Year In Review 2022 - Favorite Albums Part 2 (#10-6)

Another year is finishing up and @RockBodElec wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE presents 2022's Favorite Albums Part 2 (Numbers 10-6):

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album, either on this site or elsewhere, we will link to that review and just give a quick summation; click on the name/title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle, Spotify or singles for us.

This begins our top ten and we will wrap it up tomorrow. You can find our list of Honorable Mentions and let downs here. 

Like all of our lists or 'best of' roundups, these are meant to start conversations, not end them...

Last year we stated that there had never been a year where the gap from our 'Honorable Mentions' selections and the number one album of our top ten list had been so close; it was hard to decide. Well, this year things are even closer. 

All of these albums are worth your time attention and money:

10. Bonny Light Horseman - Rolling Golden Holy

 Rolling Golden Holy is a sweet summer sunset album for the backyard lazy Sunday hang. The folk trio of Anais Mitchell, Eric D Johnson, and Josh Kaufman sound excellent together and here is hoping this outfit keeps galloping on. That said, this ranking sorta sums up 2022. While this is a gorgeous album, with sweet harmonies and easy folk, RtBE likes their debut more and that couldn't crack the top ten in 2020.

9. Jack White - Entering Heaven Alive 

While his first album released in 2022, Fear of the Dawn, made our disappointed list, Entering Heaven Alive was much better to these ears. Three tracks immediately jump out as all-time excellent White songs, "A Tip From Me To You", "If I Die Tomorrow" and "Love Is Selfish" instantly elevating the whole record.  RtBE are unabashed White fans and perhaps other sites won't rank this album highly, but the deep bass and crisp production on tracks like "Tree On Fire From Within", just makes this album sound great. In a down year, all of those things combined are enough to make our top ten. 

8. Titus Andronicus - The Will To Live

The Will To Live is a very, very solid album as Patrick Stickles and crew guns for their version of "ultimate rock and roll" in classic +A style and almost gets there. The record rips to start as "I'm Screwed" cooks and the piano ballad "69 Stones" cools it out to end (after a dynamite Cock Sparrer cover). With most of Stickles work it could use a bit of trimming, but overall it is a valiant effort to deliver a true rock and roll experience.   

7. Flagboy Giz - I Got Indian In My Family 

Here comes some energetic hip-hop from the Mardi Gras Indians down in New Orleans, as Flagboy Giz of The Wild Tchoupitoulas gets down over the course of these twelve strong tracks. With the help of Manny Fresh and a host of local musicians, Aaron “Flagboy Giz” Hartley’s second full length is banging from the start and modernizes the funky sounds found on the classic album his crew put out in the mid 70's. Definitely an artist to keep an eye and ear on. 

6. Sarah Elizabeth Haines - Castaway

An extremely affecting release from the NYC based multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter Sarah Elizabeth Haines, Castaway gives a dynamic female voice projection during a year when politicians tried to particularly silence those. A strong album that sounds amazing from the opening spoken word swelling track "Body". A powerful release, Castaway shines bright during dark times.     

 

Tomorrow we get to 5-1, how'd we do? Agree, Disagree? Feel free to comment below and as always, thanks for reading.