The 2011 Grampies

A month later than I intended, but, as good late as ever, I suppose. The Coveted 2011 Grampies are completed and here published. There was a lot of great music to consider this past year, and, thanks to Amazon, MySpace, Spotify, and my local public library, I was able to consider a good deal of it. It's always hard to make the final decisions, as to what to include and what to omit, and as to how I should rank these things in order of preference. But I've given it my best shot.

No grandchildren born in 2011, but two went into production, expected to make their debut this spring. I already know that Jude and Cherianne will be my favorite new releases of 2012. As for music albums, I've resolved to enjoy what I already have, and that's what I'll be doing as I move on from here. Cheers!

D. Rick’s Album Top 40

1. Daughtry - Break the Spell

2. Black Stone Cherry - Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea

3. Megadeth - Th1rt3en

4. Carolina Liar - Wild Blessed Freedom

5. Hunter Hayes - Hunter Hayes

6. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

7. Black Spiders - Sons of the North

8. Switchfoot - Vice Verses

9. Mat Kearney - Young Love

10. Voyager - The Meaning of I

11. Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl

12. Art of Dying - Vices and Virtues

13. Adele - 21

14. Christian Muenzner - Timewarp

15. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

16. David Nail - The Sound of a Million Dreams

17. Colbie Caillat - All of You

18. Thrice - Major/Minor

19. Amaranthe - Amaranthe

20. Michael Schenker - Temple of Rock

21. Brian Robertson - Diamonds and Dirt

22. Love.Might.Kill - Brace for Impact

23. Redlight King - Something for the Pain

24. Theocracy - As the World Bleeds

25. Andy James - Andy James

26. Vanessa Carlton - Rabbits on the Run

27. Toby Keith - Clancy’s Tavern

28. Airrace - Back to the Start

29. David T. Chastain - Civilized Warfare

30. The Belle Brigade - The Belle Brigade

31. Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III

32. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

33. 3 - The Ghost You Gave to Me

34. Al Di Meola - Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody

35. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Am I the Enemy?

36. Voodoo Circle - Broken Heart Syndrome

37. Jonas Tamas - Timeless Hour

38. Saxon - Call to Arms

39. Thompson Square - Thompson Square

40. Fabrizio Leo - Mr. Malusardi

Country

1. Hunter Hayes - Hunter Hayes

2. David Nail - The Sound of a Million Dreams

3. Toby Keith - Clancy’s Tavern

4. Thompson Square - Thompson Square

5. Ronnie Dunn - Ronnie Dunn

6. Eric Church - Chief

7. Eli Young Band - Life at Best

8. Sonia Leigh - 1978 December

9. Trace Adkins - Proud to Be Here

10. Pistol Annies - Hell on Heels

11. Steel Magnolia - Steel Magnolia

12. The Dirt Drifters - This Is My Blood

13. Amos Lee - Mission Bell

14. Reckless Kelly - Good Luck & True Love

15. Lady Antebellum - Own the Night

16. Sarah Jarosz - Follow Me Down

17. Steve Holy - Love Don’t Run

18. George Strait - Here for a Good Time

19. Kevin Fowler - Chippin’ Away

20. The JaneDear Girls - The JaneDear Girls

21. Lauren Alaina - Wildflower

22. Chris Young - Neon

23. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest

24. Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane

Pop

1. Carolina Liar - Wild Blessed Freedom

2. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

3. Mat Kearney - Young Love

4. Adele - 21

5. Colbie Caillat - All of You

6. Vanessa Carlton - Rabbits on the Run

7. The Belle Brigade - The Belle Brigade

8. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator

9. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

10. Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa - Don’t Explain

11. Gabe Dixon - One Spark

12. Chris Isaak - Beyond the Sun

13. Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What

14. Matt Nathanson - Modern Love

15. Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter

16. Weird Al Yankovic - Alpocalypse

17. Owl City - All Things Bright and Beautiful

18. Roxette - Charm School

19. The Bangles - Sweetheart of the Sun

20. Parachute - The Way It Was

21. Augustana - Augustana

22. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong

23. The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time

24. Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow

Rock

1. Daughtry - Break the Spell

2. Black Stone Cherry - Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea

3. Art of Dying - Vices and Virtues

4. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

5. Brian Robertson - Diamonds and Dirt

6. Airrace - Back to the Start

7. Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III

8. Voodoo Circle - Broken Heart Syndrome

9. Black Country Communion - 2

10. Mr. Big - What If . . .

11. The Union - Siren’s Song

12. Coldspell - Out from the Cold

13. The Poodles - Performocracy

14. James Durbin - Memories of a Beautiful Disaster

15. Firebird - Double Diamond

16. Magnificent - The Magnificent

17. Rival Sons - Pressure & Time

18. Trust Company - Dreaming in Black and White

19. 3 Doors Down - Time of My Life

20. Rob Moratti - Victory

21. Uriah Heep - Into the Wild

22. Fergie Frederiksen - Happiness Is the Road

23. House of Lords - Big Money

24. Burn Halo - Up From the Ashes

Metal

1. Megadeth - Th1rt3en

2. Black Spiders - Sons of the North

3. Amaranthe - Amaranthe

4. Love.Might.Kill - Brace for Impact

5. Theocracy - As the World Bleeds

6. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

7. Saxon - Call to Arms

8. Jag Panzer - The Scourge of Light

9. Eden’s Curse - Trinity

10. Trivium - In Waves

11. Borealis - Fall from Grace

12. Symfonia - In Paradisum

13. Riot - Immortal Soul

14. Hammerfall - Infected

15. Havok - Time Is Up

16. Sympony X - Iconoclast

17. Redemption - This Mortal Coil

18. Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire

19. Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance

20. Times of Grace - Hymn of a Broken Man

21. Obscura - Omnivium

22. FireWölfe - FireWölfe

23. Mastodon - The Hunter

24. Tokyo Blade - Thousand Men Strong

Alternative

1. Switchfoot - Vice Verses

2. Voyager - The Meaning of I

3. Thrice - Major/Minor

4. Redlight King - Something for the Pain

5. 3 - The Ghost You Gave to Me

6. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Am I the Enemy?

7. You Me at Six - Sinners Never Sleep

8. Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday

9. Mayday Parade - Mayday Parade

10. Bayside - Killing Time

11. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo

12. Anubis Gate - Anubis Gate

13. Blindside - With Shivering Hearts We Wait

14. Florence & the Machine - Ceremonials

15. New Found Glory - Radiosurgery

16. Twin Atlantic - Free

17. Miles Kane - Colour of the Trap

18. Bowling for Soup - Fishin’ for Woos

19. Forever the Sickest Kids - Forever the Sickest Kids

20. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts

21. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

22. Yellowcard - When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes

23. Wilco - The Whole Love

24. Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi

Guitarists

1. Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl

2. Christian Muenzner - Timewarp

3. Michael Schenker - Temple of Rock

4. Andy James - Andy James

5. David T. Chastain - Civilized Warfare

6. Al Di Meola - Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody

7. Jonas Tamas - Timeless Hour

8. Fabrizio Leo - Mr. Malusardi

9. Tony MacAlpine - Tony MacAlpine

10. Glen Drover - Metalusion

11. Diesel - Under the Influence

12. Leslie West - Unusual Suspects

13. Andy Timmons - Plays Sgt. Pepper

14. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - How I Go

15. Paul Wardingham - Assimilate Regenerate

16. Chris Brooks - The Axis of All Things

17. Francesco Artusato - Chaos and the Primordial

18. Oz Noy - Twisted Blues Vol. I

19. Sébastien Cloutier - Correlations

20. Warren Haynes - Man in Motion

21. Antoine Dufour - Sound Pictures

22. Stoney Curtis - Cosmic Conn3ction

23. Brian Setzer - Setzer Goes Instru-Mental

24. Steve Wariner - Guitar Laboratory