The year is rapidly coming to an end. List season is in full season. I have a complicated relationship with lists. To be frank, I don't like them. Being cursed with the inability to think about anything on a shallow level, when attempting to rate or rank things, I get caught up in minutia and overcomplicate things. Also, in the attempt to be thorough and comprehensive, I end up chasing the next wave of releases ad infinitum. The chase is fun and nothing compares to the thrill of the catch. However, when I look back over times spent attempting to gain a knowledge of the vast swaths of music, I feel more removed from the actual music. As a child of the ipod/ mp3 player generation, things were very simple. You could fit a few hundred songs maximum on the device and you played those songs all day every day until you got a new cd for your birthday. The music became part of you. Perhaps the balance was heavily skewed towards the repetition and absorption side more than the discovery side. However, completely flipping the dynamic on its head and focusing solely on discovery uproots the depth of connection that repeated listening to limited libraries creates. The Swifties and Zach Bryan superfans manage to preserve this dynamic despite the medium shift to streaming. Perhaps we can learn from them what it means to connect to music in the deeper fashion we did before the streaming rat race caught up with us.
Consequently, I do not intend on ranking these 25 songs I have chosen to highlight. I would urge you against even considering these songs as my “top 25” songs of the year. I’m splitting the difference between a cop-out and a more holistic approach to end of year material. They will be listed in alphabetical order with a short blurb attached.
This approach is predicated on a simple question. What even is the point of a list? Because of the arbitrary earth circling large gaseous ball thing we do, any album or song recommended on an end of year list will most likely not get the attention it needs to hold up against the coming post holiday onslaught of fresh music. Instead of fruitlessly advocating in the vein of top x songs from 2022 that you must hear before you die, I’m simply going to jot down a list of songs. Some of them I like because they are exceptional. Some because they are surprising. Some because they nailed a very distinctive vibe. Some because of what they say. I am not interested in quantifying what is better and what isn’t. That’s not the way I like to think. Each of these discoveries over the year 2022 contributed an aspect to my broader musical experience that I appreciated. I am merely collecting them into a page to recollect about some small part of the year in song, and so that if anything here stands out, you can see if that compelling kernel catches your eye too.
Without further ado: Songs that Caught Joe’s Eye- 2022 edition (All songs are linked in a Spotify playlist at the bottom of the post)
Ballad of a Retired Man
Ian Noe dropped an absolute masterpiece detailing the tragedy of a man condemned by an illness that steals his golden years from him, putting into question all that led up to it. Haunting and poignant. The starkest arrangement on a song I've heard all year and it is perfectly arranged to match the topic and tone of the song.
Blood River Baptist Church
Tony Logue (found this due to the great work by Zack Kephart over at the musical divide, check him out if you haven't yet) details the intimate relationship with institutions that humans develop as they grow alongside the institutions. Cradle to grave has never been more apropos. The more I think about the song, the more I find it to be about as profound a statement on human nature as 3 minutes can give you.
Build Your Wings
Wilder Blue brings bluegrass frenzied energy to a rock concert and fleshes out the leap of faith required for genuine connection to flourish. Sometimes you gotta build your wings on the way down. Can't think of anything more on the nose written all year. Commitment and fulfillment are inextricably linked to one another. Zane Williams follows in the weltanschauung of the famed philosopher Ron Swanson, “Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing”
Country Outta My Girl (ft. Rivers Cuomo)
Morgan Evans (presumably singing about his now ex-wife. That didn't age well) partners with Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) on an ode to their better halves. Joyously relishing in the common humanity with a big dose of wit, this pop country song brings great cheer whenever it turns on. How can you not like a song with the line “Kurt Cobain down country roads” in it?
Danced All Night Long
All hail William Beckmann. This song astonished me when I first heard it. The maturity and suave graceimbued in the song belies the young years of Mr Beckman. I don't think I've heard anyone present a love song of this caliber so excellently since George Strait. The touch of Spanish adding a splash of additional color and texture is just the icing on the cake.
Flag on the Wall
By Chris Janson. Many songs try to reflect rural life. I don't live in the country, so to me most of the songs blur into a mush of lists of things without coalescing into an actual human image. No song humanizes and fleshes out the realities quite like this ballad. Listen to songs like this if you find yourself not understanding the current strain of rural and right wing populism that's been gaining steam these days.
Give Me a Sunrise
Braxton Keith feels like the next big thing about to come from Texas. This song might be the one to do it. A warm refined baritone with just a hint of gravel. Classic country sounds are tempered with warm acoustics for immensely satisfying results. Boilerplate love song writing, but the pizzazz in the vocal and deep attention to detail in the instrumentals make this stand out. Watch out for Braxton Keith. I have a feeling this won't be the last you hear from him.
Harder Stuff
By Adam Hood ft. Miranda Lambert. Miranda is always fire on her duets. This world weary tune embraces the trope of alcohol as being the hard stuff, but flips it on its head and instead conveys a deeply satisfying and human approach to adversity, resilience, and motivation. Also, it sounds fantastic. Miranda is in top form and Adam Hood is no slouch himself.
Hating Everything She Tries On
Drake Milligan possesses a rich baritone and wry humor. Via observational humor, Milligan brings out the inherent comedy in the relatable girlfriend/wife hating everything that she tries cliche and also manages to merge it into an adorable little love song. A fun track, but one that manages to improve upon relistening. It ain't no gimmick, it's the real thing.
I'm Just a Clown
Charlie Crockett has a knack for exposing the insecurities lying just beneath the surface in our society. This song works as a metaphor for so much. Crockett completely understands the character and the dark reservations within and brings them out par excellence. The arrangements are the perfect blend of vintage and modern and are nuanced and complex. It is a fantastic sonic and topical throwback.
Jersey Giant
By Elle King. The most unexpected song released in 2022. Coming off of a turn of decade Katy Perry pop anthem with banjo sounding number one in Drunk and I Don't Want to Go Home, the former pop singer goes out and records a Tyler Childers song. This isn’t Connor Smith covering Feathered Indians. This is different, an unreleased Childers live cut. Her raspy huskier register works very well here and the instrumentals are extremely country. As to be expected from a Childers song, the writing is extremely evocative. The most incredible thing about the song is quite simply its very existence.
Mockingbird
By Lowgap. Shoutout to Grady Smith. Surprisingly excellent given the young age and the minimal production capabilities of the artist. The lonesome tone of the lead singer and excellent guitar picking make a song that is both infectious and catchy but also disheartening and lonesome. I really love the energy on this one and I could see these kids really advancing this up-tempo rustic sound into something very distinctive and noteworthy going forward. The hopeful future of Gen Z country.
Nothing but Love Songs
Randy Rogers Band may not reinvent the wheel with technically advanced or impeccably written material, but I love when such a classic trope - listening to the radio and just the right/wrong song plays- is handled so satisfactorily. “Ain't there a DJ with a broken heart” is such a straightforward but heartfelt line into the emotions of the protagonist.
Outrunning Your Memory
Luke Combs finally partners with another star to create a great duet. Each singing partner plays the role of one of the characters with responsiveness in the verse and despite lacking innovative wordplay, both succeed at illuminating the life, thoughts, feelings, and story arc of these characters. They are real 3-D pictures by song's end.
Raised On Red
By Heath Sanders featuring Justin Moore. This song is very very basic, but it absolutely rocks, slaps, and hits harder than (the proverbial) pawpaws belt. It's not easy for a vocalist to match the power of thunderous percussion and guitars that push this song firmly into hard rock territory. These two guys have some of the strongest pipes in the game now. The energy is top shelf.
Sad Bird
By Graycie York. Well, we couldn't devote an entire post to this EP and not have a single song listed here. Everything that could possibly be said in praise of this song and the other three that compose the EP has been said, suffice it to say that it is haunting, aching, raw and beautiful. If there's one project this year that I could convince anyone to listen to, it would be this.
Santa Cruz
Jon Pardi is surprisingly excellent at making not just traditional country that will make George Strait proud but also excellent pop country. Rollicking percussion, thick guitars, and plenty of fiddle and steel for texture. The hook is irresistible and the charisma undeniable. Ironically this pop-country outlier is the song I return to most on the project.
Shot Glass
Randall King is solemnly reflective and thoughtful when he ponders the nature of life using the medium of a shot of whiskey to creatively expound upon these ideas. My favorite song on the album that wasn't pre-released in 2021. Shot Glass expands and tweaks a classic trope in masterful fashion. In a genre full of songs about alcohol, this one is a few cuts above.
Sunset Carousel
David Nail brings his melancholic and somber vocal work to picturesquely detail a summer past and a relationship past. The ability to sing, and reflect on something with both happiness and sadness simultaneously is the hallmark of an excellent emoter. Nail is among the best at this and if you can overlook the somewhat basic pop-country arrangements, you will see that he still has it.
The Optimystic
Drake White's triumphant return album after his life-threatening health issues nearly derailed everything featured this as the title track. It is a cheerful ode to the power of optimism from a man who was beaten down nearly to the point of giving up. The message resonates deeply and White’s rich voice brings out every ounce of emotion within. Also the groove is awesome.
Unwanted Man
Aaron Watson delves deep into his own personal insecurities, and brings them into the light in a remarkable tribute to his significant other. He details the inner fears that many men deal with. He peels back the societally dictated fake confidence that all men put on outside of the household, and there’s something very brave and comforting about that.
Whiskey and Eggs
Josh Tobias paints this song with a lovely neo-traditional canvas. He details the strange feelings of the morning after a breakup from the diner that he eats at every morning. “Darling, forget the usual, this time I’ll have the whiskey and eggs”. Honestly, not sure if this song is a satire of modern country songwriting or if it’s meant to be 100% straight and narrow. Regardless, it’s remarkably effective.
While She's Mine
Paul Bogart is one of the most underappreciated neo-traditional artists coming out of Texas. There’s been so many times that I wanted to talk about his music. Here's my opportunity. This song is a captivating father-child song. Every phrase makes clearly evident the depth of the relationship and the love and affection only a father can have to his children. It’ll make you think warmly and fondly of your parents and if you are a parent, it will make you think warmly and fondly of your children.
Wyoming
By Jo Smith ft. Vince Gill. Come for the remarkable vocals and lovely arrangements and production and then stay for the wonderfully unique take on “the cowboy rides away” trope. The cowboy boyfriend was torn between her and the wide open spaces of Wyoming and Smith grapples with the feeling of competing not with a person but with an idea. Vince Gill harmonies are just the icing in the cake.
Are there any takeaways from this list? I think there are a few. I generally am a sound over lyrics type of guy, but the songs that stick the most have both. It seems this year I was drawn specifically to songs that aren't discussing unique ideas, but instead offer a fresh twist on an older, more classic trope of the genre. There was not a lot of overlap with my favorite albums this year. I think that is because with albums, I tend to prefer very cohesive projects that share a robust and sonically consistent presence. That tends to not produce outlier songs as frequently. Or so is my theory.
I think the songs listed here provide a good balance between the various regions and financial setups of country music. Texas/Red Dirt, Nashville, Appalachia, Tiktok, independent, record label etc. are all represented. The only imbalance is that there aren’t many songs that are on radio. There are two reasons why. Firstly, many songs on radio that I enjoyed this year were actually 2021 releases. Til I Can't is an obvious example. The other reason is that I often find album cuts to be more compelling. Radio singles are curated for mass appeal and even the best among them err on the broader side of storytelling. That makes for an excellent listening partner on a commute. However, in my spare time, I have found that songs with specific touches to the writing click better.
You may have noticed that there were only 24 songs listed. I decided to save the best for last. I hereby present to you the Today I Heard Song of the Year:
Hummingbird- Shane Smith and the Saints
I knew this song had a great chance at being my song of the year as soon as I heard it. I was up late that Thursday night and I just have played the song half a dozen times. It was my soundtrack that accompanied me throughout the year. The song is technically very sound. I greatly appreciate their near operatic manner in which the song was carefully crafted and arranged. However, I don’t think mere technical details are really what makes this the song of the year. This song clicked with me more than any other. I’m not sure I can pinpoint why. I’m not sure I need to either. In a subjective hobby devoted to enjoying pretty noises, these pretty noises provided the most enjoyment. Sometimes, we need to let music be music and nothing more.
Thank you for reading. If you had any favorites that you think I'd like or that you just want to evangelize, leave a comment below. Please share with a friend if you enjoyed.
Joe