Best Bluegrass Albums of 2012

[Alex Orr]

Well, it's that time of year again. Anyone have any top ten lists or Favorite Bluegrass Album of the Year raves? I'm generally a hard sell on most any contemporary bluegrass, but I do try to give some of it a listen, so if you have some suggestions, let's hear it

[Justus True Waldron]

You mean to tell me there are people out there still making music???

[Mateus]

I'd definitely like to hear who is still making good music. I've been looking to pick up some decent folk and/or bluegrass!

[mandopete]

Here's my list....

1) Leave The Bottle - Town Mountain
2) All In - The Boxcars
3) Time - The Kathy Kallick Band
4) Scratch Gravel Road - Special Consensus
5) Cold Coal Town - Scott Holstein
6) Nobody Knows You - The Steep Canyon Rangers
7) Northern Departure - Northern Departure
8) The Road Into Town - Danny Paisley & Southern Grass
9) Sunday Never Comes - Jackstraw
10) Carolina Moonrise - Jim Lauderdale

[mandopete]

Realizing that there are a couple of band names that might not be familar to some here on Mandolin Cafe, here's a couple of links for you...

Northern Departure


Jackstraw

[dawgmike94]

how is the new danny paisley cd? how does it compare to his last, which i really liked?

[mandopete]

how is the new danny paisley cd? how does it compare to his last, which i really liked?

It's excellent! Danny is a real bluegrass traditionalist and if you liked "The Room Over Mine" you'll like the new one. He even does a cover of a song his dad used to sing called "The Orchid and The Rose".

BTW - I see that a couple of other programmers at KBCS have this recording on their Best Recordings of 2012 list!

[FodForThoought]

1. Pick - Keller Williams & The Travlin McCourys
2. Silver Sky - The Infamous Stringdusters
3. Stars and Satellites - Trampled by Turtles
4. Aquatic Hitchhiker - Leftover Salmon
5. Who's Feeling Young Now? - Punch Brothers

[Alex Orr]

Here's my list....

1) Leave The Bottle - Town Mountain
2) All In - The Boxcars
3) Time - The Kathy Kallick Band
4) Scratch Gravel Road - Special Consensus
5) Cold Coal Town - Scott Holstein
6) Nobody Knows You - The Steep Canyon Rangers
7) Northern Departure - Northern Departure
8) The Road Into Town - Danny Paisley & Southern Grass
9) Sunday Never Comes - Jackstraw
10) Carolina Moonrise - Jim Lauderdale

Thanks for the recommendations. Gave them a a listen, and honestly, the only one I really liked a LOT was the Jackstraw record. Never heard of them, but that was quite good. Nice songwriting and a sound like OCMS but a bit more bluegrass. Nice mando on that album as well. I liked some of the Boxcars stuff, but some of it, well... I've enjoyed Danny Paisley live many times, since he frequently plays around the DC region, but the CD seemed a little lacking.

[mandopete]

Glad you liked the Jackstraw recording, they are a great band that has been together for quite some time just down the road in beautiful Portland, Oregon.

[JH Murray]

Here's an interesting Top Ten list of bluegrass from a popular music site's perspective.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature...ass-of-2012/P1

[mandopete]

Here's an interesting Top Ten list of bluegrass from a popular music site's perspective.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature...ass-of-2012/P1

That's cool - thanks for sharing!

[mandorambler]

I didn't buy a lot of new bluegrass recordings in '12, but my favorite one that I did spring for was "Pardon Me..." by Travers Chandler and Avery County. Most of the other "young" band that are commonly touted as the future of bluegrass leave me cold compared to this group. Remember on the old Johnson Mountain Boys record where Dudley Connell introduced Eddie Stubbs by saying "he plays every note that he feels and feels every note that he plays?" That's a pretty good description of Travers Chandler and Avery County.

[Bigtuna]

The new Cahaleon Morrison and Eli West album "Our Lady of the Tall Trees".

[mandopete]

The new Cahalen Morrison and Eli West album "Our Lady of the Tall Trees".

Yes, that one's on the top of my list too. Not really bluegrass, but excellent in every which way!

[doc holiday]

As Mandopete says. Not really Bluegrass..... but definitely on the top of my list of great music for 2012.

[Mike Bunting]

I didn't buy a lot of new bluegrass recordings in '12, but my favorite one that I did spring for was "Pardon Me..." by Travers Chandler and Avery County. Most of the other "young" band that are commonly touted as the future of bluegrass leave me cold compared to this group. Remember on the old Johnson Mountain Boys record where Dudley Connell introduced Eddie Stubbs by saying "he plays every note that he feels and feels every note that he plays?" That's a pretty good description of Travers Chandler and Avery County.

Due to you, I gave a listen to the band on youtube and now have a couple of CDs. This is my kind of music, Thanks!

[doc holiday]

Since the answers seem to be stretching genres, I have to say the other CD of 2102 that impressed me most is the duet CD by Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms "Oh Do You Remember"

[lukmanohnz]

Here's my list....

1) Leave The Bottle - Town Mountain
2) All In - The Boxcars
3) Time - The Kathy Kallick Band
4) Scratch Gravel Road - Special Consensus
5) Cold Coal Town - Scott Holstein
6) Nobody Knows You - The Steep Canyon Rangers
7) Northern Departure - Northern Departure
8) The Road Into Town - Danny Paisley & Southern Grass
9) Sunday Never Comes - Jackstraw
10) Carolina Moonrise - Jim Lauderdale

Just downloaded the album Leave the Bottle by Town Mountain and listened straight through. That is great bluegrass - just all-around outstanding - solid songwriting, great singing, wonderful musicianship. Thanks so much for that recommendation. Also a big +1 for Scott Holstein's Cold Coal Town. There's some killer mando on that album - Aaron Ramsey if I am not mistaken.

[eightstringjames]

This isn't a top ten, just one I've really been loving this year - Back to Bassics by Saravanan(Sav) Sankaran, bass man for the Dixie Beeliners.

[drbluegrass]

I really like Ricky Wasson's solo CD. Best version of "Dark Hollow" I've heard.


Tom

[Mike Bunting]

The Twilite Broadcasters have a new one out now and had one out last year, "The Trail of Time". Pretty steady in my rotation, really good stuff.