Best, Favorite, & Most Interesting Albums Of 2023

• Genre: Indie folk, coffeehouse.

• Influenced by: Lucy Dacus, Damien Jurado, Joni Mitchell, Joy Division.

• Similar artists: Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, Big Thief.

• About this album: The third full-length release from British indie folk artist Fenne Lily was produced with Brad Cook (and one track with Christian Lee Hutson). Lily began writing Big Picture just before she met her then-partner and finished writing its last song just after they’d broken up. Written alone in Lily's flat in Bristol, it was tracked live in Cook's studio in North Carolina. If you've ever wondered what would happen if Suzanne Vega had a baby with 10,000 Maniacs and named Joni Mitchell, this is the album for you.

• Metacritic Score: 78 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Lights Light Up.

• Genre: Bluegrass (duh).

• Influenced by: Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Louis Armstrong.

• Similar artists: Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson.

• About this album: A dozen of the Red Headed Stranger's compositions reworked as bluegrass tunes, this is one of two studio albums Nelson released in 2023, with the other being I Don't Know A Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard, a collection of ten songs performed by Nelson and originally written by Howard, who gave Nelson his first job as a songwriter for the publishing company Pamper Music. Willie also celebrated his 90th birthday this year, and recorded a killer duet with Billy Strings. The old man ain't slowing down. The perfect album for those who prefer their Willie Nelson essentially unplugged, but still just a little bit lit.

• Metacritic Score: 77 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Bluegrass Album. It's worth noting here that Strings is nominated for Best American Roots Song for the aforementioned duet, California Sober, which (obviously) features Willie.

• Song To Sample: A Good Hearted Woman.

• Genre: Country, Americana, Roots.

• Influenced by: Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline.

• Similar artists: Whitney Rose, Ashley McBryde, Lee Ann Womack, Aubrie Sellers.

• About this album: The fourth full-length studio release from singer-songwriter Brandy Clark was produced by Brandi Carlile and features guest appearances by Carlile, Derek Trucks, and Lucius. In regard to production of the album, Carlile had this to say, “When I heard the songs for this album, they took me back to the first time I heard Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. I was thinking about Tom Petty, The Pretenders, Kim Richey, Sheryl Crow, Shelby Lynne and the soul of ’90s Americana before it had a name.” The song Come Back to Me (which Clark co-wrote with Shane McAnally and Trevor Rosen), previously appeared on Keith Urban's 2013 album Fuse. If your grandma saved in Folgers cans, swore credit was a scam, bought everything at Sears on layaway, and was Ford over Chevy, this one might be right up your alley.

• Metacritic Score: 76 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Five. Best Americana Album, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, (Buried), Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song (Dear Insecurity, feat. Brandi Carlile). Clark is also co-nominated in the Best Musical Theater Album category for her work on the Original Broadway Cast Recording from the Broadway musical Shucked, for which she and Shane McAnally wrote the music and lyrics.

• Song To Sample: The multi-Grammy nominated Dear Insecurity (feat. Brandy Carlisle).

• Genre: Alternative rock, post grunge.

• Influenced by: The Knack, Bay City Rollers, Beatles, ABBA, Flipper, Black Flag, Kurt Cobain.

• Similar artists: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

• About this album: Foo Fighters first studio album since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. Frontman Dave Grohl performed and recorded the entirety of the album's drum tracks in Hawkins' absence. The album explores Grohl coming to terms with not only Hawkins' death, but also that of his mother, who died in 2022. Call it "Dad rock" if you must, but with extraordinary songwriting from Grohl, this may be the best Foo Fighters album in decades. May God (and Dave Grohl) save rock n’ roll.

• Metacritic Score: 86 (Universal acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance (Rescued).

• Song To Sample: Rescued.

• Genre: Folk-pop.

• Influenced by: David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Patti Smith, Ry Cooder, The Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, Prince and the Revolution, Neil Young, Guy Clark, The Ramones.

• Similar artists: Lloyd Cole, The Chills, Ron Sexsmith, John Cale.

• About this album: The eighth full-length solo release for Australian singer-songwriter Robert Forster was produced with his wife, Karin Bäumler and his son, Louis Forster. In 2021, Karin Bäumler was diagnosed the stage four inoperable ovarian cancer. While Baumler was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, Forster's mother died at the age of 94. One night, when sitting cross-legged on the couch, after the Forsters had played an impromptu tune, Karin looked up from her xylophone and told her husband, “When we play music, is the only time I forget I have cancer.” This provided the genesis for what would eventually become The Candle And The Flame. The full story can be found, here. Dylanesque.

• Metacritic Score: 86 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Tender Years.

• Genre: Americana, red dirt, honky-tonk.

• Influenced by: The Old 97's, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Cross Canadian Ragweed.

• Similar artists: Flatland Calvary, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers.

• About this album: In 2018, Turnpike Troubadours went on a "burnout-induced "hiatus, and lead singer Evan Felker used the time to address problematic drinking issues. Turnpike Troubadours finally returned in 2023, releasing A Cat in the Rain. Produced by the legendary Shooter Jennings, the album was recorded in (where else?) Muscle Shoals, Alabama. If you’re mounting up and heading out alone at dawn tomorrow for a single-handed showdown with the group of bandits what’s been terrorizing the town of late, you need look no further for the personal soundtrack for your quest.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Mean Old Sun.

• Genre: Folk rock.

• Influenced by: Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Sonic Youth, Carole King, Bob Dylan.

• Similar artists: Feist, PJ Harvey, Sharon Van Etten, Liz Phair.

• About this album: Cat Power goes electric. Recorded on November 5, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the album is a faithful recreation of Dylan's historic set at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on May 17, 1966, right down to the switch to electric instruments half-way through. The show even includes an audience member shouting "Judas!" in the same manner that a person did to Dylan during his Manchester concert. It's referenced as the Royal Albert Hall performance in deference to how the original Dylan album was erroneously labeled after being bootlegged in 1966. Atlanta’s own Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) is clearly having a blast interpreting the material. Her covers are always awesome, but this album is next level.

• Metacritic Score: 77 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: She Belongs To Me and Ballad Of A Thin Man.

• Genre: Folk rock.

• Influenced by: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison.

• Similar artists: Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan, David Crosby, Graham Nash, The Band, Gram Parsons.

• About this album: The 44th album by Neil Young. Technically. It was first compiled as an acetate for consideration as an album for release in 1977, but was shelved. A copy was widely circulated as a bootleg in the 1990s. Over the years the songs surfaced on other albums, bootlegs, and in live performances, but the album finally saw it's official release on August 11, 2023. So, you can stop impatiently standing in line down at The Record Bar, now. Young also had another release late in 2023, Before and After, featuring 13 new acoustic recordings of his songs as one uninterrupted 48-minute piece. It deserves a mention as well.

• Metacritic Score: 88 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Pocahontas.

• Genre: Bluegrass, Americana, folk.

• Influenced by: Allison Kraus, Hazel Dickens, her father (bluegrass artist and instructor) Jack Tuttle, Flatt and Scruggs, Chet Atkins.

• Similar artists: Gillian Welch, Eliza Gilkyson, Sara Watkins, Billy Strings.

• About this album: A follow-up to 2022's seminal "Crooked Tree," this is the fourth studio album from America's greatest living bluegrass guitarist Molly Tuttle (all due respect to Billy Strings) and Golden Highway. Co-produced by Tuttle and dobro player Jerry Douglas, the album includes a stellar collaboration with Dave Matthews.

• Metacritic Score: 79 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Bluegrass Album.

• Song To Sample: Yosemite (feat. Dave Matthews).

• Genre: Alternative rock.

• Influenced by: John Cale, John Lennon, Neil Young, Brian Wilson, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

• Similar artists: Billy Bragg, Son Volt, The War On Drugs, My Morning Jacket.

• About this album: Knock, knock. Who's There? An eclectic, sometimes weird, sometimes challenging, mid-tempo, breathy album that features a bunch of songs previously left incomplete for a number of years? So, yeah. A Wilco album. One of two albums released this year by the divorced parents of Uncle Tupelo (Son Volt shows up elsewhere on this list). After a short detour back into their country-influenced roots via last year’s Cruel Country double album, Cousin sees Wilco back in their more familiar progressive and experimental rock territory. Adding a unique and new element to the recording process is the attachment of Welsh singer/songwriter Cate Le Bon as producer—the first time an outside producer has been used by the band in more than two decades, since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

• Metacritic score: 82 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Evicted.

• Genre: Indie rock, post emo, coffeehouse.

• Influenced by: Neil Young, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Wilco, Roberto Bolaño.

• Similar artists: The Front Bottoms, Big Thief, Pinegrove.

• About this album: The latest addition to the Slaughter Beach, Dog canon, inspired by the likes of Neil Young, Randy Newman and Tom Waits. It's a post-emo fusion of Americana, blues, and folk rock from Jake Ewald (former front man for American Baseball) and company. A melodic, hypnotic, and addictive listen. This album is a definite vibe, and any single album that manages to give shout outs to Townes Van Zandt, Charles Mingus, and My Chemical Romance is just alright with me.

• Metacritic score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Summer Windows, My Sister In Jesus Christ, Henry.

• Genre: New wave, dark wave, new romantic, synth-pop, dance, funk.

• Influenced by: David Bowie, Roxy Music, Beatles, The Doors, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Chic, OMD.

• Similar artists: The Human League, Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Spandau Ballet, Talking Heads.

• About this album: A Halloween-themed album, the record includes three new tracks, covers and reimagined versions of older Duran Duran material. Former guitarists Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo appear, making their first appearances on a Duran Duran LP since 2004's Astronaut and 2000's Pop Trash, respectively. Nile Rodgers and Victoria De Angelis of Måneskin also feature as guest artists. This album a whole lot of Halloween-themed fun, but not necessarily an album you will only want to break out in October. It’s a (tomb)stone cold jam.

• Metacritic score: 72 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: A longtime Duran Duran concert staple, a reimagined version of Super Lonely Freak that evolves into a cover of Rick James’ Super Freak. I'm also partial to the reimagined version of Love Voudou (the spelling was reimagined, too).

• Genre: Alternative country, Tejano (this album).

• Influenced by: Doug Sahm (this album), Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Buck Owens (generally).

• Similar artists: Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

• About this album: One of two albums released this year by the divorced parents of Uncle Tupelo (Wilco appears elsewhere on this list). Son Volt's tribute album to Texas musician Doug Sahm was conceived by frontman Jay Farrar, who listened to Sahm's music during the COVID-19 pandemic. The late Sahm was a long time musical influence and occasional collaborator with Farrar. A member of the Texas Tornados and the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sahm helped to pioneer the "Tex-Mex" sound.

• Metacritic score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Sometimes You've Got To Stop Chasing Rainbows (but this album is chock full of slappers, bangers, and toe-tappers - it's a joyful Tex-Mex mix of a listen).

• Genre: Alternative pop, art pop.

• Influenced by: Björk, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, Enya, Mishio Ogawa, David Bowie.

• Similar artists: Lorde, Ramona Lisa, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish.

• About this album: The second full-length solo release for Caroline Polachek with guest appearances from Dido and Grimes. The experimental, evocative, eclectic album features bagpipes, children’s choirs, and Spanish guitar. And don't take the name lightly. This album is a freaking mood.

• Metacritic score: 94 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

• Song To Sample: Sunset.

• Genre: Americana, alterative pop, dream pop, baroque orchestral.

• Influenced by: Amy Winehouse, Leonard Cohen, Nancy Sinatra, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Courtney Love, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, (lyrically) Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg.

• Similar artists: Lorde, Fiona Apple, Florence + The Machine, Lykke Li.

• About this album: Seventies-era piano pop, hip hop, dance, gospel, folk, trap, soul, post grunge, and psychedelic music were amongst the wide range of influences on this album, which sees a more mature Del Rey emerge with some assistance from Jon Batiste, SMYL, Bleachers, Father John Misty, and more. When she wasn’t busy recording new music in Muscle Shoals and hanging out serving coffee to customers in an Alabama Waffle House, she was putting that contralto to great use, racking up a career-record five Grammy nominations for this dreamy, haunting album.

• Metacritic score: 80 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Five. Album of the Year, Best Alternative Music Album, Song of the Year, Best Alternative Music Performance (A&W), and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Candy Necklace (feat. Batiste).

• Song To Stream: Candy Necklace (feat. John Batiste, the title track, and Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty). A stunning album overall.

• Genre: Americana, folk country.

• Influenced by: John Prine, Jackson Browne, Wilco, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Townes Van Zandt, Paul Simon.

• Similar artists: Jason Isbell, Nikki Lane, Justin Townes Earle, Ray LaMontagne.

• About this album: A singer-songwriter whose music is steeped in honkytonk country and rough-hewn folk sounds, Gabe Lee specializes in telling stories about hard living and love that doesn't come easy. Born and raised in Nashville, his parents came to the United States from Taiwan in the early '80s. On Drink The River, Lee tips his hat to the influences of Old Crow Medicine Show and John Prine, amongst others, in this lush exploration of the American South.

• Metacritic score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: The title track, Drink The River (feat. Lucciana Costa on backup vocals).

• Genre: Gospel, roots, Americana.

• Influenced by: Golden Gate Quartet, The Soul Stirrers, The Heavenly Gospel Singers.

• Similar artists: Taj Mahal, Odetta, Mavis Staples, Sister Rosetta Sharp.

• About this album: The five-time Grammy-winners' latest album draws its name from the Birmingham, Alabama radio program that hosted the group's first professional performance back in 1944. Since recording finished on this album, 91-year-old Jimmy Carter, a founding member of the group, and two other longtime members, Paul Beasley and Benjamin Moore, Jr., have since died. Bittersweet, but the album remains nonetheless inspirational, uplifting, and a testament to the talent of a group whose various incarnations have brought us stellar gospel and roots music for well more than half a century.

• Metacritic score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: Best Roots Gospel Album, Best American Roots Performance for Heaven Help Us All and Best Americana Performance for Friendship.

• Song To Sample: Send It On Down.

• Genre: Folk rock, indie rock, Americana, alternative.

• Influenced by: Bob Dylan, Steve Poltz, Alvin Lucifer.

• Similar artists: The Avett Brothers, Hiss Golden Messenger, Shovels & Rope.

• About this album: The eighth full-length studio release from the John McCauley's-led band Deer Tick was produced by Dave Fridmann. Evokes late era Dylan and the mainstream (and not so mainstream) rock n’ roll sounds of the 70s and 80s – Stones, Stray Cats, Springsteen, The Call – with that obligatory touch of zydeco thrown in for good measure.

• Metacritic Score: 75 (Generally favorable reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Forgiving Ties.

• Genre: Pop, dance pop.

• Influenced by: Elvis Presley, Madonna, Lana Del Rey, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Joan Jett.

• Similar artists: Kesha, Demi Lovato, Selina Gomez, Katy Perry.

• About this album: The first album from Miley since switching to a new record company and embracing a more mature sound. A transitional album, Endless Summer Vacation is a departure from her past work. Described as a pop and dance-pop record, the album incorporates rock, country and experimental songs. She has said that the album is divided into two parts: AM and PM. AM represents "the morning time, where there's a buzz and energy and there's a potential of new possibilities," while PM represents the nighttime, which "feels like there's a slinky, seediness and kind of a grime but a glamour at the same time."

• Metacritic score: 79 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album, Album of the Year.

• Song To Sample: Flowers.

• Genre: Indie rock, indie folk.

• Influenced by: Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys/Brian Wilson, The Mammas & The Pappas, The Turtles, The Beatles, Jeff Lynne, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Roy Wood, Arthur Russell.

• Similar artists: Foxygen, Todd Rundgren, Temples, Big Star.

• About this album: On this one, the Twigs wear their influences on their proverbial sleeves more so than ever before – shamelessly channeling pretty much every band that ever came out of Laurel Canyon in the late 60s, and early to mid-70s baroque pop (think Harry Nilsson, Todd Rundgren, Wings, etc., etc.) and folk rock (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, anyone?). But it’s the influence of two singer-songwriters from Forest Hills in Queens, New York that’s arguably most evident (and if you don’t know who I’m talking about here, we can’t be friends). The brothers still manage to make the album distinctively their own, managing to create something that is both intimately familiar yet also fresh and innovative. A complex and extremely well-crafted album.

• Metacritic Score: 87 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: When Winter Comes Around.

• Genre: Indie folk, astral, coffeehouse.

• Influenced by: Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Frank O'Hara, Kenneth Patchen, Adrienne Rich.

• Similar artists: Joanna Sternberg, Jess Williamson, Kara Jackson, Blake Mills.

• About this album: The third studio album by American folk singer-songwriter Julie Byrne. The album focuses on grief, including the death of musical collaborator and romantic partner Eric Littmann. It was partially recorded with Littmann prior to his death and completed posthumously with producer Alex Somers. One of the best reviewed albums of 2023. Dreamy, cosmic folk. In what has been something of a trend this year amongst the singer-songwriter set, Byrne followed up with an EP released late in the year, Julie Byrne with Laugh Cry Laugh, which has also garnered positive reviews from critics.

• Metacritic Score: 91 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None. How this didn’t get nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album is beyond my understanding.

• Song To Sample: Summer Glass.

• Genre: Pop rock, alternative pop, post punk, post grunge.

• Influenced by: Weezer, Blondie, Green Day, The Killers, Hole, The Cure, Devo, Jim Carrol.

• Similar artists: Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran, boygenius, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift.

• About this album: Sonically diverse and incredibly strong lyrically. Turns out, the only thing we ever really needed to stop (or at least slow down) the generational wars was an Olivia Rodrigo album. Rodrigo's sophomore effort resonated across generational lines - maybe because of the apparent influences from many artists that Gen X and Millennials still hold so dear – for this one, Rodrigo drew not just from her usual contemporary sources of inspiration but also from 80s-era new wave and power ballads and (heavily) the dawn of grunge ascendency (think late 90s, early aughts). Rodrigo has previously been criticized for “cribbing.” Nonsense. Music is evolutionary. She’s drawing inspiration from the past, building on it, and delivering an album that is both fresh yet simultaneously familiar for listeners of a certain age. And, for younger listeners, it’s an album absolutely dripping in anemoia.

• Metacritic Score: 91 (Universal acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Six. Record of the Year, Song of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance (Vampire), Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Rock Song (ballad of a homeschooled girl).

• Song To Stream: vampire and ballad of a homeschool girl. Also, although it’s not from this album, another tune Rodrigo released this year is also worth noting – the folk rock ballad Can’t Catch Me Now, from the soundtrack of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is also making the rounds on indie folk/coffeehouse channels and won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song in a Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Horror Film at the 2023 ceremony.

• Genre: Blues rock.

• Influenced by: Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan.

• Similar artists: The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, The Doors.

• About this album: The first album of original material from the Stones since 2005's A Bigger Bang and their first since the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts (who contributed to some tracks in 2019.) Featuring guest contributions from Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman. One of the best Stones albums in decades. A live version of the album is forthcoming. And, maybe if you're lucky, you can snag tickets to the upcoming tour. Which yes, IS - in fact - being sponsored by the AARP. And yes, Stones fans DID - in fact - crash the AARP website on the first day of ticket sales.

• Metacritic Score: 78 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Rock Song for Angry. About the crashed AARP website? Probably.

• Song To Sample: Angry, and Sweet Sounds of Heaven (feat. Lady Gaga and the band's old touring partner, Stevie Wonder), an epic proto-gospel blues/soul fusion. Old or not, The Stones might as well have recorded this one in 1971.

• Genre: Americana, folk, soul, coffeehouse.

• Influenced by: Lucinda Williams, this album (obviously). Generally: John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Donnie Hathaway, Bill Withers,

• Similar artists: Norah Jones, John Mayer, Jack Johnson.

• About this album: Reckoning with his own loss and grief over the past year, Lee turned to the songs of his mentor as a source of healing - crafting Honeysuckle Switches as a way to thank Williams for getting him through life’s most difficult moments. Lee brings his usual soulful sound to the material.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song to Sample: Everything Has Changed.

• Genre: Indie folk.

• Influenced by: Ryan Adams, Dashboard Confessional, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen.

• Similar artists: Donovan Woods, Dawes, Ray Davies, Sufjan Stevens, Mount Eerie.

• About this album: Born out of a soul-searching period in Gundersen's life where he was working a construction job after having enjoyed a successful career in music, the songs on this album detail the regret and failure of those years, but also highlights his newfound outlook and a renewed sense of hope moving forward. This makes for a more upbeat vibe than those familiar with Gundersen’s work are likely accustomed to – he even acknowledges, on the title track, that maybe it “sounds a little corny, a little like John Denver,” but there’s nothing corny to be found here – the same song is a delicate reflection on a contented life, thematically reminiscent to CSN&Y’s Our House. Perhaps due to Gundersen’s temporary absence from the music scene, a lot of folkies (see what I did there?) seem to have slept on this album. That’s a shame, because it deserved much more attention. Hopefully, both it (and Gundersen’s work overall) will yet find its way to the wider audience it so richly deserves.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Swim and the title track, If This Is The End.

• Genre: Americana, folk, country, orchestral pop.

• Influenced by: Connie Converse, Frank Ocean, David Lynch, Jeff Buckley, M.I.A, Björk, Kate Bush, Ikue Asazaki, ELO, Prince. Album specific influences listed, below.

• Similar artists: Fionna Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Japanese Breakfast, Lana Del Rey.

• About this album: The latest full-length release from the classically trained Mitsuki Miyawaki (SUNY Purchase College's Conservatory of Music), recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles by producer Patrick Hyland. Includes an orchestra arranged and conducted by Drew Erickson and a 17-person choir. The album is influenced by spaghetti Western soundtracks, as well as the works of Arthur Russell, Igor Stravinsky, Scott Walker, Caetano Veloso and Faron Young, and Terry Riley.

• Metacritic Score: 90 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Snubbed.

• Song To Sample: My Love Mine All Mine.

• Important Note: This is also a listing for The National's other album of 2023, First Two Pages Of Frankenstein

• Genre: Indie rock, indie alternative, post punk.

• Influenced by: Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Nirvana, The Smiths, The Strokes, Leonard Cohen, Joy Division.

• Similar artists: The War On Drugs, Death Cab For Cutie, Radiohead.

• About these albums: This one counts as a tie between The First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track.

Frankenstein: The ninth studio album by the American indie rock band The National The album was produced at Long Pond studio in upstate New York, with additional recording sessions taking place at numerous studios and locations across the United States and Europe. The album features guest appearances from Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift, and (as is now stipulated by international law) Phoebe Bridgers. The album also features the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Laugh Track: The tenth studio album from The National. The surprise album was released on September 18, 2023, having been announced only days prior. The album's material was mostly written and recorded alongside Frankenstein, and includes some material that was debuted and workshopped while touring in support of Frankenstein. It features guest appearances by Bon Iver, Rosanne Cash, and (yes, once again) Phoebe Bridgers (hey, it's international law!).

• Metacritic score: Frankenstein 79 / Laugh Track 78 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample:

Frankenstein: The Alcott. (feat. Taylor Swift

Laugh Track: the title track, Laugh Track (feat. Phoebe Bridgers), and Weird Goodbyes (feat. Bon Iver).

• Genre: Americana, southern soul, blues, gospel, roots.

• Influenced by: Mahalia Jackson, Dolly Parton, Sister Odette, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Charley Pryde.

• Similar artists: The Teskey Brothers, Marcus King, Devon Gilfillian, Ruthie Foster, Yola.

• About this album: As noted on the song Dumb Luck, husband and wife duo of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter are here “slinging gospel country.” It both is and isn’t that simple – here they fuse blues, soul, rock, and gospel into a genre-bending knockout of an album. Close your eyes in some parts of this album, and you can easily imagine you’re listening to Ray Charles or Dionne Warwick. Produced by Nashville-based nine time Grammy award winner Dave Cobb (also featured on acoustic guitar), who you may recognize from producing the work of (amongst others) Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, and some guy named John Prine.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: Best New Artist and Best American Roots Song (Blank Page).

• Song To Sample: Blank Page and Up Yonder, inspired by the famous church hymn When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder, composed by James Milton Black in 1893 and recorded in modern times by the likes of Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Jim Nabors, and Willie Nelson. Take ‘em to church, Trotters.

• Genre: Americana, country, folk, jazz.

• Influenced by: Leonard Cohen, John Prine, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark.

• Similar artists: Brandi Carlile, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams.

• About this album: Bobbie Nelson, sister and collaborator to Willie Nelson, died in Austin, Texas, on March 10, 2022, at the age of 91. Before then, Bobbie Nelson completed this collaboration with Amanda Shires. The album features songs Nelson and Shires played and treasured their entire lives – a few of Nelson’s favorites along with her own solo piano title cut. Nelson and Shires reimagine 10 classic tunes, including Dream a Little Dream of Me, Over the Rainbow, and Summertime. Shires said the album was a way to honor and pay respect to Nelson, who had served as one of her inspirations. A fitting final tribute to the formidable legacy of Sister Bobbie.

• Metacritic Score: 79 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Summertime (feat. Willie Nelson).

• Genre: Alternative rock, indie rock, post punk, post grunge.

• Influenced by: The Breeders, Juliana Hatfield and Belly, Nirvana, Hole.

• Similar artists: Ratboy, Superviolet, Palehound, Speedy Ortiz.

• About this album: The fourth full-length release from Alicia Bognanno's solo project features a guest appearance by Soccer Mommy. Work on Lucky For You began last year, when Bognanno brought some in-progress demos to producer J.T. Daly in his Nashville studio.

• Metacritic Score: 81 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Days Move Slow and Lose You (feat. Soccer Mommy).

• Genre: Art rock, art pop.

• Influenced by: Otis Redding, Nina Simone, Robert Johnson, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon.

• Similar artists: Marillion, Talking Heads, Sting, Steve Winwood, Kate Bush.

• About this album: Yes, it does actually exist. Finally. The i/o stands for “input/output.” There hasn’t been a lot of output from Gabriel in recent times – this marks his first full-length studio release of new material since 2002's Up. So, yeah. Two decades, plus. The album contains two sets of mixes for the same songs, a “bright side” mix and a “dark side” mix, with the bright (a.m.) side being more upbeat and the dark (p.m.) mix being more subdued. There are contributions from Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, David Moreno, Cornelia Parker, Megan Rooney, Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and Barthélémy Toguo. Gabriel dropped advances from the album throughout the year on the occasion of each full moon of 2023, but those don't even remotely do justice to the album as a whole. A highly ambitious project that doesn’t disappoint and, just maybe, might have been worth the wait.

• Metacritic Score: 87 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None, released too late for this year’s consideration.

• Song To Sample: Four Kinds of Horses (Bright-Side mix); The Court (Dark-Side mix)).

• Genre: Rock.

• Influenced by: Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, David Byrne, Van Morrison, Jim Morrison, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queen.

• Similar artists: Matthew Good Band, The Watchmen, Sam Roberts, Sloan.

• About this album: A collaboration between Gord Downie (the iconic front man for Canada's most beloved rock band, The Tragically Hip) and legendary music producer Bob Rock (Metallica, The Black Album). This album was recorded in the 2010s, prior to Downie's death due to complications from cancer. Rock, who was close friends with Downie, had difficulty completing production on it due to his emotions related to Downie's passing. A decade in the making, the album finally saw release in 2023.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: The Moment Is A Wild Place.

• Genre: Americana, folk, country folk, folk rock.

• Influenced by: Nanci Griffith (obviously). Influences on Nanci Griffith: You're in luck. Nanci actually recorded not one, but two, full-length cover albums of her influences and I'm going to do you the greatest favor anyone has ever done for you in your life and link you to the Grammy-winning Other Voices I Other Rooms and it's follow up, Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful). Did I mention that many of Nanci's influences actually also feature on these albums? Did I mention they happen to be people like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris? These are easily amongst the greatest albums ever recorded in the history of time. Fight me outside. Here is the first album being performed live. Here is a rare taping of the second album being performed live. And, just because I love you, here is a link to Nanci and a whole bunch of her contemporaries performing on an Austin City Limits tribute show to Townes Van Zandt shortly after his death in 1997.

• Similar artists: (To Nanci Griffith) Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams, Guy Clark.

• About this album: A compilation album featuring various artists covering songs that were written or recorded by Griffith, who died in 2021. Work on the tribute album started prior to Nanci's death. Nanci was a fixture in the Texas country music scene, who helped pioneer a form of music she called "Folkabilly." Radio promoters and music industry outsiders took note of this style of music, of Nanci, and of a group of likewise traditionally minded singer-songwriters who were making waves in the early to mid-90s and revived some old-timey terminology to use as a label for a resurgent musical roots genre: Americana. Artists appearing on More Than A Whisper include Brandy Clark, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle, The War and Treaty, and Mary Gauthier. Proceeds from this album were donated to Cumberland Heights, a non-profit treatment facility in Nashville, Tennessee that specializes in assistance of individuals and their immediate families who are affected by drug addiction and alcoholism. It was one of two albums that were released in 2023 to honor Griffith's legacy, the first being the box set Working in Corners.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Love At The Five & Dime by John Prine and Kelsey Waldron, and Listen To The Radio by Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle.

• Genre: New wave, dark wave, new romantic, synth pop.

• Influenced by: OMD, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sparks, Cabaret Voltaire, Talking Heads, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Clash, Roxy Music, The Velvet Underground.

• Similar artists: Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, The Human League, Tears For Fears.

• About this album: A rumination on mortality and death, this project had its genesis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed and recorded after the 2022 death of founding band member Andy Fletcher. A lush, haunting, sometimes just-weird-enough album that harkens back to the best elements of new romantic/new wave/dark wave while mixing in a healthy enough dose of post-grunge industrial. A very self-aware album, and one of Depeche Mode’s best.

• Metacritic Score: 85 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Don't Say You Love Me.

• Genre: Alternative indie, folk, pop.

• Influenced by: Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, The Velvet Underground, Kate Bush.

• Similar artists: Jenny Lewis, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, Fionna Apple, Mazzy Star.

• About this album: The sixth full-length studio release from Canadian singer-songwriter Feist was produced with Robbie Lackritz and Mocky. Feist's first album since Pleasure (2017). Work on Multitudes began following the birth of Feist's adopted daughter in 2019 and the death of her father. The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.

• Metacritic Score: 85 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

• Song To Sample: Hiding Out In The Open.

• Genre: Jam band, blues, rock.

• Influenced by: Neil Young, Free, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Little Feat, Humble Pie, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Doors.

• Similar artists: The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Tedeschi Trucks Band, North Mississippi Allstars.

• About this album: Gov’t Mule’s follow-up to the Grammy nominated blues album Heavy Loaded Blues sees the band paying tribute to their influences, such as Cream and Led Zeppelin. Peace…Like A River was recorded during the same sessions as Blues. The albums, however, were created in different rooms, with no shared gear or instruments, in an attempt to give the albums different sounds and their own identities. Featuring contributions from Celisse, Ruthie Foster, Billy F Gibbons, Ivan Neville, and Billy Bob Thornton.

• Metacritic Score: 79 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Dreaming Out Loud (feat. Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster) and the Morrison/Doors inspired After The Storm.

• Genre: Alternative rock, indie rock, shoegaze, post grunge, Southern Gothic.

• Influenced by: Drive-By Truckers, Lucinda Williams, Richard Buckner.

• Similar artists: Indigo De Souza, Slow Pulp, Momma.

• About this album: The latest full-length release from North Carolina's Wednesday was produced by Alex Farrar and was recorded in checks notes a week.

• Metacritic Score: 89 (Universal acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Chosen To Deserve.

• Genre: Rock, Americana.

• Influenced by: Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, Gram Parsons, Hank Williams, (lyrically) Allen Ginsberg, Flannery O'Connor, James Dickey.

• Similar artists: Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, Patti Griffin, John Prine, Nanci Griffith.

• About this album: In 2020, Lucinda Williams suffered a debilitating stroke. Williams spent months rehabilitating, even having to relearn how to walk. Williams is largely considered one of the greatest living American singer-songwriters, but the events of 2020 cast the possibility of new material from Williams into doubt. We of little faith. In April of 2023, Williams published her memoir, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You (which made it to No. 5 on the New York Times bestsellers list). The 70-year-old Williams then followed up in June with the release of this, her 15th studio album. The banger of an opening track, Let's Get the Band Back Together, was inspired by "“that need for community after all the isolation of the pandemic [and] getting old friends together again who’d drifted apart.” It features a host of background singers, including Margo Price and Buddy Miller. Price also guests on other songs, and New York Comeback features guest vocalists Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa.

• Metacritic Score: 79 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Where the Song Will Find Me.

• Genre: Country.

• Influenced by: Tom T. Hall, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Appalachian/Kentucky roots music

• Similar artists: Zach Bryan, Colter Wall, Sturgill Simpson, Turnpike Troubadours.

• About this album: The sixth album by from Tyler Childers, released on September 8, 2023, via his own Hickman Holler Records. Childers told the Associated Press that he conceptualized the album as if he were "pitching songs to Elvis Presley." Margo Price, amongst others, appears on backup vocals.

• Metacritic Score: 86 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Six. Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, Best Music Video (In Your Love), Best Americana Performance for (Help Me Make It Through the Night).

• Best Song: The instant country classic, In Your Love.

• Genre: Folk.

• Influenced by: Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Everly Brothers, Frank Sinatra, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, world music.

• Similar artists: Art Garfunkel, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Paul McCartney.

• About this album: A completely acoustic performance, conceived as a seven-movement piece meant to be listened to in its entirety. Guests on the album include Voces8 and Simon's wife Edie Brickell. The album has been compared to David Bowie's Blackstar and Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker, the final albums for those respective artists. While working on the album, the 81-year-old Simon began to experience hearing loss, attributed to a severe case of COVID. It’s therefore unlikely he will tour or perform live again. If this does turn out to be the final Paul Simon album, it’s a fitting (no pun intended) bookend to a stellar career.

• Metacritic Score: 84 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Folk Album.

• Song To Sample: The album is not broken into individual songs, but instead is intended to be consumed as one long piece. Its digital incarnations keep this sequencing intact. Click on the album icon to stream the whole thing. Here's a video trailer that explains more about the album and provides samples.

• Genre: Heavy metal, thrash metal.

• Influenced by: Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple.

• Similar artists: Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Pantera.

• About this album: According to Metallica front man James Hetfield, the name of the album and title track come from a book he was reading while working on the project. Said Hetfield, 72 Seasons came out of a book I was reading about childhood, basically, and sorting out childhood as an adult. And 72 seasons is basically the first 18 years of your life.” While it’s not quite the next Master of Puppets, there are still plenty of righteous enough tunes on this album to serve as your potential Vecna “savior song.” Justice for Eddy!

• Metacritic Score: 77 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Rock Album, Best Rock Performance (Lux Æterna,) and Best Metal Performance (72 Seasons.)

• Song To Sample: Lux Æterna.

• Genre: Folk rock.

• Influenced by: Robert Johnson, Karen Dalton, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Guy Clark, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Joan Baez, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Hank Williams, Jack Kerouac, T.S. Elliot, Allen Ginsberg, Dylan Thomas.

• Similar artists: It’s Dylan, so we’ll go with “reasonably close to possibly being similar and still subject to debate so don’t come at me.” Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Lou Reed, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Townes Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Joan Baez.

• About this album: The 40th studio album (and second soundtrack album) from the Nobel Prize winner, his first new album since 2020s Rough and Rowdy Ways. The songs were recorded for the concert film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan. Uncredited session musicians include T Bone Burnett and Don Was. Interestingly, this is the first album in which Dylan performs with a band with no drums or percussion. The album consists of new and reimagined recordings of 13 songs from the first half of Dylan’s career and a new instrumental, Sierra’s Theme.

• Metacritic Score: 84 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Watching The River Flow and What Was It You Wanted.

• Genre: Folk rock, folk.

• Influenced by: Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Counting Crows, Hozier, Mumford & Sons.

• Similar artists: Ed Sheeran, Bon Iver/Justin Vernon, The Lumineers, Ben Howard, Caamp.

• About this album: Technically released on October 14, 2022, an expanded "We'll All Be Here Forever" edition was released in June of '23 and includes seven additional tracks, respectively featuring Post Malone, Lizzy McAlpine, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier, and Gracie Adams. For this album, Kahan (the self-proclaimed “Jewish Ed Sheeran”) said he was inspired by people like Sam Fender and Phoebe Bridgers to bring "unprecedented detail" to his writing.

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: Best New Artist.

• Song To Sample : From the new additions on the expanded album, the very Lumineers-esque Northern Attitude (feat. Hozier), and from the original material, title track Stick Season.

• Genre: Americana, alternative country, country soul, rock, psychedelic.

• Influenced by: Bob Dylan, John Prine, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, Tom Petty, Janis Joplin, Bobbie Gentry, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette.

• Similar artists: Amanda Shires, Margo Kilker, Brandy Clark, Kasey Musgraves.

• About this album: The fourth (sort of) studio album by American country musician Margo Price. Or maybe it's the fifth? Or maybe it's just confusing. So. Margo Price released "Strays," her fourth studio album in January 2023. It was produced by Jonathan Wilson and features contributions from Mike Campbell (formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). But, then. Plot twist. The album was re-released in October 2023 as Strays II, and features all the originally released material, along with nine additional songs. These were first released in sets of three, billed as “acts” (respectively titled Topanga County, Mind Travel, and Burn Whatever’s Left). The original album release is great. The second one, with the additional material, is even better.

• Metacritic Score: 80 (Generally Favorable Reviews)

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Original release material, Radio (feat. Sharon Van Etten). Expanded release, Unoriginal Sin (feat Mike Campbell).

• Genre: Americana, alt-country, folk rock.

• Influenced by: Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, John Prine, R.E.M., Lou Reed, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young.

• Similar artists: Lucinda Williams, Natalie Merchant, 10,000 Maniacs, Shelby Lynne.

• About this album: The latest full-length release from Candian alt-country trio is its first album of new original material in five years. Most of the Cowboy Junkies are siblings and this album deals with the grief associated with the 2018 death of their mother and their father's diagnosis of dementia around the same time. The material explores mythology and Judeo-Christian themes, and may be the group's most personal album to date.

• Metacritic score: 75 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Hell Is Real.

• Genre: Disco, funk, R&B, pop, spoken word.

• Influenced by: Donna Summer, Evelyn Champagne King, Teena Marie, Chaka Khan, Bee Gees.

• Similar artists: Kylie Minogue (cameos on this album), Janelle Monáe, Carly Rae Jepsen, Perfume Genius.

• About this album: So! Many hooks! The fifth album by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. Co-produced by Stuart Price and her previous collaborator, James Ford. Ware co-wrote all tracks alongside Shungudzo, Danny Parker, Clarence Coffee Jr., Sarah Hudson and its producers. One of the highest rated albums on Metacritic for 2023. This album was a late edition to the list. It was a 2023 Christmas gift from one of music peeps, so I got a listen in just in time not to sleep on this one and I’m glad I didn’t because if I had it would have been a (wait for it) TRAGEDY! Serious retro vibes. Listen to this one on 8-track while cruising to the 2001 Odyssey Disco with your dance crew in the 1964 Chevrolet Impala.

• Metacritic Score: 87 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Free Yourself.

• Genre: Alternative rock, post-punk, dance-punk, new wave, art-punk.

• Influenced by: Weezer, Deftones, Death Cab for Cutie, Elvis Presley, the Ramones, the Smiths, Blondie, Fredie Mercury, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure.

• Similar artists: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne, Soccer Mommy, boygenius.

• About this album: The sixth studio album from Paramore, the band's first album in nearly six years, is deeply rooted in punk, post-punk, and alt-punk. Heavily inspired by the likes of Bloc Party and The Talking Heads. A follow-up remix album, Re: This Is Why featured versions of the songs supported by other artists, including Wet Leg and Julien Baker.

• Metacritic Score: 85 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Rock Performance for This Is Why.

• Best Song: The title track, This Is Why.

• Genre: Americana, indie folk, indie country.

• Influenced by: Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Carly Simon, Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith.

• Similar artists: Margo Cilker, Waxahatchee, Margo Price, Julie Byrne, Wednesday.

• About this album: Jess Williamson’s voice, the piano, the guitar, and (yes) saxophone are lovely and all, but it's her abilities as a songwriter that elevates this album to something truly special. Williams has always been more than worth a listen but her evolution here suggests someone who is ready to take things to the next level. The boys back home may worship Dylan and Townes, but when Jess Williamson looks in the mirror, who does she kinda look like? Maybe like some of those other legendary singer-songwriters that came from deep in the heart of Texas? Maybe a little like another Texas singer-songwriter who has a tribute album that appears elsewhere on this list?

• Metacritic Score: 84 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Hunter and God In Everything.

• Influenced by: Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Van Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald, St Vincent, Feist, Little Green Cars, Paul Simon, Willie Dixon and Lisa Hannigan.

• Similar artists: Noah Kahan, The Lumineers, Florence + The Machine, Ben Howard.

• About this album: The third full-length release from Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is inspired by Dante's Inferno, which Hozier began reading during the Pandemic, and he framed the album around Dante's concept of the nine circles of Hell. The album features Hozier writing and singing lyrics in the Irish language for the first time. A separate three song EP was issued in advance of Unreal Earth, to celebrate (respectively) the singer's birthday, St. Patrick's Day, the ten-year anniversary of his debut, and to tease the (then upcoming) release of the LP. Brandi Carlile guests on Damage Gets Done.

• Metacritic Score: 76 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Unknown / Nth.

• Genre: Americana.

• Influenced by: Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel, Gillian Welch, Nanci Griffith, Townes Van Zandt, Jason Isbell, Credence Clearwater Revivial.

• Similar artists: Margo Price, Jess Williamson, Brandy Clark, Gabe Lee, Amanda Shires.

• About this album: The second full-length release from Oregon-based singer-songwriter Margo Cilker was produced by Sera Cahoone. Cilker, on writing songs for this album, had this to say, “I wrote these songs surrounded by the wild landscapes of the Northwest, but I was leaning toward the place I’d come from. I felt cut off from my family and the valley that held them. I spent hours thinking about my sense of belonging. I’d traveled through many places and then, when the travel stopped, I ruminated on where I had ended up.” Interestingly enough, she refers to her style of music as “folkabilly” which is the same term that Nanci Griffith (see elsewhere on this list) used to describe her music – and, in the same year that saw the release of a phenomenal Nanci Griffith tribute album (again, see elsewhere on this list), the top 55 also contains two who could rightly be called heir apparent to Nanci – Cilker and Jess Williamson (again, see elsewhere on this list). Maybe they could do an album together sometime? Thy will be done.

• Metacritic Score: 88 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: None, but it was nominated for International Album of the Year at the UK Americana Music Awards.

• Song To Sample: Keep It On A Burner and I Remember Carolina.

• Genre: Country.

• Influenced by: Johnny Cash, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Three 6 Mafia, UGK, 8Ball & MJG.

• Similar artists: Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, Ritzz, Stevie Stone, Tech N9ne.

• About this album: Whitsitt Chapel, the seventh studio album from Jelly Roll, marks his first foray into country music. It includes collaborations with Brantley Gilbert, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf and Lainey Wilson. Jelly Roll described the album as "Real music for real people with real problems" and "about growth and gratitude happening in my life", stating that he wanted to "create a project that felt hopeful." Named after Whitsitt Chapel Baptist Church in his hometown of Antioch, Tennessee, where he was baptized at 14 years old, and influenced the album's themes of "sin and redemption."

• Metacritic Score: N/A.

• Grammy Nominations: Best New Artist, Best Country Duo/Group Performance (Save Me feat. Lainey Wilson). Won CMA New Artist Award, 2023.

• Song To Sample: Need A Favor.

• Genre: Indie rock, indie folk, shoegaze, coffeehouse.

• Influenced by: Lucinda Williams, Fleetwood Mac, Sarah McLachlan, Death Cab For Cutie.

• Similar artists: Alvvays, Wednesday, feeble little horse, Mia Joy.

• About this album: The second full-length release for the Chicago-based indie rock band. Early in 2021, when it was time to write this album, front woman Emily Massey decided to isolate herself in a cabin in northern Wisconsin. Isolated by winter weather and the Pandemic, Massey spent her days writing songs on the guitar and recording demos on her laptop. The cabin didn't even have an internet connection. Not even a haunted VCR tape. But it DID have an old CD collection that had been left behind and that's where Massey happened to find a CD called "Essence" by some chick named Lucinda Williams. Because of course she did.

• Metacritic Score: 77 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: None.

• Song To Sample: Gone 2.

• Genre: Country, Americana, spoken word.

• Influenced by: Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Tom Petty, Evan Felker, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Bruce Springsteen.

• Similar artists: Cody Jinks. Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Uncle Lucius, Tyler Childers.

• About this album: The eponymous fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Zach Bryan, featuring guest appearances by the War and Treaty, Kacey Musgraves, The Lumineers, and the incomparable Sierra Ferrell. After dropping the self-titled, Bryan followed up soon after with the Boys Of Faith EP, which takes a decidedly more folkish/folk rock bent than does the self-titled album, featuring guest appearances by Noah Kahan and Bon Iver (because of course it does). Phoebe Bridgers was busy that day, I guess.

• Metacritic Score: 79 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for I Remember Everything (feat. Kasey Musgraves), Best Country Album.

• Song To Sample: From the self-titled LP, I Remember Everything (feat. Kasey Musgraves) and Spotless (feat. The Lumineers); from the follow-up Boys of Faith, Sarah’s Place (feat. Noah Kahan).

#1 (TIE)

• TOP ALBUM OF 2023/TIE And...my choice for the top album(s) of 2003. This year, after much debate, I couldn't decide between the top two (which are listed alphabetically), so I went with a tie. Cheating? Maybe. But it's my list, so I can do what I want. It was a difficult year to pick top albums because it's been an insanely strong year for new music releases.

• 2023 TOP ALBUM SELECTION: boygenius, the record.

• Genre: Folk rock, indie folk.

• Influenced by: Earlier this year, boygenius released an 82-song playlist of influences and favorites, including a whole lot of artists appearing elsewhere on this list and including Big Thief, Hop Along, Waxahatchee, HAIM, Land of Talk, Mitski, Band of Horses, The National, Wilco, Great Grandpa, Bon Iver & St. Vincent, Iron & Wine, Wild Pink, Broken Social Scene, Regina Spektor, Wednesday, Brian Eno, Sinéad O’Connor, Parliament, Fugazi, Angel Du$t, Joyce Manor, Mineral, Defiance, Ohio, Frank Black, The Soft Boys, Nada Surf, Suicide, The Cars, and Cyndi Lauper. Listen, here: blueprint.

• Similar artists: Elliott Smith, Sharon Van Etten, Waxahatchee, Cat Power, Japanese Breakfast.

• About this album: The debut studio album (LP) by American indie folk rock supergroup boygenius, consisting of Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers (if she isn't guesting on your smash hit 2023 indie-folk album, what are you even doing with your life?). boygenius has been EVERYWHERE this year – giving a knockout, Beatles-themed performance on Saturday Night Live (also appearing in a skit where they and Timothée Chalamet portray a Troupe of Dancing Troye Sivans, replicating the iconic 1994cNirvana cover for Rolling Stone magazine, offering up an incredible cover of Shania Twain’s You’re Still The One for BBC 1, and receiving nominations for ALL the Grammys. This album was followed up by the band’s second EP, the rest, featuring four outtakes. It the trio make more music together as a group in the future, it might be a while – it took five years from the release of their self-titled debut EP for the record and the rest to materialize. The three members of boygenius are already firmly established in their solo careers, but there’s no question that when they come together as creators, something remarkable happens. It’s an effort to maintain that uniqueness that could mean a long wait for the next release. In an interview with NME, Baker said, “I like it being a surprise. I like having this band be something that, because it’s more ephemeral or whatever, it’s not concretely tied to one of us or a person we have to live in every day. It’s something we can revisit when we feel motivated to, or it’s a place we can retreat to. I like saving it as something sacred instead of feeling like I have to constantly grind on it.”

• Cool trivia: In the same NME interview, it was revealed that Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was meant to guest on the record, but (in true rock star fashion) he accidentally slept through the sessions. However, he did get on stage with boygenius at the Hollywood Bowl to play drums for a Halloween-themed performance of the very-appropriately Nirvanaesque track Satanist back in early November.

• Metacritic Score: 90 (Universal Acclaim). The follow-up EP the rest received a score of 75 (Generally Favorable Reviews).

• Grammy Nominations: Seven. Album of the Year, Best Alternative Music Album, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Also nominated for Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance, and Best Rock Song for Not Strong Enough and Best Alternative Music Performance for Cool About It. It should be noted that Bridgers also received a separate seventh nomination for her appearance on SZA’s Ghost in the Machine.

• Song To Sample: Cool About It, Not Strong Enough, Leonard Cohen, and Afraid of Heights from the rest.

#1 (TIE)

• TOP ALBUM OF 2023/TIE And...my choice for the top album(s) of 2003. This year, after much debate, I couldn't decide between the top two (which are listed alphabetically), so I went with a tie. Cheating? Maybe. But it's my list, so I can do what I want. It was a difficult year to pick top albums because it's been an insanely strong year for new music releases.

• 2023 TOP ALBUM SELECTION: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Weathervanes.

• Genre: Americana, folk rock, alt-country, roots.

• Influenced by: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Chet Akins, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Bill Monroe, Jackson Brown, (lyrically) Cormac McCarthy.

• Similar artists: Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, James McMurtry, Sturgill Simpson.

• About this album: What a year it’s been for Jason Isbell. He had an acting role in a movie that’s a strong bet to win the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture, was featured in an HBO documentary, was nominated for three Grammys, and – perhaps most importantly of all – got himself some new chompers. The ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, and the sixth accompanied by his backing band the 400 Unit (possibly the last to feature bassist Jimbo Hart, who announced his departure from the 400 Unit in November). Isbell wrote the tracks while starring in Martin Scorsese's multi-Oscar nominated 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon. Upon announcing the self-produced album, Isbell billed it as “life and death songs played for and by grown-ass people.” It’s very much an Americana/American roots music album, but there are definite rock influences at play. Kevn Kinney, lead singer and guitarist of rock band Drivin N Cryin, joined Isbell and the 400 Unit for the 2023 tour in support of Weathervanes and those shows included a blistering version of DnC’s Look What You've Done To Your Brother, a version of which Isbell and the 400 Unit also recorded for the Kevn Kinney Tribute album, Let’s Go Dancing, Said the Firefly to the Hurricane. The album was intended as a sort of showcase for the 400 Unit, who Isbell introduces at live shows as a “rock n’ roll band” and here they are as indispensable as the E. Street Band is to the Boss, Crazy Horse is to Neil Young or the Heartbreakers were to Tom Petty. But, as usual, it’s Isbell’s songwriting that stands out. One wonders if he is even capable of writing bad material. Maybe, someday, he’ll borrow a page from Dylan’s book and release an intentionally bad album or two just to prove a point, but that day isn’t today. Lyrically, this album feels like the ghosts of Cormac McCarthy, Jack Kerouac, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark meeting up at the Old Quarter and swapping tales. Is it a better album than “Southeastern?” Heresy, surely. That’s the problem with dropping your tour de force masterpiece when there’s still a whole lot of career road stretching out ahead – post Blood On The Tracks Dylan albums will forever be compared and contrasted to BOTT; post Southeastern albums will forever be compared and contrasted for Isbell. I’ll leave it to better minds than mine to debate the ranking order of Isbell’s albums (I just about lost my mind just trying to rank this list), but Weathervanes is undoubtedly destined to occupy a high position. And, sooner or later, the next one will inevitably come along to crank the debate up anew. Meanwhile, we have yet another extraordinary (and extraordinarily literate) album from one of America's greatest living singer-songwriters.

• Metacritic Score: 82 (Universal Acclaim).

• Grammy Nominations: Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song (Cast Iron Skillet), Best Americana Performance (King Of Oklahoma).

• Song To Stream: Strawberry Woman, Cast Iron Skillet, Volunteer.