Top 10 CDs of 2019

Here we are again, me, my wife, my mom, and you, yes you. You took the time to click on a link to see what this old washed-up singer/songwriter was listening to in 2019. Looking back at my blog, if you can still call it that, this is my 10^th year of posting a Top 10 list. There are some familiar faces here, but, like always, some new artists moved me this year.

Like previous years, I’ve got rules and shit. Number one rule: I had to actually purchase the CD. If I didn’t love it enough to own it, then it is not list worthy. Seems pretty logical to me. I know you streamers, who cannot wrap your head around buying an album, are #SYDHs, to which I say, GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!! This is my list, after all. The other rules, with no particular weight, include: how often I listened to the album; how good the artist can pull it off live (yes; I know that doesn’t seem to fit an album review, but, again, it’s my list, and I do what I want up in this piece); quality of recording; strength of lyrics; no EPs; no live albums – it has to be new music, if an artist did a live CD of all new songs, I would consider it; and, for artists that have multiple albums under their belts, how this album compares to their other work.

With the nitty gritty out of the way, I wanted to just mention Homecoming by Beyonce. It’s a live recording from Coachella, not new material; therefore, it cannot be in the running for my Top 10, but, come on, Beyonce at Coachella, with a drumline. The performance was masterful, and the recording is incredible. It deserves to be owned by all. 

Alright, let’s dive in…

#10 – City and Colour – A Pill for Loneliness

I am pretty sure every recording Dallas Green has done since I started doing these Top 10s has made the list. I have a tattoo that pays homage to Sometimes for fuck’s sake. He is brilliant with the voice of an angel. No one. And I mean NO ONE can duplicate the purity of his falsetto, and his instrumentation is always inspiring. The recording is a thing of beauty, the placement of the instruments, the harmonies, the explosions of sound that create interesting sonic layers. It is exactly as it is billed, a pill for loneliness. When I wake-up, and I am just not feeling it, I get it spinning and, immediately, I feel comforted.

#9 – Joseph – Good Luck, Kid

I am a SUCKER for harmonies, if you’ve ever read any of my Top 10s or followed my Facebook Music Page where I post what I am listening to daily, you know this. When the singers are related, the harmonies are always the best. I cannot explain it, but there is something about the shared experiences dancing with shared genetics that makes them glorious. Enter Joseph. Three sisters. Two of them twins. Yeah; glorious. Good Luck, Kid represents real growth for the band. I’m Alone, You’re Not, their 2016 effort always seemed overproduced to me. It didn’t seem authentic. It didn't sound as incredible as they do live, but this album really displays the strength of the unit without overwhelming it with slick production. Lyrically they have always been strong. They provide very personal stories that have universal appeal. Thirteen tracks and not one of them seems forced (Yeah you read that right; 13. In the age of the 7 song CD, they gave us 13). “Green Eyes” stands out to me. The build into the chorus gets me jazzed every time.

#8 – Norah Jones – Begin Again

I mean, it’s Norah Jones. Can Norah put out of flop? I do not think so. She is a genius. She is an incredible musician, lyricist, and singer, and she knows no boundaries. Her creativity is limitless. My only knock on this recording is it is only seven songs. I want more! But the seven songs are so damn strong it could not be denied. I am listening to it as type. My mind is fully engaged, and my ass is busting a move in my chair, feet all tapping and shit. When well written words are married to music that causes your body to move involuntarily, you know you’ve done something right. “Wintertime” may be a perfect song. The instrumentation is tastefully offered with amazing spacing, allowing breath, and the words weave a blanket we can all use to keep us warm.

#7 – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land

Y’all, Clark is a master musician. He plays with an honesty that most of us can only dream of achieving, and he will not allow himself to be boxed in by Blues norms. Yes, he is a Blues musician, but he is pushing those boundaries, and hopefully attracting new artists to the genre. This Land will go down as one of the best protests albums of the 45 era. I could say so much about Clark and this recording, but I want to save the space so you can read the lyrics for “This Land.”

Paranoid and pissed off
Now that I got the money
Fifty acres and a model A
Right in the middle of Trump country
I told you there goes a neighborhood
Now mister Williams ain't so funny
I see you looking out your window
Can't wait to call the police on me

When I know you think I'm up to something
I'm just eating out but still hungry
And this is my analogy
I ain't even near you can't 'til you put me
I remember when you used to tell me

Nigga run, nigga run
Go back where you come from
Nigga run, nigga run
Go back where you come from
We don't want, we don't want your kind
We think you's a dog born
Fuck you, I'm America's son
This is where I come from

This land is mine
This land is mine
This land is mine
This land is mine

Up 'til the sun comes up
No I can't stop grinding
And I can't let 'em break me
No I can't let 'em find me
You can meet my friend the governor
Only if you wanna try me
Or you can meet my other friend the judge
Just in case you think I'm lying

And I know you think I'm up to something
I'm just eating out but still hungry
And this is my analogy
I ain't leaving here you can't take it from me
I remember when you used to tell me

Nigga run, nigga run
Go back where you come from
Nigga run, nigga run
Go back where you come from
We don't want, we don't want your kind
We think you's a dog born
Fuck you, I'm America's son
This is where I come from

This land is mine
This land is mine
This land is mine
(This land is mine)

This land is mine (this land is)
This land is mine (this land is)
This land is mine (this land is)
This land is mine (this land is)

#6 – Brittany Howard – Jaime

Brittany Howard cannot be contained; she is a force of nature that knows no master. Jaime is the height of artistic expression. The recording serves up so many courses for hungry ears. It perfectly balances modern production and vintage instrumentation, never allowing one to dominate the other. Her voice is as powerful as ever, and her story is more honest than ever. “Georgia” opened my eyes and allowed me to get a little closer to this songwriter that I have respected for so many years while “Goat Head” reminded me that there is still a lot of work to be done on this American experiment.

See, tomatoes are green

And cotton is white

My heroes are black

So why God got blue eyes?

My daddy, he stayed

My grandmama's a maid

My mama was brave

To take me outside

'Cause mama is white

And daddy is black

When I first got made

Guess I made these folks mad

See, I know my colors, see

But what I wanna know is...

Who slashed my dad's tires and put a goat head in the back?

I guess I wasn't s'posed to know that, too bad

I guess I'm not 'posed to mind 'cause I'm brown, I'm not black

But who said that?

See, I'm black, I'm not white

But I'm that, nah, nah, I'm this, right?

I'm one drop of three-fifths, right?

#5 – Son Volt – Union

Son Volt, like City and Colour, is one of those bands that always makes the list when they drop a CD, largely based on the strength of Jay Farrar’s lyrics. In my opinion, Jason Isbell, Jay Farrar, and Benjamin Gibbard are the best lyricists of the generation. Union is the quintessential protest album, and Farrar is able to accomplish that without beating the listener over the head with obvious phrases. Sometimes you need a “Fuck you I’m America’s son” and sometimes you need a “They can fill up the jails but it won't make a dent, the sins don't wash away in the sea of discontent,” from “The 99.” Like all of Son Volt’s recordings, this latest album is clean. The production is timeless. The instruments are well placed in the mix with throaty and twangy guitars being featured throughout. The vocals sit upfront, and the harmonies help fill the space beneath. The groove on “Broadsides” is probably my favorite of the album. It’s one of those that just impels you to make a stank face while your body gyrates.

#4 – Andrea von Kampen – Old Country

For most of the year, this album sat at #1. I absolutely love von Kampen’s voice. Her YouTube presence is incredible, dropping multiple live videos making it clear she is the real deal. If I wrote this list next week, she may move back up. The top four are always so fickle. Day to day. After Another Day, Desdemona, and an amazing Audiotree recording, Old Country finally gave us what we have been waiting for, for years, a full disc. Eight songs to sink our teeth into, and they did not disappoint. Not one throwaway in the bunch. What I love most about this recording is it is understated. In the age of electronics and big production, von Kampen stays true to her Americana roots, highlighting the beautiful tones of real instruments that help to showcase her lyrics and incredibly pure vocals.

#3 – Beth Bombara – Evergreen

I always feel somewhat strange about including artists that I actually know, like somehow it invalidates the strength of the recording, but I defy you to find a better recorded CD in 2019. The production on Evergreen is the shit I dream about. The layers are tasty. The vocals are perfectly placed. The harmonies are so beautifully positioned that you don’t even realize they are there unless you are really, really, listening for them. The guitar tones drop my jaw and weaken my knees. Maybe it’s because Evergreen sits in my musical wheelhouse, but damn it I love this CD, and I have been publicly gushing about it since it dropped. It’s a toe tapper. It’s sultry. It’s a showcase of great songwriting and musicianship. It’s everything a timeless CD should be.

#2 – Black Pumas – Black Pumas

Y’all this CD came out of no where for me. I hadn’t even heard of the Black Pumas. I was just using YouTube to listen to music while I was getting shit done at work, and ol’ YT decided I needed to hear “Colors,” and I did. They are a merger of everything I really love about music. So much diversity and soul, paying homage to the past, but pushing the music forward. Marvelous musicianship and songs that actually say something. You can dance to it, get butt-ass naked and make love to it, or just chill while sipping on a nice glass of Woodford Reserve, allowing the sounds to sooth your soul. Hell, if you are really skilled, you could probably push play on Black Pumas, get butt-ass naked and make love while sipping on some Woodford. It’s your world. You do you, just make sure you give this one a spin.

#1.2 – Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)

1.2, you may be saying. Well, I just realized Cuz I Love You was released in 2019. Some singles from the album were release much earlier, so it seems like it has been out forever. Despite bending my own damn rules, I am including it because it is too damn good. “Tempo” is my jam of the year. When I am really wanting to get down, I put that bad boy on and just love life. The thing that is so great about Lizzo is she has broad appeal. I cannot count how many times I have been carting members of my son’s 4^th grade football team around and we are all breaking it down to this album. You want to have a good time. You want to dance your ass off. You want to appreciate an incredible musician that is totally authentic and inspiring, put in some Lizzo and try not to bounce. 

#1.1 – Ex:Re – Ex:Re

Those that are really connected to me saw this coming. Unlike Black Pumas, Bombara, City and Colour, Son Volt, and von Kampen who all make music similar to the music I make, I have no idea how Elena Tonra does it. It’s not just the instrumentation or the the downbeat, it’s her phrasing, her control. It's the sparseness. She is able to get so much out of every beat, every syllable. No CD got more play from me this year than Ex:Re. More than anything, I want music to make me feel, and I do not care what the emotion is, I just want real, true, emotions. I cannot listen to this album without getting all up in my feelings. While Lizzo gave me my party CD, Ex:Re gave me my I’d like a good cry CD. Lyrically it is pure poetry. I’ve listened to “The Dazzler” seven times in a row. I could put it on repeat and never tire. The images Tonra pens are vivid and heart breaking. They are everything I want.  

The night is young at the Dazzler

I spiked my own drink, took myself to bed

Alone I pondered the cheap thrills of hotels

The miniatures, the endless throwaway towels

One for my hair, one for my foot

Another for my other foot

My face, my neck, my spilt beverages

Drunk in my hotel room, I look perfect

I look like I'm 24 before I caught your coldness

God, I'm gorgeous

I keep begging for late checkouts

Let me stay here, let me live here

In room 232 till I expire, I can shower for hours

Leave the lights on, I'm not paying those bills

The neighbours are quiet, no one is back yet

I think about the falsity of hotel sex

Expensive bed sheets and the orange glowing filaments

The way you used to say you love me

In the heat of it, holiday feeling

When it wasn't over too quick

Yeah, I'll throw the TV out the window

And I'll paint the whole room gold

I'll make potions with the minibar here

Yeah, I feel unbalanced, put my feet on the walls

Trying to meet you all night, I'm not paying for calls

Oh, this is heaven

Alone

Yeah, this is living

Alone  

   

I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, but here are the other albums I purchased this year. Again, they were good enough to get beyond a simple stream, good enough that I had to own them, just not enough room in the Top 10. There may be something here you also want to check out.

  

Andrea von Kampen	Twlights & Evening Bell (EP)
Beyonce	Homecoming (Live)
Copeland	Blushing
Glen Hansard	This Wild Willing
Jesse Gannon	Jesse Gannon (EP)
Lowland Hum	Glyphonic
Maybe April	The Other Side
Patty Griffin	Patty Griffin
Sara Bareilles	Amidst the Chaos
Seth Walker	Are You Open?
Silversun Pickups	Widow's Weeds
Tank & the Bangas	Green Balloon
The Black Keys	Let's Rock
The Lumineers	III
Tool	Fear Inoculum

While I do think being a singer/songwriter affords me a certain amount of credibility, I am certainly not saying these are the only recordings worthy of listening to from 2019. I am sure many of you have different lists of great albums I should check out, so please post them in the comments. I am always open to being moved by new music. 

Until next year...