Mid-Year Review: Favorite Albums of 2016 So Far

Seems people love lists and since it is mid-year I thought I'd give you my five favorite albums so far. Granted, it's impossible to give every album released a listen, but out of the ones I have listened to (either to review or for pleasure) these are my favorites and the ones I listen to almost daily. Leave your favorites, and suggestions of the records people need to check out, in the comments below.

Ryan Beaver's 'Rx' Hands down my favorite album of the year so far.  Anchored by the hopeful resilience of “Dark” and the melancholy nostalgia and idealism of “If I Had A Horse,” Rx is replete with songs that are lyrically and sonically compelling, interesting, effective, and universally relatable. Beaver, who co-wrote nine of the twelve tracks, brings insight to a myriad of emotions including sentimentality, innocence, and longing and merges them with a welcome, edgy frankness; successfully conveying sentiments to either male or female in “a-ha” moments that have you realizing he nailed it. 

The Honeycutters On The Ropes On The Ropes is brimming with affecting, relatable, and on point lyrics beginning with the title track whose opening line “I’ve been making something out of nothing for a long time now” provides the definitive statement of a woman who has lived and lost, but gained a security with herself and an ability to get through the tougher times. It’s not just Platt’s ability to tap into emotions and experiences so keenly that makes On The Ropes so special, the band’s tight musicianship brings Platt's lyrics to new heights. 

Randy Rogers Band Nothing Shines Like Neon Unmistakably Randy Rogers Band, Nothing Shines Like Neon is brimming with earnest lyrics, meaningful (and occasionally downright fun) melodies and appearances by Alison Krauss and Jerry Jeff Walker. It’s traditional, it’s country and it shines bright as one of the best of 2016.​

Henry Wagson After What I Did Last Night… Wagon's album recounts a life filled with good times, dark times, mistakes, new life and most importantly, love. It’s oft-times dark, yet utterly original, and wicked cool.

Dolly Shine Walkabout "Disciple of the highway” sings Zack McGinn on Dolly Shine’s current single, “Rattlesnake,” one of the nine tracks that comprise the Stephenville, Texas’s band’s [which also includes Wesley Hall, Johnny Goodson, Jerrod Flusche, and Ben Hussey] latest release, Walkabout. Visualized as a concept album, the project is a wanderer’s diary of nine well-crafted tales dealing with relationships, murder, desolation, and lonesomeness. From the gritty opener, “Blackbird,” which comes out guns a blazing, Walkabout’s songs are candid and uncomplicated, emphasizing the quintet’s tight musicianship and a production that while polished, retains an edgy sheen.

Others: Jared Deck (Self-Titled), Emily Duff (Go Tell Your Friends), Aubrie Sellers (New City Blues), Bonnie Bishop (Ain't Who I Was) & Aaron Einhouse (It Ain't Pretty)