picks
Top 5 Albums of 2011
Hey look, it’s a best albums of 2011 post, and Adele’s not in it! For real? For real. Check out these five albums (okay, 4 albums and 1 EP) and pickup up some great music you might have missed earlier this year, or just check it out to waste some time until the work year is over. Spoiler alert: the list is Jason Isbell, Brian Wright, Charles Bradley, Alabama Shakes, and Robert Ellis. (Sorry, we had to put that up front for SEO reasons– oh, blogging!)
Here We Rest, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
With the release of Here We Rest, Jason Isbell has gone from being one of the South’s favorite guitar players to being recognized as a the well-rounded band leader and conscientious sound sculptor that he is, carrying forward the rich legacy of Muscle Shoals’ musical heritage to a new generation.
In a way, it’s almost ironic to make the grit and gravel of life in Northern Alabama so smooth and soothing, but Isbell and the 400 Unit pull it off and also stay true to the region’s musical heritage, seamlessly blending roots of country and soul, to produce a polished blend that is as introspective and universal as, well, codeine abuse. Get it (the album, not the codeine) here.
House on Fire, Brian Wright
At the peak of the current folk revival, Brian Wright has released one of the best and probably truest folk albums in years. At times, House on Fire is a survey of American folk heritage, exploring sounds from the mountains to the marshes, drawing from work fields to prison yards. At other times, it’s pure rock and roll. It’s dueling dulcimers set to an early Beatles bassline. It’s, well, it’s a whole lot more than that, but I’m supposed to keep this relatively brief.
I kind of just want to reach over your shoulder, grab your mouse, and start clicking on more clips and songs to show you, but that’s an asshole move. Let’s be honest, the reality is you’re running out of time to make a good decision in 2011, so just take my word, and get this album. There, now the year wasn’t a total wash. Tell Mom to back off. You got some rock and roll. (I know I called it “folk” earlier—just listen to the damn album and you’ll get it).
No Time for Dreaming, Charles Bradley
Charles Bradley got “his big break” (if such a thing exists in this musical climate) with the release of this album, around the age of 60. He had been chasing his dream since he was a teenager, struggling through a life that was at times so tough it sounds like a parody of an old blues singer’s struggles—including a 9 year stint cooking at an insane asylum.
Finally, after countless deals falling through, jobs and gigs going bust, zig-zagging across the country, losing loved ones and hope, Daptone Records heard about a James Brown tribute show Charles was doing in Brooklyn. From there, they hooked him up with the Menahan Street Band, and this beautifully rich soul album came to life. Buy it twice.
Alabama Shakes EP, Alabama Shakes
And like that, everyone forgot who Adele even was…
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Adele had one of the biggest albums of the year, and it’s good stuff, but man, just listen to this. That’s f@cking soul. That’s an old soul’s soul, hanging out in a real soulful place singing soul music. On top of all that, Brittany’s only 22 or so years old.
Alabama Shakes only released a four track EP this year, but honestly, it’s so good, it’s holding it’s own on this album list. If there’s any justice in the world, Alabama Shakes will be one of the biggest bands in the country next year, and there’s a good chance that may just happen, considering how fast things have moved for them in the past three months. You can stream or download the EP on bandcamp.
Photographs, Robert Ellis
Also just 22, Robert Ellis is another surprisingly young kid who sings and writes with such maturity and depth that it makes me put an asterisks next to my fist shaking when I’m going on about kids these days.
Robert actually refers to this as a split album, or two EP’s: one classic country and one contemporary folk. Don’t worry about splitting hairs with the labels, the full album works as a cohesive unit and could be filed in a lot of categories. And let’s be honest, if you organize your music by genre, or anything for that matter, you’re probably not having as much fun with it as you should. Grab the album here.
Peter Grumbine is a writer, producer, and talker who has covered music, pop culture, and the apocalypse for CNN, Current TV, and Maxim Magazine, among others, online, on-air and in print.
Image: carolyn.will
More Stories >
picks
Five Awesome Soundtracks
A great soundtrack gives a film depth and dimension. A bad one can be distracting, or even worse, maddening. Here are five films that have benefited from their inspired tunes.
style
Instagram Your Fashion
Instagram, the distinctive and easy to use photography app, has become the go-to app among the fashion industry’s elite. Here's the short list of who you ought to follow...
art & design
Being Mink
Mink Stole: A disenfranchised youth from the Baltimore suburbs who befriended a young outcast by the name of John Waters and the rest is cult cinema history.
food
What Your Girl Scout Cookie Says About You
It's that time of year again -- those little hussies are out peddling their carbs at a street corner near you. Here's what your choice says about you...
