hometowns any more. There's no opportunity, there are no jobs, there's just nothing. And at the other end of life, there are a lot of people losing the pensions they worked for-that happened to my wife, Jean-and there are more people relying on Social Security than ever. You know, we have a little fun on this album with that Beatles song, 'When I'm 64,' but really, it's no joke. It used to seem like 60 was really old, but nowadays, it feels more like middle age, and to have a lot of years ahead of you without being sure that what you spent a lifetime working for, like a pension or Social Security, is going to be there-well, that just doesn't seem right... That hillbilly boy in Appalachia and that farm boy in the midwest and that black kid in the inner city, they're all looking for the same thing: a way out and up. One of these days, those kids are going to start working together on their common problems-and when they do, they'll fix them." I hope so Del.