So, I couldn’t just leave it at “7 good things”. The past 2 years have been a shit show of epic proportions in so many ways. Failures and triumphs. Music has endured. Songwriters and musicians and music makers have somehow, endured. It is astounding the amount of grit and fortitude that artists have displayed. Having the livelihood of touring taken away, given back, then taken away in many capacities again. But like a group of phoenix (phoenixes?, phoenixi?…I digress) rising from the ash, beauty was created by many.
So, here are 21 songs from 2021 that slayed me, made me rise up, lifted my heart or tore it apart.
Thank you all.
Zach Schmidt “Foregone Conclusion” – Some days in 2021 I felt like dancing like a maniac or punching a hole in the wall after a barroom brawl. Foregone Conclusion would be an apt backing track for either one of those. Honky tonk goodness, pure and simple. Schmidt and his wrecking crew crush that dynamic
Alisa Amador “Timing” – Alisa Has one of those voices that is like a straight arrow to the chest the moment the first word drops. There is something jazzy and seductive about the track, but its buoyant and bright at the same time. Like emerging from a below the street smokey jazz dive into a bright morning light.
Andrew Marlin “Old Pine Box” – Of all the tracks on Marlin’s two instrumental releases this year, Old Pine Box may be the most simple melody. But, simply put, its just pure beauty. The notes fall below Andrew’s fingers in such an effortless way that seeps deeply into the listening experience. Its absolutely heart-wrenching, melancholy and pure emotion put into cascading notes…no words necessary.
Garrison, Gordy, Hargreaves & Walsh “The Elephant of Surprise” – Some arrangements hit you from the first time and you wonder how that doesn’t exist yet. Its an instant classic, engrained in your head for the rest of your days. This group of, well, its a group musical geniuses, and ‘Elephant’ is a pure example of the playfulness that can exist within that brilliance. You can close your eyes and see the smiles from this quartet they are throwing back and forth at each other. And isn’t that what making music with others is all about?
Allison Russell “The Hunters” – Allison owned 2021 in a lot of ways. The timbre and tremolo in her voice in The Hunters is pure power and emotion. A sense of vulnerability, allowing yourself to be all out…but its in that decision to be vulnerable, that true strength is shown.
John Reischman “Salt Spring” – I had the opportunity to talk to John about this new record and how he tapped both the new crop of bluegrass realm talent along with those who carved the way for them. Reischman is one of those and his melodies, well, they will echo through the ages. Salt Spring is a prime example of that.
Sierra Ferrell “Bells of Every Chapel” – Its like taking the best of modern folk tinged country music and bathing it in the special sauce that gave us country music in the first place. Sierra Ferrell’s voice echoes through the landscape of modern music and reverberates in your chest for long expanses past turning off the track.
Hayes Carll “Help Me Remember” –There is a beauty that lives in the simplicity of how a turn of phrase can emote and force so much emotion into your consciousness and Hayes is a gifted master of that art. There is a definitive humanity in Help Me Remember that pounds you right in the chest, time and time again.
Watchhouse “Coming Down From Green Mountain” – On a record with so many great lyrical songs, it may seem a travesty to select the instrumental song. But CDFGM perfectly encompasses that feeling we all felt after the festival came to a close that first year. Pensive and restful after being exhausted. It is a testament to great bands, great people, great shared times.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway “She’ll Change” – Molly Tuttle returns to her roots and brings forth an incredible new band with this new single. Its short and sweet, like bluegrass was meant to be, but the impact of the driving nature of the tune is long lasting. Lightning quick banjo rolls and hard hitting harmonies.
Adia Victoria “Magnolia Blues” – There is something very grounding and heavy about an acoustic blues lick over and over. Adia Victoria couples that heaviness with her lilting voice and a floating collection of notes. It hits you. That juxtaposition. There is a floating and airiness to her voice. Lines that carry out at the end of phrasing. I’ll steal a line from Ken here, these songs “get into you” and Magnolia Blues is a prime example of that.
Izzy Heltai “Beauty Queen” – Izzy has evolved and adapted his music in so many ways since I first met him at the ole homestead to film here in Vermont. Beauty Queen is catchy and bopping. And while the landscape of the music has changed, Heltais’ voice continues to cut sharply through the mix and sit on top of arrangement in subtle yet moving ways.
Eli West “The Hearth” – This song in particular has a special place for me, as I had the honor of filming a live version of it when it was still being fleshed out. Eli is one of the most thoughtful and pensive musicians I know of. Every note is carefully placed. There is such grace in his delivery and performance. A truly special artist.
Kat Wright Trio “Comin’ Home” – I just love everything about this song. Its comfortable. Slow plucked acoustic notes trickling beneath the cozy, warmth of Wright’s vocal. The arrangement choices, the chorus eruption. Go listen to this, and then again, and then again.
The Foreign Landers “The Leaves so Green” – Musicianship is something we are spoiled with today. From the very first cascade of guitar and mandolin in this tune you realize that still, not all are equal and The Foreign Landers are somewhere up the top of that heap. Sparsity and smart placement of each note allows everything to breath here. Allowing appreciation for each line, each note. Fresh and airy. Bright and unspoiled.
Bela Fleck “Vertigo” (ftr. Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Bryan Sutton) – What more can be said than “legends making legendary music together”. Bela’s entire new release could be described in that manner, but its Vertigo that is alike a roller coaster ride of magic. Herculean and acrobatic playing across the board. The kind of music that excites.
Billy Strings “This Old World” – Of all the tracks on Billy’s latest, this is the one I feel brings it all home for me. A true bluegrass feel that would cater to the old guard, but that twinkling crystalline jubilance and elation that he and the band have grown known for. His voice really sinks into the song on this one. Flow, vibe and push.
Rachel Baiman “No Good Time for Dying” – Baiman’s voice is something to behold when it sits where it does on this tune. Always just on the brink of hitting those higher plateaus, but controlled and held back, creating and adding this feeling that is indescribable. Its soft, but when a line like “now she can’t even take a shit alone” hits, you realize the weight of the song. Fuck. Its good. Real good.
Ben Cosgrove “The Machine in the Garden” – To be able to transport a listener to a time, place, feeling, location; its an absolute gift. Ben Cosgrove commands that gift with an elegant disposition that is absolutely mind boggling at times. His music is transformative and transportive. Subtlety and softness intermingle with cavernous landscapes and grayed hues. Remarkable.
John Mailander “Song for John” – Mailander’s release came early in the year and the conversation we had about it just came back to. Song for John is a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to a mentor and friend, and that sentiment seeps from the moments between each note. There is the dichotomy of sadness and loss with joy and light. Its a special and difficult balance that John encompasses so beautifully.
Thanks for sticking with us. Until Bandcamp allows for playlists, sadly we have to use “thou who shall not be named, but houses everyone’s music on it “…so hit those hyperlinks and go get some music from these folks. Treat yourself, for the holidays.