The Year That Was: Best Albums of 2019
I'll confess something: as the years pass, I find myself less invested in Best Of The Year lists. This hasn't stopped me from assembling a rather lengthy list of albums that I enjoyed enough that I would be happy to listen to again at some point in the future, though. Lists are fun, for one, but they're also useful snapshots of what happened in a year. Plus, they're part of the game if you write about art: it's a simple tool to demonstrate your taste and aesthetics, and they can be a useful consumer guide.
What follows a loose order, although after 40 or so, it'd be easy to swap rankings and nobody would be the wiser. If an album isn't here, it's possible I didn't hear it or maybe I forgot it or perhaps I just don't care for the act (Big Thief, Tool, or 100 gecs, who I wish were weirder).
So, without further ado, here are 125 albums from 2019 that I believe are worth a spin or two.
Mike & The Moonpies—Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold
Vampire Weekend—Father of the Bride
Purple Mountains—Purple Mountains
Ex-Hex—It’s Real
Tyler Childers—Country Squire
Tanya Tucker—While I'm Livin'
that dog—Old LP
Miranda Lambert—Wildcard
Yola—Walk Through Fire
Robert Ellis—Texas Piano Man
Charley Crockett—The Valley
Sharon Van Etten—Remind Me Tomorrow
Weyes Blood—Titanic Rising
Comet Is Coming—Trust in the Life-force of Deep Mystery
The Highwomen—The Highwomen
Cactus Blossoms—Easy Way
Taylor Swift—Lover
The Delines—The Imperial
Jon Pardi—Heartache Medication
Dee White—Southern Gentleman
Africa Express—EGOLI
Bruce Springsteen—Western Stars
Kelsey Waldon—White Noise/White Lines
Bill Callahan—Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest
Juliana Hatfield—Weird
The Who—WHO
Amyl & the Sniffers—Amyl & the Sniffers
Lizzo—Cuz I Love You
Billie Eilish--When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
The Raconteurs—Help Me Stranger
New Pornographers—In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights
Jenny Lewis—On The Line
Clinic—Wheeltappers and Shunters
Gruff Rhys—Pang!
The Regrettes—How Do You Love?
Jimmie Vaughan—Baby, Please Come Home
Gary Clark Jr—This Land
Liam Gallagher—Why Me? Why Not.
Sleater-Kinney—The Center Won’t Hold
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes—Cypress Grove
Carly Rae Jepsen—Dedicated
Madonna—Madame X
Robert Forster—Inferno
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood—Servants of the Sun
Kendell Marvel—Solid Gold Sounds
Lauren Jenkins—No Saint
George Strait—Honky Tonk Time Machine
Sturgill Simpson—SOUND & FURY
Jason James—Seems Like Tears Ago
Ty Segall—First Taste
Luke Combs—What You See Is What You Get
Ariana Grande—thank u, next
Trupa Trupa—Of The Sun
Leo Bud Welch—The Angels in Heaven Signed My Name
Runaway June — Blue Roses
FKA twigs—Magdalene
Bruce Hornsby—Absolute Zero
Desert Sessions, Vols. 11 & 12
The Cash Box Kings—Hail to the Kings!
The Black Keys—"Let's Rock"
George Winston—Restless Wind
Bob Mould—Sunshine Rock
Dylan LeBlanc—Renegade
John Paul White—The Hurting Kind
Van Morrison—Three Cords and the Truth
Rhiannon Giddens—There Is No Other
Craig Finn—I Need A New War
Old Dominion—Old Dominion
Hayes Carll—What It Is
Harry Styles — Fine Line
Tank & The Bangas—Green Balloon
Weezer—Black Album
Mercury Rev—Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited
Jeff Lynne's ELO—From Out Of Nowhere
Pixies—Beneath the Eyrie
Olivia Jean—Night Owl
3X4: The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade
Old Dominion—Old Dominion
Paul Cauthen—Room 41
Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders—Get The Money
Chick Corea—Antidote
Neil Young & Crazy Horse—Colorado
Lula Wiles—What Will We Do
Chris Stamey & the ModRec Orchestra—New Songs for the 20thCentury
Beck—Hyperspace
The Hold Steady – Thrashing Thru The Passion
Brittany Howard—Jamie
The National—I Am Easy To Find
Camila Cabello—Romance
Maren Morris—GIRL
Charli XCX—Charli
Juliana Hatfield—Juliana Hatfield Sings the Police
Kim Gordon—No Home Record
Cody Jinks—After the Fire
Cody Jinks—The Wanting
Jon Regen—Higher Ground
Geraint Watkins—Rush of Blood
Iggy Pop—Free
Black Midi—Schlagenheim
Whitney – Forever Turned Around
Stephen Malkmus—Groove Denied
Spiral Stairs—We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized
Theon Cross—Fyah
Pete Yorn—Caretakers
Midland—Let It Roll
Chris Shiflett—Hard Lessons
Rodney Crowell – Texas
The Bird and the Bee—Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 2: Van Halen
Robert Randolph & The Family Band—Brighter Days
Willie Nelson—Ride Me Back Home
Jenny Tolman—There Goes The Neighborhood
Sugar Ray—Little Yacthy
Black Pumas—Black Pumas
Reba McEntire—Stronger Than The Truth
Dale Watson—Call Me Lucky
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram—Kingfish
Coldplay—Everyday Life
Lana Del Rey—Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Betty Who—Betty
Ryan Bingham—American Love Song
William Tyler—Going West
Jessica Pratt—Quiet Signs
Royal Trux—White Stuff
Thomas Rhett—Center Point Road
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real—Turn Off The News, Build A Garden