Best Songs of 2015 – #12
‘Blank Space’ – Ryan Adams
When I reviewed Ryan Adams’ song-for-song recreation of Taylor Swift’s smash hit 1989, I predicted that ‘Blank Space’ would end up on my best-of song list two years in a row by two different artists. Good call.
Adams turns the track into a gentle, breathy ballad, sad where Swift’s (also excellent) version is slightly taunting.
Best Songs of 2015 – #13
‘Time’ – Josh Rouse
Josh Rouse has built a nice career through unorthodox means. Not many singer-songwriters head to Spain after their most successful album to learn a new language and start recording in it.
I don’t suspect that fame is a primary concern for Rouse. He just wants to make his music and earn enough from it to live and eat. He records for his own label and sells his albums primarily through his own and affiliated websites.
Best Songs of 2015 – #14
‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ – Coldplay
I recently wrote about my off-and-on relationship with Coldplay, stating that none of their albums has fully grabbed me since 2002’s A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Their 2015 release, A Head Full of Dreams, didn’t exactly buck that trend, but it is a solid listen. It’s the band’s “fun” record, following 2014’s break-up album Ghost Stories. It’s a sunny and buoyant collection — a cool glass of lemonade on a warm summer day.
Best Songs of 2015 – #15
‘Traveller’ – Chris Stapleton
Like the rest of the world, I was introduced to Chris Stapleton through his performance alongside Justin Timberlake on the Country Music Awards.
Stapleton has such a rich, powerful voice that it’s a mystery why he has toiled away as a writer of hits for other artists without earning much attention as a performer himself. But that all changed in November.
Lucinda Williams recently announced that her 11th studio album, titled The Ghosts of Highway 20, will drop on February 5th. Williams has been reasonably prolific, releasing an album about every other year since 2001’s Essence. That’s after taking 18 years to release her first four records.
I’ve wanted to do another song-by-song album review on the blog, and I think the new Williams album might be just the ticket.
Meet Me In Montauk 