20+21 Favorites and Then Some More (The 2021 Grampies)

 I'm not really doing the "Grampies" anymore like I used to, as it simply requires too much time and energy to be constantly tracking the new music coming out, giving it a fair and adequate listen, and then trying to figure out how to categorize everything by genre, to say nothing yet of determining my favorites. After this past year, concluding the second decade of the twenty-first century, I posted the Final Countdown and resolved henceforth to focus on a far more limited number of favorite artists.

Even so, there were lots of great albums released this year by those artists I already know and love, and I've been tracking and enjoying all of that for its own sake. As this Year of Our Lord 2021 is drawing to a close, I'm not anticipating that there will be any more new albums coming out between now and January 2022 (although I could be caught by surprise, as I have been a time or two in the past). So, rather than waiting until I'm up to my eyeballs in the Christmas Season to compile a list of my favorite albums of the year, I've done so in a low-key way this evening.

My favorite new releases of 2021, hands down, were my new baby grands: Belteshazzar Stuckwisch (19 April), Evelyn Sams (29 April), Jerome Harrison (28 November), and Henrietta Stuckwisch (1 December). But as for new music albums, here are some lists of those that caught my attention and brought joy and gladness to my year:

My Top Twenty Favorite Albums of 2021:

Eric Church - Heart & Soul

Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks

Mammoth WVH - Mammoth WVH

Mat Kearney - January Flower

NF - Clouds (The Mixtape)

Tremonti - Marching in Time

Cody Jinks - Mercy / None the Wiser (Caned by Nod)

Demon Hunter - Songs of Death and Resurrection

Inglorious - We Will Ride / Heroine

Myles Kennedy - The Ides of March

NeedToBreathe - Into the Mystery

Black Veil Brides - The Phantom Tomorrow

Accept - Too Mean to Die

Daughtry - Dearly Beloved

Cody Johnson - Human: The Double Album

The Steel Woods - All of Your Stones

Volbeat - Servant of the Mind

Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight

Santana - Blessings and Miracles

Dream Theater - A View from the Top of the World

Twenty-One More Favorite Albums of 2021:

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

Watchhouse - Watchhouse

Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days

Lady A - What a Song Can Do

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raise the Roof

John Mayer - Sob Rock

Smith/Kotzen - Smith/Kotzen

Switchfoot - Interrobang

Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed

Keuning - A Mild Case of Everything

Night Ranger - ATBPO

The Black Keys - Delta Kream

Sunstorm - Afterlife

Joel Hoekstra’s 13 - Running Games

Travis Tritt - Set in Stone

Passenger - Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted

Metalite - A Virtual World

Parker Millsap - Be Here Instead

OneRepublic - Human

The Neal Morse Band - Innocence & Danger

Imagine Dragons - Mercury - Act 1

And 20+22 Albums from ‘21 to Grow On in ‘22:

Black Label Society - Doom Crew Inc.

KK’s Priest - Sermons of the Sinner

Temperance - Diamanti

Flatland Cavalry - Welcome to Countryland

Zac Brown Band - The Comeback

George Lynch - Seamless

Sammy Hagar & The Circle - Lockdown 2020

Dori Freeman - Ten Thousand Roses

ABBA - Voyage

Blackberry Smoke - You Hear Georgia

Heavy Water - Red Brick City

Steve Lukather - I Found the Sun Again

The Doobie Brothers - Liberté

Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE3

Thunder - All the Right Noises

Kings of Leon - When You See Yourself

Mayday Parade - What It Means to Fall Apart

Gus G - Quantum Leap

Jimmy Barnes - Flesh and Blood

Beast in Black - Dark Connection

Joanne Shaw Taylor - The Blues Album

Ally Venable - Heart of Fire

Gary Hughes - Waterside / Decades

Voodoo Circle - Locked & Loaded

Damon Johnson & The Get Ready - Battle Lessons

Eclipse - Wired

The Night Flight Orchestra - Aeeromantic II

Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon

Times of Grace - Songs of Loss and Separation

Peter Frampton Band - Peter Frampton Forgets the Words

Sirenia - Riddles, Ruins & Revelations

Twenty-One Pilots - Scaled and Icy

Greta Van Fleet - The Battle at Garden’s Gate

Kristian Bush - Troubadour

Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita

Wolfmother - Rock Out

Nancy Wilson - You and Me

Toby Keith - Peso in My Pocket

Trace Adkins - The Way I Wanna Go

Adele - 30

Lilly Hiatt - Lately

The Dead Daisies - Holy Ground

My Twenty-One Favorite Album Covers of 2021:

A View from the Top of the World (Dream Theater)

Time Clocks (Joe Bonamassa)

Seamless (George Lynch)

Innocence & Danger (The Neal Morse Band)

Songs of Death and Resurrection (Demon Hunter)

We Will Ride (Inglorious)

In the Court of the Dragon (Trivium)

All the Right Noises (Thunder)

Human (OneRepublic)

Mammoth WVH (Mammoth WVH)

A Virtual World (Metalite)

NIRATIAS (Chevelle)

Diamanti (Temperance)

Aeromantic II (The Night Flight Orchestra)

Senjutsu (Iron Maiden)

The Phantom Tomorrow (Black Veil Brides)

Riddles, Ruins & Revelations (Sirenia)

Too Mean to Die (Accept)

Afterlife (Sunstorm)

Escape of the Phoenix (Evergrey)

Blessings and Miracles (Santana)

Eighty-Four Favorite Songs of 2021:

“The Heart That Never Waits” (Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks)

“The Loyal Kind” (Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks)

“Time Clocks” (Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks)

“Notches” (Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks)

“Circles” (Mammoth WVH - Mammoth WVH)

“Distance” (Mammoth WVH - Mammoth WVH)

“Clouds” (NF - Clouds: The Mixtape)

“Paid My Dues” (NF - Clouds: The Mixtape)

“Story” (NF - Clouds: The Mixtape)

“Lost” (NF & Hopsin - Clouds: The Mixtape)

“Just Like You” (NF - Clouds: The Mixtape)

“I Will Fail You” (Demon Hunter - Songs of Death and Resurrection)

“The Heart of a Graveyard” (Demon Hunter - Songs of Death and Resurrection)

“Crazyland” (Eric Church - Heart)

“Stick That in Your Country Song” (Eric Church - Heart)

“Russian Roulette” (Eric Church - Heart)

“Through My Ray-Bans” (Eric Church - &)

“Doing Life with Me” (Eric Church - &)

“Break It Kind of Guy” (Eric Church - Soul)

“Bright Side Girl” (Eric Church - Soul)

“Hell of a View” (Eric Church - Soul)

“All it Cost Me Was Everything” (Cody Jinks - Mercy)

“How It Works” (Cody Jinks - Mercy)

“Mercy” (Cody Jinks - Mercy)

“Dying Trying” (Caned by Nod - None the Wiser)

“Briefcase” (Walker Hayes & Lori McKenna - Country Stuff)

“'Til You Can't” (Cody Johnson - Human: The Double Album)

“I Always Wanted To” (Cody Johnson - Human: The Double Album)

“By Your Grace” (Cody Johnson - Human: The Double Album)

“God Bless the Boy: Cori’s Song” (Cody Johnson - Human: The Double Album)

“I Wanna Remember” (NeedToBreathe & Carrie Underwood - Into the Mystery)

“Chances” (NeedToBreathe - Into the Mystery)

“What I'm Here For” (NeedToBreathe - Into the Mystery)

“They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That No More” (Travis Tritt - Set in Stone)

“Smoke in a Bar” (Travis Tritt - Set in Stone)

“In Between” (Parker Millsap - Be Here Instead)

“The Best Is Yet to Come” (Accept - Too Mean to Die)

“No Ones Master” (Accept - Too Mean to Die)

“No Time for Toxic People” (Imagine Dragons - Mercury: Act 1)

“Wake Me When It’s Over” (Myles Kennedy - The Ides of March)

“The Ides of March” (Myles Kennedy - The Ides of March)

“Love Hurts” (Jimmy Barnes & Jane Barnes - Flesh and Blood)

“Happy Birthday America” (Toby Keith - Peso in My Pocket)

“Move” (Santana, Rob Thomas, American Authors - Blessings and Miracles)

“Joy” (Santana & Chris Stapleton - Blessings and Miracles)

“All of Your Stones” (The Steel Woods - All of Your Stones)

“Pontiac” (Mat Kearney - January Flower)

“Grand Canyon” (Mat Kearney - January Flower)

“Anywhere With You” (Mat Kearney - January Flower)

“Workin’ on This Love” (Lady A - What a Song Can Do)

“Worship What I Hate” (Lady A - What a Song Can Do)

“What a Song Can Do” (Lady A - What a Song Can Do)

“Let That Be Us” (Tremonti - Marching in Time)

“Marching in Time” (Tremonti - Marching in Time)

"Better Days" (The Doobie Brothers - Liberté)

"Just Can't Do This Alone" (The Doobie Brothers - Liberté)

"Cry for Help" (Daughtry - Dearly Beloved)

"Asylum" (Daughtry - Dearly Beloved)

“Where We Call Home” (Wade Bowen - Where Phones Don’t Work)

“Be You” (Wade Bowen - Where Phones Don’t Work)

“Little Things” (ABBA - Voyage)

“I Can Be That Woman” (ABBA - Voyage)

“Hookup Scene” (Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed)

"Lose Somebody" (OneRepublic & Kygo - Human)

"Bring Me to Life" (Inglorious & Jeff Scott Soto - Heroine)

“Time After Time” (Inglorious - Heroine)

"We Will Ride" (Inglorious - We Will Ride)

"Shotgun Blues" (Volbeat - Servant of the Mind)

"Dagen Før" (Volbeat - Servant of the Mind)

“Simple Things” (Elton John & Brandi Carlile - The Lockdown Sessions)

“Nothing Else Matters” (Miley Cyrus, Elton John, et al. - The Lockdown Sessions)

“Stubborn Pride” (Zac Brown Band & Marcus King - The Comeback)

“Endless Running Out of Time” (The Secret Sisters - Quicksand EP)

“Sinners, Saints and Fools” (Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days)

“Some People” (Smith/Kotzen - Smith/Kotzen)

“Brothers of the Road” (KK’s Priest - Sermons of the Sinner)

“Belly of the Beast” (Watchhouse - Watchhouse)

"Troubadour" (Kristian Bush - Troubadour)

“Last Train Home” (John Mayer - Sob Rock)

“Careful Girl” (Trace Adkins - The Way I Wanna Go)

“Live It Lonely” (Trace Adkins - The Way I Wanna Go)

“Empty Chair” (Trace Adkins - The Way I Wanna Go)

“Young Man” (Thunder - All The Right Noises)

“Grateful” (Lori McKenna - Christmas Is Right Here)

100 All-Time Favorite Albums by 100 Different Artists

Having recently shared the 2020 Grampies and then my top 100 favorite albums from 2011 through 2020, I got to thinking about my favorite albums "of all time," and so I've been tinkering with that over the past few weeks, trying to figure out how to compile such a list and how to go about ranking that many albums across multiple genres and from so many different seasons in my music-listening lifetime. It's a subjective consideration, in any case, so it's not like I can get this "wrong." But it has been an interesting experiment.

To challenge myself and to "even the playing field" (somewhat), I determined that I would include only one entry from any one artist, lest the list end up dominated by a dozen of my all-time favorite artists. In a number of cases, deciding between representative "favorite albums" from some of those artists was especially difficult, so there are entries in which a second album is listed parenthetically (in a few cases even a third), but each artist still gets only one "slot" in the list of my 100 all-time favorite albums.

Ranking all these albums in order of preference is practically an impossible task, though I've attempted it. As surely as the relative positioning of these albums has shifted in various ways over the past many years, I have no doubt that it will continue to fluctuate in my listening habits and enjoyment in the years ahead. But for this present time, for this particular listing, you can see (below) how it all shook out.

My 100 Favorite Albums of All Time (at this time) by 100 Different Acts/Artists

1. Shinedown - Threat To Survival (2015) (Sound of Madness, 2008; Amaryllis, 2012)

2. Joe Bonamassa - Redemption (2018) (Blues of Desperation, 2016)

3. Led Zeppelin - IV (1971) (II, 1969)

4. Lori McKenna - The Balladeer (2020) (The Tree, 2018)

5. Black Stone Cherry - Folklore & Superstition (2008) (Black Stone Cherry, 2006)

6. Def Leppard - Pyromania (1983)

7. Evanescence - Fallen (2003)

8. AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)

9. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Oz (1980) (Scream, 2010)

10. Train - California 37 (2012) (Bulletproof Picasso, 2014)

11. Daughtry - Break the Spell (2011) (Daughtry, 2006)

12. Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)

13. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970) (Heaven and Hell, 1980)

14. Boston - Boston (1976)

15. Linkin Park - One More Light (2017)

16. Theocracy - As the World Bleeds (2011) (Ghost Ship, 2016)

17. Bon Jovi - Lost Highway (2007) (What About Now, 2013)

18. Will Hoge - Small Town Dreams (2015)

19. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

20. Taylor Swift - evermore/folklore (2020) (1989, 2014)

21. Cody Jinks - The Wanting (2019) (Lifers, 2018)

22. All That Remains - The Order of Things (2015)

23. Megadeth - Th1rt3en (2011)

24. Tim McGraw - Sundown Heaven Town (2014) (Set This Circus Down, 2001; Two Lanes of Freedom, 2013)

25. Eric Church - Chief (2011) (Mr. Misunderstood, 2015)

26. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (2018) (Pageant Material, 2015)

27. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (2011)

28. Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien (1987)

29. Volbeat - Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie (2016) (Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, 2013)

30. John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow (1985) (American Fool, 1982)

31. Big & Rich - Horse of a Different Color (2004)

32. Queen - The Game (1980)

33. Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980) (The Stranger, 1977)

34. Lifehouse - Almeria (2012)

35. Matchbox Twenty - More Than You Think You Are (2002) (Mad Season, 2000)

36. Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View (1994)

37. Sister Hazel - Lighter in the Dark (2016)

38. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound (2017) (Reunions, 2020)

39. Switchfoot - Vice Verses (2011)

40. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere (2018)

41. Kenny Chesney - Welcome to the Fishbowl (2012) (Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, 2007)

42. Alter Bridge - The Last Hero (2016) (Walk the Sky, 2019)

43. Asia - Asia (1982)

44. Van Halen - Diver Down (1982)

45. Van Zant - Get Right with the Man (2005)

46. U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987) (Rattle and Hum, 1988)

47. Jet - Get Born (2003)

48. Kid Rock - Born Free (2010) (First Kiss, 2015)

49. Halfway to Hazard - Halfway to Hazard (2007)

50. Five For Fighting - Slice (2010)

51. Mat Kearney - Just Kids (2015) (Young Love, 2011)

52. Brad Paisley - Time Well Wasted (2005)

53. Uncle Kracker - Midnight Special (2012)

54. Joshua Kadison - Painted Desert Serenade (1993)

55. REO Speedwagon - Hi InFidelity (1980)

56. Styx - Paradise Theater (1981)

57. Andy Black - The Shadow Side (2016)

58. Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony (2009)

59. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll (1981)

60. Judas Priest - Ram It Down (1988) (British Steel, 1980)

61. Foreigner - 4 (1981)

62. Quiet Riot - Metal Health (1983)

63. Jason Aldean - Relentless (2007)

64. Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)

65. The Avett Brothers - True Sadness (2016)

66. David Nail - The Sound of a Million Dreams (2013)

67. Anna Nalick - Wreck of the Day (2005)

68. Montgomery Gentry - Back When I Knew It All (2008)

69. Miranda Lambert - Platinum (2014)

70. TEN - Gothica (2017) (Illuminati, 2018)

71. Amaranthe - Amaranthe (2011)

72. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain (2013) (Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, 2014)

73. Rodney Atkins - Honesty (2003)

74. Metallica - Metallica (1991)

75. Pat Benatar - Precious Time (1981) (Crimes of Passion, 1980)

76. Redlight King - Something for the Pain (2011)

77. Pink - M!ssundaztood (2001)

78. Saxon - Call to Arms (2011)

79. Steve Azar - Waitin’ on Joe (2002)

80. Zac Brown Band - Jekyll & Hyde (2015) (The Foundation, 2008)

81. Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride (2007)

82. Jo Dee Messina - Delicious Surprise (2005)

83. Slash - Slash (2010) (Apocalyptic Love, 2012)

84. Brooks & Dunn - Hillbilly Deluxe (2005) (Cowboy Town, 2007)

85. Bryan Adams - Cuts Like a Knife (1983)

86. Rod Stewart - A Spanner in the Works (1995) (Vagabond Heart, 1991)

87. Marcel - You, Me, and the Windshield (2003)

88. Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova (1982)

89. Dio - Holy Diver (1983)

90. Jimmy Page - Outrider (1988)

91. Cinderella - Long Cold Winter (1988)

92. Whitesnake - Whitesnake (1987) (Slip of the Tongue, 1989)

93. Trace Adkins - Dangerous Man (2006) (Songs About Me, 2005)

94. Keith Anderson - C’Mon! (2008)

95. ABBA - Voulez-Vous (1979)

96. Supertramp - Breakfast in America (1979)

97. Plain White T’s - Every Second Counts (2006)

98. Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery (1979)

99. John Kilzer - Memory in the Making (1988)

100. The Saints - All Fools Day (1987)

My Favorite Century from the Second Decade of the Final Millennium

Ten years ago, in January 2011, I posted a list of my favorite 100 albums from 2001 through 2010. At the time, I resolved that I would continue tracking my favorite releases over the course of the new decade that had just begun. It is largely for that reason that I have continued to process and publish my annual "Gampies" list up through this past year. And now, finally, having completed the second decade of what will hopefully (surely?) be the final millennium of this fallen and perishing old world, I can fulfill my resolve and here at last identify my favorite 100 albums from 2011 through 2020.

As compared to my prior "best of the decade" list, I altered the criteria somewhat. My listening has become more consistent, deliberate, intentional, and selective over these past ten years, and I have increasingly focused on a smaller number of favorite artists, rather than trying to monitor and keep up with the constant influx of new music acts. So, in this case, I did not limit myself to only two albums by any one artist, but allowed myself to include as many as three or even four albums from a single act. I did make sure to include at least eight albums from each year of this past decade; but one year, in particular, 2016, has managed to contribute almost twice that number (15) to the list, so I guess that was a great year.

I've attempted to list these 100 albums in order of preference, but that ordering would likely fluctuate at any given time. Aside from the fact that different albums strike me and engage me differently from one listen to the next, depending on my mood and all kinds of other circumstances, it's a challenge to know how best to compare albums from such diverse musical genres with each other. Whether I want to listen to Megadeth, Shinedown, Lori McKenna, Tim McGraw, or Taylor Swift, for example, at any given time will obviously depend on the occasion and its context (as well as any other people who may be with me). Any one of those artists (and any number of others) might be my "favorite" at one time or another. Similarly, there are times when I want to listen to an "old favorite," and times when I want something fresh and new.

Well, caveats aside, I've completed the decades-long task I set for myself, I've sifted and sorted my favorite albums from each of the past ten years — some of which did not really catch my attention or endear themselves to me until several or more years after they were first released — and I here present my 100 overall favorite albums (across all genres) from 2011 through 2020. Take a look and take a listen, and see what you think. Who knows? You may discover something new-to-you to enjoy in this third decade of the present millennium.

My Favorite Century from the Second Decade of the Final Millenium

1. Shinedown - Threat to Survival (2015)

2. Joe Bonamassa - Redemption (2018)

3. Lori McKenna - The Balladeer (2020)

4. Shinedown - Amaryllis (2012)

5. Lori McKenna - The Tree (2018)

6. Train - California 37 (2012)

7. Daughtry - Break the Spell (2011)

8. Linkin Park - One More Light (2017)

9. Black Stone Cherry - Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea (2011)

10. Theocracy - As the World Bleeds (2011)

11. Will Hoge - Small Town Dreams (2015)

12. Taylor Swift - evermore / folklore (2020)

13. Cody Jinks - After the Fire / The Wanting (2019)

14. All That Remains - The Order of Things (2015)

15. Megadeth - Th1rt3en (2011)

16. Theocracy - Ghost Ship (2016)

17. Tim McGraw - Sundown Heaven Town (2014)

18. Eric Church - Chief (2011)

19. Shinedown - Attention Attention (2018)

20. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (2018)

21. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (2011)

22. Volbeat - Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie (2016)

23. Lifehouse - Almeria (2012)

24. Sister Hazel - Lighter in the Dark (2016)

25. Bon Jovi - What About Now (2013)

26. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound (2017)

27. Switchfoot - Vice Verses (2011)

28. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere (2018)

29. Kenny Chesney - Welcome to the Fishbowl (2012)

30. Alter Bridge - The Last Hero (2016)

31. Will Hoge - Tiny Little Movies (2020)

32. Little Big Town - Nightfall (2020)

33. Eric Church - Mr. Misunderstood (2015)

34. Mat Kearney - Young Love (2011)

35. Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky (2019)

36. Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man (2020)

37. Uncle Kracker - Midnight Special (2012)

38. Lori McKenna - The Bird & the Rifle (2016)

39. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You (2018)

40. Cody Jinks - Lifers (2018)

41. Andy Black - The Shadow Side (2016)

42. Tim McGraw - Two Lanes of Freedom (2013)

43. Judas Priest - Firepower (2018)

44. All That Remains - A War You Cannot Win (2012)

45. Joe Bonamassa - Blues of Desperation (2016)

46. Train - a girl a bottle a boat (2017)

47. Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger (2018)

48. Mat Kearney - Just Kids (2015)

49. Black Veil Brides - Vale (2018)

50. The Avett Brothers - True Sadness (2016)

51. David Nail - The Sound of a Million Dreams (2011)

52. Miranda Lambert - Platinum (2014)

53. Train - Bulletproof Picasso (2014)

54. Black Stone Cherry - The Human Condition (2020)

55. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions (2020)

56. Kid Rock - First Kiss (clean version) (2015)

57. Alter Bridge - Fortress (2013)

58. Ten - Gothica (2017)

59. Amaranthe - Amaranthe (2011)

60. Imagine Dragons - Night Visions (2013)

61. Dream Theater - The Astonishing (2016)

62. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain (2013)

63. Will Hoge - Anchors (2017)

64. Jorn - Heavy Rock Radio II - Executing the Classics (2020)

65. Bon Jovi - This House Is Not for Sale (2016)

66. Redlight King - Something for the Pain (2011)

67. Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies (2013)

68. Cody Jinks - I’m Not the Devil (2016)

69. Joe Bonamassa - Royal Tea (2020)

70. Slash - Apocalyptic Love (2012)

71. Saxon - Call to Arms (2011)

72. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (2014)

73. Brothers Osborne - Pawn Shop (2016)

74. Parker Millsap - The Very Last Day (2016)

75. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free (2015)

76. Zac Brown Band - Jekyll + Hyde (2015)

77. Rob Thomas - Chip Tooth Smile (2019)

78. Andy Black - The Ghost of Ohio (2019)

79. Sabaton - The Great War (2019)

80. Daughtry - Baptized (2013)

81. Taylor Swift - Lover (2019)

82. The Black Keys - “Let’s Rock” (2019)

83. Better Than Ezra - All Together Now (2014)

84. Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound (2019)

85. The Steel Woods - Old News (2019)

86. Smith & Myers - Volume 1 & 2 (2020)

87. Ten - Illuminati (2018)

88. Tesla - Simplicity (2014)

89. Eric Church - Desperate Man (2018)

90. Gavin DeGraw - Make a Move (2013)

91. Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards the Daylight (2012)

92. Tim McGraw - Damn Country Music (2015)

93. Zac Brown Band - Welcome Home (2017)

94. Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material (2015)

95. Accept - The Rise of Chaos (2017)

96. Black Stone Cherry - Kentucky (2016)

97. Taylor Swift - 1989 (2014)

98. Brian Fallon - Painkillers (2016)

99. All That Remains - Madness (2017)

100. Kenny Chesney - The Big Revival (2014)

The 2020 Grampies (It's the Final Countdown)

Several years ago, I resolved to continue determining and sharing the annual "Grampies," that is, the listing of my favorite albums of the year (by genre and across genres), through the conclusion of the decade (2011-2020). Now that we're already into February of 2021, the first year of the new decade, it's high time I publish this "Final Countdown," the 2020 Grampies, thus fulfilling and concluding my resolve.

As in the past, there is a listing of my top 40 favorite albums of 2020 (across genres), and then separate listings of my favorite albums of 2020 according to a variety of categories, primarily determined by genre. Given that live concerts were largely cancelled for the bulk of 2020, I've included a list of 40 significant live albums that were released over the past year (from concerts performed in prior years, obviously). I've also included a list of my top 10 favorite cover albums of 2020. Most of the other genre or category lists include my top 20 albums, though there are a few deviations from that typical number of entries.

In almost every case, I've listed the albums that especially stood out for me in order of preference — numbered accordingly. Beyond those initial entries in each genre or category, I've listed the rest of the albums alphabetically by artist, rather than attempting to rank each list in its entirety.

Though it could easily be assumed, I'll state the matter plainly, that my hands-down favorite new releases of 2020 were my two most-recently born baby grands, Johann Jacob Stuckwisch and Clarence Sebastian Job Harrison. We also gained a new son-in-law, David Sams, and a new daughter-in-law, Moreah (Ritzman) Stuckwisch, for whom we are likewise deeply grateful. Those were the highlights of an otherwise largely discouraging year. Of course, our Lord has remained gracious and generous in giving His good gifts, even in the midst of sin and death, in spite of pandemics and lockdowns, and for this above all we give thanks. But with that, I am also appreciative of the good music with which He blesses my life, not least of all including the following albums released over the course of A.D. 2020.

D. Rick’s Album Top 40

1. Lori McKenna - The Balladeer

2. Taylor Swift - evermore / folklore

3. Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man

4. Black Stone Cherry - The Human Condition

5. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions

6. Will Hoge - Tiny Little Movies

7. Little Big Town - Nightfall

8. Cody Jinks - Live at Red Rocks

9. Jorn - Heavy Rock Radio II - Executing the Classics

10. Joe Bonamassa - Royal Tea / A New Day Now (20th Anniversary Edition)

11. Smith & Myers - Volume 1 & 2 {odd-numbered tracks}

12. Chris Stapleton - Starting Over

13. AC/DC - Power Up

14. Larkin Poe - Kindred Spirits

15. Joe Satriani - Shapeshifting

16. Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1 & 2

17. Larkin Poe - Self Made Man

18. The Cadillac Three - Country Fuzz / Tobasco & Sweet Tea

19. The Avett Brothers - The Third Gleam

20. The Secret Sisters - Saturn Return

21. Tim McGraw - Here on Earth

22. Delain - Apocalypse & Chill

23. Mipso - Mipso

24. Liliac - Queen of Hearts

25. Dawes - Good Luck with Whatever

26. Marty Friedman - Tokyo Jukebox 3

27. Sons of Apollo - MMXX

28. Smith & Myers - Volume 1 & 2 {even-numbered tracks}

29. Bon Jovi - 2020 (Deluxe)

30. Nick Perri & The Underground Thieves - Sun Via

31. Lilly Hiatt - Walking Proof

32. The War and Treaty - Hearts Town

33. Hailey Whitters - The Dream

34. Needtobreathe - Out of Body

35. Sonny Landreth - Blacktop Run

36. Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown - Pressure

37. Revolution Saints - Rise

38. Ruston Kelly - Shape & Destroy

39. Firewind - Firewind

40. Trivium - What the Dead Men Say

Modern Mainline Country

1. Little Big Town - Nightfall

2. Tim McGraw - Here on Earth

3. Kenny Chesney - Here and Now

4. The Shires - Good Years

5. Maddie & Tae - The Way It Feels

6. Gone West - Canyons

Cam - The Otherside

Carly Pearce - Carly Pearce

Caylee Hammack - If It Wasn’t for You

Dustin Lynch - Tullahoma

Eric Paslay - Nice Guy

Gabby Barrett - Goldmine

Granger Smith - Country Things

Ingrid Andress - Lady Like

Kelsea Ballerini - kelsea

Lee Brice - Hey World

Luke Bryan - Born Here Live Here Die Here

Muscadine Bloodline - Burn It at Both Ends

Russell Dickerson - Southern Symphony

Tenille Townes - The Lemonade Stand

Retro and Traditional Country

1. Chris Stapleton - Starting Over

2. Garth Brooks - Fun

3. Tessy Lou Williams - Tessy Lou Williams

4. Gabe Lee - Honky Tonk Hell

Charley Crockett - Welcome to Hard Times / Field Recordings, Vol. 1

Clint Black - Out of Sane

Collin Raye - Scars

Colter Wall - Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs

Daniel Donato - A Young Man’s Country

Elijah Ocean - Blue Jeans & Barstools

Josh Abbott Band - The Highway Kind

Josh Turner - Country State of Mind

Joshua Ray Walker - Glad You Made It

Mo Pitney - Ain’t Lookin’ Back

The Panhandlers - The Panhandlers

Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen - Holy My Beer, Vol. 2

Reckless Kelly - American Jackpot / American Girls

The Steeldrivers - Bad for You

Willie Nelson - First Rose of Spring

Zephaniah Ohora - Listening to the Music

Edgy and Alternative Country

1. The Cadillac Three - Country Fuzz / Tobasco & Sweet Tea

2. Lilly Hiatt - Walking Proof

3. Ward Davis - Black Cats and Crows

Ashley McBryde - Never Will

The Band of Heathens - Stranger

Brothers Osborne - Skeletons

The Chicks - Gaslighter

Corb Lund - Agricultural Tragic

Cory Marks - Who I Am

Elizabeth Cook - Aftermath

Emily Zuzik - Torch & Trouble

Hardy - A Rock

Jaime Wyatt - Neon Cross

Margo Price - That’s How Rumors Get Started

Old 97's - Twelfth

Rachel Brooke - The Loneliness in Me

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Co-Starring

Tennessee Jet - The Country

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

The Wood Brothers - Kingdom in My Mind

Americana, Roots Rock, and Country-Blues-Folk Rock-n-Soul

1. Lori McKenna - The Balladeer

2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions

3. Will Hoge - Tiny Little Movies

4. The War and Treaty - Hearts Town

5. Hailey Whitters - The Dream

6. Ruston Kelly - Shape & Destroy

7. Brian Fallon - Local Honey

8. American Aquarium - Lamentations

9. Donovan Woods - Without People

10. John Moreland - LP5

11. Brandy Clark - Your Life Is a Record

12. Kip Moore - Wild World

13. Drive-By Truckers - The Unraveling / The New OK

14. Logan Ledger - Logan Ledger

Arlo McKinley - Die Midwestern

Ashley Ray - Pauline

Blitzen Trapper - Holy Smokes Future Jokes

Bob Lefevere & the Already Gone - Bob Lefevre & the Already Gone

Brent Cobb - Keep ‘Em on They Toes

Brett Eldredge - Sunday Drive

Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You

Cordovas - Destiny Hotel

Delta Rae - The Light

Dustbowl Revival - Is It You, Is It Me

Early James - Singing for My Supper

Futurebirds - Teamwork

James Taylor - American Standard

The Jayhawks - Xoxo

Jeff Tweedy - Love Is the King

Kathleen Edwards - Total Freedom

The Lone Bellow - Half Moon Light

Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels

Nathaniel Rateliff - And It’s Still Alright

Ryan Adams - Wednesdays

Sarah Siskind - Modern Appalachia

Steve Earle - Ghosts of West Virginia

When Rivers Meet  - We Fly Free / Innocence of Youth

The White Buffalo - On the Widow’s Walk

Whitney Rose - We Still Go to Rodeos

Will Kimbrough - Spring Break

Folk and Bluegrass (Traditional and Modern)

1. Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1 & 2

2. The Avett Brothers - The Third Gleam

3. The Secret Sisters - Saturn Return

4. Mipso - Mipso

5. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers

6. Passenger - Patchwork

Adrianne Lenker - songs / instrumentals

Aoife Nessa Frances - Land of No Junction

Bill Callahan - Gold Record

Brennen Leigh - Prairie Love Letter

Clem Snide - Forever Just Beyond

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - All the Good Times

Jake Blount - Spider Tales

Jimmy Buffett - Songs You Don’t Know by Heart

Mary Chapin Carpenter - The Dirt and the Stars

Molly Tuttle - . . . but I’d rather be with you

Nadia Reid - Out of My Province

Sarah Jarosz - World on the Ground

Steep Canyon Rangers - Arm in Arm

William Prince - Relievers

Singer-Songwriter Pop-Rock

1. Taylor Swift - evermore / folklore

2. Smith & Myers - Volume 1 & 2  [odd-numbered tracks]

3. Dawes - Good Luck with Whatever

4. Bon Jovi - 2020

Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Bruce Hornsby - Non-Secure Connection

Huey Lewis & The News - Weather

Jason Mraz - Look for the Good

Jill Andrews - Thirties

Lisa Loeb - A Simple Trick to Happiness

Lomelda - Hannah

Mandy Moore - Silver Landings

Morgan Myles - Therapy

Norah Jones - Pick Me Up Off the Floor

Paul McCartney - McCartney III

Ray LaMontagne - Monovision

Richard Marx - Limitless

Sara Bareilles - More Love - Songs from Little Voice Season One

Shawn Mendes - Wonder

Vanessa Carlton - Love Is an Art

Contemporary Pop

1. Haim - Women in Music Pt. III

2. Katy Perry - Smile

Ava Max - Heaven & Hell

Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B

Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure?

Kylie Minogue - Disco

Lady Gaga - Chromatica

Meghan Trainor - Treat Myself

Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts

Salena Gomez - Rare

Classic and Retro Radio Rock

1. Revolution Saints - Rise

2. The Struts - Strange Days

3. The Nigh Flight Orchestra - Aeromantic

4. Deep Purple - Whoosh!

The Allman Betts Band - Bless Your Heart

Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains

Cats in Space - Atlantis

Dennis DeYoung - 26 East, Vol. 1

DeVicious - Phase Three

East Temple Avenue - Both Sides of Midnight

Gathering of Kings - Discovery

Imperium - Heaven or Hell

King King - Maverick

Lionville - Magic Is Alive

Palace - Rock and Roll Radio

Perfect Plan - Time for a Miracle

Robert Jon & the Wreck - Last Light on the Highway

Rob Moratti - Paragon

Stardust - Highway to Heartbreak

Tokyo Motor Fist - Lions

Modern Rock

1. Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man

2. Arctic Rain - The One

3. Collateral - Collateral

4. Smash Into Pieces - Arcadia

5. Heartwind - Strangers

Asking Alexandria - Like a House on Fire

Brother Firetribe - Feel the Burn

FM - Synchronized

Gotthard - #13 / Steve Lee - The Eyes of a Tiger: In Memory of Our Unforgotten Friend!

Grand Design - V

Grey Daze - Amends

Harem Scarem - Change the World

House of Lords - New World - New Eyes

Jeff Scott Soto - Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)

Khymera - Master of Illusions

A Life Divided - Echoes

One Desire - Midnight Empire

Sevendust - Blood & Stone

Storm Force - Age of Fear

Vega - Grit Your Teeth

Hard Rock / Heavy Metal

1. Black Stone Cherry - The Human Condition

2. AC/DC - Power Up

3. Liliac - Queen of Hearts

4. Firewind - Firewind

5. Trivium - What the Dead Men Say

6. Biff Byford - School of Hard Knocks

7. Stryper - Even the Devil Believes

8. Primal Fear - Metal Commando

9. Amaranthe - Manifest

10. Black Swan - Shake the World

Armored Saint - Punching the Sky

Dirty Shirley - Dirty Shirley

Dynazty - The Dark Delight

Girish and the Chronicles - Rock the Highway

H.E.A.T. - H.e.a.t. II

Iron Savior - Skycrest

A Perfect Day - With Eyes Wide Open

Raven - Metal City

Seether - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Shakra - Mad World

Symphonic and Epic Power Metal

1. Delain - Apocalypse & Chill

2. Beyond the Black - Hørizons

3. Temperance - Viridian

4. Serenity - The Last Knight

Adamantis - Far Flung Realm

Ad Infinitum - Chapter 1: Monarchy

Allen/Olzon - Worlds Apart

Apocalyptica - Cell-O

Demons & Wizards - III

Falconer - From a Dying Ember

Illumishade - Eclyptic: Wake of Shadows

Legendfire - Sunchasers

Lords of Black - Alchemy of Souls, Pt. 1

Memories of Old - The Zeramin Game

Moonlight Haze - Lunaris

Seven Spires - Emerald Seas

Unleash the Archers - Abyss

Vanishing Point - Dead Elysium

Volturian - Crimson

Warkings - Revenge

Progressive Rock & Metal

1. Sons of Apollo - MMXX

2. Vanden Plas - The Ghost Xperiment - Illumination

3. Oceans of Slumber - Oceans of Slumber

4. Neal Morse - Sola Gratia

Caligula’s Horse - Rise Radiant

Deftones - Ohms

Derek Sherinian - The Phoenix

DGM - Tragic Separation

Fates Warning - Long Day Good Night

Fish - Weltschmerz

Haken - Virus

Kansas - The Absence of Presence

Octavision - Coexist

Pain of Salvation - Panther

Paralydium - Worlds Beyond

The Pineapple Thief - Versions of the Truth

Protest the Hero - Palimpsest

Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void

Teramaze - I Wonder

Thought Factory - Elements

Alternative Pop-Rock

1. Needtobreathe - Out of Body

2. Twin Atlantic - Power

3. The Killers - Imploding the Mirage

4. Redlight King - Moonshine

Awolnation - Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders

Catholic Action - Celebrated by Strangers

Ellie Goulding - Brightest Blue

Fleet Foxes - Shore

Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor

Jack Hues - Primitif

Mt. Joy - Rearrange Us

Native Harrow - Closeness

Pearl Jam - Gigaton

Pretenders - Hate for Sale

The Smashing Pumpkins - Cyr

Soul Asylum - Hurry Up and Wait

Sparta - Trust the River

Stone Temple Pilots - Perdida

The Strokes - The New Abnormal

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush

Guitarists

1. Joe Bonamassa - Royal Tea / A New Day Now (20th Anniversary Edition)

2. Joe Satriani - Shapeshifting

3. Larkin Poe - Self Made Man

4. Marty Friedman - Tokyo Jukebox 3

5. Nick Perri & The Underground Thieves - Sun Via

6. Sonny Landreth - Blacktop Run

7. Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown - Pressure

8. Reb Beach - A View from the Inside

9. Kiko Loureiro - Open Source

10. John Petrucci - Terminal Velocity

11. Paul Gilbert - Werewolves of Portland

12. Little Albert - Swamp King

13. Marcus King - El Dorado

14. Andy James - C.S.I.L / Arrival Leftovers

15. Christian Muenzner - Path of the Hero

16. The Sleep Eazys (Joe Bonamassa) - Easy to Buy, Hard to Sell

17. Neal Schon - Universe

18. Lindsay Ell - heart theory

Alastair Greene - The New World Blues

Al Di Meola - Across the Universe

Al Joseph - Labyrinth

Dave Alvin - From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings

Diesel - Sunset Suburbia

Dion - Blues with Friends

Eric Johnson & Kelly Donnelly - EJ Vol. II

Intervals - Circadian

Keith Urban - The Speed of Now, Part 1

Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall - We Are the Night

Mike Zito - Quarantine Blues

Orianthi - O

Paul Wardingham - Day Zero: Rise of the Horde

Plini - Impulse Voices

Ramos - My Many Sides

Richie Kotzen - 50 for 50

Robby Krieger - The Ritual Begins at Sundown

Thorbjørn Risager - Come On In

Tinsley Ellis - Ice Cream in Hell

Tommy Emmanuel - The Best of Tommysongs

Vandenberg - 2020

Walter Trout - Ordinary Madness

Cover Albums

1. Jorn - Heavy Rock Radio II - Executing the Classics

2. Larkin Poe - Kindred Spirits

3. Smith & Myers - Volume 1 & 2  [even-numbered tracks]

4. Ronnie Dunn - Re-Dunn

5. Wesley Schultz - Vignettes

6. Sara Evans - Copy That

7. Chris Cornell - No One Sings Like You Anymore

8. Ellefson - No Cover

9. Ace Frehley - Origins Vol. 2

10. George Lynch & Jeff Pilson - Heavy Hitters

Live Albums

1. Cody Jinks - Live at Red Rocks

2. Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound (Live in Deutschland)

3. Metallica - S&M2

4. Dream Theater - Distant Memories - Live in London

5. Iron Maiden - Nights of the Dead, Legacy of the Beast: Live in Mexico City

Albert Castiglia - Wild and Free

Ayreon - Electric Castle Live and Other Tales

Blue Öyster Cult - Live at Rock of Ages Festival 2016

David Grissom - Trio (Live)

Def Leppard - Hits Vegas (Live)

Delta Rae - Coming Home to Carolina - Live

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Live at the Tennessee Theatre

Eagles - Live from the Forum

Eclipse - Viva La Victouria (Live)

Garth Brooks - Triple Live Deluxe

Gary Moore - Live from London

HammerFall - Live! Against the World

Jeff Scott Soto - Live & Loud in Milan 2019

Jimi Hendrix - Live in Maui (1970)

John 5 - Live Invasion

Johnny Cash - And the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Judah & The Lion - Pep Talks Live

Kamelot - I Am the Empire (Live from the 013)

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Straight to You: Live

Margo Price - Perfectly Imperfect: Live at the Ryman

Thy Mystery - Caught in the Whirlwind of Time

Neal Morse Band - The Great Adventour - Live in BRNO 2019

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets

Pretty Maids - Maid in Japan - Future World Live 30 Anniversary

Redemption - Alive in Color (Live 2018)

Riverside - Live in Tilburg

Roger Waters - Us & Them

Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels Live

Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard (Live)

Stevie Nicks - Live in Concert: The 24 Karat Gold Tour

The Teskey Brothers - Live at the Forum

Tesla - Five Man London Jam (Live at Abbey Road Studies, 6/12/19)

Visions of Atlantis - A Symphonic Journey to Remember

Willie Nelson: American Outlaw (Live)

Yes - The Royal Affair Tour (Live in Los Vegas)

My 20/20/20 Favorite Musical Acts & Artists of All Time (at this time)

Over the past couple years, I've been focusing less on discovering new artists and spending more time savoring the music of those I already know and love. In doing so, I've been taking special note of those musical acts and artists to which I return again and again, and thus narrowing my short list of favorites. I realize that my "short list" might still seem rather long to other listeners, but these are my circle of friends, really; these are my "go-to" companions with whom I get to commiserate, hang out, and have fun, whenever I'm not working, spending time with my family, or sleeping (and often when I am).

In identifying my favorites of all time at this time, I basically ruled out artists with less then ten years and three albums under their belt, even though there are some up-and-coming artists who will likely be among my "all-time" favorites within another five or ten years, if they keep going.

I've listed my favorites here, more or less in the order they presently stand in my appreciation and enjoyment of their music (their overall output), but that ordering is not hard-and-fast, as it changes over time and often depends on my mood and present circumstances, etc. Therefore, rather than numbering this list from 1 to 60, I've divided these artists into three groups of 20, and within each group of 20 I've further grouped them in blocks of ten.

I love to share the things I love with the people I love, my family and friends. And I welcome, in turn, both feedback on my favorites and similar indications of the interests of others. So, have it!

My Top Twenty

• Shinedown
• Joe Bonamassa / Black Country Communion
• Alter Bridge / Tremonti / Myles Kennedy
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Theocracy
• Bon Jovi
• Cody Jinks
• Lori McKenna
• Black Stone Cherry
• Megadeth

• Train
• Tim McGraw
• Volbeat
• Ten (Gary Hughes)
• Led Zeppelin
• Eric Church
• Judas Priest
• Black Sabbath
• Jason Isbell
• Will Hoge

Another Twenty

• Daughtry
• Joe Satriani / (Chickenfoot)
• Matchbox Twenty / Rob Thomas
• Mat Kearney
• Taylor Swift
• Kenny Chesney
• Scorpions
• Van Halen / (Sammy Hagar)
• The Beatles
• Billy Joel

• Black Veil Brides / Andy Black
• U2
• Linkin Park
• Elton John
• Johnny Cash
• 3 Doors Down
• Zac Brown Band
• Slash / Guns ‘n’ Roses
• Black Star Riders / Damon Johnson
• Brian Fallon / Gaslight Anthem

And Twenty More

• Queen
• The Eagles
• Dream Theater
• Iron Maiden
• Saxon
• Simon & Garfunkel / (Paul Simon)
• Switchfoot
• Amaranthe
• Sabaton
• AC/DC

• Brad Paisley
• Uncle Kracker
• Miranda Lambert / Pistol Annies
• Kid Rock
• Jorn
• Dawes
• Def Leppard
• Fleetwood Mac
• Rival Sons
• Metallica

My Top Favorite Current Musical Acts and Artists by Genre

I've been working for a while now on narrowing down the number of musical acts and artists I follow, and, while the following is not an exhaustive list, it is a fairly comprehensive summary of where my focus is settling. Under each of fifteen musical "genres," I've listed my top twelve favorite current acts and artists. By "current" I refer to those who are still producing music in the present, though some of them are likely nearing the end of their careers. Beyond the acts and artists included here, there are probably another three or four dozen that I remain interested in and pay attention to. But for the purposes of this post, I was determined to limit myself to a dozen entries within each category. Some might quibble with my categorization, but it is my own.

I share this list, not only for the sake of disciplining myself and establishing a measure of public accountability for my goals, but also because I believe there's something of interest and enjoyment for almost anyone within these various musical categories, regardless of your own tastes in music. In any case, it is one of my greatest pleasures in life to share the things I love with my family & friends. So, see what you think, and maybe you'll discover something new.


Modern Mainline Country

Tim McGraw
Kenny Chesney
Keith Urban
Carrie Underwood
Brad Paisley
Lady Antebellum
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Blake Shelton
Kacey Musgraves
Ashley McBryde
Dierks Bentley


Red Dirt, Retro, and (Neo-)Traditional Country

Cody Jinks
Trace Adkins
George Strait
Ronnie Dunn / Brooks & Dunn
Wade Bowen
Tyler Childers
Chris Stapleton
Casey Donahew (Band)
Cory Morrow
Cody Johnson
Randy Rogers (Band)
Vince Gill


Alternative & Edgy Country

Eric Church
Zac Brown Band
Sturgill Simpson
Miranda Lambert
Uncle Kracker
The Steel Woods
Brothers Osborne
Little Big Town
Paul Cauthen
Margo Price
Aubrie Sellers
Alex Williams


Folk & Americana

Lori McKenna
Brandi Carlile / The Highwomen
Allison Moorer
The Secret Sisters
Flatland Cavalry
Brandy Clark
The Waifs
Alison Krauss (and Union Station)
Dori Freeman
The Devil Makes Three
Mandolin Orange
Mipso


Alternative & Progressive Folk

Parker Millsap
The Avett Brothers
The Decemberists
Mumford & Sons
The Head and the Heart
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Amanda Shires / The Highwomen
Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters
The Lumineers / Neyla Pekarek
The Dustbowl Revival
Belle & Sebastian
Shovels & Rope


Heartland-Americana Pop-Rock

Will Hoge
Jason Isbell
Kid Rock
Sister Hazel
Jimmy Barnes
American Aquarium / BJ Barham
Green River Ordinance
The Band of Heathens
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Jamestown Revival
Reckless Kelly
Turnpike Troubadours


Singer-Songwriter Pop

Mat Kearney
Taylor Swift
Gavin DeGraw
Jason Mraz
Five For Fighting
John Mayer
Dawes
Ben Rector
Sara Bareilles
Passenger
Dan Layus / Augustana
Amos Lee


Alternative ~ Pop-Rock

Train
Daughtry
Rob Thomas / Matchbox Twenty
Plain White T’s
Imagine Dragons
Rick Springfield
The Script
Grace Potter
American Authors
Better Than Ezra / Kevin Griffin
Weird Al Yankovic
OneRepublic


Classic Rock

Black Country Communion
Brian Fallon / Gaslight Anthem
Black Star Riders
Rival Sons
Tesla
Greta Van Fleet
Thunder
Inglorious
Whitesnake
Sammy Hagar / Chickenfoot / Van Halen
Beth Hart
Wolfmother / Andrew Stockdale


Modern Rock

Shinedown
Bon Jovi
Ten
Linkin Park
3 Doors Down
Revolution Saints / Night Ranger
Three Days Grace
Saint Asonia
Eclipse
Skillet
Takida
Scott Stapp / Creed


Hard Rock ~ Heavy Metal

Alter Bridge / Tremonti / Myles Kennedy
Ozzy Osbourne
Black Stone Cherry
Volbeat
Sabaton
Scorpions
Saxon / Biff Byford
AC/DC
Jorn
Liliac
Gotthard
Pretty Maids


Progressive Rock & Metal

Theocracy
Dream Theater
Amaranthe
Redemption
Avantasia
Angra
Of Mice & Men
Sons of Apollo
Queensryche
Avenged Sevenfold
Within Temptation
Delain


Metal

Megadeth
Judas Priest
Black Veil Brides
All That Remains
Iron Maiden
Metallica
Dragonforce
Killswitch Engage / Times of Grace
Primal Fear / Magnus Karlsson
Disturbed
Accept
Cyhra


Ambiguous Alternatives

U2
Switchfoot
Andy Black
Lifehouse
Breaking Benjamin
The Goo Goo Dolls
The Black Keys / Dan Auerbach
Good Charlotte
Mayday Parade
Sleeping with Sirens
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Need-to-Breathe / Wilder Woods


Guitarists

Joe Bonamassa
Slash / Myles Kennedy / Guns ‘n’ Roses
Joe Satriani — Chickenfoot
Paul Gilbert — Mr. Big
Michael Schenker
Gus G — Firewind
Zakk Wylde — Black Label Society
Tedeschi Trucks Band / Susan Tedeschi / Derek Trucks
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Jack White — The Raconteurs / The Dead Weather
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Diana Rein

The 2019 Grampies

It's high time (and past time) for the posting of the 2019 Grampies, identifying the most significant albums of this past year across a wide diversity of musical genres. It was a different year in many ways. Whereas 2018 featured numerous new releases from a great many of my favorite artists, 2019 was predominated by a greater number of less familiar acts. The fact is, I was also more preoccupied with other priorities. By way of example, my three most favorite new releases in 2019, hands down, were my three most-recently-born baby grands, Benedict, Philippa, and Augustin. My father's departure from this vale of tears in 2019 also put the transience of popular music into perspective, especially considering that my Dad also avidly followed and charted music across the years. Now his collection of music sits without its owner, and his many lists and notes will go undeciphered. Even so, for the time that we are given in this body and life on earth, music of all kinds is part and parcel of our Lord's good creation, a beautiful gift of His grace, and a joy that gladdens the hearts of His dear children. And I give thanks for that blessing.

As always, my enjoyment and tracking of music have been aided and abetted by Amazon, Spotify, the St. Joseph County Library, the Rate Your Music and Album Of The Year websites, my good friend and colleague, Rev. Erich Fickel, and my own children. Often as not, I stumble upon great new music almost by accident. (I've concluded that, beginning with this New Year, I'm going to have to limit my exploration of new music and rather stick to my tried and true favorite artists; but here, for now, my focus of attention is on what I discovered and enjoyed in 2019.)

In addition to my "Album Top 40" (across all genres) for the year, I've included lists of the most significant albums within each of seventeen different "genres." Within those categories, I've listed the albums in more-or-less my order of preference (though that is likely to vary from day to day). In many cases, trying to determine the precise genre of a given album is a challenge, and I'm sure there are those who might well quibble with some of my decisions in that regard. So be it. This is all a matter of my own tastes and opinions, obviously, and one and all are free to disagree with me. That's part of the fun in posting such lists, and I welcome friendly discussion and debate. I should note that I have normally not included live albums as contenders in the annual Grampies, but I've made one exception (sort of) for this past year. Especially having had the privilege and pleasure of seeing Joe Bonamassa live in South Bend with my wife and a couple of good friends, I simply could not overlook his "Live at the Sydney Opera House" album, released in October. It is an exquisite album and a joy to listen to. So I've listed it as the first album in the "Guitarists" genre, and as a "Special Honorable Addendum" to my "Album Top 40."

Alright, then. Without any further ado, herewith are awarded the coveted Grampies for 2019:


D. Rick’s Album Top 40 (Across Genres)

1. Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky

2. Sabaton - The Great War

3. The Black Keys - “Let’s Rock”

4. Rob Thomas - Chip Tooth Smile

5. Andy Black - The Ghost of Ohio

6. Cody Jinks - After the Fire / The Wanting

7. Lonerider - Attitude

8. Opeth - In Cauda Venenum

9. The Head and the Heart - Living Mirage

10. Jamestown Revival - San Isabel

11. Avantasia - Moonglow

12. Jimmy Barnes - My Criminal Record

13. Black Star Riders - Another State of Grace

14. Terra Nova - Raise Your Voice

15. Flatland Cavalry - Homeland Insecurity

16. Skillet - Victorious

17. Miranda Lambert - Wildcard

18. Age of Reflection - A New Dawn

19. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - The Traveler

20. Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings

21. Scott Stapp - The Space Between the Shadows

22. Metalite - Biomechanicals

23. Inglorious - Ride to Nowhere

24. Switchfoot - Native Tongue

25. Beth Hart - War in My Mind

26. Iron Savior - Kill or Get Killed

27. Dream Theater - Distance Over Time

28. Damon Johnson - Memoirs of an Uprising

29. Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound

30. The Steel Woods - Old News

31. Taylor Swift - Lover

32. Majestica - Above the Sky

33. The Avett Brothers - Closer Than Together

34. Kiefer Sutherland - Reckless & Me

35. Cyhra - No Halos in Hell

36. Tanya Tucker - While I’m Livin’

37. Rival Sons - Feral Roots

38. Bayside - Interrobang

39. Lady Antebellum - Ocean

40. Rhapsody of Fire - The Eighth Mountain

Special Honorable Addendum: Joe Bonamassa - Live at the Sydney Opera House


Pop

Taylor Swift - Lover
Sheryl Crow - Threads
Céline Dion - Courage
James Blunt - Once Upon a Mind
Maggie Rogers - Heard It in a Past Life
Sara Bareilles - Amidst the Chaos
Dean Lewis - A Place We Knew
Walk Off the Earth - Here We Go!
Sabrina Carpenter - Singular Act II
Ingrid Michaelson - Stranger Songs
The Script - Sunsets & Full Moons
Jonas Brothers - Happiness Begins / Music from Chasing Happiness
Backstreet Boys - DNA
Dido - Still on My Mind
Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated
Norah Jones - Begin Again
Parachute - Parachute
Andy Grammer - Naive
Camila Cabello - Romance
Zac Brown - The Controversy

Alternative and Progressive Folk

The Head and the Heart - Living Mirage
The Avett Brothers - Closer Than Together
The Highwomen - The Highwomen
Neyla Pekarek - Rattlesnake
The Wild Reeds - Cheers
Joseph - Good Luck, Kid
Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen
Lula Wiles - What Will We Do
Dylan LeBlanc - Renegade
Glen Hansard - The Wild Willing
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Dragons
The Lumineers - III
Bailen - Thrilled to Be Here
Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center
Belle & Sebastian - Days of the Bagnold Summer
Shovels & Rope - By Blood
Steve Gunn - The Unseen In Between
Ida Mae - Chasing Lights
Son Volt - Union

Folk and Americana

Jamestown Revival - San Isabel
Flatland Cavalry - Homeland Insecurity
J.S. Ondara - Tales of America
Sister Hazel - Earth / Fire
Allison Moorer - Blood
Molly Tuttle - When You’re Ready
Emily Scott Robinson - Traveling Mercies
Eilen Jewell - Gypsy
Ian Noe - Between the Country
Vince Gill - Okie
Joy Williams - Front Porch
Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars
Carrie Newcomer - The Point of Arrival
Buddy & Julie Miller - Breakdown on 20th Ave. South
Mandolin Orange - Tides of a Teardrop
Patty Griffin - Patty Griffin
Dori Freeman - Every Single Star
Over the Rhine - Love & Revelation
Hayes Carll - What It Is
Kelsey Waldon - White Noise / White Lines
John Paul White - The Hurting Kind
Josh Ritter - Fever Breaks
The HawtThorns - Morning Sun
Joshua Radin - Here, Right Now
Rhiannon Giddens - There Is No Other
Passenger - Sometimes It’s Something, Sometimes It’s Nothing at All
Justin Townes Earle - The Saint of Lost Causes
Andrew Combs - Ideal Man
The Talbott Brothers - Ghost Talker
Leonard Cohen - Thanks for the Dance

Modern Mainline Country

Miranda Lambert - Wildcard
Lady Antebellum - Ocean
Ward Thomas - Restless Minds
Christie Lamb - Broken Lines
Maddie & Tae - One Heart to Another / Everywhere I’m Goin’
Michaela Anne - Desert Dove
Lauren Jenkins - No Saint
Luke Combs - What You See Is What You Get
Brooks & Dunn - Reboot
Jason Aldean - 9
Austin Jenckes - If You Grew Up Like I Did
Clay Walker - Long Live the Cowboy
Hunter Hayes - Wild Blue, Part I
Hootie & The Blowfish - Imperfect Circle
Jon Pardi - Heartache Medication
Justin Moore - Late Nights and Longnecks
Kevin Fowler - Barstool Stories
Jake Owen - Greetings from . . . Jake
Maren Morris - Girl
Brooke White - Calico
Cassadee Pope - Stages
Tracy Lawrence - Made in America
Rodney Atkins - Caught Up in the Country
Thomas Rhett - Center Point Road
Zac Brown Band - The Owl
Sarah Darling - Wonderland
Old Dominion - Old Dominion
Chris Janson - Real Friends
Danny Gokey - Haven’t Seen It Yet
Dean Brody - Black Sheep (EP)

Retro and Traditional Country

Cody Jinks - After the Fire / The Wanting
Tanya Tucker - While I’m Livin’
Kendell Marvel - Solid Gold Sounds
Sunny Leigh Shipley - Out of the Sky
George Strait - Honky Tonk Time Machine
Tyler Childers - Country Squire
Trisha Yearwood - Every Girl
Erin Enderlin - Faulkner County
Randy Rogers Band - Hellbent
Cody Johnson - Ain’t Nothin’ to It
Reba McEntire - Stronger Than the Truth
Yola - Walk Through Fire
Willie Nelson - Ride Me Back Home
Midland - Let It Roll
Mike and the Moonpies - Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold
Casey Donahew - One Light Town
Ronnie Milsap - The Duets
Dee White - Southern Gentleman

Alternative & Edgy Country & Americana

The Steel Woods - Old News
Kiefer Sutherland - Reckless & Me
Paul Cauthen - Room 41
Pony Bradshaw - Sudden Opera
Adrian - Desert Dwelling Mama
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real - Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)
Ryan Bingham - American Love Song
Lillie Mae - Other Girls
Jason Hawk Harris - Love & the Dark
Chris Knight - Almost Daylight
Steve Earle - Guy
Kalie Shorr - Open Book
Aaron Lewis - State I’m In
Brantley Gilbert - Fire & Brimstone
Randy Houser - Magnolia
Frank Turner - No Man’s Land
Montgomery Gentry - Outskirts (EP)
Micky & The Motorcars - Long Time Comin’
Dillon Carmichael - I Do for You (EP)
Jack Ingram - Ridin’ High . . . Again

Pop and Heartland Rock

Rob Thomas - Chip Tooth Smile
Jimmy Barnes - My Criminal Record
Beth Hart - War in My Mind
Keuning - Prismism
The Goo Goo Dolls - Miracle Pill
Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water
Grace Potter - Daylight
Don Felder - American Rock ‘n’ Roll
Wilder Woods - Wilder Woods
The Cranberries - In the End
Jimmy Eat World - Surviving
Bryan Adams - Shine a Light
Electric Light Orchestra (Jeff Lynne’s ELO) - From Out of Nowhere
Kevin Griffin - Anywhere You Go
Fastball - The Help Machine
Ringo Starr - What’s My Name
American Authors - Seasons
Stray Cats - 40
Alan Parsons - The Secret
Allen, Mack, Myers, & Moore - Let It Roll

Classic Rock

The Black Keys - “Let’s Rock”
Lonerider - Attitude
Black Star Riders - Another State of Grace
Inglorious - Ride to Nowhere
Rival Sons - Feral Roots
Tesla - Shock
The Allman Betts Band - Down to the River
The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger
Thunder - Please Remain Seated
Wolfmother - Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby
Melissa Etheridge - The Medicine Show
The Magpie Salute - High Water II
Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown - Truth and Lies
Whiskey Myers - Whiskey Myers
Laura Cox - Burning Bright
Caleb Johnson - Born from Southern Ground
Black Stone Cherry - Black to Blues, Vol. 2 (EP)
The Who - Who
The Drugstore Gypsies - Easy Access
Reese Wynans and Friends - Sweet Release
The Glorious Sons - A War on Everything
John Mayall - Nobody Told Me

Retro Radio Rock

Terra Nova - Raise Your Voice
Age of Reflection - A New Dawn
The Brink - Nowhere to Run
Trishula - Scared to Breathe
Rob Moratti - Renaissance
Gathering of Kings - First Mission
Restless Spirits - Restless Spirits
The Defiants - Zokusho
Danger Zone - Don’t Count on Heroes
Danny Vaughn - Myths Legends and Lies
Wake the Nations - Heartrock
First Signal - Line of Fire
Work of Art - Exhibits
Find Me - Angels in Blue
DeVicious - Reflections
Viana - Forever Free
Hardline - Life
Cats in Space - Day Trip to Narnia
Toby Hitchcock - Reckoning
Jim Peterik and World Stage - Winds of Change

Modern Rock

Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky
Andy Black - The Ghost of Ohio
Skillet - Victorious
Scott Stapp - The Space Between the Shadows
Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound
Eclipse - Paradigm
Takida - Sju
Saint Asonia - Flawed Design
Ray Alder - What the Water Wants
The Darker My Horizon - Seize the Day
Buckcherry - Warpaint
Art of Dying - Armageddon
Art Nation - Transition
Torndown - Out of the Darkness
Cold - The Things We Can’t Stop
Puddle of Mudd - Welcome to Galvania

Progressive Rock & Metal

Opeth - In Cauda Venenum
Dream Theater - Distance Over Time
Queensrÿche - The Verdict
Evergrey - The Atlantic
Arch/Matheos - Winter Ethereal
The Neal Morse Band - The Great Adventure / Jesus Christ the Exorcist
Steve Hackett - At the Edge of Light
Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
Vanden Plas - The Ghost Xperiment - Awakening
Sweet Oblivion - Sweet Oblivion
Darkwater - Human
Hollow Haze - Between Wild Landscapes and Deep Blue Seas
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Pattern-Seeking Animals
Avandra - Descender
Sifting - The Infinite Loop
Teramaze - Are We Soldiers
Lance King - ReProgram
Richard Henshall - The Cocoon
Flying Colors - Third Degree
Jordan Rudess - Wired for Madness
TOOL - Fear Inoculum
Baroness - Gold & Grey

Hard Rock / Heavy Metal

Sabaton - The Great War
Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings
Beast in Black - From Hell with Love
Liliac - Chain of Thorns (EP)
Spirits of Fire - Spirits of Fire
The End Machine - The End Machine
Sammy Hagar & The Circle - Space Between
Mind Key - MK III - Aliens in Wonderland
Starbreaker - Dysphoria
Michael Sweet - Ten
Pretty Maids - Undress Your Madness
Alchemy - Dyadic
Lazy Bonez - Kiss of the Night
Whitesnake - Flesh & Blood
Last in Line - II
Blacktop Mojo - Under the Sun
Stargazer - The Sky Is the Limit
KXM - Circle of Dolls
SOTO - Origami
Overkill - The Wings of War

Epic Power Metal

Iron Savior - Kill or Get Killed
Majestica - Above the Sky
Signum Regis - The Seal of a New World
Tanith - In Another Time
Timo Tolkki’s Avalon - Return to Eden
Gloryhammer - Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex
The Ferrymen - A New Evil
Eternity’s End - Unyielding
Frozen Crown - Crowned in Frost
Rexoria - Ice Breaker
The Raven Age - Conspiracy
Vision Divine - When All the Heroes Are Dead
Hammerfall - Dominion
Sonata Arctica - Talviyö
DragonForce - Extreme Power Metal
Metal De Facto - Imperium Romanum

Symphonic Metal

Avantasia - Moonglow
Rhapsody of Fire - The Eighth Mountain
Chaos Magic - Furyborn
Turilli / Lione Rhapsody - Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution)
The Dark Element - Songs the Night Sings
Moonlight Haze - De Rerum Natura
Visions of Atlantis - Wanderers
Within Temptation - Resist
Edenbridge - Dynamind
Imperia - Flames of Eternity
Delain - Hunter’s Moon
Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra - Legacy of the Dark Lands

Alternative Metal

Metalite - Biomechanicals
Cyhra - No Halos in Hell
In Flames - I, The Mask
Of Mice & Men - Earth & Sky
Amon Amarth - Berserker
Lacuna Coil - Black Anima
Rage of Light - Imploder
Freedom Call - M.E.T.A.L.
Killswitch Engage - Atonement
As I Lay Dying - Shaped by Fire
Edge of Paradise - Universe
Starset - Divisions
Myrath - Shehili
Jinjer - Macro / Micro (EP)
Voyager - Colours in the Sun
Nemesea - White Flag

Ambiguous Alternatives

Switchfoot - Native Tongue
Bayside - Interrobang
Collective Soul - Blood
Sleeping with Sirens - How It Feels to Be Lost
Judah & the Lion - Pep Talks
NF - The Search
The Hold Steady - Thrashing Thru the Passion
Weezer - Weezer (Black) / Weezer (Teal)
The Claypool Lennon Delirium - South of Reality
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Sunset Sons - Blood Rush Déjà Vu
little hurricane - Love Luck
Of Monsters and Men - Fever Dream
Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow
Tegan and Sara - Hey, I’m Just Like You
Alice Merton - Mint
Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury
Bastille - Doom Days
blink-182 - Nine
Jenny Lewis - On the Line
Pixies - Beneath the Eyrie
Ed Sheeran - No. 6 Collaborations
James Blake - Assume Form
Swervedriver - Future Ruins

Guitarists

Joe Bonamassa - Live at the Sydney Opera House
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - The Traveler
Damon Johnson - Memoirs of an Uprising
Diana Rein - Queen of My Castle
Michael Schenker Fest - Revelation
Steve Dadaian - Follow the Light
Tommy Emmanuel - Heart Songs
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Signs / High & Mighty (EP)
Joanne Shaw Taylor - Reckless Heart
Gary Clark, Jr. - This Land
Billy Strings - Home
Soren Andersen - Guilty Pleasures
Morano - Incognito
Joe Stump - Symphonic Onslaught
Gary Hoey - Neon Highway Blues
Santana - Africa Speaks
Peter Frampton Band - All Blues
Yngwie Malmsteen - Blue Lightning
Eric Gales - The Bookends
Mark Morton - Anesthetic
John 5 & The Creatures - Invasion

The Books I Most Enjoyed Reading in 2019

As always, I did a lot of reading over this past year, both for myself and with my children.  And as I've done over the past many years now, I've compiled a list of the books (or series of books) I most enjoyed over the course of the year (in this case, A.D. 2019). Most of these books were not published in 2019, but they are among the many that I've read in the Year of Our Lord 2019.

Two points of special significance to note: First, having begun the Realm of the Elderlings series in the final couple of months of 2018, I read through the remainder of the series in 2019. All told, those sixteen books took me from November 2018 until August 2019. They had been on my "to-read" list for well over a decade, and I'm sorry I didn't get to them sooner, but they were worth the wait and well worth the investment of time and energy in reading them.

Second, I set out to read the books of Lloyd Alexander with a couple of my youngest children, not even knowing that, before the year was over, my son and daughter-in-law would name their second daughter in part after one of Lloyd Alexander's most famous heroines. That inspired me to look more closely at the author, only to discover quite a few books that I had not previously been aware of. By the time it was all said and done, I managed to read pretty much all of Lloyd Alexander's books in 2019 (there's one that I read in 2018, and there are a couple of children's biographies I did not read).

All that being said, I've taken a slightly different approach in this case than I have in past years.  In addition to my regular list, I've also included a list of my favorite Lloyd Alexander books, and then a short third list with the non-fiction books I most enjoyed in 2019.


The Books I Most Enjoyed Reading in 2019

1. The Realm of the Elderlings (series) - Robin Hobb

2. The Green Ember (series) - S.D. Smith

3. The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy (series) - William Boniface

4. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - H.G. Parry

5. The Mad Scientists' Club (series) - Bertrand Brinley

6. The Reckoners (series) - Brandon Sanderson

7. Last Things - Jacqueline West

8. The Cat of Bubastes - G.A. Henty

9. The Wingfeather Saga (series) - Andrew Peterson

10. The Lost Girl - Anne Ursu

11. The Rithmatist - Brandon Sanderson

12. The Alchemist’s Apprentice, and The Family Pride (Zero Enigma V, VI) - Christopher Nuttall

13. Second Hand Curses - Drew Hayes

14. Good Dog - Dan Gemeinhart

15. Siege Tactics (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #4) - Drew Hayes

16. Cursed, and Mirror Image (Schooled in Magic #17–18) - Christopher Nuttall

17. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo

18. The Inquisitor’s Apprentice (series) - Chris Moriarty

19. The Mortality Doctrine (series) - James Dashner

20. The Poe Estate - Polly Shulman


The Lloyd Alexander Books I Most Enjoyed in 2019

1. The Chronicles of Prydain (series) - Lloyd Alexander

2. My Love Affair with Music - Lloyd Alexander

3. Westmark (series) - Lloyd Alexander

4. The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian - Lloyd Alexander (read in 2018)

5. Vesper Holly (series) - Lloyd Alexander

6. Janine Is French - Lloyd Alexander

7. Gawgon and the Boy - Lloyd Alexander

8. The Gypsy Rizka - Lloyd Alexander

9. The King’s Fountain (children's picture book) - Lloyd Alexander

10. The Town Cats and other Tales - Lloyd Alexander

11. The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha - Lloyd Alexander

12. And Let the Credit Go - Lloyd Alexander

13. The Fortune Tellers (children's picture book) - Lloyd Alexander

14. The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio - Lloyd Alexander

15. The Iron Ring - Lloyd Alexander


The Non-Fiction Books I Most Enjoyed in 2019

Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey - William Weedon

Defending Boyhood - Anthony Esolen

Liturgy of the Ordinary - Tish Harrison Warren

The Quotidian Mysteries, and Acedia & Me - Kathleen Norris

You Are What You Love - James K.A. Smith