The 2017 Grampies

It's that time once again. The coveted 2017 Grampies are herewith awarded. It's a more modest endeavor than recent years have seen, because I frankly don't have the time or energy to keep up with all the new music that appears across genres every year. Besides, I've been rediscovering the joys of simply savoring the music I already know and love from the past. Nevertheless, good things do continue to happen across the musical landscape, and these are my favorites from the past year. I've included a larger number of categories, but only my top ten in each (with one exception to that rule, because I simply couldn't narrow it down any further). In any case, I commend the following to your listening pleasure:


D. Rick’s Album Top 40 (across all genres)

1. Linkin Park - One More Light

2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- The Nashville Sound

3. Train - a girl a bottle a boat

4. Accept - The Rise of Chaos

5. All That Remains - Madness

6. Zac Brown Band - Welcome Home

7. The Talbott Brothers - Gray

8. Lindsay Ell - The Project

9. The Steel Woods - Straw in the Wind

10. Ed Sheeran - ÷

11. Black Country Communion - BCCIV

12. Will Hoge - Anchors

13. Sunny Sweeney - Trophy

14. The Show Ponies - How It All Goes Down

15. Beyond the Black - Lost in Forever

16. The Waifs - Ironbark

17. Ten - Gothica

18. Inglorious - II

19. Chris Tapp - The Gospel Blues and Southern Gothic Companion

20. Black Star Riders - Heavy Fire

21. Smash into Pieces - Rise and Shine

22. Quinn Sullivan - Midnight Highway

23. Jorn - Life on Death Road

24. The Ferryman - The Ferryman

25. Brantley Gilbert - The Devil Don’t Sleep

26. Wolfpakk - Wolves Reign

27. Imagine Dragons - Evolve

28. Revolution Saints - Light in the Dark

29. Sara Evans - Words

30. Jamie Wyatt - Felony Blues

31. Signum Regis - Decennium Primum

32. Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires

33. Night Ranger - Don’t Let Up

34. The Dustbowl Revival - The Dustbowl Revival

35. Thunder - Rip It Up

36. The Drugstore Gypsies - The Drugstore Gypsies

37. Army of Bones - Army of Bones

38. Serenity - Lionheart

39. Sammy Berell - Passion Dreams

40. Electric Guitars - Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio


Pop

Train - a girl a bottle a boat
Ed Sheeran - ÷
Bryan Lanning - Us
HAIM - Something to Tell You
Grace VanderWaal - Just the Beginning
The Script - Freedom Child
Sheryl Crow - Be Myself
Lindsey Buckingham - Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie
Rachel Platten - Waves
Andy Grammar - The Good Parts


Country Pop

Lindsay Ell - The Project
Rascal Flatts - Back to Us
Lauren Alaina - Road Less Traveled
Brad Paisley - Love and War
Hunter Brothers - Getaway
RaeLynn - WildHorse
Eli Young Band - Fingerprints
Michelle Branch - Hopeless Romantic
Sarah Darling - Dream Country
Luke Bryan - What Makes You Country


Modern Mainline Country

Zac Brown Band - Welcome Home
Brantley Gilbert - The Devil Don’t Sleep
Little Big Town - The Breaker
Trace Adkins - Something Going On
Gretchen Wilson - Ready to Get Rowdy
Lady Antebellum - Heart Break
Blake Shelton - Texoma Shore
Big & Rich - Did It for the Party
Darius Rucker - When Was the Last Time
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill - The Rest of Our Life


Folk and Americana Country

The Talbott Brothers - Gray
The Show Ponies - How It All Goes Down
The Waifs - Ironbark
David Luning - Restless
Jason Eady - Jason Eady
Honest John - Honest John
Worry Dolls - Go Get Gone
Travis Linville - Up Ahead
Amanda Anne Platt - Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters
little hurricane - Same Sun Same Moon
Blitzen Trapper - Wild and Reckless
Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway
Drew Holcomb - Souvenir
The Wild Reeds - The World We Built
Tunrpike Troubadours - A Long Way from Your Heart
Offa Rex - The Queen of Hearts
Allison Pierce - Year of the Rabbit
Andrew Combs - Canyons of My Mind
John Moreland - Big Bad Luv
Applewood Road - Applewood Road


Retro and Traditional Country

Sunny Sweeney - Trophy
Sara Evans - Words
Jamie Wyatt - Felony Blues
Norma Jean Martine - Only in My Mind
Chris Stapleton - From a Room
Margo Price - All American Made
Luke Combs - The One’s for You
The Secret Sisters - You Don’t Own Me Anymore
Alison Krauss - Windy City
Ray Scott - Guitar for Sale


Edgy and Alternative Country

Chris Tapp - The Gospel Blues and Southern Gothic Companion
The Dustbowl Revival - The Dustbowl Revival
Son Volt - Notes of Blue
Steve Moakler - Steel Town
Angealeena Presley - Wrangled
Dan Auerbach - Waiting on a Song
Tyler Childers - Purgatory
Gwen Sebastian - Once Upon a Time
Charlie Worsham - Beginning of Things
Nikki Lane - Highway Queen


Country Rock

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- The Nashville Sound
The Steel Woods - Straw in the Wind
Will Hoge - Anchors
The Drugstore Gypsies - The Drugstore Gypsies
The Band of Heathen - Duende
The Cadillac Three - Legacy
Bad News Band - Drive Anywhere
Kid Rock - Sweet Southern Sugar
Danny Worsnop - The Long Road Home
Chris Shiflett - West Coast Town


Classic Rock

Black Country Communion - BCCIV
Inglorious - II
Black Star Riders - Heavy Fire
Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires
Thunder - Rip It Up
Black Stone Cherry - Black to Blues
Walk on Fire - Mind Over Matter
Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark?
Bob Seger - I Knew You When
Rex Brown - Smoke on This


Retro Radio Rock

Jorn - Life on Death Road
Revolution Saints - Light in the Dark
Night Ranger - Don’t Let Up
Coldspell - A New World Arise
Harem Scarem - United
Fastball - Step Into Light
Europe - Walk the Earth
One Desire - One Desire
Nick Douglas - Regenerations
Jimi Anderson Group - Longtime Comin’


Modern Rock

Ten - Gothica
Smash into Pieces - Rise and Shine
Wolfpakk - Wolves Reign
House of Lords - Saint of the Lost Souls
Hell or Highwater - Vista
Eclipse - Monumentum
Brother Firetribe - Sunbound
Mr. Big - Defying Gravity
Place Vendome - Close to the Sun
Sweet & Lynch - Unified


Progressive Rock / Symphonic Metal

Beyond the Black - Lost in Forever
Serenity - Lionheart
Signum Regis - Decennium Primum
Xandria - Theater of Dimensions
Unleash the Archers - Apex
Pinnacle Point - Winds of Change
Pyramaze - Contingent
Mindmaze - Resolve
Sons of Apollo - Psychotic Symphony
Styx - The Mission


Hard Rock / Heavy Metal

Accept - The Rise of Chaos
All That Remains - Madness
The Ferryman - The Ferryman
Striker - Striker
Battle Beast - Bringer of Pain
Trivium - The Sin and the Sentence
Firewind - Immortals
KXM - Scatterbrain
Iced Earth - Incorruptible
Bonfire - Byte the Bullet


Alternative

Linkin Park - One More Light
Imagine Dragons - Evolve
Army of Bones - Army of Bones
Black Map - In Droves
Never Say Die - Destroy + Rebuild
Sleeping with Sirens - Gossip
You Me at Six - Night People
Paramore - After Laughter
U2 - Songs of Experience
Robert Plant - Carry Fire


Guitarists

Quinn Sullivan - Midnight Highway
Sammy Berell - Passion Dreams
Electric Guitars - Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio
Aaron Keylock - Cut Against the Grain
Thorbjørn Risager - Change My Game
Ash Wilson - Broken Machine
John 5 & The Creatures - Season of the Witch
Andy James - Exodus
Marty Friedman - Wall of Sound
Richie Kotzen - Salting Earth