DECLAN CULLITON
Despite reducing physical sales and dwindling income for the majority of artists, the quality of output this past year was quite staggering. The number of artists self releasing their albums is further indication of the major labels reluctance to support fringe artists, concentrating their energies and finances on the safe bets. Ironically, the upside of this trend finds many artists recording without unwanted influence in many cases. The difficult challenge for me this year, was culling my list of over sixty albums down to twenty favourites. The disparity between a number five and number fifteen listing is minimal, preferences are often dictated by listening moods, locations and more. I was especially encouraged by the release of five albums this year, which I consider to be genuine country. Hats off to Jason James, Mike & The Moonpies, Tyler Childers, Michaela Anne and Ags Connolly for sticking to your collective guns and recording gems. Here’s hoping this trend carries over to 2020 and captures a younger audience along the way.
Albums:
1 King of Madrid - Peter Bruntnell
2 Seems Like Tears Ago - Jason James
3 4.30 - Angela Perley
4 Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold - Mike & The Moonpies
5 Desert Dove - Michaela Anne
6 Out Of Sight - Jake Xerxes Fussell
7 Country Squire - Tyler Childers
8 Designer - Aldous Harding
9 Happier Now - Native Harrow
10 Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
11 From Another World - Jim Lauderdale
12 Bleeding On The Soundtrack - William The Conqueror
13 Wilderness - Jade Jackson
14 Wrong Again - Ags Connolly
15 Up On High - Vetiver
16 Mint Condition - Caroline Spence
17 Carousel - Carson McHone
18 White Noise/White Lines Kelsey Waldon
19 The Imperial - The Delines
20 Time Out For Tomorrow - Jerry Leger
I have not included Country Darkness from My Darling Clementine as it’s an EP, but it most certainly merits mention.
Re-Issue:
No Other - Gene Clark
Gigs:
1 Amy Ray - Mercy Lounge, Nashville
2 Tayna Tucker - 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville
3 Jade Jackson - Mercy Lounge, Nashville
4 Mike & The Moonpies - The High Watt, Nashville
5 Aldous Harding - Vicar Street, Dublin
6 The Delines - Liberty Hall, Dublin
7 Alejandro Escovedo - The Set, Kilkenny
8 John Murry - Static Roots, Germany
9 Jaime Wyatt - Acme & Seed, Nashville
10 Jamie Lin Wilson - Acme & Seed Nashville
11 Mary Gauthier - Whelans, Dublin
12 Joshua Hedley - Roberts Western World, Nashville
13 William The Conqueror - AMA UK Festival, Hackney
14 Angela Perley - Tennessee Brew Company, Nashville
15 Jim Lauderdale - Westin Hotel, Nashville
16 Peter Bruntnell - Cleeres, Kilkenny
17 Joe Nolan - Static Roots, Germany
18 The Sadies - The Set, Kilkenny
19 Ethan Johns - AMA UK, Hackney
20 Amber Cross - The Stables, Mullingar
Book:
Up Jumped The Devil : The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce M.Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow
Documentary:
Country Music by Ken Burns
PAUL McGEE
Albums - Established Artists:
The Great Divide - Gary Nicholson
Living Room - Jude Johnstone
Mint Condition - Caroline Spence
Me And The Ghost Of Charlemagne - Amy Speace
Patty Griffin - Patty Griffin
Blood - Allison Moorer
Wire Mountain - Will Johnson
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest - Bill Callahan
Whiskey Salesman - Chip Taylor
Terms Of Surrender - Hiss Golden Messenger
The Imperial - The Delines
Cold Smoke - Hat Check Girl
Albums - Emerging Artists:
The Question - Ana Tivel
Brave Bird - Martha Reich
Honest - Ordinary Elephant
Falling Sands - The Equatorial Group
Seen Enough Leavers - Meghan Hayes
Wildwood - Katie Dahl
Spring - Itasca
Concentric - Flagship Romance
The Melted Morning - Danni Nicholls
The Clovis Limit (Part 1) - Mike Ross
From The Centre Out - Western States
Water in the Draw - Adam Hill
Gigs:
Rhiannon Giddens/Francesco Turrisi The Sugar Club
Rachel Yamagata Whelan’s
Kilkenny Roots Festival Various artists
Mono Whelan’s
Shooter Jennings Whelan’s
Nitin Sawhney NCH
Ashley McBride Academy
The Delines Whelan’s
Indigo Girls Liberty Hall
Mary Gauthier Whelan’s
Caroline Spence Workman’s Club
Tom Russell Whelan’s
Jude Johnstone House Concert
Books:
Blood - Allison Moorer
Nick Lowe/Cruel To Be Kind -Will Birch
Movies:
Rolling Thunder Review Tour 1975 Bob Dylan (Martin Scorsese)
The Sound Of My Voice Linda Ronstadt (Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman)
Western Stars Bruce Springsteen (Thom Zinmy)
Re-issues:
No Other - Gene Clark
Johnstown (20th Anniversary) - Oh Susanna
Steady On (30th Anniversary Acoustic Edition) - Shawn Colvin
Live Recordings 1975. (Rolling Thunder Review) - Bob Dylan
Live Albums:
Fillmore West ’71 - Allman Brothers Band
Live in Hollywood - Linda Ronstadt
Tuscaloosa - Neil Young
Compilation Albums:
The Legacy 1961-2017 - Glen Campbell
Country Music: The Soundtrack - Various Artists
Blues - Rory Gallagher
Documentaries:
Country Music by Ken Burns
Bruce Springsteen On Broadway (Netflix)
STEPHEN RAPID
When it comes to this time of the year and reflecting on the music i have listened to and see I am always surprised that, despite the changing nature of how we listen to and receive music, there is much to recommend and applaud. It was also enlightening to see the mix between new acts and established artists all creating compelling albums. As with all these things I’m sure I’ll come across an album I should have included but there needs to be a cut off point. Also I wouldn’t necessarily take the list position as definite rather more of a random placement for some damn fine music. Also as Declan noted above these list relate to full length album rather than EPs.
Albums - Traditional Country:
1 Broken Bottle, Broken Heart - The Country Side of Harmonica Slim
2 Seems Like Tears Ago - Jason James
3 Wrong Again - Ags Connolly
4 Country Squire - Tyler Childers
5 The Wanting/After The Fire - Cody Jinks
Compilations and Reissues:
Too Late To Pray/Defiant Chicago Roots - Various Artists
24 Songs - Nate Gibson & The Stars Of Starday
Twang - Osborne Jones
The Definitive Collection - Marty Stuart
Albums - Roots/Americana:
1 Almost Daylight - Chris Knight
2 Orphans - Michael McDermott
3 The Hurting Kind - John Paul White
4 Fire Out Of Stone - Chuck Hawthorne
5 Seneca - Charles Wesley Godwin
6 Between The Country - Ian Noe
7 Texas - Rodney Crowell
8 Renegade - Dylan LeBlanc
9 West Towards South - Jeffrey Halford and the Healers
10 Easy Way - Cactus Blossoms
11 Blood - Alison Moorer
12 Play The Hits - The Mavericks
13 October In The Railroad Earth - Tom Russell
14 Espadín - Brad Edrington V
15 Right On Time - Leo Rondeau
16 Mint Condition - Caroline Spence
17 The Imperial - The Delines
18 Worthy Cause - Chad Richar
19 Rust - Daniel Meade
20 Desert Dove - Michaela Anne
Covers Albums:
Mix Tape Volume 1 - Jesse Dayton
Cover Your Tracks - Corb Lund
Reissue:
Travellin’ Thru - Bob Dylan
Live Album:
Live Mules - Daniel Meade and The Flying Mules
Gigs:
Michael McDermott - Killkenny Roots Festival
Alejandro Escovedo - Killkenny Roots Festival
The Sadies - Killkenny Roots Festival
Ags Connolly & Leo Rondeau - DC Club, Dublin
JD Wilkes - Grand Social, Dublin
Colter Wall - Whelan’s, Dublin
Brother Brothers - Whelan’s, Dublin
Colter Wall - Whelan’s, Dublin
Mary Gauthier - Whelan’s, Dublin
The Delines - Whelan’s, Dublin
Books:
There’s No Bones in Ice Cream - Sylvain Sylvain
The Hard Stuff - Wayne Kramer
Documentary:
Country Music by Ken Burns
EILÍS BOLAND
Albums:
Train’s a Comin’ - Riley Baugus
How Could A Man - Derek Senn
Home - Billy Strings
Tides of A Teardrop - Mandolin Orange
Riverland - Eric Brace/Thom Jutz/Peter Cooper
Songs of Our Native Daughters - Our Native Daughters
Bent Creek - Julian Pinelli
The Imperial - The Delines
Benny’s TV Repair - Irene Kelley
Tall Fiddler - Michael Cleveland
If You Can’t Stand The Heat - Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Gigs:
Chris Smither - Black Box,
Teddy Thompson - Black Box
The Delines - Black Box
The Sadies - Kilkenny Roots
Rionagh Connolly & The Breath - The Duncairn
McKay & Leigh - The Red Room
John Blek - Kilcreggan Open Farms, Carrickfergus
Front Country - Bluegrass Omagh
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers - Bluegrass Omagh
A Delebration: Del McCoury Band/The Travellin’ McCourys - The IBMAs, Raleigh
AJ Lee & Blue Summit - The IBMAs
Dan Tyminsky Band - The IBMAs
Jimmy Dale Gilmore & Dave Alvin - Ramblin’ Roots, Utrecht
Movie:
The Irishman