Our Top 10 albums lists by genre continue with our staff picks for the best of country, folk & blues this year. Click "next" at the bottom of the page to read through the albums one by one, or use the list below to skip ahead to your favourites.
Top 10 Country, Folk & Blues Albums of 2014:
To see more of our Year-End Top Tens, head over to our Best of 2014 section.
10. Tweedy
Sukierae
(dBpm Records)
Here's what you need to know about Sukierae: it's the solo album that fans have been begging Jeff Tweedy, Wilco frontman and one of America's best songwriters, to make for ages. It features Tweedy's 18-year-old, fresh-out-of-high-school son Spencer on the drums, and is dedicated to and named after his wife, Sue, who was not long ago diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's also a double record — its 20 songs clock in around 70 minutes — in an era when shuffle is god and radio stations splice three-minute singles into one-minute choruses to satisfy sporadic attention spans.
But to believe Sukierae, because of its drummer or dedication or duration, is in any way a gimmick would be a mistake. Created almost exclusively by Tweedy and son (save a few guest contributors, including the gracious backing vocals of Brooklyn's Lucius on "Low Key"), the album displays incredible diversity, jumping from raunchy alt-rock to heartbreaking acoustic ballads, dazed experimental to catchy power pop — kind of like a tour through Wilco's two-decade discography. The younger Tweedy's textured and tasteful percussion is mature beyond his years, and provides an apt backdrop for the awe-inspiring songwriting of his dad who, here, is as good as he's ever been. (Luc Rinaldi)
9. Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
(High Top Mountain/Sony Music Canada)
There was a brief moment in the late 1960s and early '70s when the urban psychedelic thing got tangled up with traditional country music. Suddenly, the Grateful Dead were covering Marty Robbins murder ballads, Commander Cody was playing tripped-out Western swing and pot-smoking Nashville counter-culturalists were referring to themselves as "outlaws." It was, as most periods of intense cross-pollination are, one of the most exciting and creative half-decades in the history of the genre.
Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson has clearly been studying this now-unfashionable era, looking for inspiration for his sophomore record. But, while in another's hands this throwback approach could have come across as archaic and unworthy, an exercise in retreading old tires, Simpson has taken these old ideas and crafted a postmodern masterpiece. From the sly album title (a reference to Ray Charles' 1962 crossover country record) to his wildly unlikely cover of When In Rome's 1988 hit "The Promise" to his casual dismissal of Christianity as "fairy tales of blood and wine" to his celebration of the virtues of the third-eye insight of LSD, this is a smart, challenging and oddly subversive record by an emerging master. A fuzzed-out trip, as giddy and true as a psilocybin yawn, this is easily one of the best country records of the year. (Stuart Henderson)
8. Doug Paisley
Strong Feelings
(Cameron House)
Strong Feelings has been called Doug Paisley's country album. Seeing as the Toronto songwriter moonlights in a band called Golden Country Classics, that designation seems a little silly: every Doug Paisley release is likely to be a variation on his expression of country music.
His third album is Paisley's most diverse. His warm, old-fashioned drawl and fluent guitar picking carry the album through mildly surprising twists and turns: a little jazz balladry on Mary Margaret O'Hara duet "What's Up Is Down" with Colin Stetson on horns; flashes of psychedelic gospel on "Growing Souls"; spacey keyboard solo interjections on "Where The Light Takes You"; and a bit of Crazy Horse-style roots rock on "To & Fro" and the disarming spontaneity of one-take, one-mic acoustic closer "Because I Love You" (also with M20H).
Recorded to tape with as impressive cast of recurring and new collaborators (including Bazil Donovan and Garth Hudson, along with guitarist Emmett Kelly and others), Paisley's calling card is his exceptional songcraft, though his guitar playing is top notch as well. "It's Not Too Late (To Say Goodbye)" — with tambourine by co-producer Stew Crookes and backup vocals from the Weather Station's Tamara Lindeman — has become my favourite song of the year. (Sarah Greene)
7. Shovels & Rope
Swimmin' Time
(Dine Alone)
From their Charleston home on John's Island off the coast of South Carolina, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst are understandably concerned with the almost submergible state of the Eastern seaboard's water levels on this, their third record. Swimmin' Time, along with being socially driven, is guided by pure Southern Americana charm and chemistry. The married duo that form Shovels & Rope successfully followed their breakout record, O' Be Joyful, with an even more inspiring release. Despite the serious political undercurrent of the album, Swimmin' Time is rousing and sing-able, carrying the same positive characteristics as its predecessor; both have bombastic hits as the opening song ("Devil is All Around"), both are rife with compelling storytelling ("Mary Ann & One Eyed Dan," "Thresher" and "Evil") and both feature the couple's flawless a cappella harmonies ("After The Storm").
What distinguishes Shovels & Rope's latest record from previous efforts is the new depth and expansion of their vision beyond the sweet and folksy to the downright sinister ambiguities of good and evil. With Swimmin' Time, Shovels & Rope have solidified themselves as one of the most consistent acts in roots music today. (Mackenzie Herd)
6. Robert Ellis
The Lights From the Chemical Plant
(New West)
As far as country musicians go, Robert Ellis is just a little too strange for Nashville and a little too Southern for everywhere else. That's okay, because on The Lights From the Chemical Plant, the former long-haired hippie hits a sweet spot right in between, delivering 11 tracks of evocative, roots-based tales about the fleeting nature of small-town life and love ("Chemical Plant"), drug addiction (the roughshod ragtime of "Bottle Of Wine"), the guilt and glory of God (blistering bluegrass ballbuster "Sing Along") and parting ways with your hometown ("Houston").
Although rooted in the traditional troubadour sounds of classic country, Ellis — as a storyteller and performer — seems equally informed by Hank Williams' staples as he is Jeff Tweedy and company's production techniques, employing double-tracked and dissonant vocals takes, stir-crazy guitar solos ("Still Crazy After All These Years") and plaintive, powerful epics ("Tour Song") to create a well-rounded and multi-faceted collection of modern classics. Nowhere is this more evident than on album-opener "TV Song" — a jaunty, flange-heavy love letter to the escapist powers of the boob tube; much like the state-of-mind of the song's protagonist, Ellis is a shape shifter, adopting styles and subtle nuances as if they were his own, and making one of the year's best in the process. (Matthew Ritchie)
5. Jennifer Castle
Pink City
(Idée Fixe)
The road of the transient folksinger, while thematically rich, is well trod. Most of the time, stories told within this mould are easily recognizable; the music is comfortable, settling over the shoulders like a slightly moth-eaten buffalo coat. On her fourth album, Pink City, Toronto-based musician Jennifer Castle works within the framework of old ideas and familiar characters and renders them ethereal, exultant and faintly shrouded in mystery.
She takes us to San Francisco, to a beach, to a friend's dying garden, to the waves; she mourns lost friends and lovers and exults in solitude but relishes a friend's floor in the company of the happiest dog. Castle's capable hands render these moments both knowable and slightly out of reach as they weave in and out of focus, always brighter than life. Owen Pallett's string arrangements act as a counterweight to Castle's piping vocals — sometimes they swell and sometimes they bark like a second voice, affirming everything she says. Castle's world is a more conscious and deeply felt world than the one we inhabit, one that's gracious, joyful, pained and full of wondering. (Alison Lang)
4. The Barr Brothers
Sleeping Operator
(Secret City)
Two brothers from the U.S. move to Montreal to start a band with some of the city's brightest musicians — sound familiar? But what prevents the Barr Brothers from being referred to as the "Arcade Fire of alt-country" is Andrew and Brad's rich musical pedigree. Just as the Butlers absorbed the vibe of their adopted home to craft their sound, the Barr Brothers brought in nearly 20 years of experience from their long-running avant-rock outfit, the Slip. This is part of the reason why Sleeping Operator, the band's second release, came off sounding so confident and focused.
Over 60 minutes and 13 tracks, the brothers Barr, joined by multi-instrumentalists Sarah Page and Andres Vial, never feel indebted to alt-country's lineage, approaching every track, lyric and note with wide-eyed optimism and a clean sonic slate. And although the four-piece adorn Sleeping Operator with gentle harp tones and bouncing banjo, the album's production manages to come off big, brash and full of authority, similar to what bands like Broken Bells and the War on Drugs have pulled off with much larger recording budgets. On Sleeping Operator, the Barr Brothers don't seem to be uninterested in playing by the rules as much as they're blissfully oblivious to them, and our ears are the beneficiaries. (Daniel Sylvester)
3. First Aid Kit
Stay Gold
(Columbia)
Released in 2014's summertime, sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg ventured to Omaha, Nebraska to record their thoughtful, upbeat third studio album, Stay Gold, with Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk fame. A bright, personal record that contemplates life on the road in an accessible way, Stay Gold reflects on relationships soured by distance, as on final track "A Long Time Ago."
From front to back, the album is a soundtrack that breathes meaning into quiet afternoon contemplation. The Söderberg sisters harmonize in beautiful form, hearkening back to simpler, more folk-y times without irony or melancholy. Songs like "Shattered & Hollow" demonstrate both their instrumental proficiency and songwriting chops as they sing, "Time, time is a fickle thing/ Let's see what it can bring."
Stay Gold is honest, reflective coming-of-age music, an excellent album that recalls the feeling of idyllic teenage summers. It's sweet, likeable folk music, perfect for a lazy Sunday or the open road, and some of the year's best. (Eric Zaworski)
2. Bry Webb
Free Will
(Idée Fixe)
Just a month before the reunion of Canada's favourite art-rock sons the Constantines earlier this year, lead singer Bry Webb remained fairly mum on the whole thing, turning down interview requests to discuss the reunion. What Webb wanted to discuss was his new country-tinged solo record, Free Will, and with good reason. Webb's second solo record is a complex unveiling of the 37-year-old, normally one of the more reticent songwriters in the country. There has always been a mystery to the Constantines, held afloat in no small part by the vagueness of Webb's lyrics. Free Will is the sound of the songwriter exposed and totally at peace with the restlessness that inspired the riotous nature of the band that made him famous.
Patient and building, Free Will finds Webb embracing a possibly Constantines-free future. The slow-rolling "AM Blues" is as buoyant as Webb's folk has ever sounded. There's simplicity to his lyrics, but even as he croons, "Any game you choose/ Is a game I was born to lose," you can't help but visualize Webb with a smirk on his face. Free Will is a warm document of the incredible strides Webb has made that will remain long after the feedback from Constantines' amps stops ringing. (Joshua Kloke)
1. The Wooden Sky
Let's Be Ready
(Chelsea Records)
The past year was one of reinvention for the Wooden Sky. The Toronto roots-rockers ditched their label to start their own, switched up their lineup and, most noticeably, revamped their sound. While the band's first three albums might have felt at home in a living room or the front of a church, Let's Be Ready belongs in a rock club.
Of course, the Wooden Sky have been playing in those kinds of clubs all along, often reimagining their folky, acoustic-led tunes as cathartic indie rock anthems in live settings. Their latest effort is the first to properly capture the powerful, ethereal energy that the five-piece conjures onstage in the process. You won't find the raw energy of tracks like opener "Saturday Night," the airy "Our Hearts Were Young" or uplifting "When The Day Is Fresh And The Light Is New" elsewhere in the band's discography.
Nor will you find a sound quite like that of the Wooden Sky elsewhere in the scene. It wasn't really begging to be reimagined — they were always masters of packaging terrific songwriting within a moody, atmospheric aesthetic — but Let's Be Ready nevertheless took a chance, and it paid off in spades. (Luc Rinaldi)
Top 10 Country, Folk & Blues Albums of 2014:
- 1. The Wooden Sky - Let's Be Ready
- 2. Bry Webb - Free Will
- 3. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
- 4. The Barr Brothers - Sleeping Operator
- 5. Jennifer Castle - Pink City
- 6. Robert Ellis - The Lights From the Chemical Plant
- 7. Shovels & Rope - Swimmin' Time
- 8. Doug Paisley - Strong Feelings
- 9. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
- 10. Tweedy - Sukierae
To see more of our Year-End Top Tens, head over to our Best of 2014 section.
10. Tweedy
Sukierae
(dBpm Records)
Here's what you need to know about Sukierae: it's the solo album that fans have been begging Jeff Tweedy, Wilco frontman and one of America's best songwriters, to make for ages. It features Tweedy's 18-year-old, fresh-out-of-high-school son Spencer on the drums, and is dedicated to and named after his wife, Sue, who was not long ago diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's also a double record — its 20 songs clock in around 70 minutes — in an era when shuffle is god and radio stations splice three-minute singles into one-minute choruses to satisfy sporadic attention spans.
But to believe Sukierae, because of its drummer or dedication or duration, is in any way a gimmick would be a mistake. Created almost exclusively by Tweedy and son (save a few guest contributors, including the gracious backing vocals of Brooklyn's Lucius on "Low Key"), the album displays incredible diversity, jumping from raunchy alt-rock to heartbreaking acoustic ballads, dazed experimental to catchy power pop — kind of like a tour through Wilco's two-decade discography. The younger Tweedy's textured and tasteful percussion is mature beyond his years, and provides an apt backdrop for the awe-inspiring songwriting of his dad who, here, is as good as he's ever been. (Luc Rinaldi)
9. Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
(High Top Mountain/Sony Music Canada)
There was a brief moment in the late 1960s and early '70s when the urban psychedelic thing got tangled up with traditional country music. Suddenly, the Grateful Dead were covering Marty Robbins murder ballads, Commander Cody was playing tripped-out Western swing and pot-smoking Nashville counter-culturalists were referring to themselves as "outlaws." It was, as most periods of intense cross-pollination are, one of the most exciting and creative half-decades in the history of the genre.
Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson has clearly been studying this now-unfashionable era, looking for inspiration for his sophomore record. But, while in another's hands this throwback approach could have come across as archaic and unworthy, an exercise in retreading old tires, Simpson has taken these old ideas and crafted a postmodern masterpiece. From the sly album title (a reference to Ray Charles' 1962 crossover country record) to his wildly unlikely cover of When In Rome's 1988 hit "The Promise" to his casual dismissal of Christianity as "fairy tales of blood and wine" to his celebration of the virtues of the third-eye insight of LSD, this is a smart, challenging and oddly subversive record by an emerging master. A fuzzed-out trip, as giddy and true as a psilocybin yawn, this is easily one of the best country records of the year. (Stuart Henderson)
8. Doug Paisley
Strong Feelings
(Cameron House)
Strong Feelings has been called Doug Paisley's country album. Seeing as the Toronto songwriter moonlights in a band called Golden Country Classics, that designation seems a little silly: every Doug Paisley release is likely to be a variation on his expression of country music.
His third album is Paisley's most diverse. His warm, old-fashioned drawl and fluent guitar picking carry the album through mildly surprising twists and turns: a little jazz balladry on Mary Margaret O'Hara duet "What's Up Is Down" with Colin Stetson on horns; flashes of psychedelic gospel on "Growing Souls"; spacey keyboard solo interjections on "Where The Light Takes You"; and a bit of Crazy Horse-style roots rock on "To & Fro" and the disarming spontaneity of one-take, one-mic acoustic closer "Because I Love You" (also with M20H).
Recorded to tape with as impressive cast of recurring and new collaborators (including Bazil Donovan and Garth Hudson, along with guitarist Emmett Kelly and others), Paisley's calling card is his exceptional songcraft, though his guitar playing is top notch as well. "It's Not Too Late (To Say Goodbye)" — with tambourine by co-producer Stew Crookes and backup vocals from the Weather Station's Tamara Lindeman — has become my favourite song of the year. (Sarah Greene)
7. Shovels & Rope
Swimmin' Time
(Dine Alone)
From their Charleston home on John's Island off the coast of South Carolina, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst are understandably concerned with the almost submergible state of the Eastern seaboard's water levels on this, their third record. Swimmin' Time, along with being socially driven, is guided by pure Southern Americana charm and chemistry. The married duo that form Shovels & Rope successfully followed their breakout record, O' Be Joyful, with an even more inspiring release. Despite the serious political undercurrent of the album, Swimmin' Time is rousing and sing-able, carrying the same positive characteristics as its predecessor; both have bombastic hits as the opening song ("Devil is All Around"), both are rife with compelling storytelling ("Mary Ann & One Eyed Dan," "Thresher" and "Evil") and both feature the couple's flawless a cappella harmonies ("After The Storm").
What distinguishes Shovels & Rope's latest record from previous efforts is the new depth and expansion of their vision beyond the sweet and folksy to the downright sinister ambiguities of good and evil. With Swimmin' Time, Shovels & Rope have solidified themselves as one of the most consistent acts in roots music today. (Mackenzie Herd)
6. Robert Ellis
The Lights From the Chemical Plant
(New West)
As far as country musicians go, Robert Ellis is just a little too strange for Nashville and a little too Southern for everywhere else. That's okay, because on The Lights From the Chemical Plant, the former long-haired hippie hits a sweet spot right in between, delivering 11 tracks of evocative, roots-based tales about the fleeting nature of small-town life and love ("Chemical Plant"), drug addiction (the roughshod ragtime of "Bottle Of Wine"), the guilt and glory of God (blistering bluegrass ballbuster "Sing Along") and parting ways with your hometown ("Houston").
Although rooted in the traditional troubadour sounds of classic country, Ellis — as a storyteller and performer — seems equally informed by Hank Williams' staples as he is Jeff Tweedy and company's production techniques, employing double-tracked and dissonant vocals takes, stir-crazy guitar solos ("Still Crazy After All These Years") and plaintive, powerful epics ("Tour Song") to create a well-rounded and multi-faceted collection of modern classics. Nowhere is this more evident than on album-opener "TV Song" — a jaunty, flange-heavy love letter to the escapist powers of the boob tube; much like the state-of-mind of the song's protagonist, Ellis is a shape shifter, adopting styles and subtle nuances as if they were his own, and making one of the year's best in the process. (Matthew Ritchie)
5. Jennifer Castle
Pink City
(Idée Fixe)
The road of the transient folksinger, while thematically rich, is well trod. Most of the time, stories told within this mould are easily recognizable; the music is comfortable, settling over the shoulders like a slightly moth-eaten buffalo coat. On her fourth album, Pink City, Toronto-based musician Jennifer Castle works within the framework of old ideas and familiar characters and renders them ethereal, exultant and faintly shrouded in mystery.
She takes us to San Francisco, to a beach, to a friend's dying garden, to the waves; she mourns lost friends and lovers and exults in solitude but relishes a friend's floor in the company of the happiest dog. Castle's capable hands render these moments both knowable and slightly out of reach as they weave in and out of focus, always brighter than life. Owen Pallett's string arrangements act as a counterweight to Castle's piping vocals — sometimes they swell and sometimes they bark like a second voice, affirming everything she says. Castle's world is a more conscious and deeply felt world than the one we inhabit, one that's gracious, joyful, pained and full of wondering. (Alison Lang)
4. The Barr Brothers
Sleeping Operator
(Secret City)
Two brothers from the U.S. move to Montreal to start a band with some of the city's brightest musicians — sound familiar? But what prevents the Barr Brothers from being referred to as the "Arcade Fire of alt-country" is Andrew and Brad's rich musical pedigree. Just as the Butlers absorbed the vibe of their adopted home to craft their sound, the Barr Brothers brought in nearly 20 years of experience from their long-running avant-rock outfit, the Slip. This is part of the reason why Sleeping Operator, the band's second release, came off sounding so confident and focused.
Over 60 minutes and 13 tracks, the brothers Barr, joined by multi-instrumentalists Sarah Page and Andres Vial, never feel indebted to alt-country's lineage, approaching every track, lyric and note with wide-eyed optimism and a clean sonic slate. And although the four-piece adorn Sleeping Operator with gentle harp tones and bouncing banjo, the album's production manages to come off big, brash and full of authority, similar to what bands like Broken Bells and the War on Drugs have pulled off with much larger recording budgets. On Sleeping Operator, the Barr Brothers don't seem to be uninterested in playing by the rules as much as they're blissfully oblivious to them, and our ears are the beneficiaries. (Daniel Sylvester)
3. First Aid Kit
Stay Gold
(Columbia)
Released in 2014's summertime, sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg ventured to Omaha, Nebraska to record their thoughtful, upbeat third studio album, Stay Gold, with Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk fame. A bright, personal record that contemplates life on the road in an accessible way, Stay Gold reflects on relationships soured by distance, as on final track "A Long Time Ago."
From front to back, the album is a soundtrack that breathes meaning into quiet afternoon contemplation. The Söderberg sisters harmonize in beautiful form, hearkening back to simpler, more folk-y times without irony or melancholy. Songs like "Shattered & Hollow" demonstrate both their instrumental proficiency and songwriting chops as they sing, "Time, time is a fickle thing/ Let's see what it can bring."
Stay Gold is honest, reflective coming-of-age music, an excellent album that recalls the feeling of idyllic teenage summers. It's sweet, likeable folk music, perfect for a lazy Sunday or the open road, and some of the year's best. (Eric Zaworski)
2. Bry Webb
Free Will
(Idée Fixe)
Just a month before the reunion of Canada's favourite art-rock sons the Constantines earlier this year, lead singer Bry Webb remained fairly mum on the whole thing, turning down interview requests to discuss the reunion. What Webb wanted to discuss was his new country-tinged solo record, Free Will, and with good reason. Webb's second solo record is a complex unveiling of the 37-year-old, normally one of the more reticent songwriters in the country. There has always been a mystery to the Constantines, held afloat in no small part by the vagueness of Webb's lyrics. Free Will is the sound of the songwriter exposed and totally at peace with the restlessness that inspired the riotous nature of the band that made him famous.
Patient and building, Free Will finds Webb embracing a possibly Constantines-free future. The slow-rolling "AM Blues" is as buoyant as Webb's folk has ever sounded. There's simplicity to his lyrics, but even as he croons, "Any game you choose/ Is a game I was born to lose," you can't help but visualize Webb with a smirk on his face. Free Will is a warm document of the incredible strides Webb has made that will remain long after the feedback from Constantines' amps stops ringing. (Joshua Kloke)
1. The Wooden Sky
Let's Be Ready
(Chelsea Records)
The past year was one of reinvention for the Wooden Sky. The Toronto roots-rockers ditched their label to start their own, switched up their lineup and, most noticeably, revamped their sound. While the band's first three albums might have felt at home in a living room or the front of a church, Let's Be Ready belongs in a rock club.
Of course, the Wooden Sky have been playing in those kinds of clubs all along, often reimagining their folky, acoustic-led tunes as cathartic indie rock anthems in live settings. Their latest effort is the first to properly capture the powerful, ethereal energy that the five-piece conjures onstage in the process. You won't find the raw energy of tracks like opener "Saturday Night," the airy "Our Hearts Were Young" or uplifting "When The Day Is Fresh And The Light Is New" elsewhere in the band's discography.
Nor will you find a sound quite like that of the Wooden Sky elsewhere in the scene. It wasn't really begging to be reimagined — they were always masters of packaging terrific songwriting within a moody, atmospheric aesthetic — but Let's Be Ready nevertheless took a chance, and it paid off in spades. (Luc Rinaldi)