featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
December 10, 2023
Scott Foley, purveyor of just enough snow
This Episode's ROUTES-cast features our 30 favorite songs, arrayed from Number One to Number Thirty. A visit to our Spotify playlist page will also earn you access to our favorite songs lists from the last few years, not to mention several of our vaunted weekly Routes-casts. Please follow R&B. You'll never again be without new music.
As in years past, our strictly scientific methodology here is to yank any song we really really like from week to week into a special folder. This year, that folder bulged to an absurd 250-plus songs (I really like songs). As the year approached its end, we pored over that comically long playlist, yanking songs some more, ordering them, and looking deep into our dark and troubled soul until we emerged with just thirty favorites.
We'll unveil our favorite albums list on or about Christmas Eve this year. An assortment of the records represented below will appear on that list, and others will not. As always, there's an honest divergence between our songs, our albums, and last week's State of the Genre selections. While the stylistic range of our lists is wide and unkempt, we do draw some lines and exercise just a bit of discipline. We could assemble a completely different list of non-roots favorites too (from an alternate universe where Troye Sivan, Youth Lagoon, and Lankum run free).
For today, please enjoy what follows. Share your own favorites via the comments below, or email them to routesandbranches@gmail.com to avoid any public humiliation.
Next Episode: Christmas Christmas (Dec 17)
Dec 24: Our Favorite Albums of 2023
Dec 31: Our Favorite Covers of 2023
FAVORiTE SONGs of 2023
- Wednesday, "Chosen To Deserve" Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans, Apr 7)
- Roselit Bone, "Ofrenda" Ofrenda (Get Loud, Aug 25)
- Allison Russell, "Stay Right Here" The Returner (Fantasy, Sep 8)
- Lydia Loveless, "Sex and Money" Nothing's Gonna Stand In My Way Again (Bloodshot, Sep 22)
- Chris Stapleton, "White Horse" Higher (Mercury, Nov 10)
- Lori McKenna, "Killing Me (ft Hillary Lindsey)" 1988 (CN, Jul 21)
- Maren Morris, "Get the Hell Out Of Here" single (Columbia, Sep 15)
- Low Cut Connie, "Take Me To the Place" Art Dealers (Contender, Sep 8)
- Margo Price, "Landfill" Strays (Loma Vista, Jan 13)
- Brit Taylor, "For a Night" Kentucky Blue (Cut A Shine, Feb 3)
- Jobi Riccio, "Sweet" Whiplash (Yep Roc, Sep 8)
- Jess Williamson, "Tobacco Two Step" Time Ain't Accidental (Mexican Summer, Jun 9)
- Jeffrey Martin, "Red Station Wagon" Thank God We Left the Garden (Fluff & Gravy, Nov 3)
- Florry, "Drunk and High" Holey Bible (Dear Life, Aug 4)
- Kara Jackson, "Pawnshop" Why Does the Earth Give Us People To Love (September, Apr 14)
- Pearla, "Strong" Oh Glistening Onion the Nighttime Is Coming (Spacebomb, Feb 10)
- Country Westerns, "Speaking Ill Of the Blues" Forgive the City (Fat Possum, Apr 28)
- Colter Wall, "Corralling the Blues" Little Songs (La Honda, Jul 14)
- Geese, "Gravity Blues" 3D Country (Partisan, Jun 23)
- Beirut, "Hadsel" Hadsel (Pompeii, Nov 10)
- Sarah Jarosz, "Jealous Moon" Polaroid Lovers (Rounder, Jan 26)
- Becca Mancari, "Over and Over" Left Hand (Captured Tracks, Aug 25)
- Durand Jones, "Lord Have Mercy" Wait Til I Get Over (Dead Oceans, May 5)
- Drayton Farley, "Norfolk Blues" Twenty On High (Hargrove, Mar 3)
- Matthew Logan Vasquez, "Untouchable" As All Get Out (Nine Mile, Apr 7)
- Ruston Kelly, "Mending Song" The Weakness (Rounder, Apr 7)
- Andrew Bryant, "Trampoline" Prodigal (Sentimental Noises, Nov 3)
- Angie McMahon, "Letting Go" Light Dark Light Again (AWAL, Oct 27)
- Morgan Wade, "Losers Like Me" Psychopath (Sony, Aug 25)
- Israel Nash, "Ozarker" Ozarker (Desert Folklore, Oct 20)
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To enjoy our weekly Spotify ROUTES-cast, just open Spotify and search for "routesandbranches" to access this most recent playlist, as well as many others from past months. Or click here for a preview:
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