End of Year Roundup
Let's celebrate the year-end in proper TIH style: fun words, unique categories, and great music!
Welcome to the final year end post! (The other three are linked here.123) It has been a great year for the blog. We hit 1000 total views this year. That may not sound like much, but it’s a much larger number than the year previous. I considered writing a reflective postscript “State of the Blog” style thing recapping the year. I decided against it. Just know that I am very grateful to all those that have joined and hope to continue bringing fresh original content to your inboxes in 2023. And now, enjoy the big end of year recap!
~ Joe
2022 has been an interesting year in country music. I think for the most part, the story of country music is told by mainstream country, and in spite of the abnormally incredible year of Zach Bryan, I continue to think as such. The case for this take is simple. Even though in the past few years streaming outpaced radio as the primary mechanism of musical listening, that doesn’t even out all of the institutional advantages of labels. Label controlled playlists on Spotify, or having the ability to have targeted duets that can land on multi-genre playlists (if you’re wondering why all of your favorite mainstream artists and country have had at least one or two duets with pop stars, this is why) all juice streaming numbers and maximize reach. Plain and simple, money matters. Marketing matters. Even a failed mainstream artist who was dropped after a failed album or two puts up streaming numbers similar to acclaimed independent artists.
You might ask me why it matters what most people are listening to? If you care about the quality and the style of music, the independent scene is churning out top quality music. Clearly country isn't dead. My response is simple. What will the next generation of country artists sound like? It is quite rare to grow up with the sound in the background being Sturgill Simpson. It is far more likely the soundtrack will be Jason Aldean. The reach of mainstream country makes that a near cinch. To no surprise, should you ever hop onto TikTok and see the videos of country music reared teenagers identifying “real” country vs. “fake” country, you will see that per them, hard rock Aldean styled guitars are viewed as quintessentially country. Now I can shake my fist at the clouds and insist upon the qualifier of country- rock, but it doesn’t matter. The war is lost. It is great that the Broken Spokes make fantastic, genuine old-school country music, but that is not the input that will stimulate the next generation. The mainstream matters deeply. Therefore, I think the story of 2022 is predominantly told by mainstream country music.
The pleasantly surprising thing I discovered upon investigating the output of Nashville country in 2022, is that although the hoped corporate takeover of Nashville by independent country or the wished for growth of other centers of country music to surpass Nashville hasn’t happened, the growth of the independent scene does seem to be having a noticeable impact. Whether that’s attributable to current factors such as the organic musical template of the Yellowstone-core aesthetic or the popularity of Zach Bryan or the more likely long term factors such as the long simmering and no longer ignorable growth of the alternative scenes, I can’t say for certain. We may not have gotten the promised four horsemen of the 2016 neotraditional apocalypse (Jon Pardi, Midland, William Michael Morgan, Mo Pitney) storm down the gates and forcibly take Nashville back to the 1990’s, but it is clear we have seen a noticeable increase in organic textures and country instrumentation on radio. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s hope 2023 builds on this and advances forward.
In lieu of a top ten albums list, similar to last year, we are going to highlight some impactful albums throughout the year and give a one word descriptors. We're doing a baker's dozen this time around.
Lainey Wilson- Bell Bottom Country
Spunky
Jo Smith- Wyoming
Delicate
Jamestown Revival- Young Man
Ethereal
Bri Bagwell- Corazón y Cabeza
Observational
Drake Milligan- Dallas/Fort-Worth
Rollicking
Miranda Lambert- Palomino
Wandering
Brennen Leigh- Obsessed With The West
Evocative
William Beckmann-Faded Memories
Mellifluous
Jon Pardi- Mr. Saturday Night
Jaunty
Pat Green- Miles and Miles of You
Confident
Luke Combs- Growin’ Up
Stolid
Wade Bowen- Somewhere Between the Secret and the Truth
Satisfying
Gabe Lee- The Hometown Kid
Weathered
The TIH podium:
Gold Medal Album of the Year
The Wilder Blue- Self Titled
This album was at the top of my list right when it dropped. Unlike other albums, it has not fallen off one bit throughout the year. The combination of infectious energy, outstanding musicality, and fresh perspective in the storytelling has made this my go to album of 2022. The song to song quality on the album is remarkable. I easily could have picked any one out of half a dozen songs on this album as my song of the year.
Silver Medal Album of the Year
Ronnie Criss- Highways
A tremendous surprise. Criss came out of nowhere and delivered one of the most consistent and cohesive albums of the year. No one has grappled with the contradictory idea of the highway better. Creation and destruction. Journey or escape. Loneliness or comfort. Purgatory or redemption. These themes all are painted in exquisite detail by the lovely warmth of Criss’s vocals and the excellently crafted country/classic rock fusion.
Bronze Medal Album of the Year
Randall King- Shot Glass
An immensely satisfying album full of warm tones and smooth neotraditional accompaniment. King explores classic topics with fresh perspectives. No track takes the same angle. King croons, belts, and harmoniously glides his way through a variety of tunes, tempos, moods and vibes with seasoned excellence. Musically it brings the best of Nashville professionalism and session musician talent to the forefront and it really stands out as being among the best arranged and produced albums put out all year.
EP of the year
Graycie York- Sad Bird
Duh. The least surprising choice on this whole list. Although to be fair, Randall King's Honky Tonk BS made a valiant effort late in the year.
Time for some awards:
Best Old Discovery
Jim Reeves- Good n’ Country (1963)
Man did he have pipes. Smooth and melodic. The song before I died is haunting considering the tragic ending to his life. Really enjoyed the old school stereo presentation with the choir and instruments being predominantly on different sides of the head. A refreshing change from modern production styles.
Biggest Opinion Change
Cole Swindell- Head Carolina
When it first came out, I was not a fan. “Just listen to the original, why listen to a derivative imitation turned into a lazy wannabe hookup song?” Then it became a monster on radio and I found myself not changing the station whenever it came on. It is catchy and embraces the fun of the original song without crossing the line into overt plagiarism. A good balance and an excellent song for a radio single.
Best New Discovery
Matt Castillo- How the River Flows
I love Texas country. I especially love it when the music feels like it comes from Texas. A little Ranchero or Tejano sprinkle grounds the record with a distinctive sense of place in a really authentic way. I especially loved how instead of releasing a follow up album, he instead did a seperate follow-up EP. More should follow in that route.
Best New Artist
Ronnie Criss
See album runner-up
I'm gonna flex a little for having William Beckmann in this slot on my 2021 list. Seems him and Drake Milligan (who incidentally also was on last year's list) really popped off this year. It's always fun to be early on an artist who then pops off.
Huh?
Elle King- Jersey giant
The mere existence of this song is very peculiar
Where Did He Go?
Matt Stell
For a guy 6’7, you'd think he'd stick out of the crowd a bit more. Dude just disappeared after a couple smash singles.
Best Frankenstien Country Song
Scottie Mcreery- Damn Strait
See it’s not just that he has an actual storyline in the song that uses George Strait as an actual plot point. It’s that the song is heavily reminiscent of what an actual George Strait song sounds like. That's not as easy to do as it seems. Especially when you also want to have it perform on 2022 radio.
Strawberry Sugar Wine
Lainey Wilson- WatermelonMoonshine
Despite the title sounding like a YouTube mashup of Deana Carter’s iconic Strawberry Wine and Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar, this is great.
Strongest Region
Texas. Or my strong Lone Star State bias is showing. Idk.
I Don’t Get It
William Clark Green- Baker Street Hotel
I was reliably informed by more than a few people that this album was a can’t miss, easy top ten album of the year. I gave it a listen and… it was fine? I don’t see what the big deal was. Maybe I missed something thematically or something.
Comeback Player of the Year
Keith Urban
Started off the year with Wild Hearts as his single. He then released 2 more songs off his presumed upcoming album. Brown Eyes Baby and Street Called Main. They are both excellent doses of the sugary cheerful pop rock Urban of yore that we have rarely seen since the Fuse era.
Failed Comeback Player of the Year
Shania Twain
I mean did you hear that song?
I'm In Between (yes that’s a Scotty McCreery reference)
Maren Morris- Humble Quest
Caught smack dab in between everything. Not pop enough for fun pop. Not sophisticated enough for solemn Americana. Not deep enough to sink your teeth into nor shallow enough to just chill with the vibes.
I Wish I Forgot This Album
Thomas Rhett- Where We Started
This album broke me. It is a mess through and through on almost every level. Yes, there are some songs that are halfway decent, but overall, nothing was as painful and grating in my ears as this mess. Also, they literally wasted Katy Perry on this rubbish?!
The Album You Probably Didn't Know About But Really should Add to Your Library After You Finish This Post
Courtney Patton- Electrostatic
Experimental and TBH It Works
Kane Brown- Different Man
I didn’t find the album to be that good. Too long and unwieldy without enough to say. However, the experimental aspects meld together nicely and really showcase a unique take on pop-country. As an album- 6/10. As an experiment- 8/10.
Experimental and TBH It Flops
Joshua Hedley- Neon Blue
The experiment is to try to make a middling and perfectly period accurate 90’s country album and see how far nostalgia gets you. The answer is, not far.
My Spotify Wrapped Number One
Eddie Rabbitt- Rocky Mountain Music
Oh man, is this an absolute jam. I plan on making a post about this some time in the future. Perhaps the perfect pop country song.
Let's Be Honest, Lyrics are Overrated. Just Do the Bare Minimum and That's Enough
The Cactus Blossoms- Everybody
A fantastic tight 30 minute charmer of an album that heavily pulls from vintage soft rock sounds. Think the Everly brothers, but they're from Minneapolis in the 2020’s. Decidedly on the Americana side of my listening. This song really emphasizes the strength of emotion that vocals can convey regardless of lyrical content. The actual lyrics are sparse and somewhat basic. However, the song coalesces around the three singers (the two brothers and a feature) and paints a rich picture in spite of (or because of) the lack of extensive lyricism.
Is This a New Album?
Jason Aldean- Georgia
The future is a purely AI generated SiriusXM channel solely cranking out endless amounts of “SiriusAI in the style of Jason Aldean” music. For all we know it's already here. Lord knows you wouldn't know any different from listening to this album.
Quick moment of silence… Another year has passed without new Frankie Ballard music…..
Best Alt-country Project
The Vandoliers- Self-Titled
I generally don't find myself reaching for alt-country much. I find them often to be mediocrely mixed and cacophonous with “edgy” themes ripped from punk that I just don't connect to on an emotional level. This was the first alt-country album in a while that properly clicked. Something about the restless and ever-present rock energy humming all throughout the album left me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's riotous and explosive fun. I tried the new Hellbound Glory as well this year and it was good. This was in a different league.
The Undeniable
Zach Bryan
Nothing else to say. If your head was under a rock this year, then you have about 60 songs to catch up on.
Best Duet
Hardy ft. Lainey Wilson- Wait in the Truck
Well not necessarily, but I just wanted to talk about this song since it was cut off my top 25. Can we just all agree that this is basically just a meta-bro retread of Brantley Gilbert's Read Me My Rights? The redneck vigilante premise of the song only lands because of the work Hardy has put into crafting his hyperreal, I'm rednecker then you, Nickelback meets peak bro era Jason Aldean persona. He did a great job executing that pivot.
Best Road Trip/Driving Album
Randy Rogers Band- Homecoming
This was a tightly fought battle between Homecoming and Broken Neon Hearts. My ideal road trip album is an album that emphasizes sonic consistency and a similar vibe all throughout. No dramatic lyrically or sonic tonal shifts to throw you off when you're in a groove on the road. The RRB album was just a cut above. Super consistent all throughout and a real exhibition of who the band is. It's maybe the most true to self the band has ever sounded.
Best Christmas Song
49 Winchester- Damn Darling
If Die Hard is a Christmas movie, then this is a Christmas song.
Apparently Macklemore makes country music now?
David Morris- Dutton Ranch Freestyle
If you have memories of that weird 2008-2013 period when Macklemore was a thing then you'll derive tremendous ironic enjoyment from this. Otherwise stay far away.
Now I Get It
Gabe Lee- The Hometown Kid
For whatever reason, Gabe Lee's previous music never connected with me. Farmland was too sparse. Honky tonk hell too intense. This was the goldilocks album for me and I finally got the hype. Really fantastic record that I could see myself growing on even more in the future.
Best Sing- along Moment
The Vandoliers- Bless Your Drunken Heart
Listen to it once and you'll agree.
Best Bassline
The Wilder Blue- Feeling the miles
It's a thick groove. An outlier on the brighter acoustic textures (like generally the album is swamped in gorgeous dobro and banjo tone) but a very welcome one. It may sound odd at first but it's an irresistible earworm.
Best Song Title
Drake White- Pawn Shop Rings and Doublewide Dreams
See, you don't even need to listen to the song to know exactly what it's about. It is just as good, if not better than you imagine. I really loved almost every song off Drake White’s The Optimystic. Just had a few too many misses for year end. Still there's some great cuts on there.
Crunchy Grooves….But Nothing Else
Thousand Horses- Broken Heartland
Dave Cobb knows how to make southern rock sound good. Pity it's wrapped around such a basic shell of a record. I know it's been a while since Thousand Horses was relevant, but I was disappointed nonetheless.
Braggadocious But Charming
Pat Green- April 5th
Pat Green has had quite the career arc. His new album, the first in six years, really hearkens back to the best of what made Pat Green so fun when he first burst on the scene. It's not the full throated neotraditional country that he originally made his mark with, but the freewheeling witty charm is back in full force. Of course, the humor is “Dad-centric” now, but you can't blame him. He is 50 after all. (Mind you, still five years younger than Keith Urban who incidentally is older than Thomas Rhett's father.)
😢
Randall King- I'll Fly Away
You don't even need the heartbreaking back story of Randall King's older sister tragically passing away leaving over a young family for this song to inject you directly in the feels. Add the back story and it's elevated to a chillingly personal message of sorrow, hope, and faith.
There's a Tear in Your Beer, and You're Crying For Her Dear, She is on Your Lonely Mind…
She's Why I Drink Whiskey - Ronnie Dunn
Why get new guys attempting to imitate the whiskey soaked tear in your beer 90’s classics when Ronnie Dunn is still here cranking out would've been classic tearjerkers?
Dad Joke of the Year
Jake Bush- Talk 90s To Me
Can I prove that this Texas country jam is a tongue in cheek reference to the 80s classic Talk Dirty to Me? Nah. But I'm gonna maintain that fact as my headcanon. (This award was inspired by the severely misunderstood, tongue in cheek Alan Jackson song, Back. If you missed that it was poking fun at Justin Timberlake, well now you know.)
I hope you enjoyed spending 2022 with Today I Heard. For all the new subscribers accumulated throughout the year, I greatly thank you for joining. Feel free to peruse the archives for interesting posts you may have missed4. After a year or two things start to accumulate. To all the old ones, thank you for sticking around.
Enjoy the rest of the holiday season and stay warm,
Joe
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