10 Favorite Albums of 2018

by Julian Spivey
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10. “The Tree” by Lori McKenna
Lori McKenna writes the kind of songs that just rip your heart right out of your chest and has done that time after time on her latest release The Tree. They are realistic songs about life and all of its emotions – from sadness of one’s parents growing old to the nostalgia of wanting to be young and angry again. It’s honest and heartfelt songwriting and few, if any, do that better than McKenna.

9. “Girl Going Nowhere” by Ashley McBryde
Ashley McBryde’s debut album Girl Going Nowhere was a breath of fresh air for those of us wanting to hear actual country music from an up-and-comer. McBryde, who writes/co-writes her own stuff, gives us songs of love and life and as anybody from a small town knows it isn’t always easy and with a song like “Livin’ Next to Leroy” she doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff. The highlight of the Grammy-nominated album is the title track, which sees the Arkansan recounting a former teacher who told her her dream of being a country music singer would never lead to anywhere. She performed the song on the Grand Ole Opry – I’d say that’s “somewhere.”

8. “Volunteer” by Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show after almost two decades as a recording group have gotten to legendary status in my book and to the point where many just kind of take them for granted. They do everything I like and do it well – country, bluegrass, folk, Americana. Their sixth studio album Volunteer features the band’s great mixture of raucous bluegrass numbers like “Shout Mountain Music” and “Flickers & Shine” and some of its best songwriting to date on tracks like “Old Hickory,” “Homecoming” and “Look Away.”

7. “My American Dream” by Will Hoge
Will Hoge’s My American Dream is the ballsiest album of 2018. It’s also one many need to hear, but many will refuse to or if they do hate it instantly. I would call My American Dream a concept album because every single track on it is political in nature, tackling some of our nation’s biggest issues of the moment like gun control (“Thoughts and Prayers”), immigration (“The Illegal Line”), politician inaction (“Gilded Walls) and more. It’s the ballsiest album of 2018 because Hoge, one of Americana’s finest songwriters, truly risks running off members of his fan base.

6. “Steak Night at the Prairie Rose” by Mike and the Moonpies
Steak Night at the Prairie Rose by Texas-based red dirt country band Mike and the Moonpies might be the most unapologetically country music album of 2018. This is the kind of stuff we should be hearing on our country radio stations. The band’s fourth studio album sees them at their best with great story songs like the title track of a man and his bond with his father and country music, the rip-roaring “Road Crew,” which makes you want to get up and dance, and the absolutely infectious melody of “Beaches of Biloxi.”

5. “Desperate Man” by Eric Church
Eric Church has proven he’s one of Nashville’s finest songwriters since he debuted, but he’s also proven to be one of country music’s biggest renegades, especially when it comes to tinkering with his sound and trying out new things. That’s exactly what he did with his sixth studio album Desperate Man, which is his most soulful record to date with tracks like “Hangin’ Around” and “Higher Wire,” but also still country as hell on tracks like “Drowning Man” and “Hippie Radio.” Church has gotten to the point in his career where it seems he can do no wrong.

4. “Springsteen on Broadway” by Bruce Springsteen
I really don’t like seeing live albums on end of year best albums lists, but I just couldn’t pass this one up. Bruce Springsteen’s one-man Broadway show simply titled “Springsteen on Broadway” is something I’ve been dying to see or hear since it was first announced in 2017. His 14-month run on Broadway wrapped up earlier this month and immediately upon ending the album of the show was released, as well as a televised special on Netflix. The show is everything a fan of Springsteen could want with stories of his life growing up in New Jersey and the inspiration for his songs, both greatest hits and rarely heard numbers. The Broadway recording definitely won’t have the relisten factor of the others on this list, but it’s truly a remarkable feat.

3. “The Tree of Forgiveness” by John Prine
Legendary singer-songwriter John Prine hadn’t released an album in more than a decade so his 2018 release The Tree of Forgiveness was somewhat of a question mark going in, but upon first listen we all realized there was no reason to doubt one of the finest songwriters of all-time. The Tree of Forgiveness is quintessential John Prine, filled with incredibly life-like storytelling that hits upon all emotions and features Prine’s trademark wit. Highlights on the album include the devastating “Summer’s End” and the optimistic look at the after-life “When I Get to Heaven.”

2. “Things Change” by American Aquarium
Since their 2015 release Wolves, American Aquarium underwent a complete overhaul with singer-songwriter and frontman B.J. Barham replacing everybody in the band. It’s always interesting to hear the sound of a band that’s undergone such a drastic change, but 2018’s aptly titled Things Change is the group and Barham at their finest. Barham, who also got sober since the band’s last release, finds himself at his songwriting best on Things Change with its tales of hardworking folks who get through tough times (“Tough Folks”), dealing with the unfortunate America of today (“The World Is on Fire”), remembering fondly past brothers of the road (“When We Were Younger Men”) and his recently found sobriety (“One Day at a Time”). The sound continues the band’s Southern Rock mixed with alternative country flare that perfectly fits under the encompassing Americana genre.

1. “By the Way, I Forgive You” by Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile’s sixth studio album By the Way, I Forgive You sees the Americana singer-songwriter at her songwriting best with a 10-track masterpiece completely written by her and co-writers and bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth. The album, which was recently nominated for six Grammy Awards including Album of the Year making her the most nominated female artist of the year, features Song and Record of the Year nominee “The Joke,” which tells of hardships faced by those marginalized. It also features the beautiful “The Mother,” about how life can change drastically for someone after the birth of their first childhood and how it’s ultimately worth it. It also features heartbreaking tunes like “Every Time I Hear That Song” and optimistic calls to action like “Hold Out Your Hand.” Rolling Stone called the album “a delicate masterpiece” and I can’t think of a better way to describe it.  

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