Year In Review: Chris Dean’s Top 10 Albums of 2009

These albums are an interesting mix: a few indie albums, a comeback album, a mainstream major release (or 3) and a live album that shouldn’t go together. However, from the albums I heard this year, these were my favorites, the ones I kept listening to. Hopefully you agree, but maybe not and that’s what makes the end of the year so interesting! Maybe you’ll find something new on my list that you didn’t think to listen to.

10. Southern Voice – Tim McGraw (Curb)

A last minute entry on my list, this album was not what I expected. I hadn’t even listened to his new singles, and I wish I’d paid more attention. This album is a mature bunch of story songs such as the morbid “Good Girls”. The most touching is ‘You Had To Be There,’ a scene in a prison where a father talks to his son through a glass window and a phone. Even lead single ‘It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You’ is a fun pop-country song that manages to be fresh.

9. Destination Life – Rhonda Vincent (Rounder)

A finely crafted bluegrass album that’s entertaining from start to finish. An infectious version of ‘Stop the World (And Let Me Off)’ is by far my favorite track here.

8.Middle Cyclone – Neko Case (Anti)

I had the chance to see Neko in concert right before this CD came out, and I wish I had; this is a unique collection of natural disaster-inspired love songs. ‘This Tornado Loves You’ is awesome, and the album artwork is one of my favorites ever. I mean come on, holding a sword on a car hood? Yeah!

7. Live At Eddie’s Attic – The Civil Wars (Sensibility)

A free, digital, live album- this duo is a hidden gem. ‘Poison & Wine’is raw and heartbreaking- not to mention they can really sing live. Hopefully a studio album will be in the works…

6. The Long Way Home – Terri Clark (Bare Track)

A little more slick than I expected, nevertheless this album has very fine tunes, especially the AA-themed’A Million Ways To Run’ and the clever “If You Want Fire”.

5. Song Up In Her Head – Sarah Jarosz (Sugarhill)

In the vein of Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz’s album is progressive bluegrass with plenty of banjo. A cover of the Decemberist’s ‘Shankill Butchers’ is the highlight.

4. American Saturday Night – Brad Paisley (Arista)

I didn’t expect to like this album, but I did and I have been playing it for the past 6 months. ‘Everybody’s Here’ is a gorgeous ode to not having a good time at a party. Anyone else surprised that a solo, mainstream male artist made it on my list? I kind of am.

3. Sara Watkins – Sara Watkins (Nonesuch)

Her solo debut is surprisingly not a continuation of Nickel Creek (Although that would still be awesome!), Sara brings more country tunes. The mournful ‘All This Time’ and swingy ‘Any Old Time’ show her real talent.

2. Mountain Soul II – Patty Loveless (Saguaro Road)

Do I need to say anything? Probably not, but I will. I actually like this album more than the first Mountain Soul, but it doesn’t quite have a knockout track like ‘You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive’. ‘Diamond And The Crown’ with Emmylou Harris comes really close though, with it’s hymn-like organ and wonderful performance.

1.Revolution – Miranda Lambert (Sony)

I meant to write a review here for this album, but life got in the way. This album manages to be diverse and cohesive at the same time; a feat last accomplished so deftly by a mainstream artist when Trisha Yearwood released Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love. ‘The House That Built Me’ made me miss home so much I shed a tear, something that very few songs have the power to do.

De-stress songs

Melody Gardot

These next two weeks will be very stressful, for me that is because of one thing: AP tests. Half of my classes are AP classes, so I have a lot of big tests coming up. So what did I decide to do? I made a playlist of some albums that I consider very relaxing, namely:

Home, by The Dixie Chicks
Fly, by The Dixie Chicks
My One And Only Thrill, by Melody Gardot
Sara Watkins, by Sara Watkins
Real Live Woman, by Trisha Yearwood
Hearts In Armor, by Trisha Yearwood
The Life Of A Song, by Joey + Rory
Dreaming My Dreams, by Patty Loveless
On Your Way Home, by Patty Loveless

(Click the links to hear the albums on last.fm)

These albums have enough superb ballads (“Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)”, “Hearts In Armor”, “Sweet Emmylou” and “Everything But The Words” to name a few) that shuffling them together makes for an incredible mood and a great relaxing playlist. Adding to it, it’s all quality music from top-notch artists, making for a great listening experience. The one artist that you might not recognize from my list is Melody Gardot, she’s a jazz artist who released her second album this past week- she’s fantastic.

So this made me think, what do you think some really relaxing songs/albums are? Any particular artists that are really relaxing?

So now I want your relaxing music! I could sure use it over the next 2 weeks…

Album Review: Sara Watkins – ‘Sara Watkins’

 

Sara Watkins

Now, I hear the question coming as you see this post, “Who is Sara Watkins?” Well, I have a simple answer: remember Nickel Creek? She’s the girl — the one who sings in “Reasons Why” and plays the fiddle. Ring any bells? Well, this is the review for her eponymous solo album, Sara Watkins.

My dad has been a huge Nickel Creek fan, so when I discovered their first two CDs last year in our house, I decided to listen to them, and I fell in love with everything. Then I did some research online and found out that they had broken up 2 years previously- a blow to me for sure (I also discovered their 3rd album, the amazing Why Should The Fire Die?, so it wasn’t all bad). My favorite part of Nickel Creek was when Sara sang, so I was very excited to hear that she was making a solo album, especially since the other two members of Nickel Creek have done solo projects: Chris Thile with his various solo albums and exploits, and Sean Watkins (Sara’s brother) forming the duo Fiction Family. It was really Sara’s turn to try her hand at a solo album.

So what kind of album is it? It’s very country-bluegrass, in the vein of Nickel Creek’s first album, Nickel Creek. It also has this relaxed feel, and a kind of throwback vibe, such as on “Any Old Time”. It also just feels effortless and natural, and it’s very calming to listen to. She also has a few instrumentals, “Freiderick” and “Jefferson” where she shows off her fiddle playing, and she is very entertaining. Beyond that, her vocals are very evocative, as usual, and she comes off assured. She obviously knows exactly what kind of music she wants to make, and she makes it well. It’s interesting how well her voice suits these songs, even though she has no twang whatsoever, and her music is much more deserving of the country label than most Nashville acts.

Chris’s End of 2008 List: Top 30 Singles

This is my 2008 top-30 singles post! First, about my singles list, I attempted to avoid songs that could still impact the charts more, songs like Miranda Lambert’s “More Like Her” or Little Big Town’s “Good Lord Willing”. I made some exceptions as you’ll soon see, but I tried to keep it to songs that peaked on the charts in 2008. Anyway, here are my top 30 singles of 2008! If you read my albums post, I’m warning you, this post is even longer…

30. “She Never Cried In Front Of Me” – Toby Keith

- It’s not very country sounding, but Toby gives a great performance to a very good sad song. It’s probably my favorite song from him.

29. “Trying To Stop Your Leaving” – Dierks Bentley

- Dierks is doing what he does best, it has energy, but still has meaning and great singing. A very solid single from a great album.

28. “Love Story” – Taylor Swift

- Yeah, I did it, Swift’s on my list! I actually love this song, it’s creative and different from other artists, but I’m young so I may be biased. I also love the sound, especially the fiddle near the end that I find myself whistling.