Shelby Lynne’s 2008 album Just a Little Lovin’ is a tribute to Dusty Springfield, with Lynne covering nine songs popularized by the late English chanteuse.
Lynne drew comparisons to Springfield after her 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne (a great one to check out if you haven’t already) and was later encouraged by Barry Manilow, of all people, to record a collection of Springfield’s songs. Lynne shelved the idea but returned to it several years later.
This track, from Lucinda Williams’ 2001 album Essence, is a perfect example of that record’s spare, haunting loveliness.
Like many songs on the album, ‘Are You Down’ has few lyrics and a whole lot of atmosphere. The interplay of guitar and drums on this track has a distinct Dire Straits vibe, which is certainly a good thing in my book.
Beyoncé’s Lemonade is more than a great collection of songs (though it is that). It is a personal and political statement, at once deeply confessional and universally deep. It is also a “visual album” that links its tracks with spoken-word poetry and mesmerizing visuals.
It’s a project only an artist with the confidence and swagger of Beyoncé could pull off. And pull it off she does, beautifully.
I’ve noted that several artists on this list have had a lean decade, production-wise. Fiona Apple takes first prize in that regard, releasing only one album over the last ten years, 2012’s The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do.
Most people just call it The Idler Wheel.
Brandi Carlile is the artist on this top 20 list I discovered most recently. I started hearing praise for her 2018 album By the Way, I Forgive You in spring of that year and fell in love with it as soon as I played it.
As with Jason Isbell, I immediately dove into Carlile’s back catalog and discovered she’s been putting out great music for 15 years. Incidentally, Carlile is a member of the all-woman supergroup The Highwomen, who released their debut album this year, along with Isbell’s wife, Amanda Shires.
Meet Me In Montauk 