For our yearly list, both the halfway So Far (50) and our End of the Year (100) consistently have one thing in common, both of the lists could have exceeded their numerical border. In the Roots music community, artists are looking at the successful outputs of others as inspiration rather than a competitive challenge. The range of music and players stretches from The Americas and follows a line around the globe for American Roots and Americana music. New releases came in before the bells stopped ringing on Jan 1, 2019, our Top Fifty offering early-in-the-year releases from Lula Wiles, Liz Brasher, and Alice Wallace. The Top 50 Albums So Far for 2019 features Folk, Soul, Blues, Rock’n’Roll, Americana, Bluegrass in hybrid and pure forms, combining the natural innovation and experimentation of the musicians with vintage sounds and styles, chord patterns and rhythms from the past musical decades. The music on the Top 50 Albums So Far for 2019 represents a cross-section of the wide possibilities in the Roots music community, the songs using both acoustics and electric to rail against lost love and troubling days while squeezing every drop of good times out of each moment and keeping a candle burning for the hopes of tomorrow.
Carving out a spot with Rock’n’Roll, Drivin N Cryin take the number one spot on the Top 50 So Far for 2019, joined on the list by Memphis Rock’n’Soul from Southern Avenue and cosmos cruising Bluegrass from The Infamous Stringdusters while Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real strum good feelings and sound advice with their album Turn Off the News (Build a Garden).
The Top 50 So Far features first-timers to the list such as Our Native Daughters, J.S. Ondara, and Luther Dickinson & The Sisters of the Strawberry Moon alongside repeat contenders and perennials favorites like Steve Earle & The Dukes, Todd Snider, Shovels & Rope, Keb’ Mo’, and Patty Griffin.
It has been a very good year, give a listen to the first ten artists in the player below, with the entire Top 50 Albums So Far for 2019 streaming as a Spotify playlist.
01 - Drivin N Cryin - Live the Love Beautiful
02 - Southern Avenue - Keep On
03 - Mandolin Orange – Tides of a Teardrop
04 - Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real – Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)
05 - The Infamous Stringdusters – Rise Sun
06 - J.S. Ondara – Tales of America
07 - Patty Griffin – Patty Griffin
08 - Alice Wallace – Into the Blue
09 - Shovels & Rope – By Blood
10 - Chuck Mead – Close to Home
11 - Our Native Daughters – Songs of Our Native Daughters
12 - Reckless Kelly – Bulletproof Live
13 - Vandoliers - Forever
14 - Lula Wiles – What Will We Do
15 - Rod Melancon - Pinkville
16 - Luther Dickinson and the Sisters of the Strawberry Moon -Solstice
17 - Liz Brasher – Painted Image
18 - Boo Ray - Alabama Tennessee Fireworks
19 - The Small Glories – Assiniboine & The Red
20 - Justin Townes – Saint of Lost Causes
21 - Rosie Flores – Simple Case of the Blues
22 - Yarn – Lucky, Vol. 2
23 Hayes Carll - What It Is
24 - Sarah Potenza – Road to Rome
25 - Keb’ Mo’ - Oklahoma
26 - Will Kimbrough – I Like It Down Here
27 - Tim Bluhm – Sorta Surviving
28 - Della Mae – The Butcher Shoppe E.P.
29 - Amelia White – Rhythm of the Rain
30 - Danny Schmidt - Standard Deviation
31 - Todd Snider – Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3
32 - Caroline Spence – Mint Condition
33 - Rising Appalachia - Leylines
34 - Robert Ellis – Taxes Piano Man
35 - Renee Wahl and the Sworn Secrets – Cut to the Bone
36 - Steve Earle & The Dukes - GUY
37 - Colin Linden and Luther Dickinson – Amour
38 - Black Pumas – Black Pumas
39 - Mary Bragg – Violets as Camouflage
40 - The Lee Boys – Live on the East Coast
41 - Sugaray Rayford – Somebody Save Me
42 - Ellis Paul – The Songwriter’s Suitcase
43 – The Delines – The Imperial
44 - The Flesh Eaters – I Used to Be Pretty
45 - Rich Mahan – Hot Chicken Wisdom
46 - Amy McCarley - MECO
47 - Andrew Leahey and the Homestead - Airwaves
48 - Kalyn Fay – Good Company
49 – Damn Tall Buildings – Don’t Look Down
50 - Son Volt - Union