I made a list of my personal 'the best' music releases last year so have decided to repeat the process for 2012. It is fascinating to do. First and foremost, it forces you to select, but in doing so to also realise just how much music was released [obviously, but phenomenally, this is only a fraction here] and also how much of that is a 'favourite' as well. And how much isn't. I reserve judgement, by the way, before this list is complete: there are a few releases yet to come out this month that I know I will like; and I have quite likely overlooked some that will hit me later.
For my own amusement, I will be reducing the whole list - whatever that becomes by the end of this month - to a top twenty. I didn't do this last year and thought I'd try the discipline. For any regular readers, I still have my Top Fifty all-time albums to finish. I never find this easy having so many 'favourites'....
There are a few questions at the end of this list, for those interested.
Aerosmith - Music from
Another Dimension!
Alabama Shakes – Boys &
Girls
Angel Snow - Angel
Snow
Ash Grunwald - Trouble's
Door
Bonnie Raitt - Slipstream
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking
Ball
Cat Power – Sun
Cee Cee James - Blood
Red Blues
Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Big Moon Ritual/The Magic Door
Chris Smither - Hundred
Dollar Valentine
Cody ChesnuTT - Landing
On a Hundred
Dan Bern – Doubleheader
Donald Fagen - Sunken
Condos
Dry the River - Shallow
Bed
Duke Special - Oh
Pioneer
Dwight Yoakam - 3
Pears
Dylan LeBlanc - Cast
the Same Old Shadow
Eric Bibb - Deeper In
The Well
Eric Steckel – Dismantle
The Sun
Father John Misty – Fear
Fun
Field Report - Field
Report
Grant-Lee Phillips - Walking
in the Green Corn
Greg Brown - Hymns To
What Is Left
Gregory Porter - Be
Good
Grizzly Bear – Shields
Guillemots - Hello
Land!
Habib Koite & Eric Bibb - Brothers In Bamako
Howlin Rain - The
Russian Wilds
Iris DeMent - Sing the
Delta
Jimmy Cliff - Rebirth
Joe Bonamassa - Driving
Towards the Daylight
Joshua James - From
the Top of Willamette Mountain
Joss Stone - The Soul
Sessions Vol. 2
Kelly Joe Phelps - Brother
Sinner and The Whale
King Creosote - I
Learned From The King
Kurt Elling - 1619
Broadway The Brill Building Project
Lianne La Havas - Is
Your Love Big Enough
Lionel Richie – Tuskegee
Loudon Wainwright III - Older
Than My Old Man Now
Lucy Kaplansky – Reunion
Mark Eitzel - Don't Be
a Stranger
Mark Lanegan Band - Blues
Funeral
Martha Wainwright - Come
Home to Mama
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Ashes
and Roses
Matraca Berg - Love's
Truck Stop
Mississippi Bones – Tracks
Muse - The 2nd Law
Neneh Cherry & The Thing - The Cherry Thing
Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry
Me Back
Outlaws - It´s About
Pride
Peter Hammill - Consequences
Rickie Lee Jones - The
Devil You Know
Rival Sons - Head Down
Rufus Wainwright - Out
of the Game
Ry Cooder - Election
Special
Sena Ehrhardt- Leave
The Light On
Simo - Simo
Simon McBride – Crossing
the Line
Slash - Apocalyptic
Love
Stone Machine - American
Honey
The Beach Boys – That’s
Why God Made the Radio
The Big Eyes Family Players & Friends - Folk Songs II
The Civil Wars - Barton
Hollow
The Eastern Sea – Plague
The Parlor Soldiers - When
The Dust Settles
The Jimmy Bowskill Band - Back Number
The Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania
The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No Leaving Now
The Temperance Movement - Pride [ep]
Tom Jones – Spirit in
the Room
Ty Segall – Twins
Val McCallum - At The
End Of The Day
Various Artists - This
One's For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark
Willie Nelson – Heroes
ZZ Top - La Futura
- What are the surprise inclusions?
- What are the surprise omissions?
- What do you think will be my top album for 2012?
- What is your top album of 2012?
No need to answer any of these immediately. Ruminate. Listen. Decide. Reply.
Quite surprised Lionel Richie made it into the top 20. Still ruminpatient on the other questions! I have a question for you, however- How on earth do you decide what to listen to/ review on a daily basis? There's so much out there...
ReplyDeleteHa ha-corrected 'rumInating' but it published the very odd first version!
ReplyDeleteThe LR is well-spotted. Always liked The Commodores' early stuff, some of which features on 'Tuskegee', but more attractive here is the odd marriage of two favourite genres: soul and Country, with Richie's fine vocal supported by the likes of Willie Nelson, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton. In its ridiculousness, what's not to like?! Without giving too much away, I don't, however, think it'll make my top 20.
ReplyDeleteQuite liked 'ruminpatient' which sounds like an alcoholic's nervous energy.
Sometimes I just want to listen to what I know I'm going to like; sometimes I like the surprise of exploring. I try to review what impresses [especially with contemporary music, as recommendation]. The blog's original purpose of perhaps reflecting on 'older' stuff has shifted I guess, though I return to this regularly, with a few 60s releases reviewed recently.
Cheers, Some Awe...
ReplyDeleteThe third Black Country Communion album rewards repeated listens. Much darker and more interesting than their first two.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I got The Temperance Movement's EP. Bit disappointed there is nothing else on it in the same vein as 'Only Friend.'Hopefully there will be a bit more bombast when the album comes.
Thanks for stopping by Martyn. I'll have to try BCC more, but not sure they'd make my list. But I have to admit I haven't even really given it a second proper listen, so that's not fair. Understand what you are saying about TTM - I think I probably like ballads more than you [!], but I would guess a whole album would slant more to their excellent rock. They seem to have huge potential - we'll see.
ReplyDelete