Sound Obsession

Hey, folks.  Regrettably, it's been a while.  Due to time limitations, this year I've changed the format a bit.  Primarily photos, lists, and links for the foreseeable future instead of reviews and analysis.   These are my top ten albums of 2017.  Subjective favorites, of course.  Albums that made the most impact and were in heaviest rotation during the year.  Suffice it to say, Chris Stapleton's pair of earnest and emotive  From A Room  albums (an eclectic two-volume set of originals and choice covers recorded at the legendary " Studio A " in Nashville, TN - released seven months apart) dominated my earbuds and hi-fi in 2017. Click the hyperlinks below each album image for audio/video and check out my 2017 Runners Up and Honorable Mention  list.  Thanks for reading and listening, and have a Happy New Year!  See you in 2018. 1.  Chris Stapleton:   From A Room Vol. 1 & 2   (Mercury Nashville - 5/5/17 & 12/1/17) Chris Stapleton

In alphabetical order (tip:  click the hyperlinks below each album image for audio/video). . . .  Chelsea Wolfe:   Hiss Spun   (Sargent House - 9/22/17) Chelsea Wolfe - "16 Psyche" Chelsea Wolfe - "Spun" Com Truise:   Iteration   (Ghostly International - 6/16/17) Com Truise - "Propagation" Dan Auerbach:   Waiting On A Song   (Easy Eye Sound - 6/2/17) Dan Auerbach - "Shine on Me" Dan Auerbach - "King of a One Horse Town" Dan Auerbach - "Waiting On a Song" Ghost:   Ceremony & Devotion   (Loma Vista - 12/8/17) Ghost - "Absolution" Joey Bada$$:   All-Amerikkkan Bada$$   (Pro Era - 4/7/17) Joey Bada$$ - "Devastated" Joey Bada$$ - "Land of The Free" Joey Bada$$ - "Temptation" Overlook:   Smoke Signals   (UBV-76 - 3/31/17) Overlook - "Blue Rose" Overlook - "Traveling Wit

Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Foo Fighters, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/12/17 Broken Social Scene, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 9/19/17 Swervedriver, The Black Cat, Washington DC - 9/12/17 Mark Lanegan Band, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 8/16/17

Darkest Hour, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 7/14/17 Havok, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 7/14/17 Skepta, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD - 6/5/17 Iron Maiden, Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA - 6/3/17 Iron Maiden, Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA - 6/3/17 Pallbearer, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 6/1/17 Mastodon, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD - 5/2/17 Mastodon, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD - 5/2/17 Baroness, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 4/12/17 Baroness, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 4/12/17 Baroness, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 4/12/17 Toxic Holocaust, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 3/19/17 Toxic Holocaust, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 3/19/17 Toxic Holocaust, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 3/19/17 Sunn O))), 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 3/12/17

1.  David Bowie:   Blackstar   (ISO - 1/8/16) David Bowie - "Lazarus" David Bowie - "Blackstar" David Bowie - "I Can't Give Everything Away" 2.  Vektor:   Terminal Redux   (Earache - 5/6/16) Vektor - "Charging The Void" Vektor - "Ultimate Artificer" Vektor - "LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)" 3.  Skepta:   Konnichiwa   (Boy Better Know - 5/6/16) Skepta - "Shut Down" Skepta - "Man" Skepta - "That's Not Me" 4.  A Tribe Called Quest:   We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service   (Epic - 11/11/16) A Tribe Called Quest - "We The People" A Tribe Called Quest - "Dis Generation" 5.  Sturgill Simpson:   A Sailor's Guide To Earth   (Atlantic - 4/15/16) Sturgill Simpson - "In Bloom" Sturgill Simpson - "Breakers Roar" Sturgill Simpson - "All Around You"