So this year I decided to consolidate 2010 Album of the Year and 2010 Song of the Year into 2010 Artist of the year. There were a lot of great options this year -- 110 contenders to be exact. To be a contender I had to have purchased the artists 2010 released CD or full album download. Some artists got bonus points because I saw them live. Some got bonus points because I got to meet them after the show. I know, totally unfair, but it’s my list. HA!
Numbers 30-11 can pretty much go in any order (lazy, I know…again, my list, my rules). I also purposely did not include some big-name pop and country artists that I really liked because I didn’t feel like the headache of y’all making fun of me for listening to (insert artist)…I give ya enough material to make fun of me on a daily basis as it is.
So anyway, here’s the list:
30 Adrienne Pierce
29 Audra Mae
28 Corin Tucker Band
27 Alkaline Trio
26 Bad Religion
25 Hank Williams III
24 The Eels
23 LCD Soundsystem
22 Broken Social Scene
21 Against Me
20 Fake Problems
19 Mumford and Sons
18 Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses
17 Justin Townes Earle
16 Jenny and Johnny
15 Nellie McKay
14 The Watson Twins
13 Spoon
12 Drive-By Truckers
11 Gaslight Anthem
NOW THE TOP 10 WITH SOME COMMENTS
10 Sara Bareilles –King of Anything is one of those songs that give me hope for pop radio. I was so happy to get to see her perform again this summer at Lilith.
9 Allison Moorer – Allison’s Crows disc has been in my wife’s car stereo for about 7 months now (she stole it from me before we saw her earlier this year). Great album from top to bottom and a great if not underrated performer.
8 Elizabeth Cook – I’m seeing her Welder CD pop up on a lot of top of 2010 lists…and for good reason. Easily her finest work to date. On my “must see live” list. Sadly, the stars did not align for any of the three shows she played in my area this year.
7 Chely Wright – Chely had an amazing year personally and professionally. Lifted Off the Ground is by far her finest album to date (and I was a fan of her previous work). She has shifted from mainstream country to a more confessional singer/songwriter style and it suits her and her story well. Was great seeing her perform and meeting her this summer.
6 Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Didn’t see this one coming. Don’t get me wrong, his albums are usually solid, but the double III/IV CD brought back his more rock side which was more than welcome for me. Although I should note that after his Whiskeytown stuff my favorite record by him is the much maligned Rock N Roll so who am I to judge?
5 Court Yard Hounds – I think that this debut flew WAY under the radar which is surprising seeing that it’s the two sisters from the Dixie Chicks. Delight (Something New Under the Sun) is one of my favorite tracks of the year. They were one of the many highlights from this year’s Lilith.
FULL DISCLOSURE: THE NEXT THREE ARTISTS COULD HAVE PUT OUT CDS WITH THEM DOING NOTHING BUT MAKING FART AND BURP NOISES AND THEY WOULD LIKELY STILL BE IN MY TOP 5. THANKFULLY, THEY WOULD NEVER DO THAT.
4 Old 97’s – One of my favorite bands for almost a decade. As always, they brought it in 2010. Also got to see Rhett do a solo show this year and got a great photo of the two of us after the show.
3 Superchunk – Nine times out of 10 I’ll say Superchunk is my favorite band of all time. So how awesome was it for me that Superchunk not only returned this year, but returned sounding like Foolish era Superchunk?
2 Tift Merritt – Tift is my favorite singer – period. When I heard she had an album coming out in 2010 I figured that she would be my No. 1, but it was not to be. So close.
1 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – Completely blindsided me. Always liked them, but their S/T release blew me away. I’m so happy that they are really starting to blow-up. This is easily my CD of the Year. Paris (oh la la) is my song and video of the year as well. Great live band too (even if they were down to a trio when I saw them this summer due to a widespread band flu).
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