Amazing albums were released this year - powerhouse works by Adele, Arcade Fire, Beirut, Bon Iver, Burlap to Cashmere, Coldplay - as well as great albums by Brett Dennen (fun!), Feist, Fleet Foxes, Gomez, Lisa Hannigan, Mumford & Sons, Paul Simon, and more! All of these should lead a list of favorites of 2011.
Weeding further: I loved the latest Eric Bibb, David Bromberg, City and Colour, Farewell Drifters, Katie Herzig, Jason Isbell, Imelda May, Benny Marchant, Sarah McLaughlan, Ollabelle, Justin Roth, and the Rifters. Rj Cowdery, The Head and the Heart, and Madeleine Peyroux, were ALL wonderful. Honorable mention to the great work of Katey Laurel, Katya Chrover, and Matracea Berg. ( … who did I miss? I feel as if I missed someone…)
Given this huge quantity of great music, I chose to reflect upon works I feel were equally as strong, but perhaps did not have a huge media machine behind them. Selections that just might slip under your radar, but certainly should not! I hope you enjoyed the selections.
The Full List:
Editor's Note: 01.02.2012 - this list was published in the reverse order of what was intended and has been corrected. We regret the error.
- The Civil Wars - Barton Hallow
- Red Molly - Light In The Sky
- Chuck Pyle - The Spaces In Between
- Driftwood Fire - How to Untangle A Heartache
- Vanessa Lively - Uncovering Stones
- Jonathan Edwards - My Love Will Keep
- Kathryn Mostow - Rich Girl
- Blame Sally - Speeding Ticket and a Valentine
- SHEL - When The Dragon Came Down
- Annie Wenz - Ride The Sky
That's all for my list of 2011! I don't have to tell you what a struggle it was to whittle it all down, so many wonderful and delightful releases this year! If you have a favorite, or heaven forbid, I missed something feel free to let me know in the comments section below. Peter's list of 2011 favorites premieres here on Monday.
