It's that time of the month again; another top 10 album round-up from WDIY! Want to hear your favorites songs on our airwaves? Feel free to call WDIY's studio line with a request at 610-694-8100 x1 or leave your picks on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.
#10
Lyle Lovett
12th of June
Verve Records
May 13, 2022
12th of June is this Texas singer-songwriter’s first album in a decade, after the 2012 album Release Me. The 11-track album features a mix of Lovett’s originals as well as interpretations of songs by Nat King Cole and Dave Frishberg. Lovett co-produced the project with Chuck Ainlay, bringing together his usual mix of country, jazz, folk, and more. The name of the album is actually the birthday of this 60-year-old first-time father’s son. He took time off after his last contract with Curb Records ended to stockpile songs and craft something he was truly proud of. Most of the album was recorded in Nashville in 2019, but like most artists, the pandemic delayed it by two years and gave him more time to spend with his family before release.
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#9
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Nightroamer
Thirty Tigers
February 18, 2022
A lot has happened in the four-year gap since Sarah Shook and the Disarmers put out their second studio album titled Years; a global pandemic that the band narrowly missed in terms of a recording schedule, a record label change, and Sarah publicly coming out as non-binary (they/them pronouns). The previous album was a loud triumph of edgy country-punk that explored mental health and toxic relationships. The new album focuses more on hope and change and new habits, and definitely blends their hard country sound with more genres this time, like Britpop, disco, and of course, more punk. Shook has also started a new indie rock side project called Mightmare which will be releasing its debut album, Cruel Liars, in the fall of 2022 via Kill Rock Stars.
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#8
Keb’ Mo’
Good to Be
Rounder Records
January 21, 2022
Five-time GRAMMY winner Keb’ Mo’ recently released his newest full-length, Good To Be, in the beginning of 2022 from a very personal place. The album was written between Nashville and his childhood home in Compton, California, which Keb’ recently purchased and renovated. The album release was accompanied by an official video for the title track single, “Good to Be (Home Again),” which was filmed in Mo’s hometown and features the Compton Cowboys.
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#7
Lucifer on the Sofa
Spoon
Matador Records
February 11, 2022
Lucifer on the Sofa is the 10th studio album by the rock band Spoon, which started production in 2018 shortly after touring. Production continued until 2020, but resumed and resulted in a finished album by 2021. A huge reason as to why the band couldn’t finish the album in quarantine like a lot of bands did during the pandemic was how they were choosing to orchestrate it; they realized they prefer the sound of recording as a live band versus recording separately and made that the focus of the new album.
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#6
Buffalo Nichols
Buffalo Nichols
Fat Possum Records
October 15th, 2021
Buffalo Nichols holds a special place at Fat Possum Records as the label’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years, and his first solo album proves what he has to offer to the blues music scene. Nichols finds himself drawn to black people’s influence on music, specifically within his genre, and the idea of keeping the origins of a genre alive while continuing to create a modern sound is something that stuck with Nichols.
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#5
Trombone Shorty
Lifted
Blue Note Records
April 29, 2022
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews returns to the stage with his first album in 5 years and the follow-up to his Blue Note Records debut album Parking Lot Symphony. His newest album features special guest vocalist Lauren Daigle & guitarist Gary Clark Jr.. Shorty wanted to capture the energy of his legendary live shows in this album. Lifted combines classic New Orleans sounds with modern lyrics, melody, and beats to create something fresh & unique. On top of making music, he runs the The Trombone Shorty Foundation, which has helped schools across New Orleans receive quality instruments donated by Andrews personally. The Foundation's mission is "to preserve and perpetuate the musical heritage of a city where music is everything."
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#4
Colin Hay
Now and the Evermore
Compass Records
March 18, 2022
Now and the Evermore is a letter to Colin Hay from Colin Hay about enjoying his time on earth while he still has it. He captured his own struggle, loss, and mortality in his hometown of Los Angeles, heavily inspired by the Beatles made sweeter by featuring Ringo Starr on the title track. Now And The Evermore offers a deeply personal acknowledgement of the relentless march of time and a broader reflection on our shared humanity, reaching for the light no matter how dark things may get.
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#3
Aoife O’Donovan
Age of Apathy
Yep Roc Records
January 21, 2022
Aofie O’Donovan recorded her third feature album titled Age Of Apathy through a unique arrangement with Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. While in the studio she shares with her producer Joe Henry, she logged daily hours online with GRAMMY-nominated engineer Darren Schneider to get the album done. Her previous albums were composed and recorded in the rush between tours, but Age Of Apathy was more deliberate and methodical as it was made entirely amid the stillness of COVID.
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#2
Father John Misty
Chloë and the Next 20th Century
Sub Pop Records
April 8, 2022
Father John Misty returns with Chloë and The Next 20th Century, his fifth album and first new material since the release of God’s Favorite Customer in 2018. The new edition to his collection was written and recorded August through December 2020. His latest album is another collection of story-song vignettes; it feels and plays like an elaborate character study in the life of a hopeless romantic and his doomed romances with a whole series of women, starting with Chloë.
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#1
Bonnie Raitt
Just Like That…
Redwing
February 25, 2022
Six years since her last studio album, this veteran singer-songwriter and slide guitarist returns with a collection of robust rock that feels like deep dives into her older work. She started off the 1970s working in a folk-inspired blues style, changing ever so slightly with the times, and now she returns to her roots with her 18th studio album. After all of her successful albums, political activism, eight Grammy Awards, her 2000 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, her Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and her being the first female musician ever honored by Fender with a signature series of guitars, the thing she is still the most proud of is her receptive and loving fanbase of all ages and backgrounds.
