Sound Obsession

These are my runners up and honorable mention albums of 2021, in alphabetical order by artist name . . . . Charley Crockett:  10 for Slim - Charley Crockett Sings James Hand     (Son of Davy - 2/26/21)   Charley Crockett:   Music City USA     (Son of Davy - 9/17/21)   Jesse Daniel:   Beyond These Walls     (Die True - 7/30/21)   Cody Jinks:   Mercy     (Late August - 11/12/21)   Quicksand:   Distant Populations     (Quicksand - 8/13/21)     The Steel Woods:   All of Your Stones     (Woods Music - 5/14/21)   Turnstile:   Glow On     (Roadrunner - 8/27/21)   Joshua Ray Walker:   See You Next Time     (State Fair - 10/8/21)   Wolf Alice:   Blue Weekend   (RCA - 6/4/21)   Yola:   Stand For Myself     (Easy Eye Sound - 7/30/21)

"Everything except country.” That was my unhesitant reply for many years when asked "what kind of music do you like?" Reinforced by the mental image of Garth Brooks flying over a stadium audience on a wire-rig in the early 90’s, the genre was incomprehensible to me, if not reprehensible. It just wasn’t my thing, and never would be. Lately, however, I'm never quite sure what genres and artists will inspire me year to year - only that I’ve tried to keep an open mind and am prone to odd musical obsessions. This year, it finally turned out to be country music. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. Chris Stapleton's soulful companion albums From A Room Vol. 1  and From A Room Vol.2  topped my favorites list last year and Sturgill Simpson's experimental A Sailor's Guide To Earth  made that list the year before. Maybe nostalgic childhood memories of Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Waylon Jennings softened me up. More recently, perhaps it was blu...