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If you happened to have read any of my year-end lists over the years, first of all, thank you. Secondly, my 2025 list will of course keep rock music front and central. What is a bit different (and not on purpose) is the umber of female-led albums I ended up with – 9 of the Top 20. You know Brandi Carlile had an outstanding year, with not one but two lauded albums (one with Elton John and one solo LP). Read on for the rest of my best of ’25.
Top 20 Albums of 2025
Momma – Welcome to My Blue Sky. This female-led, ‘90s-rock-influenced group was my favorite discovery of 2025. After diving into their full discography, their 2022 LP Household Name is my favorite of the four albums they’ve released. But Blue Sky is right up there. Highlights include catchy rocker “I Want You (Fever),” the deluxe edition’s “Cross Your Heart,” and most of all, “Stay All Summer,” where Momma really comes into their own sound.
The Freight – Tales of Maybe. Debut album of the year, featuring their “Good Kind of Crazy” single with Erin MacKenzie, the Allman Brothers-esque “This Time,” and the intimate “Come So Far.” Best heard on vinyl.
Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963. Hear Dylan’s growth as an artist, his humor, and his journey to stardom on some of the rarest and rawest recordings of his seemingly endless vault of previously unreleased material.
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition. The long-awaited, once buried and storied E Street Band versions of songs that ended up on 1982’s Nebraska LP finally saw daylight in 2025. The biggest wrinkle, though, is that this era also included takes on songs that ended up on 1984’s smash hit LP Born in the USA. Among the eight “Electric Nebraska” takes, the most surprising and to my ears, enjoyable are the lively, rockin’ versions of of “Johnny 99,” “Downbound Train,” and “Born in the USA.”
Brandi Carlile – Returning to Myself. She is a powerhouse nowadays and on a long winning streak – her Elton John collaboration is on this list too. Here, she has Andrew Watt co-producing the record, with appearances from Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (The National).
Hannah Jadagu – Describe. The “Say It Now” singer is making some of the smartest and warmest indie pop around. Following up on her 2023 debut Aperture, the hooks continue on Describe (“Dreaming,” “Gimme Time”), with some newer, more experimental (and synthier) elements sprinkled in.
Jeff Tweedy – Twilight Override. Tweedy’s fifth solo album is a lively, adventurous triple offering that rivals any recent Wilco records.
Jay Som – Belong. It has Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World on “Float” and Hayley Williams of Paramore on “Past Lives,” but “Drop A” and “What You Need (f/ Soft Glas)” are my standouts.
The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie. Lorde might be the most popular musician from New Zealand, but the Beths have made themselves one of the country’s most beloved indie rock bands for over a decade now. The sharp power-pop hooks continue on this, their fourth LP.
The Lemonheads – Love Chant. It’s their first original LP in nearly 20 years, and it features guest spots from J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) and Juliana Hatfield (whose early ’90s contributions to Lemonheads records are still some of my personal favorites).
Buddy Guy – Ain’t Done with the Blues. If you were to tell me in 2004 when I saw him live in Boston that 21 years later, the last living OG of the blues would still be around at age 88 releasing music, I would’ve questioned your sanity. Hearing Guy sing and play is always an inspiring treat, and on this one, you’ll dig collaborations with other living legends like Peter Frampton, Joe Bonamassa, and Joe Walsh.
Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes – Live at the Greek (25th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition). This remastered March 2025 release features 16 unreleased performances from the Led Zeppelin icon’s short but much-loved stint with the Robinson brothers and co. at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in October 1999 that was initially released a few months later on February 29, 2000.
Geese – Getting Killed. I didn’t really get the hype around this band until I heard the Thom Yorke-ish vocals on this LP. I guess some alternative rock fans of yesterday really, really miss Radiohead. This will do for now, as the legendary latter group appear to be getting ready to release new music this year.
Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman. Tyler Childers is on one track, as is Jesse Welles (who can count 2025 as his breakout year) on “Don’t Wake Me Up.” She did shows with Mumford & Sons and you might have even seen her live on CNN in September when it broadcast her Farm Aid 40 set (and Welles’s too). If you have time to hear just one track from HHW, it should be the very timely country anthem, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down.”
Kathleen Edwards – Billionaire. Produced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson, it’s her sixth LP. Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer are backing vocalists on the lyrically heavy standout, “Say Goodbye, Tell No One,” which also features one of the best and most emotional guitar solos I’ve ever heard from Isbell on a recording. “Save Your Soul” harks back to classic Sheryl Crow, and the title track was co-written by Dan Wilson (of Semisonic fame).
Bruce Springsteen – Tracks II: The Lost Albums. “Rain in the River” was the lead single in this treasure trove of previously unreleased material, but there is lots to dig into here – seven albums’ worth. Disc 3’s “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” takes the cake for me, with “Blind Spot” and “Maybe I Don’t Know You” being my highlights.
Wet Leg – moisturizer. Simply put, Wet Leg makes rock fun again.
Skunk Anansie – The Painful Truth. 2025 was a very active year for Skin and her crew, with the release of this, their first LP since 2016, and having played four August shows in their home country England with the Smashing Pumpkins and White Lies. David Sitek of TV on the Radio handles production, and his handy work certainly helped make this album the freshest the band has sounded in decades.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile – Who Believes in Angels? Andrew Watt produced it, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer (ex-Chili Peppers guitarist) are all over this rollicking record.
Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow. Isbell is a model of consistency. And his 10th solo album is the first solo acoustic one and first one without his 400 Unit since his 2007 debut, Sirens of the Ditch. One of the great storytellers of his time, Isbell makes Foxes one of his most personal outings yet, with songs addressing his divorce from Amanda Shires (“True Believer,” “Eileen”) and others about finding love again.
