It's been so very long since I've written anything in this blog, but it's back! If nothing else, I'm consistently inconsistent, especially when it came to making blog posts. I'm gonna try to fix that, as this blog will now serve as a supplement to the Bad Mamma Jammas Podcast!
In episode 2, Adam, Daniel, and I count down our Top 5 Favorite Albums of the Decade. If you have not listened to episode 2 of the BMJ Podcast, check it out now wherever you listen to podcasts! (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc...)
*waits for you to listen to the podcast*
Cool, now that you're all caught up....
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Narrowing down a decade's worth of records to just five was a herculean task, and honestly, I finally just had to stop overthinking it and pick something. My top five list was comprised not just of the five best albums (though one or two made the list because of how good they are), but the ones that spoke to me the most, or had an impact on the way I listen to music, or had an impact on music itself. Even with those parameters, it was hard to whittle it down and I feel strongly that the ones not in the top five still deserve mentioning (with a little commentary). So with that said I present to you: The Best of the Rest!
Southeastern - Jason Isbell (2013)
This album should have been in my top five. It is legitimately probably the best album from the last decade. So why didn't it make it onto my list? I don't know exactly. I guess I wanted to highlight some lesser-known records. Jason's songwriting, which has always been stellar, is so on-point here, capturing every mood he went for with surgical precision. Each song is deeply personal, yet accessible. Stand out tracks: Cover Me Up, Elephant, Traveling Alone, Flying Over Water
Purgatory - Tyler Childers (2017)
Americana seems to be the catch-all genre these days, where those who may be too country for rock music, or too rock for country music, or even too country for country music can hang out and release usually critically acclaimed independent records. Tyler Childers refuses to be lumped in with the Americana crowd, because he is by-God country and wants to restore country music to what it once was. This is the album that put him on the map, with killer songwriting and unapologetically country instrumentation. Stand out tracks: Feathered Indians, Whitehouse Road, Honky Tonk Flame, Universal Sound
PLECTRUMELECTRUM - Prince (2014)
Somehow, it was well into the 2000s until the general population realized how much of a beast Prince was as a guitar player (most people didn't know that he played pretty much every instrument on pretty much every one of his albums). PLECTRUMELECTRUM was Prince's first and only album (that's been released...who knows what's in the vault..) with his backing band 3RDEYEGIRL, and it is a tour de force of heavy guitar-based funk and roll. The band is made up of Hannah Welton on drums, Ida Nielsen on bass, and Donna Grantis on guitar and these women mesh so well with Prince that you'd think they'd been playing together for years. Stand out tracks: PLECTRUMELECTRUM, FIXURLIFEUP, STOPTHISTRAIN, ANOTHERLOVE
Wolves - American Aquarium (2015)
Wolves finds BJ Barham's songwriting at its tightest. The production is crisp. This is AA's best album, sonically. I normally prefer raw production, like on their previous record, the Jason Isbell-produced Burn.Flicker.Die (if you've already listened to the podcast, then you know my thoughts on that one). I discovered this album while driving through North Carolina, which is fitting, since that's where they're from, and it has been in regular rotation since. Stand out tracks: Man I'm Supposed to Be, Old North State, Losing Side of Twenty Five, Wolves
I'm Not the Devil - Cody Jinks (2016)
Cody Jinks is my favorite country singer right now. Adobe Sessions is the album that put him on the map; I'm Not the Devil is the album that made him (in my opinion) the baddest of all the traditional country artists today. This is outlaw country without all the outlaw tropes; it's outlaw in the attitude, not the sound. If my top 5 list was made up of just the best albums, this one would've made the list. This is country music. Stand out tracks: I'm Not the Devil, No Guarantees, No Words, Vampires
Women & Work - Lucero (2012)
As I mentioned on the podcast, Lucero were my favorite band until I really got into American Aquarium. And this isn't to say that I don't still love Lucero, because I do. So very much. They've always been an alt.country band (apologies to Daniel for using that term again..) with a punk attitude, but Women & Work sees them embracing their Memphis roots. Several songs have an old school R&B feel, and most tracks include horns. This is an album you can blast on a sunny day with your windows down or drive around at night and chill (they do sad songs better than most). Stand out tracks: On My Way Downtown, It May Be Too Late, Juniper, Who You Waiting On?
Ghosts - Big Wreck (2014)
Ian Thornley is my favorite living guitarist (I think...it changes frequently..). Big Wreck is my favorite rock band of the last 20 years. Ghosts is my favorite Big Wreck album. From the opening notes of the first track, A Place to Call Home, you know this is going to be a sonic adventure. Ian's guitar simultaneously punches you in the gut and the jaw, with the thickest, heaviest power chords ever recorded (okay, that may be hyperbole, but still...it's awesome). This isn't just heavy modern rock; it's prog, it's ballads, it's riff-based melodic rock, it's killer. Stand out tracks: A Place to Call Home, Ghosts, Come What May, War Baby
1989 - Taylor Swift (2014)
Admittedly, I'm not much of a pop guy, but this is one pop album that I actually enjoy and have listened to many times since it came out. Plus, I feel like there should be a pop album on my list, just to keep things diverse. I've always respected Taylor Swift's songwriting, even though I never bought her as a country singer. She became easier to embrace once she began calling herself a pop artist. Honestly, I don't even know how to discuss a pop album. If you're looking for something sonically easy to digest with some excellent songwriting, give 1989 a listen. Stand out tracks: Blank Space, Style, Out of the Woods, This Love
Gunship - Gunship (2015)
This album was discussed thoroughly in the podcast, so you can get in depth thoughts on it from there. However, it is so freakin' good that I had to mention it here. Stop what you're doing and listen to this record. Stand out tracks: The Mountain, Shadow Fury, Pink Mist, Maximum Black
Chasing the Grail - Fozzy (2010)
You might not guess this because of all the country on this list, but I really love good metal. Fozzy makes good metal. Nay, Fozzy makes GREAT metal. This is by far their best album. Their lead singer is Chris Jericho. Yes, that Chris Jericho - the Paragon of Virtue, the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla, the Man of 1004 Holds, the GOAT. Their main lead guitarist is Rich Ward. He's in a constant battle with Zakk Wylde to hold the title of my favorite metal guitarist. Y'all, this album is a banger. Turn it on, crank it up, and just rock out for an hour. Stand out tracks: Under Blackened Skies, Martyr No More, Broken Soul, Paraskavedekatriaphobia (Friday the 13th)
So there you have it, folks! An expanded list of my favorite albums from the last decade, that absolutely no one asked for. You're welcome. Hopefully you'll find something here that you've never heard before and you'll wonder just how you've made it this long without those awesome songs in your life. Please comment below and let me know what your faves are and why my list is crap!
