Love is in the air, and we're showing off which albums were the most loved on WDIY's airwaves!
Want to hear something specific on air? Feel free to call WDIY's studio line with a request at 610-694-8100 x1 or leave your picks on our Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, or Threads pages.
#10
Rickie Lee Jones
Pieces of Treasure
BMG/Modern Recordings
April 28, 2023
In her 15th studio album, Rickie Lee Jones celebrates a reunion with her lifelong friend and tried and true coworker, legendary producer Russ Titelman. Traditionally a jazz singer, Jones has never quite leaned into the title as much as she has before; the newest record is 10 covers from the Great American Songbook. While that in itself isn’t a very revolutionary concept as lots of talented performers have taken on the task before her, none have done it quite like Jones has. It’s not a retro flashback or a trip down 1970s nostalgia, but instead a more modern arrangement fashioned with Jones’ timeless vocals. The album was recorded at Sear Sound during a five-day stint in New York City.
_______________________________________________________________
#9
Lucinda Williams
Stories from a Rock n’ Roll Heart
Highway 20 Records
June 30, 2023
The triumphant 15th studio album by the American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams comes as a sort of victory lap: in the past three years, the legendary rocker has survived a tornado, a pandemic, and a stroke. Even though she can’t play guitar as a result of the stroke, she refuses to go down without a fight. She played more shows in 2022 than she has any year since 2017, except now she has a support team for touring and collaborating on songwriting instead of doing it all on her own. Her newfound love of being in the studio and working with other creatives has influenced her workflow so much that the sequel to this record is already done and set to release sometime in 2024.
_______________________________________________________________
#8
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Live in London
Alligator Records
January 5. 2024
Heralded as the next best thing in blues, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram gave us his first live album at the very beginning of 2024. This blues guitar sensation has had fans clamoring for more since his mid-2021 release of 662. For his live recording, the young legend brought his quartet to The Garage in London for an absolutely electric crowd. He exemplified his masterful control over his music while still being spontaneous and wild. At 16 songs and 109 minutes long, many fans would probably consider this show their dream setlist. And for anyone unlucky enough to have not attended in person, we now can have it in our hands to enjoy over and over again. All this fame and success and he’s only in his mid-20’s and has been forming for just about five years. We have previously featured Ingram with his rockstar debut album released in 2019.
_______________________________________________________________
#7
Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton
Death Wish Blues
Rounder Records
May 19, 2023
The first-ever collaborative album from Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton (not counting their 2022 EP) and produced by the legendary Jon Spencer, “Death Wish Blues” is born from a shared passion for pushing the limits and bending the rules of blues music. Death Wish Blues melds their eclectic tastes into a tracklist of songs both emotionally potent and wildly contagious that helps fulfill their shared longtime mission of opening up the blues genre to entirely new audiences. This is Kansas City native Samantha Fish’s 12th album as well as her fourth collaborative one. As for the Texas native Jesse Dayton, along with an impressive resumé of guitar features for the stars, this is his 17th album to date.
_______________________________________________________________
#6
Taj Mahal
Savoy
Stony Plain
April 28, 2023
Taj Mahal is often considered a still-living legend for his contributions to pop music, despite not really making what we would think of as pop music. Taj (or Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr.) has throughout his career pushed the envelope of Americana music by blending traditions with Caribbean, African, traditional blues, and jazz. He has won 4 Grammys from 15 nominations, was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, and presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. As the title of his newest record would assume you to believe, it’s a tribute to Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom and of the swing jazz big band era from the New York stomping grounds he was born from.
_______________________________________________________________
#5
The Parkington Sisters
Collide
Parkington Sisters/Sissy Fit Music
September 18, 2023
Five decades after their parents met over music, these unironically musically-inclined sisters give us their third full-length album. As if they were literally put on earth to make more music, the youngest sister out of three recently joined on board to help add to their ageless transcendent sound. Now, anyone out there with sisters is most likely blown away at the ability of three sisters to work together in such close quarters without quarrels; no matter how much you love them, sisters still have a particular fashion of fighting. While they admit they aren’t perfect, they also relish in being able to make music under such a unique dynamic. But Collide is truly a celebration of sibling unity. For Collide, Rose, Sarah, and Ariel wrote songs together every step of the way.
_______________________________________________________________
#4
Sarah Jarosz
Polaroid Lovers
Rounder Records
January 26, 2024
This release is the seventh full-length from this four-time Grammy Award-winner. Similar to the energy and nostalgia kept in a candid polaroid picture, Sarah aimed to capture the bittersweetness behind the seemingly innocent moments that end up changing our lives. Her thoughtful and purposeful lyricism accompanied by the skills only a multi-instrumentalist can have crafts the perfect soundtrack to such a specific sentiment. Jarosz began writing the album after she relocated from New York City to Nashville, which would of course spark some big emotions in any artist. She also took a leap of faith and brought on songwriters Daniel Tashian, Ruston Kelly, and Natalie Hemby to help and collaborate with, with Tashian ultimately producing the album. She’s on tour for the album with a few different touring partners and stopping off at a couple of different festivals, happening now until essentially the end of the summer.
_______________________________________________________________
#3
Bruce Cockburn
O Sun O Moon
True North Records
May 12, 2023
O Sun O Moon from the Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburnis a collection of 12 original songs that demonstrate songwriting and guitar-playing skills from more than 55 years of artistry and mastery. Along with the musical chops, Cockburn also uses his wisdom and age to write almost exclusively uplifting songs that tackle topics from politics and human rights to the environment and spirituality. Since his self-titled debut in 1970, he has won 13 Juno Awards, 22 assorted gold and platinum records, an induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, been made an Officer of the Order of Canada, among many other accolades.
_______________________________________________________________
#2
Van Morrison
Accentuate the Positive
VIRGIN RECORDS
November 3, 2023
This is the 45th studio album by the Northern Irish singer-songwriter. Yes, 45th album. What do you expect from someone who’s been making music and performing since the 1960’s? This is also his second album in 2023, following hand-in-hand with Moving On Skiffle, released in March. Just like its older sibling, Accentuate The Positive sees Van Morrison returning to one of his fondest childhood musical memories. While the last record was obviously all about skiffle (check out some of our older monthly articles to read more about it since it has been featured before), this time is all about rock n’ roll. Growing up in Belfast after World War II, Van Morrison was immensely inspired by the heady sounds of 20th century blues and rock n’ roll.
_______________________________________________________________
#1
Eli “Paperboy” Reed
Hits and Misses
Yep Roc Records
October 20, 2023
Eight albums deep in a nearly two-decade career, the earliest tracks on Reed’s Hits and Misses were made as early as 2009, following Reed’s career-launching album, Roll with You. The latest recordings were done in 2020, just before the release of his critically-acclaimed album of Merle Haggard songs, Down Every Road. Now, after all this time, we have a remastered collection of originals and covers from a variety of decades and genres. Due to how spread out the production was, the 11-track album even has features previously only available as 45 rpm singles at the merch table during Reed’s international tours.
