Put aside the dumpster fire that consumed national news this year, and you have to admit it was actually a pretty good year … for music. After all, artists exist to comment on and respond to the world around them, and there was plenty for any artist to respond to this year.
As is par for the course in these parts, we’ve already shared the results of our recent readers’ poll, and now it’s time to share what we here at No Depression fell in love with this year. As my final task in the ND universe, I’ve asked my coworkers to send me their votes, and the following list reflects the results.
In the interest of keeping this digestible, I didn’t have them write up every album from their lists. Albums from Curtis McMurtry, Rose Cousins, Old 97’s, the Yawpers, the Wild Reeds, Kacy & Clayton, the Weather Station, Allison Moorer & Shelby Lynne, Lily Hiatt, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, and Shannon McAnally also bore mention, and are well worth your time and ears. But the list below captures the diversity of taste, sound, and culture that makes up not only the aural palates of our staff but also the greater world of American roots music.
Managing Editor Hilary Saunders, Assistant Editor Stacy Chandler, News/Socials Editor Brittney McKenna, Community Manager Isa Burke, Ad Sales Guru Sonja Nelson, and Print Partnerships Guru/Books Columnist Henry Carrigan all pitched in on this, as did I.
And with this, I bid adieu to you, fair readers. Thank you for the good times (and bad), all these years; for showing up for ND, both in print and online. Go get some good music — no doubt there’s some good stuff coming. I’ve listed the following in alphabetical order.
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears
I will admit I’m a little bit (alt)country, and a little bit (punk)rock and roll, and Silver Tears hits my ears in all the right places. Tasjan is lyrically superb and a maniac on the guitar — swoon! ALT has a litany of musical talents under his belt, beyond being a New York Doll, and this album showcases a slew of them. (Sonja Nelson)
Darin and Brooke Aldridge – Faster and Farther
Brooke Aldridge has the most beautiful voice in bluegrass today (she won IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year for 2017), and she showcases her just-right phrasing and rich tone on this album. Darin’s mandolin and harmony vocals underscore Brooke’s lead vocals, weaving an enchanting spell over lovers of traditional bluegrass. Faster and Farther is a glorious celebration of their collaboration and whets our appetites for more music from the pair. (Henry Carrigan)
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy
It can get exhausting being a Father John Misty fan. The constant barrage of content following mastermind Josh Tillman’s every move (no matter how serious or absurd) helps perpetuate the character — which can be fun — but also distances listeners from the actual music. But pay close attention to Father John Misty’s third LP and a scathing yet hilarious still life of 2017’s complexities emerges. Melodically beautiful and lyrically tragic, Pure Comedy often dips into dark comedy, but Tillman’s persistent hope and romanticism keeps dedicated listeners engaged for the entire 75-minute ride. (Hilary Saunders)
Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow
MC Taylor, the brains and imagination behind Hiss Golden Messenger, has been slowly simmering his particular blend of folk and more mainstream musical styles just below the national radar for years. With this year’s Hallelujah Anyhow, he delivered a collection of songs that sheds light in dark places, encouraging the listener to be grateful for even the hard times. With his warm, comfy vocals, deeply insightful songcrafting, and the deft contributions of the exquisitely talented brother team of Brad and Phil Cook — plus some backup from famous friends Tift Merritt and John Paul White — Hiss Golden Messenger unlocked a new level of artistic achievement. (Kim Ruehl)
Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Navigator
Concept albums are ambitious undertakings, and in less capable hands can yield disastrous results. Alynda Segarra, who performs as Hurray for the Riff Raff, is nothing if not capable. Her sixth full-length studio album, The Navigator, followed the journey of Navita, a young Puerto Rican woman whose home city undergoes drastic changes. The story is compelling enough, but the music, which draws from bomba, son cubano, folk, and soul, makes the album essential. (Brittney McKenna)
Iron & Wine – Beast Epic
Sam Beam told me earlier this year that he finally felt comfortable with his singing voice on Beast Epic. To me, and to many listeners, that revelation was ironic, for Beam’s sixth LP under the Iron & Wine moniker sounds most like the Iron & Wine of yore. Still, comfort and confidence swell on Beast Epic and this collection of songs seems to distill Beam’s long and varied musical career into a concise collection that sounds at once familiar and progressive. (HBS)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
On The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell, along with the mighty 400 Unit, continues his streak of timely songs that are well written and well performed. It’s Jason Isbell doing his thing. But the magic is that thing breathes and lives life right alongside us, which is why it never feels stale. “White Man’s World” and “Hope the High Road” are the songs we desperately needed in 2017, but they fit in just fine alongside songs with more timeless themes, like “Tupelo” and “If We Were Vampires,” the latter of which I still haven’t been able to listen through without crying. Isbell’s gift is being able to evoke tears as well as fist-pumps with equal artistry, and here he delivers yet again. (Stacy Chandler)
Joan Shelley – Joan Shelley
The opening track to Kentucky folk singer-songwriter Joan Shelley’s self-titled sixth album, “We’d Be Home,” is both a welcome return for long-time fans and a fitting greeting for anyone unfamiliar with her work. Shelley’s lullaby — with a lilting chorus of, “If you were made for me, we’d be home” — sets the tone for the entire work. Plus, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer add gentle shading across the 11 songs, crafting shadows where Shelley casts spells and honing light when she rejoices. (HBS)
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams – Contraband Love
On their sophomore album, Campbell and Williams illustrate why they’re now the first-couple of roots music. Campbell’s deeply rendered lyrics capture the ragged and haunting desolation of pain and loss, and Williams’ soulful, soaring voice palpably captures every nuance of pain, anger, hurt, and joy that lie in the lyrics. The power of the album comes from their ability to feel at home in any musical terrain — blues, soul, country, and rock — and to carry us out of ourselves. Their music has healing power; it’s a redemptive force that reminds us that, no matter what kind of despair we’re facing down, and going through, we’ll come out of, in their words, on “the other side of pain.” (HC)
Lizz Wright – Grace
On Grace, with piano, Hammond B3, and a swelling chorus of background singers, Lizz Wright delivers a joyous gospel-inflected version of Carolyn Franklin’s “Seems I’m Never Tired of Lovin’ You.” She captures the jaunty exuberance of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Singing in My Soul,” and paints a portrait of the slow-tempo South on Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights.” The title track, written by Rose Cousins, offers a moving and unforgettable chamber piece in which Wright’s vocal phrasing echoes the movement of grace. Grace is Lizz Wright’s most powerful album thus far, for it encourages us to embrace our common humanity, to overcome our differences when we have recognized them, and to dwell in a place where we can live together. (HC)
Margo Price – All American Made
Sophomore slumps be damned. Nashville’s spunkiest indie-country singer-songwriter returns with another album full of riffs and retorts. But on All American Made, Price’s fearless commentary turns toward national politics rather than industry politics or those of the personal sort. Luckily, she tackles those issues with grace and more than a little grass. (HBS)
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black
The collaboration between Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy was unexpected at first, when they released You Are Not Alone in 2010. But by about three minutes into that disc, it was clear that these two artists are partnered souls whose musical impulses pull something special out of each of them. And, while each effort they’ve delivered together has been remarkable in its own right, this year’s If All I Was Was Black seemed to be the shining star toward which those other albums were journeying. It was released late in the year, which made it a tough one to truly consume so soon, but it is the musical tonic for which I’ve long been yearning. With all our cultural complexities and the ugliest parts of our national character exorcising themselves these days, Staples sings to us in her haunting, empowering alto: “It’s time for more love.” Amen. (KR)
Nora Jane Struthers – Champion
There’s a crystalline beauty to the songs on this album — every one celebrates the pleasures of loving deeply, yet acknowledges the hard edges of living. “Belief,” with Joe Overton’s wall of steel and Joshua Vana’s shimmering leads, channels Jackson Browne’s “Late for the Sky,” and the galloping “Grass” would be right at home on the Outlaws’ eponymous first album. The Party Line — the “Band Family” of one of the songs — plays a tight groove here, but it’s Struthers’ lyrics that gaze, clear-eyed, at the joyous possibilities lying latent in this tired old world. It’s past time now for a major label to sign Struthers; there’s not a better-written roster of songs out there this year. (HC)
Rayna Gellert – Workin’s Too Hard
Gellert is probably best known as an Appalachian fiddler (she’s certainly one of my fiddle heroes), but hopefully this album lets the world know that she’s also a great songwriter with a straightforward, deeply affecting voice. The songs borrow heavily from traditional music and they have the kind of deep, pulsing groove that only an old-time musician could create. The band (Gellert, Kai Welch, Jamie Dick, and co-producer Kieran Kane) is so tight, it’s difficult to hear where each instrument ends and the next one begins. The songs are wistful and meditative, but they’ve got a healthy dose of grit and movement, too. Earthy, warm, and addictively groovy, this album stood up to my repeated listening, usually with a cup of coffee on a chilly morning. (Isa Burke)
Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
“Tomorrow is My Turn,” Giddens declared on her 2015 debut solo album of that title, and with the follow-up, she announced that she’s on this road to stay. Here she speaks for the silenced, from slaves to families that live in fear of police violence. Her songs and their delivery are informed by research — a path she’s said she intends to continue as a MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient for 2017. The styles bounce from soul to Cajun to classical, reflecting the diversity of American music as well as the American experience. (SC)
Rodney Crowell – Close Ties
I sometimes play a game where I muse whether my musical heroes have a little “gas left in the tank” for another great record. In the beautifully produced, Close Ties, Crowell’s proven his tank is clearly full. To me, Rodney made an album about moving forward by looking back, and all the happy and sad, places and faces, that had been long tucked away. (SN)
Ruthie Foster – Joy Comes Back
In a jubilant return — after a three-year absence — Ruthie Foster sings joyously of love, healing, and hope in this collection of down-to-the-bone soul songs. The only song she wrote for the album, “Open Sky,” expresses her willingness to be vulnerable, to open her arms to embrace whatever comes next. Its powerful beauty grows out of its simple melody and soulful lyrics. On the title track, Foster shouts out fervently, celebrating the movement from humility to bliss. You can’t listen to this album and be unmoved by the Foster’s pure musical genius and her way of singing these songs with such power and grace that they touch and change our hearts. Joy, indeed. (HC)
Sam Amidon – The Following Mountain
Sam Amidon is deeply grounded in tradition yet relentlessly innovative to the point of meta-weirdness. The Following Mountain is his first album of original songs; his prior albums contained creative reinterpretations of traditional music. This one moves more confidently in the direction of jazz, combining his rhythmically adventurous fiddle, banjo, and guitar playing along with jazz percussion and saxophone. The whole disc closes with a 12-minute free jazz piece. It’s rare to come across an album so broad yet so cohesive, that effortlessly blends the oldest folk sounds with the weirdest jazz sounds, plus a dash of pop synths and drum machines. His singing ties all of these seemingly disparate sounds together. (IB)
Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore
For a while there, it looked like the end for the Secret Sisters. After a huge splash with their 2010 debut, the follow-up fizzled, and everything seemed stacked against them. But with a nudge from Brandi Carlile, they recorded new songs that were emerging from the turmoil — and lord, what a comeback. The songs are vivid and bold, sassy and sweet, and scary and sublime. It’s a harmony-rich album (produced by Carlile) displaying the power of finding your footing, and a strong statement that these sisters are here to stay. (SC)
Sharon Jones – Soul of a Woman
Last year, 2016, was a difficult year in myriad ways, with one of the biggest blows to the music world dealt by the passing of Sharon Jones. Soul of a Woman, released a year after her death from pancreatic cancer, is her parting gift to the world — and man is it a gift. The album encapsulates so many of the qualities that made Jones not just a beloved musician but a beloved person: her compassion, her love for life, her unbreakable spirit, and, of course, her singular voice. It’s a bittersweet listen for sure, but one that should have you smiling (and dancing) through your tears. (BM)
The Barr Brothers – Queens of the Breakers
On their third full-length album, the Barr Brothers (featuring core members and actual brothers Brad and Andrew Barr, and Sarah Pagé) retain their set-up of bluesy, wild, fuzzed-out guitars, percussion derived from just about anything than makes a sound when hit, and amplified harp. Whereas their self-titled debut fell more in an amplified folk tradition, and 2014’s Sleeping Operator dabbled in hypnoses, Queens of the Breakers looks inward, featuring some of the best personal and reflective lyrics Brad Barr has ever written. It’s an exciting evolution from a band whose sonic curiosity never ceases to amaze me. (HBS)
The Mastersons – Transient Lullaby
If there’s such a thing as Americana pop, this is it, in the best possible way. Every song on Transient Lullaby could be the smash hit of summer in a much cooler alternate universe. The writing is witty, timely, and right-on (“You Could Be Wrong” should be required listening for anyone logging on to social media), and this husband-wife duo’s signature harmonies hook your ears right from the start of the opening track and don’t let go. Viewed through the Mastersons’ lens, the world is hard but hopeful, and love takes work but is worth the effort. That kind of realism, delivered in songs both sweet and sassy, is too solid to be transient. (SC)
Valerie June – The Order of Time
About a year ago, I dragged my sickly self out of my Brooklyn apartment, stuffed my pockets with snotty tissues and cough drops, and snuck into a secret Valerie June showcase in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Nearly four months before this album’s official release via Concord Records, June played the majority of the album. Afterward, I wrote this: Valerie June is going to be formidable in 2017. The Order of Time shows June bucking labels without traditions; she still incorporates fiddles, banjos, and lap steels, but also adds in horns and rock-leaning percussion. That musical defiance and self-assurance, even when she’s singing songs of heartbreak and nostalgia, makes for a strong follow-up to her 2013 breakout. (HBS)
