Maya De Vitry and Charlie Worsham enter the AOTY conversation.
Hannah Juanita
Magnolia Sessions [EP]
Acoustic set recorded live– the birdsong is a nice flourish to have left in the mix– captures her warm singing and exceptional taste in influences. Picking “Wild and Blue” as the one song she wishes she’d written? Iconic. Bring on a new full album.
Bronwyn
Rattlin’ Bones
A refinement from her quite good debut, this set highlights her continued growth as a songwriter and the pickin’ is, of course, unassailable. Still not 100% convinced she has the vocal presence on record to act as a bandleader, but there’s some growth there, too.
Casey Barnes
Made for This
In the sense that he sounds comfortable in and committed to such a middling, generic sound without anything hinting at a distinct POV? Yeah, I guess maybe he is. Comforting, somehow, to know the US doesn’t monopolize having a wildly uneven country scene.
Bryan Ruby
Playing With Fire [EP]
He still knows his way around a catchy as all hell pop-country hook, and the construction of these six songs is airtight. But he makes some odd, unpleasant choices with his vocal tone on this set that he didn’t make on prior efforts, and it’s a massive distraction.
Charlie Worsham
Once Upon a Second Time Around
Perfectly timed to coincide with his Grand Ole Opry membership announcement, one of most innately gifted acts in Nashville finally has an album that, start to
finish, realizes his full potential.
His songwriting is clever, empathetic, and wise to genre forms. His singing is versatile, as capable of delivering a pensive ode to his grandfather as throwing in the occasional well-timed growl. And his musicianship is simply beyond reproach. This album is throwing elbows with recent efforts by Carter Faith, Ashley McBryde, and Braxton Keith as the very best of what contemporary Music Row country can actually sound like.
Sure, there’s a better timeline wherein he, Kip Moore, Frankie Ballard, and Dee White became the genre’s A-list men instead of the likes of Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and the rest of the Bro Country hacks. That what-might’ve-been shouldn’t overshadow how great the music he’s making right now actually is. Worsham is having a bit of a moment, and this terrific album fully meets it.
Maya De Vitry
All My Faith
I tend to associate her with more staid Americana sounds– not a pejorative in the case of her work to date– so it’s a most pleasant surprise to hear her lean into a bit of twang and a bit of rock on her latest. Aesthetically, it makes for her most accessible album yet, which she accomplishes without sacrificing any of the incisive wordplays or interior work that have made her such a captivating writer. Here, she drills into notions of why different forms of faith– in herself and her fellow humans, first and foremost– is so essential.
What makes De Vitry such a vital artist is that she never strays from the fundamental empathy in her POV, and, so far, she manages to exceed her own ceiling with each new album. Another contender here for the year’s very best records.
I love the Charlie Worsham album! I couldn’t be happier for his invitation to the Opry. He’s so talented and deserving.
It’s amazing to hear someone who’s always been such an obvious talent finally put it all together on a full album. He’s had singles that I really loved, and his prior albums were *good*, but this is so far and above the others.
I agree! This is certainly his best album thus far.
…these berklee college graduates are giving bluegrass nice shots of fresh live in the arms. bronwyn is one of those i’m always curious to hear what she might be coming up with. interesting little experiment – to me at least. then again, nothing beats sister sadie at the moment. these six ladies who look like a very attraktive small town teachers gathering are firing on all cylinders at the moment. chattanooga might be bowing in front of them too soon.
…the obscure swiss country publications is titling “double bravo, charlie! that little note celebrating his opry invitation and a fine album on the same day. one reason he may often not be seen as much as he deserves to be, could be that he makes things look and sound so smooth and easy that he’s almost taken for granted. perhaps, i’m an old fool but “good hurt” is more than good.
intriguing comment on bryan ruby, got to check him out.
with some delay i finally found time for bobby dove’s “fortune teller” – what a pleasure to listen to and what a mighty fine album. it’s an exceptionally good year for country/americana music from queer artists. i can’t help but feelin’ that this topic is going to be one of my next features ahead of brandy clark coming over here in a couple of months.
by the way, ain’t that natalie-harp-story of love and (mutual) desperation soo country? “i kinda want your man”, the new single from the amazing ms. mackenzie carpenter springs to mind – or classic “he think’s he’ll keep her”. or one or the other from olivia newton-john’s “grease”-days.
It’s been a great several years in a row for queer artists in the space, really. Have had Bobby Dove’s album in the backlog for a while but will bump that one up closest to the top for listening!