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)