Bob Anderson: “A Little Bit Of Everything

Albums

  1. Redman, Meldhau, McBride, Blade: RoundAgain (Nonesuch)
  2. Dave Alvin: From An Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings (Yep Roc)
  3. The Mavericks: En Español (Mono Mundo)
  4. Johnny Cash: Forever Words (expanded) (Legacy)
  5. Midnight Oil: The Makarratta Project (Sony Music, Australia)
  6. Chris Stapleton: Starting Over (Mercury Nashville)
  7. Sturgill Simpson: Cuttin’ Grass Vol. I – The Butcher Shoppe Sessions (High Top Mountain/Thirty Tigers)
  8. Loudon Wainwright III, Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks: I’d Rather Lead A Band (Search Party/Thirty Tigers)
  9. The Cadillac Three: Tabasco & Sweet Tea (Big Machine)
  10. Zoë Nutt: “How Does It Feel” (Zoë Nutt)

Songs

  1. Chuck Prophet: “Get Off The Stage” (Yep Roc)
  2. Emma Swift: “A Simple Twist of Fate” (Tiny Ghost)
  3. Rosanne Cash: “Crawl Into The Promised Land” feat. Josh Leventhal) (Blue Note)
  4. Kurt Vile: “How Lucky” (feat. John Prine) (Matador)
  5. Gord Downie: “Useless Nights” (Arts & Crafts)
  6. Fiona Apple: “I Want You To Love Me” (Clean Slate/Epic)
  7. Bob Dylan: “Murder Most Foul” (Columbia)
  8. Steve Earle and The Dukes: “Harlem River Blues” (New West)
  9. Roomful of Teeth: “Just Constellations No. 1 The Opening Constellation: Summer” (New Amsterdam)
  10. Sun-EL Musician: Uhuru (feat. Azana) (EL World)

Jason Bischoff-Wurstle: “The Relay

Albums

  • Bonny Light Horseman: Bonny Light Horseman (37d03d)
  • Duval Timothy: Brown Loop (2020) (Carrying Colour)
  • Flung: Shaky But My Hair Is Grown (Citrus City/Topshelf)
  • Jeff Tweedy: Love Is The King (dBpm)
  • Kevin Morby: Sundowner (Dead Oceans)
  • Muzz: Muzz (Matador)
  • Oracle Sisters: Paris I (22Twenty)
  • Sink Tapes: Like Snakes On Sandpaper (A Collection 2010-2020) (Mint 400)
  • Yves Jarvis: Sundry Rock Song Stock (Flemish Eye)
  • Zoon: Bleached Wavves (Paper Bag)

Del “in Transition

Albums

  1. Lucinda Williams: Good Souls, Better Angels (Highway 20/Thirty Tigers)
  2. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Clean Slate/Epic)
  3. Bill Frisell: Valentine (Blue Note)
  4. V/A: AngelHeaded Hipster – The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex (BMG)
  5. G. Love: The Juice (Blue Note)
  6. Sports Team: Deep Down Happy (Bright Antenna)
  7. Courtney Marie Andrews: Old Flowers (Fat Possum)
  8. Nils Lofgren: Weathered (Cattle Track Road)
  9. Lera Lynn: On My Own (Ruby Range)
  10. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live in Maui (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)

Steve di Costanzo: “Radio Base Camp

Albums

  • B.C. Camplight: Shortly After Takeoff (Bella Union)
  • Brigid Mae Power: Head Above the Water (Fire)
  • Fontaines D.C.: A Hero’s Death (Partisan)
  • Jyoti: Mama, You Can Bet! (SomeOthaShip Connect)
  • Sault: Untitled (Rise) (Forever Living Originals)
  • Shabaka & The Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History (Impulse!)
  • TOM and His Computer: Future Ruins (In My Room)
  • Tony Allen, Hugh Masekela: Rejoice (World Circuit)
  • V/A: A Slight Disturbance In My Mind – The British Proto-Psychedelic Sounds of 1966 (Grapefruit)
  • Yaeji: What We Drew (XL)

Songs

  • B.C. Camplight: “I Want To Be In The Mafia” (Bella Union)
  • Bent Arcana: “The Gate” (Castle Face)
  • Beyonce: “Black Parade” (Columbia)
  • Bob Dylan: “Murder Most Foul” (Columbia)
  • Drive-By Truckers: “Thoughts and Prayers” (ATO)
  • Jamila Woods: “SULA (Paperback)” (Jagjaguar)
  • Melody Gardot: “From Paris With Love” (Decca)
  • The Orielles: “Space Samba (Disco Volador)” (Heavenly/PIAS)
  • Red Axes: “Sticks & Stones” (feat. Adi Bronicki) (Dark Entries)
  • Samantha Crain: “Pastime” (Ramseur)

Kevin Gallagher “Digging In The Dirt

Songs

  • Bob Dylan: “Murder Most Foul” (Columbia, 2020)
  • The Dirty Knobs: “Lockdown Pt. 2” (BMG)
  • Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite: “What the Hell?” (Alligator)
  • Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy: “Water She Dances” (feat. Rising Appalachia) (Interchill)
  • John Prine: “I Remember Everything” (Oh Boy)
  • Luke Combs: “Six Feet Apart” (Columbia Nashville)
  • Old Crow Medicine Show: “Quarantined” (Hartland)
  • Ondara: “Lockdown On Date Night Tuesday” (Verve Forecast)
  • Sarah Jarosz: “Johnny” (Rounder)
  • Sturgill Simpson: “Living the Dream” (High Top Mountain)
  • (honorable mention): Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real: “Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)” (Fantasy)

Doc Hardy “Soul On Ice

Albums

  • Brian Culbertson: XX (BCM Entertainment)
  • Carol Albert: Stronger Now (Cahara)
  • Chelsey Green and The Green Project: Re-Envisioned (Chelsey Green)
  • Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis: Focus (Shanachie)
  • Christian De Mesones: They Call Me Big New York (Christian de Mesones)
  • Cindy Blackman Santana: Give The Drummer Some (Copperline)
  • David Davis: Remembering Aaliyah (3D Dynasty)
  • Paula Atherton: Just Can’t Stop (Dream On)
  • V/A: Blue Note: Re:imagined (Decca/Blue Note)
  • Vivian Green: Love Absolute (Make Noise/SoNo)

Songs

  • Chelsey Green and The Green Project: “Time” (Chelsey Green)
  • Christian de Mesones: “Hispanica” (feat. Debora Galan) (Christian de Mesones)
  • Cindy Blackman Santana: “Imagine” (Copperline)
  • Dorie Pride: “No Time for Fear” (feat. Lontastic) (Dorie Pride/Auroradawn)
  • Ledisi: “Anything for You” (Listen Back/BMG)
  • The Love Today Project: “Love’s In Need of Love Today” (Greg Manning)
  • Makalani: “Oxygen of Freedom” (feat. Ty Juan) (Makasong)
  • Maysa: “Lovin You is Easy” (Blue Velvet Soul)
  • Poppy Ajudha: “Watermelon Man” (Decca/Blue Note)
  • Vivian Green: “Sweet Home” (Make Noise/SoNo)

Rich Kaminsky: “Off-Beat

Albums

  1. Beach Bunny: Honeymoon (Mom + Pop)
  2. Close Lobsters: Post Neo Anti – Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols (Last Night From Glasgow/Shelflife)
  3. The Bombpops: Death in Venice Beach (Fat Wreck Chords)
  4. Alice Bag: Sister Dynamite (In the Red)
  5. Bad Cop Bad Cop: The Ride (Fat Wreck Chords)
  6. The Beths: Jump Rope Gazers (Carpark)
  7. D-Composers: Chabad Religion (Fat Wreck Chords)
  8. Psychotic Youth: Forever and Never (Waterslide/Target Earth)
  9. Juniper: Juniper (Fabcom!)
  10. Natalie Sweet: Oh, By the Way, It’s… (Rum Bar)

Songs

  1. Screeching Weasel: “Bleed Through Me” (Monona)
  2. Mav Karlo: “Dead Enough for Me” (Royal Mountain)
  3. Wyldlife: “Deathbed” (Wicked Cool)
  4. Mom: “I Want You To Feel What I Feel” (Mom)
  5. Low Cut Connie: “No Body Else Will Believe You” (Contender)
  6. Colin Lake: “Extraordinary Times” (Splice)
  7. Dispatch: “May We All” (Bomber)
  8. Juniper Moon: ”Viernes Por La Tarde” (Elefant)
  9. Speedways: “Number Seven” (Snap!!/Hurrah Música!)
  10. Of Montreal: “Don’t Let Me Die In America” (Polyvinyl)

Martha Willette Lewis: “The Flux Capacitor

Albums

  1. Fiona Apple: Fetch The Bolt Cutters (Clean Slate/Epic)
  2. Fatboy Slim: Back To Mine (Back To Mine)
  3. Algiers: There Is No Year (Matador)
  4. Deerhoof: Future Teenage Cave Artists (Joyful Noise)
  5. Ghostpoet: I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep (Play It Again Sam)
  6. Bill Frisell: Blue Valentine (Blue Note)
  7. Nadine Shah: Kitchen Sink (Infectious)
  8. HAIM: Women in Music Pt.III (Columbia)
  9. Elton John: Jewel Box (Rocket/EMI)
  10. V/A: Blue Note Re:imagined 2020 (Decca/Blue Note)

Songs

  1. Alexandra Savior: “The Archer” (30th Century)
  2. Josh Ritter + the Milk Carton Kids: “The Gospel of Mary” (Pytheas)
  3. Fiona Apple: “Under The Table” (Clean Slate/Epic)
  4. Melt Yourself Down: “Crocodile” (Decca)
  5. Jarv Is: “Must I Evolve?” (Rough Trade)
  6. Perfume Genius: “On The Floor” (Matador)
  7. Bombay Bicycle Club: “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” (Mmm…)
  8. Will Butler: “Surrender” (Merge)
  9. Baxter Dury: “The Night Chancers” (Heavenly/Le Label/PIAS)
  10. The Flaming Lips: “Dinosaurs on the Mountain” (Warner)

Michelle Morgan: “Love and Communication”

Albums

  • Angelica Garcia: Cha Cha Palace (Spacebomb)
  • Billy Nomates: Billy Nomates (Invada)
  • Dehd: Flower of Devotion (Fire Talk)
  • Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Clean Slate/Epic)
  • Fontaines D.C.: A Hero’s Death (Partisan)
  • Pintandwefall: Your Stories Baby (Soliti)
  • Porridge Radio: Every Bad (Secretly Canadian)
  • Sweeping Promises: Hunger for a Way Out (Feel It)
  • This is the Kit: Off Off On (Rough Trade)
  • Torres: Silver Tongue (Merge)

Mark Mushin: “One Step Ahead Of The Blues

Albums

  1. Soulmate: Give Love (Soulmate)
  2. Kelly’s Lot: Another Sky (PK Entertainment)
  3. Jim Gustin and Truth Jones: Lessons Learned (CD Baby)
  4. Casey Hensley: Good As Gone: (VizzTone)
  5. Ryan Perry: High Risk, Low Reward (RUF)
  6. Jose Ramirez: Here I Come (Jose Ramirez)
  7. Whitney Shay: Stand Up! (RUF)
  8. Backtrack Blues Band: Your Baby Has Left (VizzTone)
  9. Mark May Band: Deep Dark Demon (Gulf Coast)
  10. Leroux: One Of Those Days (Gulf Coast)

Martha Nachman: “The Music Never Stopped

Albums

  • Badly Drawn Boy: Banana Skin Shoes (One Last Fruit)
  • Bonny Light Horseman: Bonny Light Horseman (37d03D)
  • Devon Gilfillian: Black Hole Rainbow (Capitol)
  • Laura Marling: Song For Our Daughter (Chrysalis/Partisan)
  • My Morning Jacket: The Waterfall II (ATO)
  • Nicole Atkins: Italian Ice (Single Lock)
  • Old 97’s: Twelfth (ATO)
  • Puss N Boots: Sister (Blue Note)
  • Tyler Childers: Long Violent History (Hickman Holler)
  • Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud (Merge)

Rick Petrone: “The Jazz Sound

Albums

  1. Christian McBride Big Band: For Jimmy, Wes & Oliver (Mack Ave.)
  2. Peter Bernstein: What Comes Next (Smoke Sessions)
  3. Cecile McLorin Salvant: The Window (Mack Ave.)
  4. Artemis: Artemis (Blue Note)
  5. Joe Farnsworth: Time To Swing (Smoke Session)
  6. Eric Reed: For Such a Time as This (Smoke Sessions)
  7. Yellowjackets: Raising Our Voice (Mack Ave.)
  8. Gregory Porter: All Rise (Decca/Blue Note)
  9. Jimmy Heath: Love Letter (Verve)
  10. John Beasley: Monk’estra Plays John Beasley (Mack Ave.)

Songs

  1. Christian McBride Big Band: “Down by The Riverside” (Mack Ave.)
  2. John Beasley: “Monk’s Mood” (Mack Ave.)
  3. Peter Bernstein: “Newark News” (Smoke Sessions)
  4. Artemis: “Sidewinder” (Blue Note)
  5. Yellowjackets, WDR Big Band Köln: “One Day” (Mack Ave.)
  6. Jimmy Heath: “La Mesha” (Verve)
  7. Redman, Mehldau, McBride, Blade: “Right Back Round Again” (Nonesuch)
  8. John Scofield: “Radio” (ECM)
  9. Kurt Elling: “Esperanto” (Edition)
  10. Joe Farnsworth: “The Good Shepherd” (Smoke Sessions)

Rod Richardson: “Radio Nothing

Albums

  • 47SOUL: Semitics (Cooking Vinyl)
  • AMMAR 808: Global Control / Invisible Invasion (Glitterbeat)
  • Amnesia Scanner: Tearless (PAN)
  • Bantou Mentale: Congo Animal (Glitterbeat)
  • CPI: Alianza (Hivern)
  • Kaki King: Modern Yesterdays (Cantaloupe)
  • Mute Duo: Lapse In Passage (American Dreams)
  • Raed Yassin: Archeophony (Akuphone)
  • tone-cluster: KYO SHU (Littlebox)
  • Zenobia زنّوبيا: Halak Halak (Crammed)

Songs

  • Ak’chamel, The Giver Of Illness: “The Funeral of a Woman Whose Soul is Trapped in the Sun” (Akuphone)
  • Amnesia Scanner: “AS Enter” (PAN)
  • Bantou Mentale: “Anakonda” (Glitterbeat)
  • Chemtrails: “Saint Vitus” (Punk Slime)
  • CPI: “Walking And Falling” (Hivern)
  • Istvan Peter B’Racz: “Froggus Slowly Eats Godzilla” (B’Racz)
  • Kaki King: “Can’t Touch This Or That Or You Or My Face” (Cantaloupe)
  • Makucevich: “Flying down Main Street” (Makucevich)
  • Robag Wruhme: “Calma Calma” (Kompakt)
  • Vintage Crop: “The North” (ANTI FADE)

Valerie Richardson: “Radio Something

Albums

  • Brad Mehldau: Suite: April 2020 (Nonesuch)
  • Gwenifer Raymond: Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain (Tompkins Square)
  • Lo’jo: Transe de Papier (Yotanka)
  • Sages comme des sauvages: Luxe Misère (Zamora)
  • Songhoy Blues: Optimisme (Fat Possum)
  • Soundwalk Collective & Patti Smith: Peradam (Bella Union)
  • Tami Neilson: Chickaboom! (Outside)
  • Thao & The Get Down Stay Down: Temple (Ribbon Music)
  • The Flat Five: Another World (Pravda)
  • Veda Hille w/Theatre Replacement: Little Volcano (Hilleotron Classics)

Songs

  • Dan Bern: “Love in the Time of Plague” (Kababa)
  • Gabriels: “Love and Hate in a Different Time” (Gabriels)
  • José James: “Nobody Knows My Name”= (feat. Laura Mvula & Kris Bowers) (Rainbow Blonde)
  • Kurt Vile: “How Lucky” (feat. John Prine) (Matador)
  • L’Attirail: “Jump the Wall” (feat. Cheikh Sidi Bémol) (Chantiers Sonores)
  • Michael Franti & Spearhead: “How We Living” (Boo Boo Wax/Thirty Tigers)
  • Sages comme des sauvages: “De l’eau” (feat. Kate Stables) (Zamora)
  • Tami Neilson: “Queenie, Queenie” (Outside)
  • Thao & The Get Down Stay Down: “Temple” (Ribbon)
  • The Flat Five: “Over and Out” (Pravda)

Lisa Sahulka: “Afternoon Jazz

Albums

  • Asher Gamedze: Dialectic Soul (On the Corner)
  • Charles Lloyd: 8 – Kindred Spirits (Live From the Lobero) (Blue Note)
  • Colin Steele Quartet: Joni – Jazz Interpretations of the Joni Mitchell Songbook (Marina)
  • Immanuel Wilkens: Omega (Blue Note)
  • Joel Ross: Who Are You? (Blue Note)
  • Jyoti: Mama You Can Bet! (SomeOthaShip Connect)
  • Keith Jarrett: Budapest Concert (ECM)
  • Lakecia Benjamin: Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope)
  • Maria Schneider Orchestra: Data Lords (ArtistShare)
  • Nubya Garcia: Source (Concord Jazz)

Rob Silber: “Rock Therapy

Albums

  1. Dion: Blues With Friends (Keeping The Blues Alive)
  2. Bruce Springsteen: Letter To You (Columbia)
  3. Willie Nile: New York At Night (River House)
  4. José Feliciano: Behind This Guitar (Anthem Entertainment)
  5. Martin Barre: 50 Years Of Jethro Tull (The Store For Music)
  6. V/A: Willie Nile Uncovered (Paradiddle)
  7. Sparks: A Steady Drip Drip Drip (BMG)
  8. Yusef/Cat Stevens: Tea For The Tillerman 2 (Cat-O-Log/Island/UMC)
  9. Stephen Clair: The Small Hours (Rock City)
  10. V/A: For The Record: A Tribute to John Wicks (Kool Kat)

Songs

  1. Bruce Springsteen: “Ghosts” (Columbia)
  2. Stephen Clair: “Welcome To The World Now” (1927241 Records DK)
  3. Mammoth WVH: “Distance” (EX1)
  4. Sixx A.M. featuring Corey Taylor, Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, AWOLNATION, Tommy Vext “Maybe It’s Time” (Eleven Seven)
  5. The Rolling Stones: “Living In A Ghost Town” (Rolling Stones/Polydor)
  6. Lucinda Williams: “Man Without A Soul” (Acoustic) (Highway 20/Thirty Tigers)
  7. Sheryl Crow: “Woman In The White House” – 2020 version (Big Machine)
  8. Alice Cooper: “Don’t Give Up” (Edel, Germany)
  9. Jessie Wagner: “End Of Time” (Wicked Cool)
  10. Mandoki Soulmates w/Ian Anderson: “We Say Thank You” (Purple Pyramid)

howard thompson: “PURE

Albums

  • A Girl Called Eddy: Been Around (Elefant)
  • Alex McMurray: Lucky One (Alex McMurray)
  • Ashley McBryde: Never Will (Warner Music Nashville)
  • Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways (Columbia)
  • Emma Swift: Blonde on the Tracks (Tiny Ghost)
  • Gretchen Peters: The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury (Scarlet Letter)
  • Maria Schneider Orchestra: Data Lords (ArtistShare)
  • Peter Stampfel: Peter Stampfel’s 20th Century in 100 Songs (Louisiana Red Hot)
  • The Psychedelic Furs: Made of Rain (Cooking Vinyl)
  • Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band: Just Like Moby Dick (Paradise of Bachelors)

Songs

  • Billy Nomates: “No” (Invada)
  • Christine and the Queens: “Je disparais dans tes bras” (Because)
  • Dan Montgomery: “The Right Time” (Fantastic Yes)
  • Dan Reeder: “Pussyboy” (Oh Boy)
  • The David Bromberg Band: “Diamond Lil” (Red House)
  • Hazel English: “Shaking” (Polyvinyl)
  • Hoodcelebrityy: “Run Di Road” (Female Shotta)
  • Little Simz: “one life, might live” (AWAL)
  • The Red Propellers: “Cigarette” (Rollercoaster)
  • Soul Creole: “Trois Rangs” (Nouveau Electric)

Amy “Night Nurse” Wachtel: “Rockers Arena

Albums

  • Ben Harper: Winter Is For Lovers (ANTI-)
  • Blvk H3ro and Wayne J: New Millenium (Delicious Vinyl/Island)
  • Lila Iké: The ExPerience (In.Digg.Nation/RCA)
  • Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels (Highway 20/Thirty Tigers)
  • Mortimer: Fight the Fight (Easy Star)
  • Protoje: In Search of Lost Time (In.Digg.Nation/RCA)
  • Ras Michael: Live By The Spirit (Hen House)
  • Sister Carol: Opportunity (Tafari)
  • Toots and the Maytals: Got To Be Tough (Trojan JA/BMG)
  • The Wailers featuring U-Roy: My Cup Runneth Over (Tsosume)

Songs

  • Alborosie: “Unprecedented Time” (VP)
  • Bobi Wine: “Corona Virus Alert” (Bobi Wine)
  • Joss Stone: “Walk With Me” (S-Curve/BMG)
  • Judah Eskender Tafari: “Divine Right” (Black Redemption)
  • Kabaka Pyramaid: “Nice Up Dance” (VP)
  • Koffee feat. Buju Banton: “Pressure” (remix) (Columbia)
  • Mungo’s HiFi x Marina P feat. Dennis Alcapone & Tippa Irie: “The Beat Goes SKA” (Scotch Bonnet)
  • Prince Fatty & Shniece: “Black Rabbit” (Evergreen)
  • Public Enemy: “State of The Union (STFU)” (Enemy/Def Jam)
  • Rolling Stones: “Living In a Ghost Town” (Rolling Stones/Polydor)

Mike Zito: “Zeeto

Albums

  1. Steep Canyon Rangers: Be Still Moses (Yep Roc)
  2. Ruthie Collins: Cold Comfort (Curb)
  3. Kristen Grainger & True North: Ghost Tattoo (Kristen Grainger & True North)
  4. American Aquarium: Lamentations (New West)
  5. Cam: The Otherside (RCA)
  6. Jill Andrews: Thirties (Vulture Venture)
  7. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit: Reunions (Southeastern)
  8. Daniel Donato: A Young Man’s Country (13J/Cosmic Country)
  9. Bonny Light Horseman: Bonny Light Horseman (37d03d)
  10. Raye Zaragoza: Woman In Color (Rebel River)

WPKN’s Favourite Picks of the Year, 2019