Top 10 NMFOF albums of 2018
A few weeks ago I began to think about this annual list. The end of another year was rapidly approaching, which meant the annual Top Albums of the Year would be due soon. I would need to start thinking about what, among the many albums this year, would make the cut. First, I knew there was a lot of new music out this year I really liked. How to choose?
I began looking at the site itself. In previous years I'd included albums by what would be considered Classic Rock acts who had released music in the previous year. Names like Tom Petty had snuck their way onto the list in the past, but that seems to go against the grain of what newmusicforoldfolks.com is about. I decided to limit the list to albums released this year by bands or artists that have been profiled on the site in the past. That number is up over 150 by now and some research showed that well over 50 of them released new music in 2018.
The whole point of the site is to introduce new music to people who may be looking to move beyond what they listened to in high school or college. Some of the people we loved back then are still making good music, but the idea here is to find out about new stuff that may appeal to similar sensibilities. So I decided that I wanted to limit myself to the (relatively) unknown artists that have been profiled on the site. It also occurred to me that there were a couple of albums I'd want to add to the list and I would need to do profiles for first. So albums by Delgado Brothers and The Record Company follow closely behind recent profiles of both bands.
So with more that 50 to choose from, here comes a list of the 10 best and a list of a dozen more worth mentioning. That doesn't mean the rest of the albums are somehow less than stellar efforts. If I've put together a profile on a band/artist, that's a definite recommendation. I also decided live albums and greatest hits collections would not be considered as they contain mostly previously released material.
1: THE ECLIPSE SESSIONS, John Hiatt — It's amazing to me how many people still don't know about John Hiatt. You can usually give them a list of songs Hiatt has written that others have turned into hits. Bonnie Raitt's "Thing Called Love" always elicits an "oh yea," and if you went to enough weddings in the ’90s you undoubtedly know "Have a Little Faith In Me." But John Hiatt has been making music since the mid ’70s and his 24 albums range from good to excellent. The Eclipse Session is one of his best. It's not a rocker like some of his earlier work, just the work of a man in his 60s reflecting on the ups and downs of his life and career. "Poor Imitation of God" is John Hiatt at his semi-tongue-in-cheek, semi-serious best. And "Over the Hill" and "Aces Up Your Sleeve" are the work of a man that's been with the same woman for years, and he can't believe she's still putting up with him. Been there.
It would be hard to say this is the best album of Hiatt's career, but it's not hard to call it the year's best album. Not to compare this list to the Academy Awards, but sometimes Oscars are given as de facto "lifetime achievement" awards. Al Pacino's performance in "Scent of a Woman" may not have been better than "Dog Day Afternoon," but that didn't mean it wasn't the best of that year. When I was putting together this list the last three years (2015, 2016, 2017), it was obvious to me what would be the No. 1 album of the year. There was no obvious choice in 2018, but after some thought, I have no trouble giving the nod to John Hiatt.
2: BURN IT DOWN, Eric Johanson — First, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that this album was released very late in 2017, but I didn't stumble on it until February. This is one of a number of excellent albums released recently on Tab Benoit's Whiskey Bayou label. There hasn't been a miss yet from the new record company, but this is by far my favorite. Benoit hasn't put out any new music of his own in years, but he still tours constantly and he's a fixture at Blues festivals/cruises. He's taken Johnson under his wing. Here, Tab plays drums and his fantastic bass player, Cory Duplechin, sits in as well. Johanson is a very good guitar player, but the Blues world is full of very good guitar players. This is not a Tab Benoit album with a different singer, Johanson has his own voice. There's not a bad track on the album, but "Burn It Down," "Till We Bleed" and "On My Own" are as good as any Blues songs I heard this year.
3: ALL OF THIS LIFE, The Record Company — Whether you call it bluesy Rock or rockin' Blues, The Record Company just makes good music. The band debuted in 2016 with Give it Back to You, an album essentially recorded in the band's living room in Los Angeles. It earned a grammy nomination. The follow-up, All This Life, is more refined without losing the edge (if that makes any sense). Filled with the fuzzy guitars, driving beats and harmonica of the first album, All This Life adds backing harmonies. "Goodbye to the Hard Life" would have seemed out of place on the first album, but it works here. On the other hand, "Roll Bones" is as stripped down as music from the debut, but it fits as well. You hear an album like The Record Company's first and you worry a little that success might, if not ruin, at least change the band. No worries here.
4: TWO TRAINS, Delgado Brothers — You may have noticed on this list (and on this site) there's a lot of Blues. Most of the best new music that people in newmusicforoldfolks' demographic falls in this category. The Delgado Brothers find themselves in that demographic after a long career playing probably thousands of shows on the West Coast. The band's first album in more than a decade showcases a tight sound driven by the Latin rhythms of East LA and the great guitar work of Joey Delgado. The band is a pleasure to see live and this album was worth the wait.
5: CRY NO MORE, Danielle Nicole — Danielle Nicole Schnebelen and her two brothers Kris and Nick Schnebelen formed Blues Music Award winning Trampled Under Foot in their home town of Kansas City. The band, which occasionally reunites for Blues festivals and cruises, split leaving Danielle a solo act. The 14-track Cry No More is Danielle's second full-length solo album and the singer and bass player is hitting her stride. "Crawl" and "Burning For You" are as hard-driving blues tunes as you'll find on anyone's repertoire, but then "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" will slowly tear your heart out.
6: CAROLINA CONFESSIONS, The Marcus King Band — This summer I caught the Tedeschi-Trucks Band headlining the Wheels of Soul Tour in Cincinnati. The first band to hit the stage was The Marcus King Band. As the first band in the three band lineup, the set was only about 40 minutes. By the end, I needed more. King did come back and play with the headliners, but I'll need a full night of the Marcus King Band at some point in the future. King is in his early 20s, so I'll get plenty of chances. This album is King's third and I think it's the best yet. It's Blues, but not really. It's Jam, but not really. There's Soul and even a little Funk. What it is is just great music from an artist who's just going to get better.
7: DOWNEY TO LUBBOCK, Dave Alvin & Jimmy Dale Gilmore — Dave Alvin was a known quantity for me before I heard this album. Both with The Blasters and in his solo career, Alvin is a good example of what this site's about. He was one of the first profiles on the site and everything he's done is very good. On the other hand, before I listened to the album I knew very little about Jimmie Dale Gilmore. (I knew he was from Texas, and he came with Dave Alvin's seal of approval.) The two of them have put together one of the best Americana albums of the year. Gilmore's voice has a distinctive twang, a la Willie Nelson, and Alvin's guitar playing is as strong as it's ever been. There's a lot to recommend here, but the cover of The Youngbloods' "Get Together" is right at the top of the list.
8: THE ICE QUEEN, Sue Foley — Canadian Blues woman Sue Foley has been making albums since 1992, although her previous two were with Peter Karp in the Karp Foley Band (that's where you'll find her profile on the site). Foley's sultry voice and guitar skills are on display on her first solo album since 2006. Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan and Charlie Sexton each appear on a track, but it's Foley that shines throughout slowing down and speeding up, but staying true to the Blues. The four-song stretch from "Run" to the title track and then "The Lucky Ones" (with Vaughan) and "Gas Light" features four different styles of Blues, and she pulls them all off equally well.
9: DYNA-MITE, Jon Cleary — It seems counter-intuitive, but this 56-year-old Englishman is one of the finest purveyors of New Orleans-style Soul, Funk and R&B out there right now. Cleary, who's been living in the Crescent City for most of the last three decades, is a regular at local clubs like Tipitina's and The Maple Leaf with his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen. His 2018 release is smooth and sexy. The album, particularly the track "Unputdownable" (which it turns out rhymes with unfigureoutable), is what to play with a glass of wine following a romantic dinner — if you know what I mean.
10: THE THREAD THAT KEEPS US, Calexico — Calexico has been putting out music that's difficult to classify since the mid ’90s. I've seen it called Tejano, Alternative Country, Indie Rock, and even Post-Rock. I'm not sure which I'd call it, but I just know that I like it. Do you like Jeff Tweedy and Wilco? You'll like this. Mix in a little R.E.M. or Alejandro Escovedo (depending on the song). Oh yeah, some of it is in Spanish, even though the two primary members of the band, Joey Burns and John Cupertino, are white guys living in Tucson, Ariz. Not convinced but curious? Go to the album on Spotify and listen to "Dead in the Water." That should do it.
A DOZEN MORE: Things Change, American Aquarium; Shine Bright, Marcia Ball; Bit Logic, The Bottle Rockets; America's Child, Shemekia Copeland; The Crossing, Alejandro Escovedo; Purple House, Robben Ford; Feline Roots, Nikki Hill; Miles To Go, Colin James; Revolution in Your Heart, Eric Lindell; The High Cost of Low Living, The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling; Liberty, Lindi Ortega; First Class Life, Mike Zito.
