Top 50 Album Picks 2024

Part 1-In No Particular Order-25 of 50 For Your Pleasure

2024 is coming to an end and I have to say I am glad to see the ass end of this year. At the start of 2024, I said it would be ‘MOMENTOUS’ and little did I know, health-wise, one of the biggest moments in my years.

Open Heart Surgery to repair my Aortic Valve was probably the biggest one and that was on May 7th. 3 Months later I found myself in Arnhem Land camping at Garma Festival. Fabulous journey, but while I was there I got Covid! What a moment.

I had also been on a beta blocker up until a week ago. I thought whatever funk I was going through was still healing from the surgery. I researched my beta-blocker, Sotalol, and discovered it was the culprit.

I have not taken it in 7 days and feel, for the first time since May, like my old self!

Momentous!

The worst moment for the world took place in November in the USA. Let’s not go there, now…..

2025….bound to be interesting.

Here is what made my ears happy this year.

There are some fabulous songwriters and players here. From Australia to Ireland, I am sure you will find something you missed or will love.

Enjoy!

1-The Price Sisters-Between The Lines-Their third record and this one bleeds deep bluegrass. The Price Twins surround themselves with great songs and amazing pickers. Lauren (mandolin, harmony/lead vocals) and Leanna (fiddle, lead/harmony vocals).

They brought in Ronnie McCoury to produce, and his song choices from a Black Keys cover to digging deep into his vault to find an unrecorded Cowboy Jack Clement song was a great selection for this project. Throw in legends Del McCoury and Peter Rowan as special guests, and this one is sure to elevate these ladies.

2-Gary Clark Jr-JPEG RAW- Don’t come looking for the blues here. Clark has headed off with a soul/funk exploratory satellite and he brings back the goods from outer space. Guest include those amazing blues players Stevie Wonder and George Clinton.

Turn it up loud.

“For this album, I leaned toward crafting songs and using all kinds of different influences,” he says. “We were sitting at home, it was 2020 through to 2023, and we were working on this thing, so there was a lot of time to sit and discover new music.” -GC Jr.

3-Neil Young and Crazy Horse-Early Daze-This album has been described as the missing link in the history of Crazy Horse. None of these songs have been unreleased but there are some new versions here. Danny Whitten shines and this album may contain the first recorded version of “Down By The River”. Could you keep it coming, Neil?

4-Tab Benoit-I Hear Thunder-The guitar slinger from Houma, Lousiana is back. He never went anywhere, but it has been over a decade since he released a new record. Benoit is keeping the blues alive. Someone tell me some more artists who are thriving off the blues these days and making exciting records? I am starving for more new Blues….although I know, as my mate Max said, “we can always go backwards.”

5-Jeff Lang- More Life- Who does not want more life? And if you have ever listened to Jeff Lang, well wrap your ears around his latest, because you are in for some surprises. Jeff covers a lot of territory on this record of duets so strap yourself in for a ride of variety. Some of his partners in music are John Butler, Suzannah Espie, Don Walker, Li Stringer, and Don Walker. Get your hands on it wherever excellent records and tapes are offered.

 “I had entertained the idea of doing this new album for a while now. I’ve made collaborative records with other people in the past, but it’s usually a collaboration for the course of a whole album with a single artist. This time around I had the idea of doing an album where you’re writing a new song with each artist and singing it together with them as a duet. I thought that would be a nice angle on it rather than doing duets on already existing material or standards or similar. “-Jeff Lang

6-Hermanos Gutiérrez-Sonido Cósmico- Khruangbin and the Gutierrez Brothers have been touring together and if you listen to their albums in tandem you can see why. Alejandro and Estevan's cosmic guitars are dreamy and stunning. This is the second album Dan Auerbach produced, which sounds nothing like The Black Keys.

7-Khruangbin-A La Sala-They continue with the groove. Whether you are having a dinner party or a late-night soiree, this music will cover all your bases. If you are already part of their tribe, you will love this. Birthed in Houston, Texas, I am unsure where they are coming from now but there is no problem.

8-Parlor Greens-West Memphis-My favourite instrumental record of 2024. Adam Scone on organ, Tim Craman on drums and the fabulous Jimmy James on guitar. Get your groove on. Bet you can’t just listen to this one once.

“The great thing about music is it can make you forget how bad your day was. Or a song can bring you back to a point in time. Even though my mother and sister aren’t here – and I miss them terribly – when I hear certain songs, I remember a moment and it makes me smile. Like, I hear I’ll Take You There by The Staple Singers and I remember my mom singing it out loud. Those memories will stay with me until the end.”-Jimmy James

9-King Stingray-For The Dreams-There is no sophomore slump here for the band from Yirrkala, Arnhem Land. Following up their first record could have been a challenge, but it appears they just turned on the tapes and let it rip once again. The sounds have not changed much, the vibe of the country and the love within this unit has not subsided.

King Sting are an energetic and bright shiny piece of Australia. You may feel like you know this music already because it reflects the attitude and life of their debut. Fuck it, that is a great thing, Go get some Sting!

10-Claire Anne Taylor-Giving It Away- Have you heard Taylor’s voice? If not , this is the album to discover it. Soulful, well-travelled, and worn, but strong and right here, right now. Hailing from Tasmania, this is one from the Apple Isle you should sink your teeth into and savour.

11-Waxahatchee-Tigers Blood-This is the 6^th Katie Crutchfield project under the name of Waxahatchee. The band is named after a creek in Alabama in case you were wondering. She sounds strong, alive and vital within these tracks. That  is always a good start. This is not country, nor really Americana. Call it indie rock and folk….just listen to it.

“In a high-performance job – or any job – but really in entertainment or music or whatever … I just feel like people don’t talk about trying to prioritise being happy people. It’s just all about ambition and reaching the next milestone. And I think that’s something I noticed watching other people around me achieve certain levels of success. I’m just like: ‘Those people seem miserable. What the hell? They have everything they ever wanted and they’re miserable.”-Crutchfield

12-Justin Townes Earle- ALL IN: Unreleased & Rarities (The New West Years)-Some rarities and demos and unreleased stuff from the late JTE. Made me cry anyway. He had so much more to say. Best posthumous album of the year. Yeah. Fabulous covers of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams and Simon’s Graceland.

13-Suss-Birds and Beasts-This ambient country trio from New York mix guitar, loops, pedal steel and more to bring you a delightful, warm, soothing selection of soundscapes.

14-Itasca-Imitation Of War-Kayla Cohen is Itasca. Her tunes drift over you, creating a sense of longing and a dreamy mood. Her guitar playing reminds me of dreamy California psychedelic infused punch.

itasca (veritas-caput) a latin / ojibwe portmanteau place name meaning "truth-head" or "true source"

15-William Elliott Whitmore-Silently, The Mind Breaks-Whitmore hails from Iowa and his picking on banjo and guitar sits nicely with his words about life and death.

“Come on and dance with me,” he sings. “I won’t be around forever.”

16-Cedric Burnside-Hill Country Love-Burnside continues the Hill Country tradition that runs through his veins. He is up for a Grammy once again for this work. He will probably win again because I have found so few Blues records this year….has the blues gone into hiding?
“Mississippi is everything to me. I’ve been to some of the most beautiful places in the world, but nothing makes me want to leave Mississippi. I just love the air of Mississippi, I love the trees of Mississippi, the land. It’s a certain spiritual energy here to me. I can go outside and listen to the birds, and then I can write a song. I can go outside and walk through the woods and write a song. I love it. And I think I’m gonna be here until I die. I’m gonna be buried here.”-C.Burnside

17-Neil Young Archives-Volume III-17 CD’s-841 minutes-MORE BARN!

18-Tony Trischka-Earl Jam-Trischka has taught many people how to play that banjo and he was enamoured with Earl Scruggs. Within these 15 tracks are some fabulous picking and stellar guests to bring it all back home. Sierra Ferrell, The Gibson Brothers, Sam Bush, Molly Tuttle, and Vince Gill make this a picker’s dream.

19-Neal Francis-Francis Comes Alive-With a title and an album cover that is a take on Frampton, that is where all similarities end. Francis is full of funk and soul and his band is hotter than a sidewalk in NYC in mid-August. Francis hails from Chicago and this concert was recorded and filmed @ Thalia Hall in the town he hails from.

This is the best live album of the year….hands down.

Check out the film here.

20-Emma Donovan-Till My Song Is Done-Ms. Donovan has pipes. I have been lucky enough to see her sing live from the St.Kilda Festival to Out On The Weekend and other places in between. She knocks me out.

Stepping away from The Putbacks her more soulful/funky band, this is Indigenous family/country music that has heart and deep roots in this land. Take it in. You won’t regret it. Paul Kelly and Liz Stringer make appearances and there is some beautiful pedal steel from Shane Reilly.

21-Keanu Nelson – Wilurarrakutu-Debut album by Nelson sung in the local language and English and recorded in Papunya in the Northern Territory. These are beautiful poems sung from his notebook and deserve a listen. You may even fall for it in a big way like I have.

22-Jesse Welles-Hells Welles-This dude is a viral sensation and he has taken 21 of his songs that you may have experienced on Insta or Facebook or somewhere on the tubes and put them on this record. He has drawn comparison to John Prine with his lyricism, sarcasm and sharp eye for what is going down on our planet. Keep your eye and ears out for more of him, I hope he is not a flash in the pan. 21 songs in an hour may seem like a lot but you will get sucked in.  Protest songs, 21^st century style.

23-Billy Strings-Highway Prayers-Some of the best bluegrass picking you will hear this year. Billy, if you read this, come to Australia. 20 songs from an artist who may be as important to bluegrass today as Bill Monroe was in his day.

Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, the album features Strings and his longtime band—Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hargraves (fiddle)—as well as additional contributions from Jon Brion (bass, drums, percussion), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Jason Carter (fiddle), Lindsay Lou (backing vocals), Nathaniel Smith (cello), Taneka Samone (backing vocals), Cory Henry (piano), Peter "Madcat" Ruth (harmonica, jaw harp) and Victor Furtado (clawhammer banjo)

24-Susan O’Neill-Now In A Minute-Susan has a beautiful voice and a glowing, flowing, warm talent that takes you away on these numbers. Live she is a star. She is returning to Australia(from Ireland) in 2025. Don’t miss her. She should be a superstar, but the world is a funny place, isn’t it?

25-Jerron “Blind Boy “Paxton- Things Have Changed- They are always changing, but what never seems to alter is that there will always be a new blues artist drinking from the well of Leadbelly Or Robert Johnson. Paxton is a multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, piano, violin,) and he is deep in the blues of the 20’s and 30’s with his sound.

Paxton is from Los Angeles originally, he is Jewish and some of his work reminds me of that 82-year-old blues icon, Taj Mahal. I’ve been complaining about the blues fading out over the last decade, but there are still some candles burning.