Top 50 Album Picks 2024

Part 2 of the Top 50

Here we go with the 2nd installment of my 50 favorite releases of 2024. Looking over these 50 selections you can see my wheelhouse is American(a) centric, with some blues. folk, and rock. Yeah, I know what I like. There are 1/2 dozen Australian releases and Canada and Ireland sneak in.

I will be revisiting Mojo and other Top Albums lists to see what I missed in other parts of this big old goofy world!
See ya next year…

26-Gillian Welch/David Rawlings-Woodland-Welch and Rawlings may record less at this stage of their 30 year career, but the harmonies and the finger picking are as beautiful as ever. Songs of contemplation and life suck you in, as they always do. So nice to have them back and it will be wonderful to see them this January in Australia.

27-Zach Bryan-The Great American Bar Scene-At 28 Bryan has released 5 records and now he is joined by Springsteen on stage (and on this release along with John Mayer and Watchouse) and he has reached the heights of fame. His music echoes some of the hometown tales of that New Jersey superstar and he has a way with words.

“Baseball in the fall with a worn glove / The leaves might change, but the roots stuck / Them shoes still hang on the top wire / I’d say ‘I don’t miss you,’ but I hate a liar.”-The Way Back (Zach Bryan)

You feel like you have been here before with shades of the Mumford clan and maybe a bit of that heartland troubadour Mellencamp. Being mentioned with these other success stories is not a bad thing. This is a very well written and performed record. Bryan has now been on the road killing it for a year and word has it he is taking some time off to get his Masters in Paris. Or maybe just taking some time off in France. I look forward to more chapters ahead.

28-Fantastic Negrito-Son Of A Broken Man-Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, better known as Fantastic Negrito, continues to deliver funk and soul. This album is one of the most personal records but don’t let that get you down, just dig it.

“When I was 12 years old, my dad stopped talking to me and kicked me out of the house. I never saw him again and he ended up dying while I was in foster care. This is me talking to him and telling him what I’ve done with my life.”
It’s a journey, but one you should take with the singer. His voice will heal you as it heals him.

29-Jamey Johnson-Midnight Gasoline-Been 14 years since Johnson put out a record. This album moves along like a walk in the woods, talking to a friend. This may be a bit mainstream country for some folks, but I have always had a sweet spot for Johnson and his voice.

“Trudy”, the Charlie Daniels classic, is one of the few up-tempo numbers on these tracks and it is a wonderful cover.

He recorded the record at Cash Cabin Studios in Tennessee. Johnson slept in his rig outside so he would not lose the vibe or the ghost of Johnny Cash.

So yeah, this is a great country album, it reminds me of things that were coming out of the radio in the 70’s at times, when country and western was making a resurgence. Give it a chance.

30-Garrett T. Capps And NASA Country-Everyone Is Everyone--Cosmic Americana/Rock and Roll from Texas. This is his 6^th record and he is mining a psychedelic country vein that seems to run deep down San Antone way. Cowboy hats and rocket ships mandatory.

31-Nick Lowe- Indoor Safari-Nick Lowe entered my world in the mid-70s and has been a constant visitor from his solo work, Rockpile, his various musical outfits, and this groovin’ record with Los Straitjackets. Some of those Rockpile shows in NYC, especially at least one raucous night at The Ritz.

At 75, Nick is still writing some sweet poppy lyrics. Los Straitjackets recorded a fabulous tribute record to Nick and have toured with him. I caught them here in 2020 and it was a show of happiness, joy and peace, love and understanding.

“So I thought, “Well, this is ridiculous, me still making these records.” What’s that expression—madness is doing the same thing over again, hoping for a different result? I thought, “This is ridiculous. Why put yourself through it? It’s so expensive, and for very little return. I’ve really rung the curtain down on my recording career, so that’s what was weird about this—because I really thought I was done with it. But, by a backdoor, another one has been prized out. And I think it’s a good record. I give it a 7 out of 10—that’s a high score for me, by the way, on my own records. But if it hadn’t been for our geographical problems—the fact I had to come to Chicago to mix it and go back to London and then call Alex up and mix it over the phone with him—I think it would have been an 8 out of 10. That’s a pretty good score for me, 7 out of 10.-Nick Lowe on the record (Paste)

32-Jeffrey Foucault-The Universal Fire-We are all burning. Loss comes, loss comes, but we keep living and going on. Billy Conway’s spirit, ex-Morphine drummer, and long time partner in crime of Foucaults, are embedded in these tracks. Billy died of cancer in 2021. Some beautiful songwriting, Foucault hammers these words out….over and over.

Following Conway’s death, Foucault says the band went out without a drummer and just left an empty chair on the stage with a shot of tequila sitting atop it. After a while, the band acquired bottles of tequila gifted to them from sound techs. “We were driving around the Midwest with 12 bottles of tequila,” laughs Foucault.

“Not playing with Billy is different, because drummers all hear the beat differently,” adds Foucault. “John [Convertino], who I’ve known for a long time and started listening to in the ‘90s, hears the beat in an uncannily similar to the way to Billy. They hear it in the same place, but the difference between them is really in the accent.”

33-Emily Wurramara-NARA-6 years on from her debut record Wurramara has come up with a beautiful concoction of soul, words that make you think and a record that has just won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. This album is beyond awards. She is originally from Groote Eylandt and now resides in Tasmania. No flash in the pan, she is a rising star.

34-The Cactus Blossoms-Everytime I Think About You-These young men sound a bit like The Jayhawks at times and other times like Roy Orbison or The Everly Brothers. Page Burkum and Jake Torrey are brothers and their sibling harmonies run deep and wide. Jump in the river and get wet. Mind the spikes.

35-Duke Robillard-Roll With Me-The Duke is royally keeping the blues steady. He swings, he romps, he grooves, he burns. With over 35 solo records, a couple with Roomful of Blues, a stint in Dylan’s band,a sideman with too many to list, Robillard never stops. He is 76 and may not be a King, but he is certainly a Duke!

36-Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey-Nasgino Inage Nidayulenvi (It Started in the Woods)- “The Chuj” is a 20 year old Cheorkee from Kenwood, Oklahoma. All songs are sung in his native tongue, Agalisiga channels Hank Williams and RL Burnside. Unique.

37-Melissa Carper-Borned In Ya-Carper hails from Nebraska and her voice flys in from another century. She covers many types of country here and she can croon. Ballads, standards, jazz, gospel, she can sing just about anything while she rocks that upright bass. Caught her when she was in Australia in 2023 and don’t miss her if you get a chance.

38-Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson)-Passage Du Desir-Simpson is back and he can call himself whatever he wants. His voice and playing are top notch. He is touring and his shows are hitting the 3 hour mark. Check him out online.

“I tried to make a cohesive record, but it’s certainly not like an arching, underlying, definitive narrative. It’s just a collection of songs,” Sturgill explains. “I had some pretty impactful things happen in my personal life and lost a lot of people and friends that were dear to me. One person in particular was very important in my life, at one point I found out that she killed herself. So I just decided, you know what, I’ve got to get all this stuff on tape and record it. So we made the record. It was really very simple. I wanted the music to be pure without any gimmicks or over-the-top production. So it was just myself and three other very good studio musicians.”-Johnny Blue Skies
Note: Set below is a Festival set….but it is a good one….even breaks into a bit of Jerry….as he is in San Fran.

39-Mia Kelly-To Be Clear-Her voice, her songwriting, singing in French and English. Keep an eye on this woman.

40-Texicali-Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore-With some fabulous covers and a 1/2 dozen originals, Alvin and Gilmore take you on a road trip from Austin to Bakersfield. The Guilty Ones are the backing band and Alvin and Gilmore bring it on home.

41-Wirlmari-Kankawa Nagara-Kankawa aka Olive Knight plays the blues and more. She is 80 years old, a member of the Indigenous stolen generations here in Australia, and she shines her love, light, and defiance through her words and music.

She performed as part of the Songs For Freedom tour in 2023 and I was astonished by her blues renditions and playing and her singing in her native language.

Nagara won the Australian Music Prize this year for her debut album. She beat out over 600 entries for the $50,000 prize.

“I feel that music is a responsibility,” she added. “Caring for nature is a responsibility, and protecting culture is a responsibility for its holistic wellbeing. All these things are connected, and I make it my life’s work.”-K.Nagarra

Nagarra is an activist raising awareness for youth suicide and substance abuse and more within Aboriginal communities. She also has helped develop the Walmatjarri dictionary in the 1960s.

She has every right to sing the blues because she has lived them big time. Fabulous debut record…..about time.

42-T-Bone Burnett-The Other Side-T-Bone has had an amazing career that has seen him playing with Dylan, producing many and working on scores and soundtracks for many films from The Big Lebowski to O Brother, Where Art Thou? And many others. I discovered his solo work on Proof Through The Night which was released in 1983 which featured Pete Townsend, Ry Cooder, Mick Ronson and Richard Thompson to name a few.

This is a another subdued collection of a dozen songs with guests like Weyes Blood, Lucius, Roseanne Cash, Colin Linden and more.

43-Aaron Lee Tasjan-Stellar Evolution-Pop music coated in humour as it touches on queer and American politics. Tasjan has put out some quirky and excellent records. Bit of Beatles meets Nick Lowe if that makes sense. Just go dive into this record and then find his others……he’s a genius.

44-The Black Keys – Ohio Players-Auerbach and Carney seem to be re-energised on this collection of tunes. Guest include Beck on about ½ the tracks and Noel Gallagher appearing on a handful. It’s probably one of my favourite Black Keys records. It’s a bit of a Black-Beck Keys record. Let’s hope the boys continue to collaborate. And if you don’t know the Ohio Players, check your Spotify.

45-Charles Lloyd: The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow-Lloyd at 86 does not seem to slow down. This installment with Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade adds to a collection of later works that keep me listening to this beautiful tenor saxophonist. Lloyd may be, as he said, “reaching the end of my journey”, but this music is as vital as anything he has recorded in his storied career.

46-Charlie Parr-Little Sun-Parr steps up with a full band and it’s a breath of fresh air from his past offerings. Hey, it’s not that I did not like his beautiful, sparse playing and singing, but sometimes you need to inject something new into your veins.

'“My philosophy is don’t do anything I don’t want to do. I’ve got a record label but they work for me. That’s easy to forget sometimes. I’ve got a lot of help that I’m grateful for, but at the end of the day this is my ride. I want to do stuff in a certain … well, it’s more accurate to say I don’t want to do stuff in a certain way. I’m inherently very, very lazy. I like not having a job. I just get up there and play my music. It means everything, being part of something bigger than me.”-Charlie Parr

47-Sierra Ferrell-Trail Of Tears-Sierra Elizabeth Ferrell , in case you didn’t know, is the real deal. Her voice is one of the strongest and most unique around. Skirting folk, country, bluegrass and Americana, she is this generations Dolly.

She honed her talent on the streets of the US getting out of West VA and eventually putting away her near fatal addictions.

She bursts with life and the stories she tells are probably only a portion of what she has lived. You can see it in her eyes, her delivery and her attention to detail with her art.And that voice of hers can stop people in their tracks. She’s big and going to be one of the biggest.

Sierra returns to Australia for headline gigs and Day On The Green events this summer.

Don’t miss her.

48-Phosporescent-Revelator-Matthew Houck is the ringleader here and this is their 8th album. Beautifully written lyrically and the songs are what we have come expect.

Playing 3 shows in January in Australia. Don’t miss them. See you in Naarm.

‘The way I feel about music is pretty clearly not how other folks feel about music. It takes me to a fairly downer place, obviously. Revelator really hit that home, where I realised, ‘OK, this is going be another record that is sorting through some sort of sadness.’ I don't know how much that defines my life, because weirdly I don't wallow around in this stuff. I guess I'm glad to have an outlet, because I don't feel as sad when I hear the songs back and take them as a whole. I don't worry about Matthew Houck from that perspective’.-Matthew Houck

One of my Top 5 favourite acts of this century!

49-Charlie Crockett-$10 Cowboy and $10 Cowboy Chapter 2 (Visions Of Dallas)-13 albums in 9 years and you know what you will get with CC. “This material is written at truck stops, it’s written at casinos, it’s written in the alleys behind the venues, it’s written in my truck parked up on South Congress in Austin,” explains Crockett. “A ramblin’ man like me, a genuine transient, is in a pretty damn good position to have something to say about America.”-Charlie Crockett

Soul, country, and western….this Texan keeps giving and this may be his best. If you love Charlie, you will dig this. You will dig them both, I do declare.

50-Hurray For The Riff Raff -The Past Is Still Alive-Alynda Segarra has written ten beautiful songs here. They have been making music for 20 years under HFTRR moniker and this tops all of their releases. Hands down.

“I hope that people who are experiencing any type of grief can find some kind of space where time stands still while they listen to this record.”- Alynda Segarra

I hope our time will never go,

I hope our time will never go.

Don’t you?

Below is the First 25 in case you missed it…..See ya next year!