featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
December 24, 2023
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
It doesn't happen like this too often. I don't think the very first review I've published in a year has ever played out to be my favorite record. And yet here we are. Sitting in a favorite coffee shop deciding to place Margo Price's Strays atop my favorite albums list for 2023. An intensely personal, impressively literary, deeply soulful collection that soundtracked a year that also saw Price releasing a memoir and appearing on stages as arguably the foremost standard bearer for our kind of music. Of course, we'd also have to figure in that Isbell fellow.
This year, as in years past, we've juggled and shifted our list over the past several weeks, abandoning hope only as time gave out. The thirty favorites that follow represent just a sliver of the seven-hundred-plus collected at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster. If we've published a review of the album, we've shared an excerpt. If we haven't, we've dashed off an original passage in appreciation for at least the top 15 or so.
As always, we hope R&B has played a role in populating your 2023 playlists, that we've introduced you to new and worthy artists and maybe widened your boundaries just a bit. Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments, or email them to me at routesandbranches@gmail.com. I will look a them and nod sagely. And if I'm lucky I might just learn something.
Next Episode: Our Favorite Covers of 2023
WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT 2023
or FAVORiTE ALBUMs
^ 1. Margo Price, Strays and Strays II (Loma Vista, Jan 13 and Oct 13)
Price's
memoir attests that she and Ivey are incurable songwriters at heart, capable of
great pathos at the drop of a phrase. Nowhere is this more evident than
on Strays' closing cuts. With mournful, wide-sky reverb guitar, the lovely
"Landfill" depicts life's collected memories in a heap: I could
build a landfill of dreams I deserted ... Those mournful blues and a blood red
rose. The session's true eye-opener is "Lydia", a recitation
accompanied by Price's own acoustic and Drew Erickson's moving string arrangement.
Switching between first and third person, the songwriter addresses the
struggles of everyday life, from addiction to abortion, the lyrics
incorporating snapshots from Price's own story alongside that of the titular
character: Just make a decision, Lydia / Just make a decision. Both
musically and poetically, "Lydia" is a stunner, especially when heard
in the wake of Maybe We'll Make It. Margo Price's journey is fraught with
struggle and setback, disrespect and abuse. She and Ivey lost a newborn child,
Price has faced imprisonment, battled substance abuse and more. Strays portrays
the artist as victor, rising to meet these challenges and to ensure her seat at
the table.
Routes
& Branches worships at the altar of novelty, and we take our holy communion
in the sandbox of musical experimentation. But we also admire an artist like
Jason Isbell whose trajectory finds him deepening in his artistry as opposed to
expanding in new directions. Like a weathervane atop a farmhouse, Isbell's
songs speak to the prevailing winds of our country, the issues and concerns
that continue to buffet us. I was raised to be a strong and silent
southern man, he sings on Weathervanes. Jason Isbell would also seem to be
a man of strong conscience and integrity, perennially aware of his privilege
and his responsibility. The songs of conflict and division on his new album are
also songs of love, stories that speak to a concern about his family and our
communities.
Andrew
Bryant's apparent decision to loosen his grasp on the birth of Prodigal has vested the collection with life heretofore unheard
in his earlier catalogue. It is a phenomenal sounding record, with special
praise due Sexton, Steff and McCarley. The relative freedom that he achieves by
sharing his process of creation with Bruce Wagner and his once-in-a-lifetime
band has given Bryant room to expand into his still very personal muse, making
this new album the most natural, dare we say the most freewheeling of his
career.
4. Jess Williamson, Time Ain't Accidental (Mexican Summer, Jun 9)
Jess
Williamson would testify that god dwells within this mess, between connection
and separation, between confidence and doubt, between Marfa and LA. While we
tend to praise the strength we recognize in self-control and change management, Time
Ain't Accidental would remind us that it's often in moment of letting go
that we're closest to the spirit. The albums closer, "Roads", reads
like a Psalm, almost like a piece from Van Morrison's long-lost no
guru period. Perhaps at her most vulnerable time, bolstered
by her experience with Plains, Jess Williamson demonstrates an impressive
ability to achieve a musical balance in the midst of all the seeming
instability, following her mercurial, elemental muse into a new territory and
succeeding beyond her expectations.
I'll
start with the takeaway. You simply won't find a better lyrics sheet this year
than Jeffrey Martin's Thank God We Left the Garden (Fluff & Gravy). Recorded on solo guitar to two
cheap microphones in an 8x10 shack in the artist’s Portland backyard,
these eleven songs show a conviction for the beauty and importance of words
carefully, meaningfully arrayed. I don’t hear the clicks of the heater, the
barking dogs or the trucks passing by, but I do hear the steady beating of
Jeffrey Martin’s heart.
6. Angie McMahon, Light Dark Light Again (Gracie, Oct 27)
In
her native Australia, Light, Dark, Light Again shares chart space with Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo,
and the Rolling Stones. It's been nominated for Album of the Year by the
country's J Awards, where she commands the stage in front of a sea of admirers.
Angie McMahon isn't exceptional for expressing her insecurities or for
transitioning herself stylistically in a larger, more extroverted fashion.
Where the songs of others might point back in on themselves (thinking Courtney
Barnett, Lydia Loveless) McMahon's work manages to lead forward and upwards on her
second album. The guitars and vocals that brought us to embrace Salt are still present, but here they are deployed with
increased confidence and purpose. She has mentioned, I wanted to be
the War on Drugs. It seems Angie McMahon has a chance to be that,
and more. Just making it through is the lesson.
If
Lydia Loveless hadn't released Indestructible Machine very early in her career, she might never have been
considered in this roots-adjacent lane. Nothing's Gonna Stand In My
Way Again merits consideration alongside true peers like Courtney
Barnett or Jenny Lewis - you'll want to check out Loveless' one-off duet with
Jason Hawk Harris on Rilo Kiley's "Portions For Foxes". With its
rolling drums, melodic sensibility, and ooh-la-la backing vocals, "Do the Right Thing" is a pop
gem. Elsewhere on the spectrum, the piano and strings of "Summerlong"
are gorgeous, the ballad spotlighting Loveless' tremendous vocal gift. She
closes one of the year's most impressive albums with a reassurance: These
tiny shoulders will grow wings / I'm flying higher than my sense / I've already
decided that I'll be alright ...
Rock 'n roll is audacious. It's edgy. Rock is played with reckless abandon, often blended with sweat, blood and spit. That's frontman Adam Weiner's rep - commanding the stage from atop his piano, stripped to his underwear with his t-shirt hanging from his shoulders in shreds. Dedicated to urban poet Lou Reed, Low Cut Connie's new collection prowls the late night New Jersey streets, holding court from stages at the sort of parties that don't happen anymore: The golden days are over / So I'm taking off my clothes again / Naked in America / With the women and the men. What's sometimes lost in all the glam and glitter is the fact that Weiner has become a masterful songwriter, a possibly peerless documenter of that place where genders and genres blur and clash: I need somebody to punch me in the face / And you're the only one who dares.
Fact is, we can do no better than the intro the Boogiexote blog provided to their own appreciation of Willy Tea Taylor: He
speaks with the warm embrace of a bed of coals in a fire. He resembles the
warrior elf Gimli from Lord of the Rings, and laughs with
the same rambunctious brawn. His songs are as intimate as a late night
conversation with your best friend on a dark porch. His performances are
troubadour confessionals that can liquify a room into a puddle of cheap beers
and tears. For this superb collection, Taylor adds muscle to his wise songs by partnering with folks like TK & the Holy Know-Nothings, Lewi Longmire, Jeffrey Martin, and Anna Tivel.
Truth
be told, every Lucero record lands reliably on our year-end favorites list. But
the band hasn't released a collection that has landed with such an immediate
appeal at least since 2012's Women & Work. Nichols notes that
these leftovers were deemed too uptempo and capering for the
prior records' darker themes, and as listeners we are the beneficiaries of all
that capering. Should've Learned shuts down with two especially
satisfying cuts. A tipsy singalong ballad, "Drunken Moon" showcases
some fine piano and organ from Steff, and another great lyric: I'd buy the
moon a drink / But we both know it's time to move on. "Time To Go
Home" features a refreshingly carefree musical touch, in addition to the
rare shot of accordion. The song will close Lucero concerts for years to
come: I'm too broke to mend / Can't seem to win / From the pan to the
fucking fire. It's
a cardinal law of rock 'n roll: Snotty-nosed punks just guessing their way
around their instruments may become mature and capable fuckups with
practice and time. I'll drink to that.
11. Abby Hamilton, #1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo) (Blue Gown, Oct 13)
At
heart, the songs of Abby Hamilton fill that purpose of music that encourages
and affirms, music as best friend. I'm doin' alright, she sings on "Fine", Thanks for asking. Fortunately, she's a best friend who is wise and who makes
superb country-pop. The pillowy-sweet ballad floats on a cloud of pedal steel,
set aloft on a subtle chorus of angelic backing vocals. Even when things go
bad, Abby Hamilton reminds us: It ain't bad luck / It's just poor
stewardship of some damn good love. #1 Zookeeper (Of the San Diego Zoo) isn't just fine advice, it establishes Hamilton as
among the year's most appealing new artists.
12. Roselit Bone, Ofrenda (Get Loud, Aug 25)
The
pieces with which Roselit Bone builds their sound are too often parroted by
lesser artists, leaving behind the real-lived flesh and blood that animates
Mexican music. While it's only one aspect of Charlotte McCaslin's arsenal, it's
essential to the band's aggressive approach. "Your Gun" is another
defining track, one that might've fit into an early Tarantino flick or an even
earlier spaghetti western. McCaslin's wild, remarkable vocal barks and
postures, while a brazen sax solo bounces between shadowed alley walls. Ofrenda showcases an act that holds nothing back, fully
committing to their sound. And Charlotte McCaslin is a vital force, meriting
mention as among the most dynamic frontpeople in our kind of music.
13. Brit Taylor, Kentucky Blue (Cut a Shine, Feb 3)
Taylor
delivers her new tracks with attitude and confidence, especially on "Rich
Little Girls": 9-to-5 / Honey I wish / More like 24-7 / The
only days off that I'm gonna get / Are when I get to heaven. "No Cowboys" is a Nashville diss number set to a
border conjunto arrangement replete with accordion, casting shade on wannabes desperate
to be desperados. As we rush headlong into 2023, there are few high-profile
americana releases that merit the praise of Kentucky Blue. Under the guidance of producers Ferguson and Simpson, Brit
Taylor has met and even surpassed the promise of her under-the-radar debut.
14. Ruston Kelly, The Weakness (Rounder, Apr 7)
Kelly managed land one of the least likely minor hits onto the popular music radar with "Mending Song" from this excellent collection. Elsewhere, he manages to tickle some of the same spots as another unlikely roots music hero, Noah Kahan (albeit with more edge and angst). The songs of The Weakness are buffeted by the winds of addiction, emotional trauma, and the songwriter's divorce from Kacey Musgraves. After all that, you can't blame Kelly for summing it all up thusly: It's been a long fucking winter / It's been a strange year. In a year that's seen him release additional covers, remixes, and very worthy singles, Kelly seems to have taken full advantage of the catharsis: I wish you only happiness and healing / And I hope that you're finding it out there ...
15. Bella White, Among Other Things (Rounder, Apr 21)
I'd
argue strongly that the artists who are most influential in our kind of music
aren't always americana artists. The direction of roots music is being set by
the music to which our artists listen - be it pop, or soul, or indie. Bella
White's studio band brings experience with artists as diverse as Weyes Blood,
Big Thief, and Father John Misty (not to mention Lonely Heartstring Band, Margo
Price, and Billy Strings). Alongside fellow roots artists of her
generation like Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings or Molly Tuttle, White will play
a role in the directions in which our music evolves and changes, even as she
works from a rootedness in tradition. Among Other Things is an important statement in that unfolding.
16. Israel Nash, Ozarker (Desert Folklore, Oct 20)
While
listeners may identify certain of Petty's American heartland mythologies, or
may spot signs of Springsteen's glory days, you'll also hear the urgency of War on Drugs and
the soulful heart of Nathaniel Rateliff. Ozarker is more than the sum of its influences, however, and
Nash leads his cohort into hard-won sonic territory that he's carved out in the
years since his 2009 debut. In the end, Israel Nash simply sounds like Israel
Nash.
17. Jobi Riccio, Whiplash (Yep Roc, Sep 8)
Much
of Whiplash alludes to Jobi Riccio's journey of identity, stepping
forward as a queer artist, pulling together bits of bluegrass, country, folk,
and indie music and making them her own. "Sweet" weds Mike Robinson's
pedal steel with the filigree of Riccio's vocal. A product of her Lucinda
phase, the song surrounds her with a satisfyingly full
country-rock setting: All the guys I meet just lead to dead ends /
And all the girls I've wanted never had a clue / And probably don't bat for my
team even if they knew / I'm just not that sweet. Channeling the spirits of old school country
songwriters, "For Me It's You" prompted Jason Isbell to tweet: Check
that shit out, it's solid. The beautifully simple country heartbreak tune
drips with sad strings, boasting Riccio's strongest delivery, as she concludes: I'm
not who you're achin' for. That juxtaposition between confidence and
vulnerability, the balance between youth and adulthood is at the heart of Jobi
Riccio's strong appeal.
18. Chris Stapleton, Higher (Mercury, Nov 10)
Like
Bonnie Raitt, Stapleton’s work is remarkable in its consistent quality and
decency. Rather than struggle for new heights from album to album, he has
largely remained in the same pocket he established eight years ago. As a body
of work, Stapleton’s recordings with the Jompson Brothers, Steeldrivers, duets,
one-off singles, and solo records, he rivals only Jason Isbell in terms of
reliability. Another of Higher’s outstanding songs, “Mountains Of My Mind” is
notable as the sessions' only moment featuring solely the man and his acoustic
guitar. As such, it is striking in its vulnerability: There’s an
empty table / And a well-worn wooden chair / Just waiting for me in the middle
of nowhere. The country-soul of “Think I’m In Love With You”
or “Loving You On My Mind” will merit more repeated spins, but it’s in this
more subtle moment that the quiet brilliance of Chris Stapleton speaks most
clearly.
19. Jaime Wyatt, Feel Good (New West, Nov 3)
20. Drayton Farley, Twenty On High (Hargrove, Mar 3)
These
sessions with Sadler require more of Farley as an artist who has to this point
simply accompanied himself on an acoustic guitar. Spurring him onto bigger
things, Sadler and his band reserve some of their best work for "Devil's
in NOLA". Like a Sturgill Simpson number with a rubberband bounce, it's a
rare road story-song that becomes a reflection on temptation and discipline.
It's also a prime showcase for the record's musicians. "Alabama Moon"
is a gorgeously simple piano and fiddle arrangement featuring a backing vocal
from Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield, reportedly recorded in the back of a
touring van. Even on the album's sole solo track, the closing "All My
Yesterdays Have Passed", Farley musters a genuinely beautiful and moving
vocal, and hazards a glint of anticipation: There's a sun behind
this darkness / This darkness cannot last.
21. Woods, Perennial (Woodsist, Sep 15)
With
its layer of production and experimentation, Perennial might not be the perfect entry point to the Woods
oeuvre - that might be 2016's City Sun Eater in the River of Light or 2020's excellent Strange to Explain. Woods were also recruited to serve alongside David Berman
on his final project as Purple Mountains. But even as Earl and Taveniere
stretch to explore the further reaches of their sound, Perennial remains another impressive musical gesture with some
gorgeously engaging moments. "Day Moving On" delivers some great
guitars and keys, while "Little Black Flowers" is a beehive of bright
sonic activity, inviting listeners to Wrap your lips around the sun. Like Calexico or Fleet Foxes, Woods is grounded even in
their most cosmic moments, familiar and accessible as a flower reaching from
the rich soil.
22. Will Johnson, No Ordinary Crown (Keeled Scales, Sep 15)
As
longtime appreciators of Will Johnson's integral body of work, our hope is that
his time on huge stages with Jason Isbell's 400 Unit will bring Johnson's music
to new ears. Even more interesting will be how his experience adds new shades
to his solo songs. Sonically, No Ordinary Crown covers a wider swath than any of Johnson's earlier
records, even as the songwriter remains dedicated to his own muse. Isbell's
accolade and appreciation remain relevant: May you find what you
gave, all that hope / Somewhere down at the end of your rope.
23. Sun June, Bad Dream Jaguar (Run For Cover, Oct 20)
24. Charles Wesley Godwin, Family Ties (Big Loud, Sep 22)
25. Gabe Lee, Drink the River (Torrez, Jul 14)
... the continued trajectory of Gabe Lee is the primary takeaway on Drink
the River. Where Honky Tonk Hell and Hometown Kid sought to inject power and purpose into his work with
heavier and more contemporary arrangements, it turns out the power was in Lee's
songwriting all along. On the soulful "Merigold", he pleads to god on
behalf of a friend with cancer: Lord, if you can hear me / I swear
to leave you alone / Please pick up the phone, I want you to know / You can
take me when she goes. Gabe Lee is risen. With Drink the River, he is arrived.
26. Jason Hawk Harris, Thin Places (Bloodshot, Oct 6)
I'll
take my glory with a little bit of shame, Harris sings on "Roll". The chorus
swells with momentary gospel intensity, his voice reaching for its far edges.
On Thin Places, Jason Hawk Harris delivers these value
added moments on songs that simultaneously feed the need for
good music while exceeding expectations with meaning-filled lyrics and passages
that speak to the artist's impressive musical range. While Harris will surely
move onto new topics as his career progresses, challenging himself to explore
new avenues of expression, he demonstrates refreshing ability and ambition on
his first two records. There is great reward in diving deep with Harris,
joining him skipping stones across the abyss.
27. Esther Rose, Safe To Run (New West, Apr 21)
28. Wednesday, Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans, Apr 7)
29. Turnpike Troubadours, Cat In the Rain (Bossier City, Aug 25)
30. Country Westerns, Forgive the City (Fat Possum, Apr 28)
Earlier
this year, Brian Kotzur assembled a Spotify playlist called Gimme Country: Country Westerns DJ Set. In his lineup the drummer included alt-leaning icons like Mekons, Gun Club, and the aforementioned
Silver Jews. But Kotzur also made room for americana sure things like Lucinda
Williams, Margo Price and the Sadies. It's as good a mixtape as you'll find, in
addition to triangulating where Country Westerns place their own star in the
great genre galaxy. Where their 2020 debut might've been a lark, Forgive
the City is a deliberate gesture, a statement of purpose and
identity. Got thirty minutes?
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To enjoy our weekly Spotify ROUTES-casts, just open Spotify and search for "routesandbranches" to access this most recent playlist, as well as many others from past months.
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