Sound Obsession

Another year done and gone, and what a great year for music.  These are my top ten favorite albums of 2024, in alphabetical order by artist name . . . . 49 Winchester:   Leavin' This Holler     (New West - 8/2/24) This six-piece country rock outfit out of southwest Virginia is one of independent roots music's greatest success stories in recent years, and one of my favorites - soundtracking many a road trip and impromptu singalong.  Comfort food embodied in music.  The title of their fifth album, Leavin’ This Holler , may as well be metaphorical as it finds the band spreading their wings and reaching for wider horizons.  Following their breakout album from 2022, Fortune Favors The Bold , here we get even more expansive compositions featuring sweeping strings and thundering choirs, finding the band in more sophisticated spaces without compromising their down home Appalachian sensibility. ...

Another tough year year done and gone.  At least we had some good albums to get us through.  These are my top ten favorite albums of 2021, in alphabetical order by artist name . . . . Blackberry Smoke:   You Hear Georgia     (3 Legged - 5/28/21) Atlanta country-rockers Blackberry Smoke returned in 2021 with their seventh studio album and a few guests in tow - underground country legend Jamey Johnson and Allman Brothers Band guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes.  A backyard barbecue and roadtrip classic in the making, You Hear Georgia was a constant for me this summer.   Vincent Neil Emerson:   Vincent Neil Emerson     (La Honda - 6/25/21) Following an excellent debut in 2019, East Texas native Vincent Neil Emerson leveled up this year.  Produced by Rodney Crowell, Emerson’s eponymously titled sophomore outing headed in a more introspective direction, covering the artist’s personal struggle with depression, hi...

What a year, right?  With live music shutting down in mid-March, the last nine months or so have been all about studio albums for me.  Here are my top ten favorites of 2020, in alphabetical order.  Not too many curveballs.  We're talkin' comfort food here.  Many of these artists have made my top ten favorites lists in recent years, and here they are again.  This time though I was happy to see and hear some stylistic experimentation, lineup changes, and pushing of envelopes.  Check out my runners up and honorable mentions list too.         Have a listen.  Hope you enjoy, and Happy New Year! Brent Cobb:   Keep 'Em On They Toes    (Ol' Buddy - 10/2/20) South Georgia native Brent Cobb, cousin to country super-producer Dave Cobb, released his fourth studio album this year.  This time Brent switched gears, enlisting indie-folk p...

Based on the number of cowboy hats on display on these album covers, the running musical theme for me in 2019 is fairly obvious.  No surprise, despite being a relative neophyte, my top ten favorite albums list last year was dominated by independent country music too.  With a staggering pool of new talent to explore, I continued that deep dive again this year.  Though unexpected for me just a few years ago, I've fallen pretty hard for country music's history, its sounds, its evocative storytelling, and its sense of timelessness. The following ten albums are my favorites of 2019.  I've chosen not to rank them, so they're listed in alphabetical order by artist name.  Any of these could be my favorite depending on the day of the week, but if I had to grab one right now for the desert island, it'd be Charles Wesley Godwin's Seneca Creek (with Joshua Ray Walker's Wish You Were Here  a close second). Check out my 2019 runners up & honorable mention ...