Records of the Year: 2018
ONE. Kacey Musgraves. Golden Hour.
Impeccable writing, crazy catchy, but not too much. I remember hearing this the first time and thinking, “I am a Kasey Musgraves superfan?!”
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw0ih4jPOBo&w=854&h=480]
TWO. Big Red Machine. Self-titled.
Justin Vernon finds himself on my list again with another project that is fresh, and thoughtful, and excellent.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWbeSS8G_wY&w=854&h=480]
THREE. Dawes. Passwords.
These guys just have it. Insane musicality, provoking lyrics, and a great songwriting brand.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFmiLP0P80w&w=854&h=480]
FOUR. Mike Viola. The American Egypt.
I have admired what Mike is doing from a distance as a artist guy and a record man at the same time. I’d love to be able to juggle both the way he does.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7dnW0daGls&w=854&h=480]
FIVE. Madison Cunningham. Love, Lose, Remember.
Madi is the voice of this generation. Continually impressed by her writing and melodies. Seeing her live is something I will personally put on every musical bucket list I have access to.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqg56wKJzp8&w=854&h=480]
And in no particular order:
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Dan Auerbach. Waiting on a Song. Technically this was last year, but got super into this year. Fun to hear what happens when you get all of the best guys you know playing music in a room. That’s the magic.
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LANY. Malibu Nights. Pop-geniuses. Love it.
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Matt Corby. Rainbow Valley. His voice is so rich. This record hit me by surprise, I really loved it.
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Phil Cook. People Are My Drug. I remember hearing this and thinking this is the kind of music I want to make.
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Rayland Baxter. Wide Awake. Super solid batch of songs from one of the better songwriters.
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Shawn Mendes. Self-titled. These are really well-crafted pop-songs. Stoked on the career ahead of him.
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Ben Howard. Noonday Dream. Glad he’s back.
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Leon Bridges. Good Thing. Solid sophomore effort
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Dr Dog. Critical Equation. These guys have been too under the radar, and I love the music they make.
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Pat Barrett. Sails EP. As far as worship songs go, Pat’s songs are exactly what I need.
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Troye Sivan. Bloom. Solid pop songs, all around.
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Sam Weber. New Agile Freedom. Love what Tyler Chester has done here with Sam.