Fred Phillips’ Top Albums for 2012: Country and Southern Rock

Share this:

This is the first time that I’ve ever enjoyed enough records from the country and Southern rock genres to put together a list. Maybe I’m getting old and turning into that country music-loving guy that my relatives always told me I would when I “grew out of all that crazy stuff and realized what good music was.”

Then again, have you seen my other list?

No. 10
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WP-GxhCBCQ&w=385&h=280]

CHELLE ROSE – GHOST OF BROWDER HOLLER: At times mean and ugly, at others downright beautiful. At times strongly reflecting her Appalachian roots, at others blowing the speakers out like a rocker girl. Chelle Rose’s debut was easily one of the more interesting releases of the year in country music.

No. 9
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jZyv9jKiAk&w=385&h=280]

KYLE TURLEY – DEATH, DRUGS AND THE DOUBLE CROSS: OK, I admit, as much as I liked Turley when he played for the New Orleans Saints, I thought — when it came to his second career in music — he was an aging football player trying to cash in on his name recognition. But this, his second record, is actually a pretty good collection of Southern rock tunes. “Cellar Door” is a particular favorite.

No. 8
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvXEPL8Sz5E&w=385&h=280]

JAMEY JOHNSON – LIVING FOR A SONG: A TRIBUTE TO HANK COCHRAN: How could you go wrong with this? You’ve got Jamey Johnson and an all-star cast that includes Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Bobby Bare, Leon Russell, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Ray Price, Emmylou Harris, George Strait and Elvis Costello. They’re performing pretty faithful versions of some of Cochran’s best-known songs. It’s a no-brainer.

[OUR BEST OF 2012: Join in the conversation as Something Else! Reviews counts down the best of the best 2012 albums, from rock and jazz to country to blues.]

No. 7
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fD1C5dnXRY&w=385&h=280]

TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS – GOODBYE NORMAL STREET: The Troubadours last outing, Diamonds and Gasoline, drew a lot of praise, but this one connects more with me on a personal level. Like the new release from Blackberry Smoke (coming up later), I found a bit of myself in quite a few of the songs. And, let’s just be honest, “Gin, Smoke, Lies” is probably the best country song not appearing on a Blackberry Smoke record this year.

No. 6
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fD1C5dnXRY&w=385&h=280]

WILLIE NELSON – HEROES: This record was more about introducing Lukas Nelson to Willie’s audience than anything else. For me, the younger Nelson’s voice doesn’t seem quite as impressive when placed next to the rich character of his dad’s vocals, but he holds his own. Despite a pot anthem or two, Heroes really gets back to some of the things that Willie does best.

[amazon_enhanced asin=”B007X2O324″ container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B005P37T74″ container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B008XNPN4O” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B007T770AK” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B0077PHOR8″ container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]

No. 5
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UB8Gdd8O6g&w=385&h=280]

SHOOTER JENNINGS – FAMILY MAN: Shooter kind of confounded people a little by going off to do his experimental Black Ribbons project, but here he gets back to country and releases possibly the most country record of his career. “The Real Me” also gave us one of the best choruses of the year with its rapid-fire “double talking, chicken licking, meaner than the dickens, sick and wicked, hole digging, picking son of a gun.”

No. 4
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD4zdwapKrY&w=385&h=280]

BOB WAYNE – TIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF: After debuting on Century Media with a lot of re-recordings of songs from his self-released albums, Wayne delivers a hell-raising collection of mostly new music, and it’s just as good as the old stuff. He mixes in a little more of his softer side among the rowdy on this one, and both sides shine.

No. 3
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9dT4fp_7xY&w=385&h=280]

ZZ TOP – LA FUTURA: Am I cheating by putting this one on my Southern rock list? You bet I am. But Texas is still south of most places in the U.S. , and the bearded ones rock harder on La Futura than they have in a long time. There’s a healthy dose of their 1970s classic blues rock mixed in with some of their more modern sounds.

No. 2
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXlATyJg3Ks&w=385&h=280]

CHRIS KNIGHT – LITTLE VICTORIES: Knight is a highly underrated talent and one of the best songwriters out there. Nothing changes on this record. He delivers a collection of songs that speaks to the heart of true country people and their real experiences, not the idealized mud-riding, beer-drinking party that Nashville pushes these days.

No. 1
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOWHQ4bD72U&w=385&h=280]

BLACKBERRY SMOKE – THE WHIPPOORWILL: Not only my favorite country/Southern rock release of the year, this was my favorite album of the year, period. Maybe even the last few years. The Whippoorwill is a record that really speaks to the place that I am in my life right now, and just about every song on it resonates with some aspect of my own life. Besides that, they’re just really good tunes. They turned down the country rock guitars of past efforts a little bit and focused on grooves, soul and songwriting to great effect. “Ain’t Much Left of Me” is easily my favorite song of the year, and there are several more contenders on the album.

[amazon_enhanced asin=”B008DVJMAW” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B008OB1QFK” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B008PE9GSA” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B007CTGNYO” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B006WVC22K” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Waylon Jennings – Goin’ Down Rockin’: There was some really good stuff on this posthumously finished record of Waylon’s final recordings, but for some reason it didn’t connect with me enough to quite make it into the top 10. … Eric Strickland – Honky Tonk Til I Die: A nice collection of rowdy 1970s-flavored trucker country that has more than a little Waylon in it.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

HANK WILLIAMS JR. – OLD SCHOOL, NEW RULES: This was hyped as a return to form for Bocephus, and early songs like “Get Drunk and Play Hank Williams,” his duet with Brad Paisley, seemed to back that up. Unfortunately, what we got was an hour’s worth of political rancor and claptrap with a couple of good songs sprinkled around. It’s not “telling the truth” as some fans will shout. It’s pandering to an audience at the expense of the music and your legacy.

ARTIST WHO PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGH ON
MY LIST, IF HE’D RELEASED A FULL ALBUM

Dillon Hodges: You probably haven’t heard of him yet, but you owe it to yourself to look him up. “Bullet for a Broken Heart” is easily one of the best tunes released this year, and the other songs that he has scattered around are almost as good. He mixes country influences, indie rock and an exceptionally soulful voice with some tinges of Stevie Wonder here and there. It’s good stuff. Go find it. Now.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABHMzPGGO7c&w=385&h=280]

FUNNIEST MOMENT


EARL DIBBLES JR., “THE COUNTRY BOY SONG”: Grainger Smith got laughs and made a statement with his parody of the laundry-list country song and his cornpone character Earl Dibbles Jr. Of course, the song lost a little of its effectiveness when Smith released the song “We Do It in a Field” toward the end of the year, his own version of one of the songs he was parodying.

MOST GOD-AWFUL MOMENT

BUCK SATAN AND THE 666 SHOOTERS – BIKERS WELCOME, LADIES DRINK FREE: Ministry frontman Al Jourgenson goes “country.” I think that’s all I need to say.

WISH LIST FOR 2013

Hellbound Glory – ‘Merica: They haven’t disappointed yet. No reason they should start now.
Shooter Jennings – The Other Life: The companion piece to 2012’s Family Man, which we were rumored to get at the end of this year, has an official release date in March.
Fifth on the Floor’s new album: Also originally rumored to be released in late 2012, I’m still eagerly waiting on Fifth on the Floor’s Shooter Jennings-produced follow up to Dark and Bloody Ground.
Powder Mill’s new album: Ready for a little more down and dirty Southern rock from the Ozark boys.

Fred Phillips