There have been a lot of downs in 2020, but thankfully, musically, there have been some ups to help try and balance some things out!
In this post I've got five favourite EPs, 10 favourite albums, and 12 honourable mentions listed. I've added a favourite song, and a little word about how I feel about the release, or something from the original review we posted, or both.
Some of these choices were easy to make. Some were harder. Some of the honourable mentions could easily have made the main list and some album and EPs not mentioned at all could have been added to the honourable mentions list. Hell, I'm sure I'll look back six months from now and there will be at least five more records that I'll kick myself for not having included.
HOWEVER, this post does represent my favourites of the year. In country, pop, rock, indie, etc. There are giant names and emerging artists. There are rootsy favourites and pop stars trying folky alternative and rock. There are hours and hours of music that you can dig into and enjoy if you want to do that.
And if you love music, then I recommend you give it a go.
All lists are in alphabetical order because I'm not good at ranking things based on my preferences alone (because I get self-conscious about it, and because I can never make up my mind about it). So scroll through. Have a look. Have a listen. Enjoy.
Honourable Mentions
Cam - The Otherside / Chris Stapleton - Starting Over / Dean Brody - Boys / Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia / Lauren Alaina - Getting Over Him / Moscow Apartment - Better Daughter / Robyn Ottolini - The I'm Not Always Hilarious EP / Run The Jewels - RTJ4 / Sam Roberts Band - All Of Us / Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin' Grass Vol. 1 / Taylor Swift - evermore / Whitney Rose - We Still Go To Rodeos
Top 5 EPs of 2020
Artist:
EP:Genre: Country
Release Date: October 30, 2020
Favourite Track: I Needed That
Thoughts: From the review - "As always, Hyatt is at his best when his heart is on his sleeve and he's pouring vulnerability and emotion through the speakers. And there's plenty of that on Neverland for those who want it."
Artist:
EP: Fingers Crossed
Genre: Country/Roots
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Favourite Track: Closer
Thoughts: From the review - "In the opening line of Closer, JJ immediately sets a scene that I can feel myself in just long enough ago to make it nostalgic, "Right about midnight, in the back of a bar where you could still smoke cigarettes," and then I'm all in and I think you will be too."
From JJ Shiplett, "Fingers Crossed is all heart. It's a collection of songs that I wrote, produced and put blood, sweat and tears into. All in hopes that someone listening, wherever they find themselves in life - can find connection in. That's always been my goal with music, find connection amidst the craziness around us."
Artist:
EP: Bridges
Genre: Country
Release Date: September 11, 2020
Favourite Track: Heaven Down Here
Thoughts: Calling Heaven Down Here my favourite track on Bridges isn't easy. And it's not because I don't LOVE it, it's that Black Like Me and What Are You Going To Tell Her?, and Bridges are also awesome and important and Mickey crushed all of them!
From the review - "Country music needed it. People needed it. And while it shouldn't have fallen on Mickey Guyton's shoulders to be the face of these messages in country music, she's here and she's doing it well."
Artist:
EP: California King
Genre: CountryRelease Date: April 3, 2020
Favourite Track: Local Singles
Thoughts: From the review - "And then at the end is Local Singles. I think it's a jam and a summer hit waiting to happen. This is a song that is made for live performances and the crowd coming together. But it's also made for best friends out for a night together to embrace as their anthem."
Artist:
EP: a constant state of improvement
Genre: Pop
Release Date: February 28, 2020
Favourite Track: betterman
Thoughts: From the review - " betterman is catchy as hell while also giving that introspective look inside. Maybe it came from him getting ready to turn 30. Maybe it came because songwriters know how to tap into the feelings that come from growth and discomfort. Whatever the reason, it works."
Top 10 Albums of 2020
Artist:
Album: Campfire Chords (Extended)
Genre: Alternative
Release Date: August 20, 2020
Favourite Track: A Little More
Thoughts: I like Arkells, my fiancee does too, and my kid is IN LOVE with them. So this is a band that gets played a lot at my place. And when A Little More came out with the extended version of the album, and I listened to it alone while Ollie was napping, I almost cried. All I want as a dad is to give him a little more than I had. That's the goal. They nailed it. And then add in Quitting You and the stripped-down takes on the classics, and Campfire Chords was a win in 2020.
From the review - "If you're looking for a nice warm hug from Arkells, Campfire Chords is for you. The album is a stripped down compilation of Arkells' most beloved songs."
Artist:
Album:Genre: Country
Release Date: October 9, 2020
Favourite Track: All Night
Thoughts: From the review - "The brothers pair their acclaimed voice (T.J.) and guitar work (John) and give us 12 tracks across nearly 40 minutes and you'll find yourself tapping your toes, singing along, and maybe even feeling like you want to shout a little hell ya while you listen. Get yourself started with All Night. Trust me."
Artist:
Album: Genre: Country
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Favourite Track: Don't Need The Whiskey
Thoughts: From the review - "From the top of the album to the bottom, Dallas gives fans more of what they love from him. It's a continuation of the connection that's been there since his debut in 2011, and even more so, the completion of the The Fall EP from spring 2019."
Artist:
Album: Genre: Rock
Release Date: June 12, 2020
Favourite Track: Funeral For A Lover
Thoughts: JJ WIlde is one of the biggest breakout stars of 2020 - and she should be - and I can't wait to see what's next!
From the review - "Across 11 songs and just under 40 minutes, Wilde goes hard, soft, parties, and makes you want to cry. And when you get to Funeral For A Lover, you better be ready to let it make you feel things. In talking to Apple Music about the album's songs, Wilde explained that the song was written about her ex-boyfriend and his struggle with mental health issues, and her struggle in their relationship."
From JJ Wilde, "I feel like this album perfectly represents the years of my life leading up to this moment and all of the changes that I have gone through, good and bad. Between struggling to pay bills working multiple dead-end jobs, toxic relationships beginning and ending, it's all in there. Ruthless will give listeners a first and very personal look into my mind, heart, and everything in between."
Artist:
Album: Three. Two. One.
Genre: Pop
Release Date: April 24, 2020
Favourite Track: Golf On TV
Thoughts: From the review - "With 13 tracks and clocking in at 43 minutes, Three. Two. One. is a full 'sit-down and listen' album. It's not over before you feel like it's even begun, it's not an EP that we're begging to be something more. It's the debut full-length album we were hoping as the follow-up to the Love, Me EP (2018). And it's the album she wanted to make, which is even more important."
Artist:
Album:Genre: Electronic
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Favourite Track: Up We Go (Remix)
Thoughts: Look, this album was a blessing in 2020. Sometimes all I want is a new spin on songs I already know. It's less work, it's easy entry to enjoyment, and these takes from Lights and MYTH on songs like Up We Go, they hit the spot to go along with the new songs on the album.
From the review - "What we get on Dead End (aside from fun) is a reminder that she's a hell of a writer, singer, and has the artistic flexibility and imagination to make something like this happen. And instead of this feeling like an easy release of remixes (which it could have), it feels like an entirely new project that deserves to be treated as such."
Artist:
Album: heart theory
Genre: Country
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Favourite Track: ReadY to love
Thoughts: From the review - "There's no two ways about it, heart theory has some very heavy ideas and stories and feelings involved. From the truly vulnerable make you to the anger in get oveR you, there's no mistaking it. But, that doesn't mean that this project was a drag. Lindsay told us that making music is one of her favourite things in the world, and the weight of heart theory didn't take away from that. She also said that she looks at these songs as 'Sangers' (sad bangers: "They're sad songs with heavier messages") that come with some big lyrics, but will also make you want to dance in your chair or car or kitchen or wherever you are listening."
From Lindsay Ell, "Making music is what I enjoy doing more than mostly anything in this world and so I've had so much fun putting this together... From the first track to the last track I really feel like this record makes people want to dance in your kitchen or your car or wherever you are listening to it and I hope that people can hear the enjoyment that I had recording this record and how much fun I had and they can have that much fun listening to it too."
Artist:
Album: Plastic Hearts
Genre: Pop
Release Date: November 27, 2020
Favourite Track: Edge Of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)(ft. Stevie Nicks)
Thoughts: Miley's constant reinvention as much a part of her career as any of her albums or singles - but on Plastic Hearts, she really went for it.
From the review - "I fully admit that I was exciting going into this album. And that can be a double-edged sword. I wanted to like it a lot. I wanted it to be awesome, but you can't always get what you want. So when I hit play and listened... I was happy, and maybe not surprised, and maybe not relieved, but satisfied and smiling."
Artist:
Album:Genre: Alternative
Release Date: July 24, 2020
Favourite Track: mad woman
Thoughts: This is my #1 album of the year. I'm not the only one that's going to say that in 2020, I know. But it's true. This album was all kinds of things I wanted from Taylor Swift from a songwriting and storytelling and sound perspective. And for her to drop it as a surprise, and then follow it up with the Disney+ doc, and to really just knock it out of the park - fantastic. Picking a favourite song to put in these notes was not easy. I'm still not sure I made the right choice - but I picked mad woman because I most often here "And there's nothing like a mad woman, What a shame she went mad, No one likes a mad woman, You made her like that" in my head.
From the review - "I certainly can't speak for Taylor Swift or her internal motives, but I think there's a very real chance that what this album represents is a chance for Taylor Swift to show that she is a storytelling songwriter and has those chops without a need for flashy pop production. We've seen it once in a while in her adult pop star life, and when she did it as a teenager it didn't have the life experience or weight behind it - which is why it all feels different and heavier now.
This is the closest to country songwriting that Swift has been on a complete album of her own since she left the genre. And if she never records another country album and instead goes back to a polished pop sound for the rest of her career, folklore should stand as the album we can all look at to show what she is very capable of as a songwriter and performer."
Artist:
Album: Tabasco & Sweet Tea
Genre: Country
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Favourite Track: Sabbath On Cornbread
Thoughts: Prepare to get a little funky!
From the review - "The Cadillac Three have become known for their loud sounds and live shows. They sound like a rock band, play like one, and sing country music while they do it. But this time, things have taken a turn. This is more funk and groove and flow than we're used to from TC3. (Don't worry, you can still hear the rock underneath it.) But with the country lyrics we're used to and love from the boys still right there to go along with the musical performances."
Also from the review - "If you like TC3 and getting high, I recommend doing so and listening."
