Top 10 NMFOF albums of 2017
We've reached the end of another year, and we're all another year further from our prime. But true too our mission here at New Music For Old Folks, we continue to search for the best in new music that appeals to the sensibilities of the graying and grandparents set. We may be over the hill, but that doesn't mean we have to be all about nostalgia when it comes to our music. 2017 was a very good year for this of us looking for something more than the REO Speedwagon show at the state fair.
Some of these artists are in the over 50 set themselves while others are not. We even have a pair of albums this year by a father and son. But they're all out there touring. Get out and see a show. If you know some or most of these albums good for you. You may be old, but you're not stuck in the past. If these are all news to you, listen to something new. Here's a starting point.
So, without further speech-making, here are the Top 10 (plus a list of 12 more) New Music For Old Folks albums of 2017.
1: THE NASHVILLE SOUND, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit —
Jason Isbell's previous album, Something More Than Free, topped this list in 2015, and this this one is just as good if not better. I knew we were in for something special when "Hope The High Road" was released as a single ahead of the album's release. The song's second verse pretty much summed up 2017 for a lot of us. After spending a lot of time in political discussions that devolved into bitter name calling, a lot of us have chose to take the high road instead of fighting in the ditch.
I've heard enough of the white man's blues I've sang enough about myself So if you're looking for some bad news You can find it somewhere else Last year was a son of a bitch For nearly everyone we know But I ain't fighting with you down in a ditch I'll meet you up here on the road
"If We Were Vampires" is a beautiful song song sung with Isbell's wife, Amanda Shires. The premise is that if we're immortal we can afford to take each other for granted. But given that we're not vampires we should cherish every moment together. Great sentiment.
2: TAJMO, Taj Mahal and Keb Mo — Long careers by both Taj Mahal and Keb Mo have put each in a position to do whatever he feels like, and thus year they felt like working together. The two Blues legends compliment each other well. Mahal is raucous and rambunctious. One of his live albums is called Shouting in Key. Mo is smooth and polished. They meet in the middle with an album that brings out the best in both.
3: GRAVEYARD WHISTLING, Old 97'S — Old 97's have been making records and playing live shows for a couple of decades now, and this album and the one that preceded it, Most Messed Up, have been among their best. These guys know their strengths and don't vary far from the formula. The problem is the formula really doesn't have a name. Is it Alternative Country? Not really, but there's certainly a little twang to it. It's just Texas party music, full of references to playing music, drinking too much, chasing women and the perils of occasionally catching one.
4: CHILLS & FEVER and BELLE OF THE WEST, Samantha Fish — It was a prolific year for Samantha Fish. She actually released two albums this year. Rather than choose one over the other or take up two spots in the top 10, I've listed them together. The first, Chills & Fever, is an interesting collection of rare Motown and other Soul covers with Fish's scorching guitars mixed throughout. The second album, Belle of the West, is produced by the North Mississippi All Stars' Luther Dickinson and has a completely different sound. Dickinson helps infuse his Mississippi Hill Country roots. To put out two albums that are so completely different so close together takes some guts and it leaves me wondering where Samantha Fish will go next.
5: WITH YOU IN MIND, Stanton Moore — There are arguments to be made about the best drummer working right now, but for my money it's Stanton Moore. Moore's regular gig is with the New Orleans Jam/Funk/Jazz outfit Galactic. But Moore also has quite a solo career. This album features the music of the late Allen Toussaint. Moore calls in a long list of the Crescent City's best including Cyril Neville, Trombone Shorty and Maceo Parker. But behind it all is Stanton Moore's drum kit. Listen to each song and follow the rhythms. There aren't lighting fast fills or thumping bass drums, there's just an very subtle, intricate beat that is distinctively Moore.
6: REVOLUTION COME...REVOLUTION GO, Gov't Mule — The hardest working man in the music business, Warren Haynes, found time in his schedule this year to produce an new album with his primary band, Gov't Mule. Haynes can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. This is a powerful and extensive collection of songs. But no discussion of The Mule is complete without talking about drummer Matt Abts. While Stanton Moore is subtle and intricate, Abts is pure power. He can be subtle when it's called for, but Abts shines when Haynes' tunes get heavy. Not sure how they can be my two favorite drummers, but such is taste,
7: WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, Walter Trout — Enough talk about drums. This one is all about the guitar. Trout is among the best Blues players in the world, and he's brought together some of his contemporaries to play with him here. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Sonny Landreth, Warren Haynes, Robben Ford, John Mayall and Joe Bonamassa are among those appearing on the 14 tracks. Harmonica players Charlie Musselwhite and John Nemeth also team with Trout on songs. If you love the Blues this is an album you need to own.
8: STOMPIN' GROUND, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers — Speaking of Blues lovers, Tommy Castro should be a familiar name. The San Francisco based guitarist and singer has been putting out quality work and touring almost constantly since the early 1990s. Always enfaced with a little more soul than his contemporaries, Castro has put together another great collection of upbeat and meaningful tunes. "Fear is the Enemy" is a highlight.
9: KIDS IN THE STREET, Justin Townes Earle — Youth wins the day here as Justin beats out his father, Steve Earle's release this year for a spot in the top 10. Nothing against dad's effort, but this is an excellent collection of songs from the son. Though you'd never know it from the expression on his face on the album cover, this is an upbeat album, especially by Justin Townes Earle standards. "Brooding" is a decent one-word description of a lot of JTE's previous work. That's not a knock, brooding has it's place. But this album is giddy by comparison. A nice change.
10: NEW WORLD ARISIN', Big Head Todd and The Monsters — Big Head Todd & The Monsters have been putting out music and touring since the late 1980s. After building a following with songs like "Bittersweet" and "Broken-Hearted Savior," the band produced more than a few very good straight Blues albums during this century. New World Arisin' splits the difference. You can still hear the Blues influences, but the Pop sensibilities have crept back into the music. That's not a bad thing. There's something to be said for a well-crafted pop song and this album is full of them. The musicianship is still excellent and the tunes are catchy. Listen to "Damaged One" and then "Long Coal Train." You get a Bluesy Pop tune and then a Poppy Blues tune.
A DOZEN MORE: Joy Comes Back, Ruthie Foster; Lay it on Down, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band; Pick Your Poison, Selwyn Birchwood, Got Soul, Robert Randolph & The Family Band; Easy to Love, Marc Broussard, This Sweet Old World, Lucinda Willams, So You Want to be an Outlaw, Steve Earle & The Dukes; Juke Joint at the Edge of the World, Randall Bramblett, Hard Truth, Coco Montoya; Undivided Heart & Soul, JD McPherson; Hot Like Fire, Bonerama; Gray Skies, Indigenous, Songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Osborne.
