{"id":1301881,"date":"2018-12-28T12:27:44","date_gmt":"2018-12-28T19:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1801877"},"modified":"2018-12-28T12:27:44","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T19:27:44","slug":"our-favorite-18-albums-from-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/our-favorite-18-albums-from-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Favorite 18 Albums from 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:ao:image:cmt.com:663219?width=1200&amp;height=675&amp;.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"\/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/cmtcomstaff\/\" title=\"Posts by CMT.com Staff\" rel=\"author\">CMT.com Staff<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">22m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>The list of incredible albums in country, Americana, bluegrass and the like this past year was too great to name individually or rank in any of kind of official list (It\u2019s hard, y\u2019all. So very hard.).<\/p>\n<p>But for us at CMT.com, there were a few records that we kept spinning on repeat for a myriad of reasons, maybe similar to yours or completely different. So, we put a list of our personal favorites together to share with you as we close out this year of great music and anticipate another one in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy them all, in no particular order.<\/p>\n<p><em>Contributing to the list are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/bonaguroa\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alison Bonaguro<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/morrise\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Morris<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/stephenss\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Samantha Stephens<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/tinglel\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lauren Tingle<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"listicle-container\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>The Tree of Forgiveness<\/em> by John Prine<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Prine is the Salvador Dali of songwriters. Under his prismatic gaze, Heaven becomes a place to play rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, drink vodka and ginger ale cocktails and smoke cigarettes \u201cnine miles long.\u201d Elsewhere in his weird wanderings, Lincoln, Nebraska holds an \u201cEgg &amp; Daughter Nite\u201d (???) and a cuckolded Vulcan sends Venus and Mars a wedding gift of \u201ca three-legged stool and a wheelchair lift.\u201d But there\u2019s more than verbal and visual whimsy here, as evidenced in the sweet recounting of \u201cSummer\u2019s End\u201d and \u201cI Have Met My Love Today\u201d and in the ominous and compelling \u201cCaravan of Fools.\u201d <em>EM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Golden Hour<\/em> by Kacey Musgraves<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Musgraves\u2019 third album did more than leave fans standing in thunderous ovation and complete awe. It first left them suspended in a near-cosmic state of introspection, quiet reflection and self-awareness, which is maybe the truest measure of art we have. With <em>Golden Hour<\/em>, Musgraves took her time, dug deep, dared to stretch her limits and ultimately soared beyond the confines of genre. Always erring on the side of total authenticity, listeners felt even closer to the singer-songwriter than before through this dreamy, ethereal collection of perfectly-crafted songs. Her evolution as a woman gave way to the most stunning evolution of an artist and birthed the best album to come out this year in any genre, in my opinion. <em>SS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Hallelujah Nights<\/em> by Lanco<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>When bands are new, one of two things can happen. You can think to yourself, \u201cThey might have a shot at this.\u201d Or, \u201cWhere have these guys been all my life?\u201d For me, that\u2019s what happened with Lanco. I saw them open for Maren Morris at 3rd &amp; Lindsley a couple years ago and immediately felt like they were going to be a constant in my life (And I was in the way back for that show. So, I couldn\u2019t see them. I could only hear them. That\u2019s always the ultimate acid test for me.). So when <em>Hallelujah Nights<\/em> arrived at the beginning of this year, it sounded new to me, obviously, but also had some kind of familiarity I can\u2019t put into words. It might just be because some of my favorite songwriters helped frontman Brandon Lancaster pen these songs. But whatever it is about this album and this band, I guess you could say I was born to love them. <em>AB<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Encore<\/em> by Anderson East<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>East is part of an elite group of artists who are an integral part of redefining today\u2019s Nashville sound, and <em>Encore<\/em> is one of the greatest soul performances to come out in recent memory. His compassion shines through on the sweet \u201cKind for a Day,\u201d string-laden \u201cWithout You\u201d and the mournful \u201cCabinet Door.\u201d Listens of scorchers \u201cSurrender\u201d and \u201cGirlfriend,\u201d and they will burn on the brain for days. He revisits Ted Hawkins\u2019 \u201cSorry You\u2019re Sick\u201d and Willie Nelson\u2019s \u201cSomebody Pick Up the Pieces\u201d with an unbridled attitude. <em>LT<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>My Way<\/em> by Willie Nelson<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Forget the headband and the braids, Willie Nelson is Frank Sinatra. Inside. He has Sinatra\u2019s ear for understated but compelling melodies, his sensibility toward the woes and wonders of love and his actor\u2019s touch in transmuting measured lyrics into casual and intimate conversation. When he sings Sinatra, we are in an elegant world of white dinner jackets and uniformed waiters at every elbow, a black-and-white Life magazine world, before the barbarism of rock and roll, when the only light show is tall tapered candles gleaming from gilded mirrors. <em>EM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Port Saint Joe<\/em> by Brothers Osborne<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>What a journey it\u2019s been for John and TJ Osborne, and what a continuation of that journey is their sophomore effort <em>Port Saint Joe<\/em>. Cheeky, sharp, yet thoughtful, nostalgic and heartwarming, this album has it all, just like the brothers. They can\u2019t help but be anything but themselves, and it\u2019s to everyone\u2019s benefit. <em>Port Saint Joe<\/em> is a playground for stories of their transgressions, their triumphs, their bad times and well as their good, their memories and their reflections at the end of this incredible season of life, perfectly captured in the album\u2019s closing track \u201cWhile You Still Can.\u201d <em>SS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Live at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame<\/em> by The Earls of Leicester<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Even in my decrepitude, I stand ready to fist fight anyone who says there\u2019s ever been a bluegrass band equal to Lester Flatt &amp; Earl Scruggs &amp; the Foggy Mountain Boys. Their music was organic, sublime, whole and golden. The Earls of Leicester understand this and have the skills to capture the magic as no cover band ever could. Listening to their live performances of such Foggy Mountain classics as \u201cI\u2019ll Go Steppin\u2019 Too\u201d and \u201cMy Mother Prays So Loud in Her Sleep,\u201d you can close your eyes and smell the Martha White cornbread baking. And you are home. <em>EM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Rearview Town<\/em> by Jason Aldean<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>What I love about this Jason Aldean album is Jason Aldean. What I mean by that is this: I know every batch of music he releases will sound like his 2005 self-titled debut. He is always himself. He\u2019s never pivoted from that. He has never claimed to sonically move the needle. He\u2019s never promoted an album as the \u201calbum he\u2019s always wanted to make.\u201d He has been comfortable in his own skin since day one, and I swear I can hear that confidence in every song on his latest. Even on unreleased singles like \u201cBetter At Being Who I Am\u201d and \u201cBlacktop Gone.\u201d And on the best track on the album, \u201cHigh Noon Neon.\u201d Even though we all know Aldean\u2019s personal life is just fine, he is believable when he\u2019s singing about the complete loneliness of day drinking by yourself after crushing blow. <em>AB<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>By The Way, I Forgive You<\/em> by Brandi Carlile<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Diehard Carlile fans knew this was coming, the moment the entire world knew what they\u2019d known since her first release back in 2000: that Carlile is an icon in the making. Though she\u2019s the most nominated act heading into February\u2019s Grammy Awards, Carlile\u2019s superstar status hasn\u2019t altered her message. Her ability to cut through the surface to the bone is second only to her ability to cut straight through to the heart, which she does masterfully on <em>By The Way, I Forgive You<\/em>. Boasting the rare gift as a storyteller of making personal issues seem broad and the broad topics seem personal, this album feels just as much like a statement on society as it does her individual truth. And we as a society, all in this thing together, need that reminder now more than ever before. <em>SS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>E.G.O.<\/em> by Lucie Silvas<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p><em>E.G.O.<\/em> continues to show that Silvas is a master at matching lyric to melodic groove. With her latest 12-song collection, she shakes loose any expectations of the artist she should be while capturing all the colorful characters she\u2019s lived in her soul through life. It screams timelessness. The liberating \u201cKite\u201d has her singing about a heroine who won\u2019t be tied down by anyone. \u201cI Want You All to Myself\u201d haunts as she alludes to the selfishness one sometimes feels in love, while \u201cE.G.O.\u201d is a funky look at how everyone gets off on losing themselves in today\u2019s self-obsessed digital age. <em>LT<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Tribute to the Kentucky Colonels<\/em> by Roland White &amp; Friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>An inspired mandolin player, White performed stellar work with Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Country Gazette and the Nashville Bluegrass Band on a long journey that led to his induction into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2017. Before all that, though, White and his brothers Clarence and Eric performed as the Kentucky Colonels, with Clarence earning particular distinction for his guitar work. The Colonels disbanded after Clarence\u2019s death in an auto accident in 1973. In this album, Roland is aided by an array of established and up-and-coming bluegrass pickers to offer new takes on such canonical favorites as \u201cI Am a Pilgrim,\u201d \u201cIf You\u2019re Ever Gonna Love Me,\u201d \u201cClinch Mountain Backstep\u201d and \u201cAlabama Jubilee.\u201d It\u2019s truly a celebration worth celebrating. <em>EM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Nobody\u2019s Everything<\/em> by Tucker Beathard<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>I feel like I know Tucker Beathard now. The whole him. As if, on his first few songs, I got a glimpse of the singer-songwriter he could be, but now he is an open book. And it\u2019s a page-turner. The way he crafts songs makes me think that he writes lyrics, then rewrites them, then rewrites them 100 more times. Or maybe he is such a natural at this that he comes up with lines like \u201cThis life is gonna kill me\u201d or \u201cThe right feels wrong\u201d right out of the gate (That may actually be the case, because his father Casey wrote some of the songs with him, and I swear there\u2019s something lyrical coursing through their veins.). Either way, this album is one that I\u2019m going to wear out in the years to come. Music like this sustains me. <em>AB<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>From A Room, Vol. 2<\/em> by Chris Stapleton<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Yes, technically Stapleton\u2019s record released Dec. 1 of 2017, but we as an audience didn\u2019t really get to fully enjoy the fruits of his labor until this year. In an age and town of tracks, beats, layers, synths, and endless pads, he and producer Dave Cobb boast the most seemingly obvious secret weapon to success: simplicity. When you\u2019ve got <em>the<\/em> story and <em>the<\/em> singer, you don\u2019t need anything else. He is a testament to the utter beauty and magic of real storytelling. <em>SS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Interstate Gospel<\/em> by Pistol Annies<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>Pistol Annies\u2019 Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe are at their best when they speak their truth. And they don\u2019t hold back on <em>Interstate Gospel<\/em>, arguably the greatest country album released in 2018. They make light of exes in the fiery \u201cGot My Name Changed Back,\u201d but their raw compassion shows through in the telling \u201cLeavers Lullaby\u201d and \u201cWhen I Was His Wife.\u201d They even touch on one of the toughest perennial country music themes \u2014 prison \u2014 in \u201cCommissary,\u201d a telling ballad that sharply depicts what many people with loved ones in the clink go through. <em>LT<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>The Mountain<\/em> by Dierks Bentley<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>There isn\u2019t much about this album I don\u2019t love. But I think what stands out to me is how it reminds me of Bentley\u2019s 2010 bluegrass album <em>Up on the Ridge<\/em>. <em>The Mountain<\/em> may not be packed with the straight-up fiddle\/banjo\/mandolin-heavy songs like that one was, but there\u2019s just enough of that sound to take me to a place where novelty songs and shiny pop arrangements aren\u2019t welcome. And because of that, it seems like I can hear more of the grit and gravel in Bentley\u2019s voice. That could\u2019ve been done with purpose and intent, or it could just be some kind of happy accident. Maybe if I listen to <em>The Mountain<\/em> a hundred more times, I\u2019ll figure it out. And I\u2019m happy to do that. <em>AB<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Still Feel Lucky<\/em> by Ben Danaher<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>It may seem a little bias for this to make my list, as this Texas native and I often collaborate together. But whenever I perform or write with him, I feel much more like a student in a master class rather than a pal. Danaher\u2019s raspy voice is wrought with the type of soul that can only come from experiencing a lifetime before age 30, which he has. But his real gift is playing the dark and light against each other. He\u2019s not afraid to show us his broken parts, but he always leaves the cracks wide open to let light \u2014 and love in, which is perfectly embodied on this earnest, autobiographical collection of songs. <em>SS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>Somewhere In Between<\/em> by Adam Hood<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>No one writes about country living better than Hood. That\u2019s why everyone from Anderson East, to Little Big Town, to Frankie Ballard, to David Nail records his songs. <em>Somewhere In Between<\/em> exudes endless country wisdom. For example, the entire collection opens with the lines, \u201cLife\u2019s a gamble some people say \/ They make it look so easy every time they play.\u201d With a sound that embodies classic Delbert McClinton, \u201cThe Weekend\u201d captures surviving on just enough to get through a weekly grind with blue collar class. Every southern belle wishes \u201cBayou Girl\u201d and \u201cConfederate Rose\u201d were written about them. \u201cReal Small Town\u201d is an idyllic look at the steadiness of small town living. <em>LT<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"heading-container\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><strong><em>In the Meantime<\/em> by Motel Mirrors<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description-container\">\n<p>John Paul Keith released two Memphis music masterpieces in 2018, his latest solo album, <em>Heart Shaped Shadow<\/em> and <em>In the Meantime<\/em> his latest Motel Mirrors collaboration with bassist Amy LaVere. LaVere\u2019s husband Will Sexton gives captivating guitar performances on both that are every honky-tonk country fans\u2019 dream. But the real star of the show on both albums is the Memphis realism Keith delivers in the lyrics. On <em>In the Meantime<\/em>\u2019s \u201cThe Things I Learned Without You,\u201d LaVere takes the lead singing a litany of life lessons she\u2019s learned on her own except the one about how to love another. \u201cPaper Doll\u201d and \u201cDo With Me What You Want\u201d are companion pieces but take on different interpretations of getting used by love. \u201cThe Man Who Comes Around\u201d is an addicting country shuffle about a married mom who fools around the ice man, who ultimately becomes a childhood hero of the mother\u2019s progeny. <em>LT<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1801877\/our-favorite-18-albums-from-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by CMT.com Staff 22m ago The list of incredible albums in country, Americana, bluegrass and the like this past year was too great to name individually or rank in any of kind of official list (It\u2019s hard, y\u2019all. So very hard.). But for us at CMT.com, there were a few records that we kept spinning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1301881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-11 05:51:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1301881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1301881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1301881\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1301881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1301881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1301881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}