THE BEST OF 2025 IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JOHN BOMMARITO

 THE BEST OF 2025 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 HEARD) in 2025.  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.  There were definitely a handful of albums I didn’t hear that I am sure would have faired well on my chart. Albums from The Swell Season, Josh Ritter, Dawes, ZZ Ward, Geese & Suzanne Vega that might have faired well.  I just never acquired them.

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 which I should account for 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! It also can be flawed because an album with 10 songs could potentially have 2 songs I consider a 10 and eight songs I would rather not hear again and that record could have an overall score of 6 while another record of 10 songs could have 9 songs I rated a six and one a 5+ and have a lower score when in reality it’s a better record overall.

I also tend to break things down into categories because all new releases are not created equal.

Finally, I refuse to apologize for liking pop music.  Some of the artists you will see are mainstream pop artists and presumably I should be embarrassed to include them on my lists, but art is art. It’s up for an individual to decide what paintings, movies, tv shows, books, and yes music they like without worrying about whether someone else thinks it’s lame that they like something they think is bland or sappy or whatever they want to say. Your opinion is yours and mine is mine.  I don’t make fun of people who like music I think is absolute crap, I just choose to not listen to it. 

Onwards…

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 acquired far fewer covers albums than I have in previous years and separating jazz records into their own category shortened the list.

1--BARBARA STREISAND-THE SECRET OF LIFE PARTNERS VOLUME TWO

2--SISTER HAZEL'S KEN & DREW-LOST CASSETTE COVERS

2--PAUL CARRACK-THE COUNTRY SIDE OF PAUL CARRACK VOL 1

4--LIFE IN 3D-OLDIES

5--COLIN HAY-MAN@WORK VOLUME 2

6--CHRISSIE HYNDE & PALS-DUETS SPECIAL

7--PETER MADCAT RUTH & STEPHEN SEIFERT-THE LEXINGTON SESSIONS

8--PAUL WELLER-FINDING EL DORADO

 

My favorite overall covers record was actually an EP only released to supporters of Tony Lucca’s new record on Kickstarter.  It’s called Heirloom Covers.  It’s actually the highest scoring record overall in 2025 for me.  Sadly, I can’t recommend a place for you to buy or hear it.

Jazz records is a category that should probably have a lot more records in it, because I heard way more than the ones detailed here. These are just the ones that weren’t just heard at work, but also added to my personal collection.

1--SHOUT SECTION BIG BAND FEAT TATUM LANGLEY-SWINGIN' SESSIONS

2--HOLLY COLE-DARK MOON - DELUXE EDITION

3--EMMA SMITH-BITTER ORANGE

4--DEBORAH SILVER & THE COUNT BASIE ORCHSTRA-BASIE ROCKS

5--CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE-WITHOUT FURTHER ADO VOL. 1

6--GINO AMATO-LATIN CROSSROADS 2

6-- ANNA LAURA QUINN-QUINN & BARRETT

8--RACHAEL & VILRAY-WEST OF BROADWAY

9--RICK ROE-THE BRIDGE

10--CAITY GYORGY-WITH STRINGS

11--ELLIE MARTIN-MORNING GLORIES

 

 

Next it was Christmas albums, which are usually full of covers too.

 

1--ACCIDENTALS & KABOOM STUDIO ORCHESTRA-SONUS BOREALIS - A HOLIDAY WINTER COLLECTION

2--OLIVIA VAN GOOR-WAITING FOR SANTA

3--JAKE SHIMABUKURO-TIS THE SEASON

4--APRIL VARNER-WINTER SONGS VOL. 2

5--EMMALINE-THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM

6--STEVE TAYLOR THREE-WELCOME TO THE JINGLE

 

My highest rated Christmas release was actually an EP from Erick Baker called Happy Christmas.

 

Best Live albums of 2025:

 

1--MATT NATHANSON-PLEASE PET BUT DO NOT RIDE THE HORSE

2--BEN FOLDS-LIVE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

3--WILDER WOODS-LIVE AT THE RYMAN

4--CHEAP TRICK-ARE YOU READY? LIVE 12-31-1979

5--ONEREPUBLIC-ONE NIGHT IN MALIBU

5--STING-3.0 LIVE

 

Best EPs. Defined as 30 minutes or less.

 

1--LEWIS CAPALDI-SURVIVE

2--REBEL EVES-SHAKE THE GROUND

3--JESS MERRITT-WILD IN ME

4--LAKE STREET DIVE AND LAWRENCE-THE CITY WINTER SESSIONS

4--JOSHUA CALEB SMITH-WILD HORSES

6--ARON!-COZY YOU (AND OTHER NICE SONGS)

7--ALISON ALBRECHT-HURTS TO BE WISER

8--ROUGH & TUMBLE-WINTER HARE

9--KATIE PRUITT-THE PLEASANTVILLE SESSIONS

 

And finally, the best albums I heard in 2025. 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--MATT NATHANSON-KING OF (UN) SIMPLE

2--SAM ROBBINS-SO MUCH I STILL DON'T SEE

3--THE ACCIDENTALS-TIME OUT #3

4--MAY ERLEWINE-WHAT IT TAKES

4--LIZ LONGLEY-NEW LIFE

6--STEPHEN KELLOGG-TO YOU, OLD FRIEND

7--TROUSDALE-GROWING PAINS

7--TEDDY SWIMS-I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING BUT THERAPY (PART 2)

9--KORA FEDER-SOME KIND OF TRUTH

9--ELTON JOHN & BRANDI CARLILE-WHO BELIEVES IN ANGELS (DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION)

9--MUMFORD & SONS-RUSHMERE

9--TAYLOR SWIFT-THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL (+2)

9--CHRIS TRAPPER-WATCHING SPARKS FLY BY

9--DAVID WILCOX-THE WAY I TELL THE STORY

15--ED SHEERAN-PLAY (DELUXE)

16--DREW & ELLIE HOLCOMB-MEMORY BANK

17--VERVE PIPE-RECONCILED

17--DAR WILLIAMS-HUMMINGBIRD HIGHWAY

19--KYLE JOE-TAKE IT EASY

20--ROB THOMAS-ALL NIGHT DAYS

21--BRANDI CARLILE-RETURNING TO MYSELF

21--EDWIN MCCAIN-LUCKY

23--CIAN DUCROT-LITTLE DREAMING

23--HEAD AND THE HEART-APERTURE

25--BENSON BOONE-AMERICAN HEART

25--ARI HEST-THE TREEHOUSE PROJECT YEAR THREE

25--WILDER WOODS-CURIOSO

28--BRYAN ADAMS-ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES (DELUXE EDITION)

28--MICHIGANDER-MICHIGANDER

28--CAROLINE SPENCE-HEART GO WILD

31--MIKE FARRIS-THE SOUND OF MUSCLE SHOALS

31--JASON ISBELL-FOXES IN THE SNOW

31--JON MCLAUGHLIN-SCENARIOS

31--CURTIS STIGERS-SONGS FROM MY KITCHEN VOLUME 1

35--KANIN WREN-WREN

36--MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD-WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

36--TONY LUCCA-HEIRLOOM

38--MATT ANDERSEN-THE HAMMER & THE ROSE

39--MYRON ELKINS-NOSTALGIA FOR SALE

40--KALEO-MIXED EMOTIONS

40--KEYNOTE SISTERS-TEMPORARY BY DESIGN

40--J.R. RICHARDS-MY DARKEST HOUR

43--JOHN GORKA-UNENTITLED

44--GOO GOO DOLLS-SUMMER ANTHEM

45--GREEN DAY-SAVIORS (EDITION DE LUXE)

46--RUSTON KELLY-PALE, THROUGH THE WINDOW

47--LAUFEY-A MATTER OF TIME

48--GARETH ASHER-THE TIME IS NOW

48--ALISON BROWN & STEVE MARTIN-SAFE SENSIBLE AND SANE

48--LESLIE JORDAN-THE ANTAGNOIST

48--HEATHER MALONEY-EXPLODING STAR

48--SARAH MCLACHLAN-BETTER BROKEN (TARGET EDITION)

53--KRISTEN FORD-PINTO (DELUXE EDITION)

54--SETH WALKER-WHY THE WORRY

55--COUNTING CROWS-BUTTER MIRACLES THE COMPLETE SWEETS

56--MOLLY TUTTLE-SO LONG LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

56--MIKE WARD PSYCHOSONGS-THE TIME THAT REMAINS

58--COWBOY JUNKIES-MORE ACOUSTIC JUNK

58--KATHLEEN EDWARDS-BILLIONAIRE

58--SIERRA HULL-A TIP TOE HIGH WIRE

58--SELKEN-THE WINDS

62--GRACE POTTER-MEDICINE

62--FLORENCE + THE MACHINE-EVERYBODY SCREAM (CHAMBER EDITION)

64--CYNTHIA ERIVO-I FORGIVE YOU

64--RUTHIE FOSTER-MILEAGE

64--I'M WITH HER-WILD AND CLEAR AND BLUE

64--BILLY KING-CHILL

64--LUMINEERS-AUTOMATIC

64--BOY & BEAR-TRIPPING OVER TIME

69--MIKE PETERS-1991-2005 LIFE SOUNDTRACK

71--DAVID GRAY-DEAR LIFE

71--WILLIAM PRINCE-ON ROLLS THE WHEEL

71--WAR & TREATY-PLUS ONE

74--CHEAP TRICK-ALL WASHED UP

74--OF MONSTERS AND MEN-ALL IS LOVE AND PAIN IN THE MOUSE PARADE

76--ANDERSON EAST-WORTHY

76--HONEYMOON SUITE-WAKE UP WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN

76--ALISON KRAUSS  & UNION STATION-ARCADIA

79--MARCUS KING-DARLING BLUE

79--VAN MORRISON-REMEMERING NOW

81--A.J. CROCE-HEART OF THE ETERNAL

81--GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS-IN THE HOUR OF DUST

83--BUSH-I BEAT LONELINESS

83--NINE INCH NAILS-TRON ARES

83--DAVID RAMIREZ-ALL THE NOT SO GENTLE REMINDERS

86--GOLDPINE-THREE

87--DOOBIE BROTHERS-WALK THIS ROAD

87--HOWARD JONES-PIANO COMPOSED

87--JESS NOLAN-RIGHT AT HOME

87--ROBERT PLANT-SAVING GRACE

91--KATE HINOTE TRIO-STOWAWAYS

91--NOAH HUBBARD-A HOME IN THE HEARTLAND

91--WILDWOODS-DEAR MEADOWLARK

94--DAVE & KRISTI-THE CHICKADEES

95--NEWTON FAULKNER-OCTOPUS (DIGITAL DELUXE VERSION)

96--SCOTT TYLER-SCOTCH FILES

97--GREATER ALEXANDER-LET LOVE IN

98--PETE DROGE-FADE AWAY BLUE

98--ELIZA GILKYSON-DARK AGES

98--PATTY GRIFFIN-CROWN OF ROSES

98--MAROON 5-LIVE IS LIKE

98--STYX-CIRCLING FROM ABOVE

98--CHRIS THILE-BACH SONATAS & PARTITAS VOL 2