I’m not in the business of trying to convince anyone that “my” music is better than theirs. But I do love when people share their favorite songs, albums, and artists because it gives me a chance to discover something new. Something I’ve never heard before or something I had overlooked for whatever reason.
Some of those songs or artists I’ll like, some will grow on me over time, some just won’t fit my tastes, and some I’ll feel I should like but just can’t get into.
That’s the beauty of music. Like food, drinks, sports, and well, pretty much everything else, everyone’s tastes are different. That doesn’t make mine right or yours wrong, but it’s still fun to share.
My list of albums of the year isn’t meant to be the be all end all, but hopefully it can serve as a way for some of you to discover a new artist or new music heading into the new year.
5 solid albums that just missed the cut
15. Missouri Folklore: Songs & Stories – My Politic
14. The Man from Waco – Charley Crockett
13. Brady Street – Dead Horses
12. Rolling Golden Holy – Bonny Light Horseman
11. Things are Great – Band of Horses
The Top 10 Albums of the Year
10. Jeremy Todd – Jeremy Todd
Released May 27, 2022
The self-titled album from Illinois-based Jeremy Todd is a great debut for someone I can’t wait to see more of in the future. Produced by The Way Down Wanderers drummer, John Merikoski, Todd’s songs tell stories of loss and heartbreak with some humor mixed in.
I saw him open for The Way Down Wanderers this spring and was really impressed with someone I had never heard of prior to that night. His wailing voice and brilliant storytelling pair together perfectly to create a solid debut record.
9. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? – Tyler Childers
Released Sept. 30, 2022
While it’s not my favorite Tyler Childers album to date, I admire the concept of it. Despite just 8 different songs — one of which (Old Country Church) is a cover, two of which (Two Coats and Jubilee) are traditional gospel tunes, and another (Purgatory) is a new version of one of his songs — the gospel nature of them harken to his Baptist upbringing in Eastern Kentucky. Childers learned to sing in the church choir.
Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? is divided into three parts: Hallelujah, Jubilee, and Joyful Noise. Each part features the same eight songs played eight different ways — essentially, stripped down, tighter production, and with additional instruments added. The opening track, Angel Band, may just be my favorite of them all.
8. Life and Life Only – The Heavy Heavy
Released June 1, 2022
Perhaps my favorite “out of nowhere” album this year is the debut from London-based band The Heavy Heavy. Ok, so it’s only an EP and their full-length album is due out in 2023, but I’ve enjoyed it so much I had to include it this year.
Will Turner and Georgie Fuller have managed to create old school 1960s era rock and roll, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and others, but do so in a way that feels fresh and new. There’s no better example than the lead single, Miles and Miles.
7. Alpenglow – Trampled by Turtles
Released Oct 28, 2022
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Trampled by Turtles. I see them live every chance I get, including this past August in Evanston. There, they performed songs from their upcoming album, Alpenglow, that were already in my heavy rotation. It’s So Hard to Hold On and Burlesque Desert Window sound like classic TBT songs, as do Central Hillside Blues and On the Highway.
All that said, the overproduction brought forth by Wildo’s Jeff Tweedy, who produced the album, is the only thing keeping it from being higher than 7th on my list. One of the most endearing aspects of TBT is their distinct lack of overproduction, and while the songs themselves are good — and will be great live — the recorded album doesn’t stand up to others in their repertoire.
6. Crooked Tree – Molly Tuttle & The Golden Highway
Released April 1, 2022
The first album by Molly Tuttle and her backing band The Golden Highway, Crooked Tree is quite simply a fantastic bluegrass album. Tuttle has put out her own “singer-songwriter” albums and collaborated with others, but Crooked Tree is her emergence onto the stage as a force to be reckoned with.
From the female empowerment tune She’ll Change (which she wrote with Old Crow Medicine Crow’s Ketch Secor) all the way through to the bonus tracks, including a cover of The Grateful Dead’s Dire Wolf, Crooked Tree features brilliant songwriting, great supporting musicians — Old Crow, Gillian Welch, Billy Strings — and an hour worth of fantastic music.
5. This Mess We’re In – Arlo McKinley
Released July 15, 2022
One of my favorite artists that I’ve discovered over the past couple of years is Arlo McKinley. I already loved his previous albums, Arlo McKinley & the Lonesome Sound (2014) and Die Midwestern (2020), and This Mess We’re In continues the upward trajectory.
Like Childers, the Cincinnati, Ohio native McKinley grew up singing in the church choir. His distinctive voice is one that immediately draws attention before you even get to the lyrics. Contrary to what I said about Trampled by Turtles’ album above, I like that This Mess We’re In is more polished than McKinley’s previous recordings. That’s likely because I haven’t seen him live yet, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is a damn good collection of 11 tracks.
4. Lavender Days – Caamp
Released June 24, 2022
Perhaps the most mainstream band on the list, Caamp has risen fast from their self-titled debut in 2016 to 2019’s By and By, drawing festival headliner gigs and a strong following. Lavender Days lived up to its highly anticipated release — the first since the band “made it”.
Like McKinley, Caamp lead man Taylor Meier features a notable voice and the third album shows growth both lyrically and musically. Apple Tree Blues, Found (Forever), Lavender Girl, and All My Lonesome are fantastic.
3. I Walked With You a Ways – Plains
Released Oct 14, 2022
Disclaimer: Anything Katie Crutchfield touches is gold in my books. This year, she joined forces with Jess Williamson to form a duo called Plains. The idea was to create an old school country album and that’s just what I Walked With You a Ways is. Reminiscent of 1990s Dixie Chicks, the album is solid all the way through, perfectly showcasing their individual talents — both as singers and songwriters — and combined harmonies.
I got to see them live on my birthday at The Vic in Chicago, just a month after the album released, and the live performance only reinforced just how good it is. While it may be short lived as they go back to their respective solo gigs, it’s an album that will hold up over time.
2. Goodbye – The Ghost of Paul Revere
Released Sept 2, 2022
While many of the albums on my list are debuts, this one, like its title, is just the opposite — it’s a goodbye album. After three studio albums spanning nearly a decade, Maine-based band The Ghost of Paul Revere called it quits with one last surprise recording. The band’s annual music festival, Ghostland, was their final performance, but in dropping Goodbye on the eve of the show, they gave fans one final gift.
From the opener, At Least I Know It’s True, to In Deep and Letters from the War of Love and Loss, to the final track, Goodbye, the album is distinctly them and serves as a poignant love letter as they ride off into the sunset.
1. Zach Bryan – American Heartbreak & Summertime Blues
Released May 20, 2022 and July 15, 2022
I usually adhere to the notion of ‘quality over quantity’ but somehow Zach Bryan manages to do both. Because of that, he’s the only thing standing in the way of The Ghost of Paul Revere being #1 on my list. I saw Bryan at Hinterland in 2021, before I even knew who he was. It took until this summer to dive headfirst into his music, and to be honest, I haven’t stopped.
American Heartbreak is 34 songs deep and stands on its own. His EP, Summertime Blues, has just nine songs but is just as good. Add in the live album, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live from Red Rocks), that Bryan dropped on Christmas Day, and he’s far and away earned the top spot on this year’s list.
We would love to hear what albums topped your list this year. Share in the comments below.
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