2023’s “45 RPM (Reasons to Purchase Music)” with Playlist
Margo Price photo of Dusty Boots, July 1 at Civic Center Park in Denver
2023 finally felt like the year that music was BACK. Aggressive release schedules and marathon tours were both in full force (the latter with the welcome caveat that artists were more likely to give themselves the occasional break if not physically or mentally able to perform). One ugly practice did gain a needed amount of attention – venues that take an (unearned) cut of merch sales. With the knowledge that our favorite musicians need your dollars more than ever, I present my annual 45 RPM (Reasons to Purchase Music) list, an annual reflection of two truisms – 1) Music just keeps getting better and 2) I’m not good at counting. Enjoy!
Favorite 10-ish Albums
10) Deer Tick, Emotional Contracts – This Rhode Island band has been around for nearly two decades, but their live shows turned my ears this year, and this record, bookended by the bouncy “If I Try to Leave” and the brooding “The Real Thing,” made me a fan. https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/deer-tick
9 (tie) Vincent Neil Emerson, The Golden Crystal Kingdom and Zach Russell, Where the Flowers Meet the Dew – The best straight-up country albums (or as close as we’ll get) on this list. Emerson’s dips into his Choctaw-Apache heritage, while Russell dives straight into the singer’s thoughts on life, death and rebirth. And both leave PLENTY of room for some outstanding riffing. https://vincentneilemerson.lnk.to/goldencrystalkingdom
https://stores.portmerch.com/zachrussell/
8) Jess Williamson, Time Ain’t Accidental – I just recently became familiar with her music through last year’s excellent Plains album with Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee). This year, Williamson served up her own record worthy of road trips and regrets. https://jesswilliamson.ochre.store/
7) Margo Price, Strays – In 2023, Price became a bona fide rock star. The album begins with the propulsive “Been to the Mountain” and refuses to let up. The prolific Price returned in October with Strays II, making her one of this year’s most indispensable artists (and an amazing live performer).https://margoprice.colortestmerch.com/
6) Wednesday, Rat Saw God – The western North Carolina band claimed space in both the indie and Americana worlds with this guitar-driven, drug and pedal steel-spiced record that sounds, feels and even smells like a hot Southern afternoon. https://www.wednesday.band/merch
5) Ratboys, The Window – This year’s rock record that’s also quite beautiful – guitars a-plenty, but also with the surprising tenderness often found in grief. https://www.topshelfrecords.com/roster/ratboys/products
4) Jobi Riccio, Whiplash – Tolstoy had a line about happy families being alike, while each sad family “is unhappy in its own way,” and that’s how I feel this album from the Morrison, Colorado native – full of sad love songs that each dish out their own brand of melancholy. https://jobiricciostore.com/collections/music
3) Bella White, Among Other Things – Talk about sadness – I needed to give my feelings a break halfway through my first listen of this album! The 23-year-old Canadian singer has a voice for the ages, but, more importantly, the songwriting chops to keep us crying for decades. https://store.rounder.com/collections/bella-white
2) Bully, Lucky for You – Nashville’s Alicia Bognanno drew on the loss of her dog Mezzi to craft a record that’s a rare kind of loud – it feels good on a happy day or a sad one. That ain’t easy. Even if you’re not in it for the feelings, though, tune in for the avalanche of guitars and expert indie songcraft. Side note – her Denver show was like standing nose-to-teeth with a buzzsaw for 90 minutes, making it one of my favorite events of the year. https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/bully
1) Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Weathervanes – Let’s face it – we knew this record would land here. Isbell, by producing the album himself, sought to reproduce the 400 Unit’s live shows to the best degree possible. That he does, but by also writing his most diverse batch of songs to date, he ended up making his best album since 2013’s Southeastern. That’s why it tops this list. https://stores.portmerch.com/jasonisbell/pre-order-weathervanes.html
Favorite 25-ish Songs
27 (tie) – Sun June, “John Prine” and Tommy Prine, “By the Way” – We all miss Mr. Prine, Sun June processes that loss through a dissolving relationship, while John’s son Tommy, on his debut album, feels that pain most personally. Whether it’s lost love, a favorite musician or a parent, both songs delve into grief beautifully. https://runforcoverrecords.com/collections/sun-june#music-apparel https://merch.tommyprine.com/?ffm=FFM_9df0a6e904af77a29b6e78c059b51adc
26) Cherry Glazerr, “Soft Like a Flower” – For fans of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this lead single off the singer’s I Don’t Want You Anymore feels like The Bronze is still booking Sunnydale’s best bands. https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/cherry-glazerr
25) Abraham Alexander, “Tears Run Dry” – Inspired by the celebration of family friends’ 50th anniversary, Alexander takes a look at the love that happens after the infatuation is over and life truly begins. https://www.dualtonestore.com/collections/abraham-alexander
24) Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything” – It doesn’t get much starry-er on this list (or any list) than these two, co-writing and trading verses on a busted-up love song – “Strange words come on out/Of a grown man’s mouth when his mind’s broke.” https://store.zachbryan.com/
23) Allison Russell, “Demons” – This stand-out tune from Russell’s second album, The Returner, focuses on tackling trauma head-on – “Oh turn around, look ‘em in the face/They don’t like how sunlight tastes” – with all of her usual gusto and almost incomprehensible joy. https://found.ee/ARTheReturner
22) The Wilder Blue, “Bless My Bones” – This Texas band was my favorite AmericanaFest find, and the lead track from their latest album is a trucking song with a twist. More trucking songs in 2024, please. https://www.thewilderblue.com/store
21) Abby Hamilton, “#1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo)” – The title track from her promising debut has Kentucky’s latest stand-out songwriter picking up the pieces after a relationship dissolves and wondering if the “new girl” is an improvement over her. Chances are, she’s not a better songwriter. https://abbyhamiltonmusic.com/collections/all
20) Jessye DeSilva, “Proud and Lonely” – We could go all “big impact” and “important record” and “visibility,” and all of those things are necessary, because DeSilva is exactly the type of person we need making noise in Nashville. But, at its heart, this is just a damn pretty country song. https://jessyedmusic.bandcamp.com/album/renovations-2
19) Gregory Alan Isakov, “Sweet Heat Lightning” – Colorado (my adopted home) had an excellent musical year, and Boulder’s best singing farmer contributed this moody gem from his album, Appaloosa Bones. https://gregoryalanisakov.merchtable.com/
18) Vincent Neil Emerson, “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint” – Emerson soaks his story of a legendary “suit” of armor with some of the best guitars you’ll hear this year. https://vincentneilemerson.lnk.to/goldencrystalkingdom
17) Squirrel Flower, “Alley Light” – Here, Ella Williams writes from the perspective of a guy who’s not sure he’s got the goods – “Will she find another man who can take her there/When my drive burns out?” Perhaps a date between him and Abby Hamilton’s “#1 Zookeeper” protagonist is in order…https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/store/squirrel_flower
16) Lucinda Williams, “Stolen Moments” – One of the best to ever do it got back to business this year with a new album – Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart – an autobiography, and this remembrance of good friend Tom Petty. Our world is better with Lucinda telling its stories. https://stores.portmerch.com/lucindawilliams/
15) Blondshell, “Salad” – this modern-day murder ballad from Sabrina Teitelbaum’s debut has the most bone-chilling line of 2023 – “Look what you did/You’ll make a killer of a Jewish girl.” She regrets nothing. https://blondshell.limitedrun.com/
14) Jess Williamson, “Topanga Two Step” – From last year’s Plains song “Abilene” to the best song off her latest solo album, Williamson shows, once again, that she does wistful like no one else. https://jesswilliamson.ochre.store/
13) Jobi Riccio – “Summer” got the attention (and deservedly so) from everyone up to and including Jason Isbell, but it’s lines like “Something’s bound to happen, ain’t that summer’s guarantee?/So how come every summer, I get so damn lonely?” that make Riccio a star in the making. https://jobiricciostore.com/collections/music
12) Margo Price, “County Road” – A goodbye to a late friend punctuated with Alex Munoz’s gorgeous pedal steel, it’s this lonesome tune that stands out on a record full of potent rockers. https://margoprice.colortestmerch.com/
11) Zach Russell, “Born Again” – Pretty ballsy to intro your full-length debut with a seven-minute single, but this twisty, trippy take on reincarnation represents the best stuff on Where the Flowers Meet the Dew – offbeat lyrics and plenty of room to rev up the guitars. https://stores.portmerch.com/zachrussell/
10) Bella White, “Dishes” – Several of the songs on Among Other Things could’ve been on this list, but I stick to one song per artist, and this is the one, with lines like “I got so good at running far/From all the things I set out to fear,” that perfectly encapsulates the quiet angst found across the album. https://store.rounder.com/collections/bella-white
9) Indigo De Souza, “Younger & Dumber” – It’s a big, beautiful song from the Asheville-based singer, but what truly brings it home is John James Tourville’s mournful pedal steel https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/indigo-de-souza
8) Kassi Valazza, “Watching Planes Go By” – It starts off languid, with a big burst of cosmic jammy-ness at the end as Valazza’s character Michael misses out on life while waiting for something to happen. https://kassivalazza.bandcamp.com/album/kassi-valazza-knows-nothing
7) Deer Tick, “The Real Thing” – Starting with the tumble of ice cubes in an empty glass, this one builds as the singer ponders the time and energy wasted on the wrong person – “I guess I’ve settled for half of what I need.” It’s a good listen if you want to lie awake at night and catalog your worst decisions. https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/deer-tick
6) Sarah Jarosz, “Jealous Moon” – The first release from an album, Polaroid Lovers, that’s sure to make this list in 2024, the guitar picker extraordinaire positively rocks out on this irresistible change of pace, https://store.sarahjarosz.com/
5) Slow Pulp, “Broadview” – My Song of the Fall, full of melancholy steel and Harvest-era Neil Young vibes that poses a jaw-dropper of a question – “Am I wrong/Or is it OK to stay inside/And out of love?”https://slowpulp.limitedrun.com/
4) Ratboys, “The Window” – This gorgeous tune is enough of a heartbreaker as a simple love song. But when you realize that Julia Steiner wrote it about her grandfather saying a socially-distanced goodbye to his wife during COVID…devastating. https://www.topshelfrecords.com/roster/ratboys/products
3) Bully, “A Love Profound” – Alicia Bognanno can layer on all the loud guitars she wants, but they can’t distract from the sadness surrounding the decline and loss of her beloved dog – “It burdens me the most witnessing/Your lack of interest in the things that you once loved.” I hope her next dog lives forever. https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/bully
2) Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “This Ain’t It” – Maybe the most Southern rock tune in his catalog, and an easy pick as Song of the Summer. And as amazing as it is on Weathervanes, the live guitar duels with Sadler Vaden are as good as it gets. https://stores.portmerch.com/jasonisbell/pre-order-weathervanes.html
1) Wednesday, “Chosen to Deserve” – I’ve known what my Song of the Year would be way back in January, after about two listens of this gem. The guitars from MJ Lenderman, the pedal steel from Xandy Chelmis, and an all-time opening line by Karly Hartzman – “We always started by tellin’ all our best stories first/So now that it’s been awhile I’ll get around/To tellin’ you my worst” – come together in a song that, six years from now, I very well could be calling the Song of the Decade. https://www.wednesday.band/merch
More Cool Stuff
Favorite guitar records (tie) – Jax Hollow, Only the Wild Ones and Cory Hanson, Western Cum
Whether it’s the dusty desert riffs of Hollow’s first full-length album or the latest solo record from the Wand frontman, full of pyrotechnics that would make Slash and Billy Corgan drool, these are albums that deserve to be played L-O-U-D. https://www.jaxhollow.com/shop https://www.dragcity.com/products/western-cum
Favorite live album – MJ Lenderman and The Wind – Live and Loose! – When he’s not playing in the coolest band on the planet (Wednesday), Jake Lenderman has his own indie project going. This live album is the very best place to dive into his loud but laid back, sports reference-filled catalog, plus his fantastic take on “Long Black Veil.” Bonus – plenty of excellent pedal steel from Xandy Chelmis. More bonus – Wednesday frontwoman Karly Hartzman shows up on “Toontown.” https://mjlenderman.bandcamp.com/album/and-the-wind-live-and-loose
Favorite Cover – Joshua Ray Walker, “Goodbye Horses” – The Dallas singer-songwriter decided to have fun with his favorite songs on What Is It Even, but this twangy take on the Q Lazzarus tune goes above and beyond in rescuing a damn good song from its Silence of the Lambs infamy.
Favorite Road Song: Amy Martin, “Travelin’ On (42)” – I like a good road tune, regardless of destination. But when a fellow Coloradan writes of conflicted emotions about her Virginia home (where I lived for 10 years), as she does across her Travelin’ On album, it gets a special place on the road trip playlist.
Favorite Instrument – pedal steel guitar – Wednesday’s Xandy Chelmis is a countrygaze star. John James Tourville took Indigo De Souza’s indie anthem “Younger & Dumber” to another stratosphere. And Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner showed up on another (very good) Christmas album from…the Philadelphia Eagles. All over music this year, pedal steel was making good stuff better. https://phillyspecialchristmas.com/collections/frontpage
As always, thank you to the artists and musicians we cover each week, the publicists who work so hard to get their music into our ears, Melissa for chasing down all of that music, and the other fine writers at Americana Highways. Thanks, too, to everyone (musicians, club employees, bartenders, sound techs and roadies) who’s been putting their health (and sanity) on the line so we can all get out and enjoy live music.Special recognition goes out to the performers and volunteers at this year’s AmericanaFest, which was my first. Does the Americana Music Association have work to do to make everyone feel welcome, included and accepted? Absolutely. But, because of the artists and the “boots on the ground” folks, it still has the capacity to be the best event in our industry. #listenbetter
Listen to all 45 RPM here: