THE
BEST OF 2024 IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JOHN BOMMARITO
It’s that
time of year again where I look back at all the releases I heard (key word
there, heard) in 2024. It’s not possible
for me to hear all the records I would like to hear. Especially since my access
to previewing albums for airplay has reduced drastically from where it was 5
years ago. Most of these records had to be purchased – NOT THAT I AM AGAINST
THAT – in fact I wish more people purchased an album from their favorite
artists. It might help bring concert ticket prices back to earth if you
actually did something other than stream music from your favorite artist. That
helps no one who makes art.
Per usual, I
spend time listening to each record and rate each song on a 1-10 scale.
Sometimes a song gets a plus (i.e. 6+ which I suppose is equivalent to a half a
point), At some point I should account
for that somehow in the future. I take
the number of total songs and divide by the total points and get a score
between 1 and 10. Occasionally the math
reveals that two or more albums have the same score. In case of a tie, that
results in the next position on the chart being eliminated. For example, if two
records have the same score at the number 6 spot that means there is no number 7
album of the year. Sensible, right?
Turns out this whole process and compiling this is rather time consuming
(and four records had the same score at #6)!
I also tend
to break things down into categories because all new releases are not created
equal.
First off COVERS
albums. It wouldn’t be fair to include a collection of covers in the same pool as
a batch of news songs, would it? This
year I kind of mixed in the EPs with the full lengths:
1-EVA CASSIDY-WALKIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT
2-ACCIDENTALS-COVER ART
3-ALARM-MUSIC TELEVISION - STEPPING BACK INTO THE FUTURE
4-RISING APPALACHIA-FOLK & ANCHOR
5-ALARM-MUSIC TELEVISION - STEPPING BACK INTO THE FUTURE
(BONUS DISC)
5-GOOD LOVELIES-ACOUSTIC COVERS
7-JON BATISTE-BEETHOVEN BLUES
8-CLARENCE PENN-BEHIND THE VOICE
8-LUCINDA WILLIAMS-LUCINDA WILLIAMS SINGS THE BEATES FROM
ABBEY ROAD
10-HALIE LOREN-DREAMS LOST AND FOUND
11-GARFUNKEL & GARFUNKEL-FATHER AND SON
12-APRIL VARNER-APRIL
13-ROBIN SIMONE-HOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRA
14-AMBER WEEKS-A LADY WITH A SONG AMBER WEEKES CELEBRATES
NANCY WILSON
15-JAKE SHIMABUKURO, MICK FLEETWOOD-BLUES EXPERIENCE
16-OVER THE RHINE-HYMN TIME IN THE LAND OF ABANDON
17-ANDREW BIRD & MADISON CUNNINGHAM-CUNNINGHAM BIRD
Reworkings
is a special
category I created this year instead of lumping them in with covers albums
because they are covering themselves. Only two this year, but it should be
noted that Liz Longley had the second highest score of any release this year.
1-LIZ LONGLEY-IT'S ME AGAIN
2-PETER MULVEY-MORE NOTES FROM ELSEWHERE
Next
it was Christmas albums, which are usually full of covers too (though Jimmy Fallon’s
really wasn’t, it was just silly fun).
1-JUDITH OWEN-SWINGS CHRISTMAS
2-BEN FOLDS-SLEIGHER
3-JIMMY FALLON-HOLIDAY SEASONING (DELUXE)
4-MILK CARTON KIDS-CHRISTMAS IN A MINOR KEY
5-APRIL VARNER-WINTER SONGS VOL. 1
6-LAILA BIALI-WINTERSONGS
7-JON MCLAUGHLIN-MOOD CHRISTMAS EDITION
Best
Live albums of 2024:
1-TEARS FOR FEARS-SONGS FOR A NERVOUS PLANET (TARGET
EDITION)
2-JUDITH OWEN-COMES ALIVE
3-CHICAGO-LOVE AT 55
4-OLIVIA VAN GOOR& HENRY FORD BIG BAND-LIVE AT HENRY
FORD COLLEGE
5-ELVIS COSTELLO-THE BOY NAMED IF (ALIVE AT MEMPHIS
MAGNETIC)
6-JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT-LIVE FROM THE RYMAN VOL 2
7-AL STEWART & THE EMPTY POCKETS-LIVE
Best EPs. Defined as 30 minutes or less. Dupont Phillips had the highest score of any
release in 2024. It’s a mix of originals and covers and it has my favorite
songs of the year, “Carole King”
1-DUPONT PHILLIPS-BIG SKY SESSIONS
2-FOREST BLAKK-UNDONE
3-RIN TARSY-THE ONLY WAY
3-WILSON THICKET-OFF THE EDGES
5-EMMALINE-THE TWO OF US
6-MOLLY TUTTLE & GOLDEN HIGHWAY-INTO THE WILD
6-U2-ZOO TV LIVE IN DUBLIN 19993
6-MIKE WARD PSYCHOSONGS-STILL TROUBLED
9-STAVES-HAPPY NEW YEAR
And
finally, the best albums I heard in 2024. In regards to everything you see
here, there was limited time to go back and re-review and album after my initial
determinations. Over time some of these will rise and fall, but this is what it
looks like today. This represents what I had time to hear and what I may have
purchased throughout the year. Sometimes when I see how it shakes out, I myself
am surprised that some records are as high or as low as they are, but math is
math:
1-SNOW PATROL-THE FOREST IS THE PATH
2-LAITH AL-SAADI-DON'T YOU GIVE UP ON ME
3-THE LUCKY NOWS-BROKEN HOMES AND HEARTS OF GOLD
4-ALAN DOYLE-WELCOME HOME
5-ARI HEST-THE TREEHOUSE PROJECT YEAR TWO
6-HAEVN-WIDE AWAKE
6-MAGGIE ROGERS-DON'T FORGET ME
6-KATIE PRUITT-MANTRAS
6-COLDPLAY-MOON MUSIC (FULL MOON EDITION)
10-JIM CUDDY-ALL THE WORLD FADES AWAY
11-DAMNWELLS-BAD AT BEAUTIFUL
11-ARI HEST-THE TREEHOUSE PROJECT YEAR ONE
13-JESSE TERRY-ARCADIA DEMOS
14-JAMES BAY-CHANGES ALL THE TIME
15-FOX AND BONES-LONG TIME HONEY
15-CASSANDRA LEWIS-SO BAD
15-ROUGH & TUMBLE-HYMNS FOR MY ATHIEST SISTER & HER
FRIENDS TO SING ALONG TO
18-JESSE TERRY-ARCADIA
19-HAYLEY REARDON-AFTER EVERYTHING
20-JO SERRAPERE-THE BEAUTIFUL ONES VOL. 2
20-MINDY SMITH-QUIET TOWN
22-EMMALINE-INDIANA SKIES (EXTENDED EDITION)
22-TAYLOR SWIFT-THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (THE
ANTHOLOGY)
22-ONEREPUBLIC-ARTIFICIAL PARADISE (TARGET EDITION)
25-WILD FEATHERS-SIRENS
25-HANSEROTH TWINS-VERA
25-COLLECTIVE SOUL-HERE TO ETERNITY
28-LENNY KRAVITZ-BLUE ELECTRIC LIGHT
29-JOHN RICHARD PAUL-THE ROAD OF LIFE
29-BRADLEY RHODES-LETTERS FROM VIRGINIA
31-DONAVON FRANKENREITER-GET OUTTA YOUR MIND
31-JOSH RITTER-HEAVEN OR SOMEPLACE NICE
33-WARREN HAYES-MILLION VOICES WHISPER
33-MAVERICKS-MOON & STARS
35-KASEY CHAMBERS-BACKBONE
36-SETH GLIER-EVERYTHING
36-NICHOLAS JAMES, AND THE BANDWAGON-WILD
36-GUSTER-OOH LA LA
36-AMYTHYST KIAH-STILL+BRIGHT
36-AMY SPEACE-THE AMERICAN DREAM
36-LINDSEY STIRLING-DUALITY (TARGET EDITION)
42-WILL KIMBROUGH-FOR THE LIFE OF ME
42-JO SERRAPERE-THE BEAUTIFUL ONES VOL. 1
44-SAMARA JOY-PORTAIT (JAPANESE EDITION)
45-ANNIE BACON-STORM
45-KACEY MUSGRAVES-DEEPER WELL
47-INGRID MICHAELSON-FOR THE DREAMERS
47-ABIGAIL STAUFFER & THE WISDOM-I AM SAFE
49-SPRINGTAILS-LIGHT OF THE MOON
50-JAMES-YUMMY (DIGITAL DELUXE VERSION)
51-PAULA COLE-LO
52-AMOS LEE-TRANSMISSIONS
52-STEVE TAYLOR THREE-TEMPORARY HEART
54-JIM BIZER-ABOUT TIME
55-DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS-STRANGERS NO MORE VOL 2
56-BETH HART-YOU STILL GOT ME
56-SUSAN WERNER-HALFWAY TO HOUSTON
58-VAMPIRE WEEKEND-ONLY GOD WAS ABOVE US (JAPANESE EDITION)
59-DONOVAN WOODS-THINGS WERE NEVER GOOD IF THEY'RE NOT GOOD
NOW
60-NICK LOWE-INDOOR SAFARI
61-NORAH JONES-VISIONS (TARGET EDITION)
62-HEATHER PIERSON-BACK TO THE LIGHT
63-KNOPFLER, MARK-ONE DEEP RIVER
64-AOIFE O'DONOVAN-ALL MY FRIENDS
65-ALTAN-DONEGAL
65-TRAVIS-L.A. TIMES (DELUXE)
67-CROWDED HOUSE-GRAVITY STAIRS
68-THE THE-ENSOULMENT
69-JON FOREMAN-IN BLOOM
69-THE CURE-SONGS OF A LOST WORLD
69-JD MCPHERSON-NITE OWLS
69-GILLIAN WELCH & DAVID RAWLINGS-EMPTY TRAINLOAD OF SKY
69-IMAGINE DRAGONS-LOON
