Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Picking the 10 best albums and box sets of the year would involve too much arbitrariness, so here are 10 of the best rather than the 10 best. They’re listed alphabetically by artist. Click on the performers’ names for information about them or the recording names for more about the CD or box.
Amy Annelle – The Toll
This album’s moody, intimate music draws on country and Americana but thanks to its ornate string arrangements and complex melodies is perhaps best labeled baroque folk.
Collective Soul – Here to Eternity
Collective Soul has been around for three decades but on the evidence of this sprawling 20-track latest release, the rock group isn’t even close to running out of fresh musical ideas.
Dire Straits – Live 1978-1992
Perhaps the biggest thrill in this thrills-loaded box is the previously unreleased Live at the Rainbow Theatre, a 1979 concert.
Joni Mitchell – Archives, Vol. 4
This terrific fourth volume of previously unreleased material finds Mitchell moving closer to jazz than folk.
Willie Nelson – The Border
At age 91, he’s still releasing a steady stream of albums, including some of the best work of his career.
Laura Nyro – Hear My Song: The Collection, 1966–1995
A massive box set showcases live and studio work from an underappreciated, multitalented singer and songwriter.
The Rascals – It’s Wonderful: The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings
Highlights abound in this gargantuan box, which makes clear that there was much more to the Rascals than their well-known hits and other radio favorites.
Al Stewart – Past, Present & Future (50th-anniversary edition)
Past, Present & Future is arguably Al Stewart’s best work, and this box expands on it with a previously unreleased concert, a surround-sound Blu-ray, and more.
James Talley – Bandits, Ballads and Blues
Folk singer/songwriter James Talley’s 15th album, his first new LP since 2008, might be his best effort.
Wonder Women of Country – Wonder Women of Country
Melissa Carper, Kelly Willis, and Brennen Leigh have crafted an instantly engaging debut EP that evokes traditional country and Western swing and will leave you hungry for more.
