Best Albums of 2016 - Number 1

I pretty much knew this would be my favorite album of the year the moment I heard it. I was already way beyond on board with Deap Vally after their first album, Sistrionix and seeing them at an in-store at Radio-Active Records a couple years ago. I've said before that I think the female voice, the female perspective, in rock represents the true meaning of rock n roll as far as I'm concerned. With Deap Vally, that goes to the ultimate extreme for me, because, as Lindsey Troy sings, in "Smile More" which I consider an anthem for our times, "Yes, I am a feminist, but that isn't why I started doing this." In other words, the rock comes first and hard and in your face, leaving you dripping with Femejism.

As a drums and guitar duo, it would be easy and lazy to compare  Deap Vally to countless other such duos. And if I had to pick one, I'd probably say The White Stripes. Lindsey's guitar tones come closest to being like Jack White's, but honestly, I think the similarity ends there. Julie Edwards is more in line with John Bonham than Meg White (nothing wrong with either). And the journeys their songs take are beyond the intentional simplicity of The White Stripes. There's more of a metal and punk edge than there is a blues thing going on. There's also a whole lot of groove, which is only heightened on Femejism, in part due to being produced by The Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zinner, but the truth is, the groove was there on Sistrionix as well, like an invisible third member of the band.

Femejism opens with the deceptively simple (a term that can be applied to just about all of thier songs) "Royal Jelly." By the time we get to the "ooh ooh" chorus, I'm hyped as fuck. Which is good, because then we dive right into "Julian" like a punch to the face. A punch that makes you dance. Then there's a surf/psych twist in "Gonnawanna" which is the first anthem on the album, about doing whatever the fuck you wanna do.

Every song is a standout in its own way, but none more so than "Smile More." So much is said about feminism lately, but ultimately, I think a huge part of the conversation is often forgotten. I think the real backbone of feminism isn't just about empowering women, though that is obviously crucial. But to me, the concept that resonates most is the idea of letting people, all people, regardless of how they identify, be whoever the fuck they want to be, free of prescribed gender roles. And with increased awareness of the fluidity of gender, this is a critical message. In other words, it's the quote I always go back to: "Leave everybody the fuck alone" and this song perfectly captures it. I keep calling this an anthem for our times, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, this is an anthem for our times. "Stranger in the bar tells me to smile more, I look at him and I ask, what for? I am happily un-happy man. And no, I don't wanna shake your hand." Seriously. I know women get that all the time, but not just women. And then, "I don't wanna be a reflection. I'm so bored with this rejection. I don't wanna be a reflection. I don't need your direction." Sing it, sister! Thank you, Lindsey and Julie. My daughters will thank you one day, too.

Anyway, I can't wrap this up without mentioning the aptly named, somewhat surreal "Post Funk" and the driving spy dance beat of "Grunge Bond." Remember that groove I mentioned at the beginning of this? These two songs are the most obvious examples of that. This is the type of shit that will give you visions of some sweaty club each time they hit your ears. And don't think that because I'm focusing on the groove that this thing doesn't rock. "Teenage Queen" and "Heart is an Animal" alone will melt your face. There's no way I've done any justice to this album, but the fact that it's my number one is all I got these days. I look forward to hearing more and more from Deap Vally in the coming years. Their voice is needed now more than ever and I hope they provide at least some of the soundtrack for a revolution.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 2

I've said before I don't often listen to hip hop, so it should be understood what a big deal it is that my number two album of the year is Aesop Rock's Impossible Kid. There are so many levels to what Aesop does in all his work, but on this album more than ever, I think. I'm positive that even with the many times I've heard it, I'm still only getting a fraction of it all. It's the first time in probably like 20 years that I've actually heard a whole album, all the way through, while reading the lyrics. That's the kind of attention this deserves.

He's known for using complex imagery and "big words" (whatever that means), but it's always all in service of some of the most personal shit out there in any genre. Aesop's stories are funny, relatable, sad, inspiring, trippy and just plain well told. The autobiographical (a word that loses meaning when all the tracks can be described this way) "Rings" tells the story of how he spent a long time trying to make a living as a graphic artist, but felt drained, boxed in and like a failure. "Used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw" delivered in Aesop's style gives that "used to" so much impact. It's common man angst that I can completely relate to. I used to do a lot of things, too. And then the hook and line that has resonated with me so much this year "they will chop you down just to count your rings." Fuck. That's the type of all caps TRUTH in a metaphor that it's hard to believe nobody ever came up with it before. He tells a specifically personal story, filled with vivid details, to arrive at a universal truth worthy of philosophers. There almost doesn't even need to be a whole album for this to be on my list.

Continuing, in a sense, on the theme of regretting perceived past failure as a middle aged human, or just flat out feeling old, "Lotta Years" is also really funny. Like Aesop, I see younger kids today as doing better than we did, not worse. If I'm understanding him, if I'm not missing the irony completely, he's kinda going against the typical "kids today" type of shit old people spew and accepting that he just doesn't get it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Still, the stories, which are based on two real conversations, are delivered with biting satire and exaggeration.  "Look at that neck! The message is immediate, this guy F's chics!" about a kid with a liptsitck tattoo on his neck, makes me laugh every time I hear this song. The line is great, but the delivery is even better. The way the music sort of shifts and stops before he goes to the punchline reaction is comedy gold without getting cheesy. Brilliant.

The album isn't without some dark corners. There are several mentions of Aesop's therapy sessions. "Shrunk" is all about one such session. "Hey Kirby" is about his cat, which the song reveals his therapist told him to get. "Get Out of the Car" is about paralysis during hard times, specifically about a friend of his that died. And "Lazy Eye" is about not being healthy, not fitting in and being exposed and taken advantage of as a result before coming to terms with yourself, flaws and all. "Maybe I should kinda sorta move to Mars. I'm feeling kinda done, too many moving parts. The piss-poor vision is 40 percent floaters, the kitchen is a chorus of glorious leftovers. The friends you confessed all the dark shit to had weaponized the information before we could send roses." I don't know about you, but I've been there.

To top it all off, the beats on this album are excellent. Synths and guitars come together nicely, pulsing like a sci-fi soundtrack. Pay attention to the lyrics first, but then, check out the instrumental version of the album, too. It may even be a good soundtrack for heist film. I'll continue to beat myself up for missing his show when he was in town this year. Hopefully I can make up for it at some point in the near future.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 3

This is an album that, as much as I loved, I probably will rarely listen to. But I can't deny it a place on this list because it is such a powerful piece of art and hit me so damn hard, from the first listen, while sitting at work with earbuds in - I was a wreck. In the course of recording Skeleton Tree, Nick Cave lost his teenage son. There's no way that wouldn't have been reflected in the album, no matter how much of it had been done before. Sure, Cave has always been dark, but this is something else entirely. The weight of this is substantial and transcendent in ways that really defy explanation. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' Skeleton Tree is not something that you should listen to lightly, but it is something you most definitely should listen to at least once. It will change you.

From the opening track, "Jesus Alone," there's an ominous heaviness and the feel of a darkened room, alone. It's hopeless and dark in the very real way that grief can be. Once we get to "Girl in Amber" there's something going on in your chest and I would understand most people shutting this off right then, but I implore you not to. I think this is important to be reminded of - these feelings. No matter how shitty life can get, we need this specific kind of darkness to highlight the tiny bright spots in every day, if we can get them. And I'm not sure this has ever been captured in anything approaching this level. This album is the most concrete example I think I've ever heard of the power of music and the original intent of this blog.

Honestly, I don't think I can even get into this on a lyrical level because it may destroy me forever. Certain lines stand out here and there like "Nothing really matters when the one you love is gone. You're still in me, baby." from "I Need You" for example, but overall, it's the shear wall of raw sonic emotion that closes in on you as you listen that puts this on my list. It could almost be an instrumental and still knock you out. The Bad Seeds clearly felt this loss along with Cave and the mourn together. It may seem hopeless, but it is this balance between voice and instruments and the basic fact of knowing it was a group of people doing this together that makes this come off like an embrace of some sort. Not an embrace of comfort, necessarily, but one of solidarity and understanding none the less. It doesn't take the pain away, but gives you a safe place to express it in all its bleakness.

I'd rather not say much more about this album, because I feel like it should just be experienced. But I have to mention "Distant Sky." This song - this, I don't know what to call it - is the most cathartically beautiful thing I've ever heard, hands down. It features Else Torp on vocals and if it doesn't make you cry uncontrollably, I feel horrible for you. This chorus was made to accompany sobbing that comes from the black hole of despair that opens in a soul after losing a loved one and more specifically, a child.

"They told us our gods would outlive us
  They told us our dreams would outlive us
  They told us our gods would outlive us
  But they lied"

This song is the moment of release for the whole thing before the slightly hopeful, though still overwhelming, melancholy of the title track, "Skeleton Tree." Maybe someone with a stronger will than mine could analyze this album and break down the songs into different stages of grief, but I can barely maintain composure all through the album. As I said at the beginning, this won't be often played and hopefully not something I need to turn to for comfort, but god damn am I glad that it exists - in spite of the horrible circumstances that lead to it - and that I've heard it. If music or art in general is supposed to affect you, deeply, then this is that and more.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 4

I had the pleasure of seeing Seratones open for St. Paul & The Broken Bones last year and was blown away by them. This year, their debut full length album, Get Gone, came out and I am blown away with how closely it captures their live feel. They kind of explode on you with an energy that overflows with psyche, voodoo and soul. This may be the most unique sounding rock band of the past several years, partly due to singer A.J. Haynes's freaky R&B vocals, but beyond that, the songs themselves are just very special with a hard to pinpoint, but exciting, vibe. This is all very much in my wheelhouse, bringing together so many things I love in a package that ends up being much greater than its parts.

Wasting no time on setting up the vibe, "Choking on Your Spit" drops you right into what I imagine to be some groovy house party with lava lamps, beaded curtains and projections on the smoking band. Somewhere in the room, though, is a crystal ball and it's likely that the singer herself is the one that has been reading it between sets. As if I had forgotten to mention it, the next song, "Headtrip," reminds me there are bongs and naked people here as well. But what you'll also notice about this party is that, in spite of the imagery, it's not taking place in the past at all, but rather in some alternate dimension where several time periods and scenes just sort of always exist and co-mingle.

Amid the raucous, there's also a shimmering quality that comes through in songs like "Tide" and the title track, adding texture, depth and range to the whole. The desert twang and Whoo Ooh!" holler of that title track is one of my favorite moments of the album. So much attitude and swagger there and really on the whole album.

The flow of the songs is just right, never losing energy, but never beating you down either. Just when things have kind of settled, "Trees" kicks it back into gear. Then "Don't Need It" just flat out tells us to "leave your body behind" because the party - the journey - is going beyond this or any room. Finally, "Keep Me" is basically a lullaby, but maybe for astral dreamers and tantric lovers with lyrics like "And when you start feeling steady, I will wrap my legs round your waist. Got away with everything you let me. You will smile to find me when you wake."

Is cosmic psyche garage R&B a genre? Maybe it is now. I don't know, maybe labels miss the point (they usually do), but there is something definitely happening here that is different from anything I've heard before in this exact combination. And A.J. Haynes is officially one of my favorite voices in music right now. Aside from having the chops (which she most definitely does), her delivery has a combination of authority and carefree rebellion that is hard to come by. I hope to see Seratones live again and to see where they take their sound next. This was definitely the best debut album of the year and one of the best of the last several years.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 5

Anything you look up online about Mother Feather will include some version of the word bombast. There's a reason for that - because it's true. And it's bombast that hits you from several different angles. Whether you're thinking punk, glam, disco, metal(?), it's in here, in an explosive way. They call it pop cock rock and it's probably the most accurate description. Mother Feather is fronted by Ann Courtney and Elizabeth Carena, two women who are unafraid of any fucking thing and just want to party. So, yeah, cock rock it is, and their self titled debut album has huge balls to match.

This is the funnest album I heard all year. Yes, there's a sense of empowerment to it, but it's also mainly about getting your kicks. It's down and dirty rock n roll with a serious groove to it and more than a little tongue in everyone's cheeks. Honestly, saying too much about this album would be counter to why I loved it. I could just put it on, start to finish, and have a good time without worrying about why. Sometimes, that's more than enough and it's actually not that common to find good music that accomplishes that. But take a listen to songs like "Natural Disaster," "Trampoline" and "The Power," which had one of my favorite lyrics of the year in "Are you the man for the mission? Do you smack the skin like a love sick Wiccan?"

Just yesterday, I was listening to this and Shayera says "Mother Feather? Like Mother F-Word?" which is actually correct. That is how they got their name and it's pretty impressive my 7 year old got it immediately. She may not be old enough to get some of the lyrics (I hope), but still. So, yeah, just listen to it. Forget your troubles. And bounce. Like the song ("Trampoline") says, "you'll hit heaven when you bounce on me." Yeah.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 6

St. Paul and The Broken Bones are a live band. That can't be argued with. I've seen them twice already. The first time, I drove 4 hours to see them -my first time alone at a concert - in Orlando and was completely blown away. I already have tickets to make that exact 4 hour drive to see them again in March and this time, I'm probably even more excited, because now I know what I'm going to experience. And maybe this is why I would place their albums so high on any list. Maybe, every time I hear their music, I'm transported to that religious experience. I know that's at least part of it. But also, Sea of Noise is a demonstration that they are growing. They are reaching beyond any idea of them being just a soul revival, a fucking amazing one, and trying to not only expand their sound, but their content. Their concept. Their point of view. Their new album brings a new sense of timeliness, funk, exploration and confidence that only gets better with more listens.

Anchored by 3 short interludes called "Crumbling Light Posts" the album brings to mind the 70s more than the previous effort, which was much more anchored in 60s southern soul. This is more high concept, exploratory and socially conscious. It's a bit of soul searching, basically. But it never gets heavy handed because first and foremost is the soul. After that short intro, we get right to it with the funky "Flow With It (You Got Me Feelin Like)." Right off, what I noticed here was Paul's more restrained performance. The bombast is there, and you can feel it about to burst (and it does), but he's adding texture and expanding his range. That range continues to expand in the deep disco of "Midnight on Earth," with a chorus that is somehow equal parts Bee Gees and Al Green. And right along with Paul's expanding range, the band is exploring different corners of the funk.

In addition to the funk, there is also a choir and string section on a few songs, as well as more overtly gospel influenced songs that give this an interesting dynamic range. It's all elements that have existed in soul and R&B from the beginning in varied measures, but the way this album flows feels very much alive and of the moment. Maybe it's the context of a song like "I'll Be Your Woman," at a time when gender conceptions are finally being challenged in our culture. It's a soul ballad which lyrically echoes Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend" but somehow takes it to another level by completely embracing fluid gender roles with lines about being rescued by his female lover and then flat out saying "let me lie in your strong arms" and "I'll be your woman." And there's "All I Ever Wonder" which is all about questioning the state of the world. It's not so much political as it is just socially aware and heartfelt.

If I had to choose one song to represent the range this album goes through, it would have to be "Sanctify." Some of the funkiest organ I've ever heard somehow leads to the one of the lushest most inspiringly orchestrated crescendos I've heard in a long time. What happens in between is religious, sexual and chill inducing. I am really looking forward to seeing them play this live.

Every time I listen to St. Paul and The Broken Bones, I get a little lost in it. And while this album brings some of the real world into that with lyrics like "That’s my daddy with a gun shooting someone else’s son. Is it over yet? A bullet with intent for the color of his savior and he can’t forget. What do we do when the fight goes out? I just want to know can we find love in a black hole?" from "Brain Matter," it's still comforting to be in a musical space that reassures the way soul always has. They are not retro or a throwback - they are timeless. They put the music first and their knowledge of the history of the form is as evident as their talent. My excitement for this band has not decreased one bit since first listening to them a couple of years ago and I'm looking forward to continue to be excited with every phase of what they do. 

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 7

This may be the album I played the most this year. Not only do I love it, but I was constantly getting requests from both of my daughters (3 and 7) to play songs from it. The fact that it's technically a re-packaged version of 2014's KIN, might obscure the fact that Larkin Poe's Reskinned is actually a very different feeling album - one that demonstrates a large amount of growth and redirection in a short period of time. There a few new songs here, some were removed and a couple more were remixed, making this much thicker and heavier than its predecessor. Also, somehow, looser. While their roots remain strong, the Lovell sisters are now focused on the rock in beautifully Southern ways.

The album wastes no time in bringing the heat, opening with the aptly titled "Sucker Puncher." Meghan's flaming slide leads and Rebecca's explosive vocals burst with power that only enhances their sense of melody, harmony and heart. After years spent making more traditionally acoustic Americana, they know song structure so this is not just loud posturing. They didn't just turn up the volume, there's a very real foundation here that I think outshines most blues based rock bands, new and classic.

The whole first half is basically in your face, attitude heavy swaggering that comes to a head in the excellent "Problem." I'm not sure they have sounded better than on this one song. To my ears, it's the highlight of the album. But then there's the variety on display, with songs like the eerie "Banks of Allatoona" and the electronic stomp of "Blunt." But enough of what I think. My daughters both have been singing these songs all year. So let's see what Shayera has to say:

I like Larkin Poe very much because I like listening to rock n roll. I like "When God Closes a Door" because it's cool. Her voice makes me feel like I can do anything. This is my favorite song to sing. I like the background music in "Trouble in Mind." It sounds how I would like to do music. I would like to write rock n roll songs and play electric guitar like Rebecca. My sister likes "Don't." She says it's her song. I also like "Stubborn Love." It inspires me because I have a sister, too. I like "Blunt" because of the beat. It sounds awesome. I like the words "If you knew your chisel was blunt." I don't know what it means, but I just like it. I like the way "Crown of Fire" starts with the high pitched voice and then it just goes into the loud music. And I like the name because it sounds awesome. I love all of Larkin Poe's songs.

There you have it, from a 7 year old with taste. If your music can inspire fans to say they want to do what you're doing, then I think you've succeeded and this album does that. But don't let the fact that I can share this with my daughters lead you astray. This is not kiddie music by any stretch of the imagination. The lyric Shayera quoted from "Blunt" (which I have explained to her) is directed at god and the next line is "why did you make so many of us?" And that's just one example. There are deep, serious and heartfelt themes in all of these songs, many of them kind of dark. I'm looking forward to seeing how this band continues to grow and inspire my daughters.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 8

It's a strange phenomenon when I don't much like a band or artist, but absolutely love bands or artists who are clearly and obviously influenced by them. I find that happens to me quite a bit and most notably happens with The Smiths. I was just never into them (I should be in theory, I know), yet so many bands I love wouldn't exist without them. Prime example is Girl in a Coma. I fucking love this band, and I would be a fool not to hear Morrissey in Nina Diaz's delivery and their overall sound. And now, Nina released a solo album that brings forth, not just Morrissey and The Smiths, but a whole lot more. This album, The Beat is Dead, seems to rise from electronic 80s sounds and some very classic rock and new wave, but with a definitively current casing. Nina is not afraid of her influences because she doesn't have to be - her talent, as writer and singer give her wings and her confidence is what is ultimately on display.

And that confidence is even more impressive when you realize how personal this album is. Nina is a recovering addict, a fact she has been very open about on all her social media and press for this album. This music is all about her journey to (through?) recovery and, I get the sense, is a big part of that recovery as well. In less capable hands, that could wind up being an on the nose, bunch of journal entries set to music. But Nina has been doing this since she was 13 and even at that age she knew metaphor, poetry and raw emotion better than most. So the result is an album about a bad relationship, maybe even a break-up album, where the other person is addiction or even just the darkness within.

The journey starts when it all seems to be great, as "Trick Candle" is a euphoric rush. But it has a dark undertone to it, like some apocalyptic, spiraling dance. It's seductively unhinged and manic. Following this club raver, comes the Yaz evoking electro power ballad of "Queen Beats King," because that dance came with a bittersweet cost. When she sings "all he seems to care about is fame," I have to wonder if she means an actual person or the drugs themselves. I'm sure there's a full story in there, but this feels like a loaded album with levels of story to each song.

The mania continues in "Rebirth" which opens with a very theatrical intro and has a driving, stalking rhythm and a chorus of "I'm back from the dead like I told you friend, I will not love you until you are my enemy" continuing my feeling that the addiction is a character in this, very real, haunting tale. The thing about it is, even if that's not necessarily her intention, the fact that it's even remotely possible to interpret it this way means she has done her job as a writer - as a poet.

The up and down of this album maybe reaches a peak in "January 9th" which to me feels like the moment she really decides to try to do something about her addiction. Not that the rest of the album will be easy and everything resolved, but here she sings "I don't wanna be the bad one, I don't wanna be the sad one, that you find" and while the song is literally referring to memories and that she doesn't want to be the sad memory in the back of someone's mind, I can't help but think of a body being found after an overdose. I have to wonder if she wasn't, too. Could she be saying she doesn't want to be found that way? I don't know. Maybe that's too literal and I'm missing my own point (see previous paragraph), but then, maybe it's levels again. On the one hand, I'd love it if she made commentary tracks for each song on Spotify as some artist's are doing now. On the other, I wonder if maybe knowing the specifics would break the spell.

I could go on, but the fact is, this album is just moving in the way only Nina's vocals can achieve. The second to last song, "For You" is one of the most beautiful traditional ballads I've heard in a long time. In her recent NPR Tiny Desk, she said she hopes this becomes a song people lose their virginity to in back seats. It's a song of pure devotion, with no hint of cynicism to it - much like the rest of the album, in it's own way. As a whole, the album is devoted to honesty and poetry and raw emotion. It's devoted to exorcising demons through art for purposes both selfish and necessary to altruistic and commendable. And it's all in a package that's easy to listen to and even dance to if so inclined. I look forward to seeing her next steps.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 9

I think the best word to describe Har Mar Supserstar's (Sean Tillman) sound is impassioned. His voice - the actual sound of it as well as his point of view - is unabashedly open and raw. He goes for it with all he's got and there's no sense of pretentiousness in any of it. He doesn't care if maybe some of it is a little too sugary or if you might think it's cheesy. And if it were anyone else doing it, you might think those things. But with Har Mar, you don't, unless you're a cynical asshole who misses the point. The lesson could be that honesty in music goes a hell of a long way. Unless of course, it's not necessarily completely honest. Some of this is meant with a little tongue in cheekiness. But ultimately, no matter which way you interpret the intent, he's crafting perfect pop songs and while he has written for others, I just don't know how anyone could do his music better than him. Best Summer Ever is loosely set up as if it were his greatest hits from 1950 - 1985. While that might seem like it would all be gimmicky and retro, it's all anchored by his unique style and sense of melody, hooks and pop.

If I were producing a John Hughes style movie today, this would be the soundtrack. The songs are mostly steeped in 80's style pop with synths and general electronic groove, but then, the 80's relied heavily on the 50's for inspiration, so that comes through as well. But Har Mar is not a throwback artist. Everything he does is all his own. The opener, "I Hope," is a dramatic cover of a Bobby Charles song that burns slow with a pulsing synth that sets the mood perfectly for what's to come without giving away any of the surprises that will follow. It's just a taste. Then we hit "Youth Without Love" with a chorus that exemplifies everything I love about Har Mar. The melody, his voice at the high - going for it - register, is chill inducing. It's the type of music that you heard as a teenager in love, maybe looking out a rainy window or spilling your trampled-on guts into a journal.

And, then near the end of the album, is what I consider a fucking masterpiece of a song that somehow defies everything set before while also reinforcing it. "Famous Last Words" is lyrically made up of actual last words uttered by famous people just as they were about to die. It's amazing that John Lennon never thought of doing this. Musically, it's a churning punk attack with Har Mar's passion pushing you into the catharsis. And then, right at the start of the chorus, there's a bass drop from hell that distorts and interrupts in a gloriously insane way and had me cracking up the first time I heard it. The gleeful insanity of it is absolutely perfect.

Each time I listen to this album I find more to love about it. I may love a wide ranging style of music, but ultimately, what I respond to is heartfelt, well written songs. There are few artists who do both of those as consistently as Har Mar Superstar and Best Summer Ever may be his best yet.

Best Albums of 2016 - Number 10

I remember back when I was in my teens, going on road trips with my family and listening to the radio on my Walkman, as we drove through the south, it was mostly country music. At the time, as much as the stupidly cool thing to say was that you liked everything except country, I secretly didn't hate it. Margo Price's debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, takes me back to that and more. This is pure roots music, really. The twang and the imagery is traditional, but it's not hung up on cliche. It's just real and honest. I actually got on a bit of a country kick this year, and this album was a big part of that.

From the opening track, "Hands of Time," you already know this is something special. It's a 6 minute bio of Price that breaks down her long, hard journey to this moment and sets the tone for the whole thing. Pay attention, because her story is a doozy I won't spoil. There will be parts of this album you'll sing along to, for sure, but there's something really powerful about just letting this wash over you - perhaps while driving with the windows down, wind in your face or even just sitting in your favorite chair, drink in hand. In either case, ponder your life and how you connect to hers. This is what folk music is supposed to do - tell stories that connect you to humanity.

Don't get the wrong idea, though. This isn't a weepy set of songs. These songs are about strength and resilience above all else and many will get you dancing. "Tennessee Song" moves in a way that vaguely made me think of Sheryl Crow's take on Bob Dylan's "Mississippi." And "Four Years of Chances" is funky as hell. All of it will make you think of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton and make you hope there's more to come.

You can call it alt-country, Americana, roots, whatever. It doesn't matter and labels are kinda stupid anyway, but this is real country at its most traditional. I understand the Country Music Awards completely ignored her, which strips them of any credibility they may have had. It's ironic that this album stands out so much as being separate from what's currently popular in the genre.  This is what you want to listen to on a road trip, on back roads, in a cabin or when you're putting a "Hurtin' (On the Bottle)," which at one point, I heard Shayera singing to herself. Could be worse.

Best Albums of 2016 - 14 through 11

It begins. . .

14. Coconut Oil by Lizzo:  I put on Lizzo's EP Coconut Oil on the drive home one day after a long day at work and immediately felt great. "Worship" is basically Prince level funk, which makes sense since she is based in Minneapolis. It's no surprise I would love it. But then something strange happened. You see, the next song, "Phone," is something I shouldn't like. It's not my typical type of thing at all. But something about the way she says "How I'm 'posed to get home?" or I don't know what, just charmed the fuck out of me. So much joy and fun in this short collection of songs. "Scuse Me" is body positive sexy, doesn't lose the fun and doesn't get vulgar while remaining naughty. These are all club cuts, with heavy bass. I can't stress enough how out of my wheelhouse this is, and yet there's something Lizzo brings to them that pulls me in. I can't put my finger on it, but the word I keep thinking of is joy and it's sorely needed.

13. Durand Jones & The Implications self titled: It's old school soul and R&B that sounds like it was recorded in the early 60s, so of course it's going to be on my list. Any other year, this would be way higher (although, honestly, I wouldn't put too much stock in my rankings). It's a smoking band and the songs are funky, soulful and smooth. I don't know if this was recorded live or not, but it sure feels like it was. Hell, it feels like it wasn't recorded at all, but is rather played live, on demand, every time you hit play. It was recorded in Ohio, where the group is from, but it could have been Mussel Shoals. Just listen to "Groovy Baby," which is like James Brown and Curtis Mayfield, complete with their bands are dancing on your face, and you're loving it.

12. Let Them Eat Chaos by Kate Tempest: I'm going to say this again later, but I'm not normally one to listen to hip hop. Kate's work is something else to me, though. I mean it is hip hop, but it's not at all what you think of as hip hop, most likely. She's a poet and a story teller in a more traditionally European sense: telling tales of common people and their day to day struggles (that's actually pure hip hop, isn't?). This is at once hip hop and Shakespearean and it blends in ways that are futuristic and urban with a very distinct voice that's kind of classical. So, in essence, Kate is likely the most hip hop artist around. She has internalized the best ideas of the genre - the wordsmith, (hu)man on the street, telling it like it is, the passion - and made them her own in the most unique way possible. On this album, which is an extended poem she tells the story of a few residents of a particular street in London, while speaking to how all our current world issues affect them. This is important and challenging without being preachy or impenetrable. I'm not sure you can easily draw a line from her to any of her influences, but they are there. She just isn't regurgitating them. Even the beats are unique - unexpectedly atmospheric and haunting. This is how the genre grows.

11. The Altar by Banks: Electronic music can be a lot of things. Some would say it's easy for it to be cold and calculated. I would add that, recently, what I've heard, mostly ends up being too quirky, but I could be wrong. Maybe there are other artists like Banks. But I doubt they are as raw as she is. All her songs, even now, far removed from her homemade recordings, sound like they were recorded in her bedroom. Not because they are lo-fi, or amateurish (they never were), but because they are so full of pulsing personal angst and sweaty sexuality. "Fuck With Myself," by the way, is the second song about masturbation mentioned on this list (see Lizzo) and both are appropriately sexy and empowering in their own way. Though I think Banks brings in a level of angst that leads to alternate interpretations of her lyric, "I fuck with myself more than anybody else." Interestingly, both Lizzo and Banks are artists who, on paper, I shouldn't like. But both elevate what they do beyond any stereotype of their genres by making it raw. And that totally is my thing.