BEST SONGS OF 2011 – Round 2 (Songs 11-20) Share
December 5, 2011 by Mike Messick
Filed under Blog
THE ESSENTIALS – BEST OF 2011
First, a few notes:
- Just went with one song per artist. Theoretically the best records of the year could’ve landed multiple positions but I wanted this to be a bit more inclusive.
- I may well have left some folks out, and with a couple exceptions it was unintentional. I’m not a full-time music writer and I haven’t heard everything, there’s a chance that I missed some great stuff … feel free to add on your own recommendations in the comments section (anything to crowd out the spam that always seems to pop up).
- Didn’t put anything from my own record. That’d be unseemly. Even mentioning it kind of is (but seriously, go buy it).
- Also didn’t stick with just artists who’ve been on Texas Music Scene, some of the best stuff I’d heard this year was from more obscure artists. Popularity and exposure didn’t really factor into this list; this is not to be confused with the “biggest” songs of 2011.
- Assuming my research was OK, these are all from albums that came out in 2011. I’m as big a fan of the Turnpike Troubadours as the next guy, but that was late 2010 even though the record caught on more this year.
- Artists who are predominantly mainstream country acts didn’t make the list … George Strait, Miranda Lambert, even Eli Young Band achieved plenty without our help.
- The rankings are entirely subjective and some of these would probably be rearranged if you asked me again a month from now, but they’re all well worth a listen and contributed to the musical excitement in our corner of the genre over the last year. So argue if you must, enjoy if you will, dig what you dig.
11. Sunny Sweeney – From A Table Away (Concrete) – With a country radio breakdown that was as well-deserved as it was unexpected, Sunny took some real-deal East Texas twang to the nation. As refreshing as her contemporary but unmistakably country approach was her willingness to get grown-up with her lyrics. The dark side of booze, bars, and flirtations find their way into Sunny’s music without sugar-coating or dumbing down.
12. Rich O’Toole – The Cricket Song (Kiss Of A Liar) – Penned by Gabe Wootton, produced by Walt Wilkins, but impressibly brought to life by the underrated O’Toole. One of several charmers on his bright, worthy latest album, it’s an inspired, warmly picked musing on heartache and humidity that earned it’s spot atop the Texas Music charts early this year.
13. Drew Kennedy – Vapor Trails (Fresh Water In The Salton Sea) – With a voice both oddly distinct, immediately relatable, and admirably flexible, Drew Kennedy continues to give you your money’s worth with every syllable and every nuanced, carefully-considered line. In a perfect world more folks are buying … if you’re new to this, his newest album is actually arguably the best place to start.
14. Brian Coy & The Remaining Few – Highest Of the Low (Pieces) – Somewhere between a shotgun blast and a Sunday drive, this crazily catchy rocker from one of the year’s best debuts catches a groove and rides it through a fairly glorious chorus, tambourines and electric guitars hacking away at your cynicism until it’s gone.
15. Cody Canada & The Departed – Skyline Radio (This Is Indian Land) – A Tom Skinner contribution to Canada & co.’s exploration of Oklahoma musical history, this one rocks like vintage Tom Petty if you’re looking for a less obscure reference point. Big-sky rock & roll made unique by couplets both wistful and wise-assed about everything from voodoo to PMS-inspired murders, kudos to the Departed for shining their considerable light on this one.
16. Jeremy Steding – Arkansas Rain (I Keep On Livin’ But I Don’t Learn) – More than just another party-hearty young gun, Steding’s actually got some darker and deeper sides he explored memorably on his latest. None are more heartbreaking than the complex tale of a decent man who settled for his second favorite girl and made a family he can’t quite appreciate; it’s a scenario not often tackled in song, and unlikely to be done better than this.
17. Mark Jungers – Riverdown (More Like A Good Dog Than A Bad Cat) – Jungers is a songwriter of often astonishing depth and focus, so maybe it’s odd that the one that sticks with me the most off of the new album is one of its most cheery, upbeat, sing-songy numbers. The whole album’s terrific, but charmers like this one hold the heavier stuff together (there’s a metaphor for life there somewhere …)
18. Reckless Kelly – Good Luck & True Love (Good Luck & True Love) – Tough, tuneful, and trusty, Reckless doesn’t stray too far from the Texas country-rock groove that they helped invent. Punching up this one with a little extra sheen on the guitars and a dose of roughly Eagle-esque, almost tongue-in-cheek background vocals makes this one stand out from the pack (no small feat in their remarkably consistent repertoire).
19. HalleyAnna – So Heavy (The Country) – HA’s got the kind of deep vocal twang that she could’ve gone hard-retro with if she chose, but with a more modern tack to her production and songwriting approach she’s more akin to Americana faves like Tift Merritt or Kathleen Edwards. It’s got drive, bounce, and a keen eye on the future.
20. Eleven Hundred Springs – Heartstrings (Eight The Hard Way) – Hearkening back to the smoky, edgy mid-’70s country of Gary Stewart and Johnny Paycheck, Matt Hillyer and company cranked out another solid honky-tonker this year. Breathing new life into an old style, this was one of their best broken-heart anthems in a while.
Stay tuned for the top 10 …
MEM
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