Top Ten 2021

This is the music, in no particular order, that I've most enjoyed listening to in 2021:

Bob Dylan - Springtime in New York, The Bootleg Series: Springtime in New York represents a significant re-evaluation of a period of Dylan's work which had largely been written off (Shot of Love and Empire Burlesque) or thoroughly misinterpreted (Infidels) by those who wanted back the Dylan that they thought they had possessed rather than the Dylan who was actually evolving in front of them. Dylan left classic songs such as Caribbean Wind, The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar, Angelina, Blind Willie McTell, Foot of Pride, and New Danville Girl off these albums. While each album included other classics such as Every Grain of Sand, Jokerman, I and I, and Dark Eyes, had the songs left off these albums been included the reaction to the albums as a whole would have been enhanced. In addition, these dense, wordy yet illuminating songs would have made it clearer that, in this period, Dylan was moving away from the simplistic and direct expression of faith that characterised the Gospel albums to songs where his exploration of faith was both more allusive and open. Springtime in New York reveals the inadequate nature of much initial response to a complex changing artist like Dylan while also showing that such initial misunderstandings of his work by becoming the standard response actively prevented understanding of the work until challenged by unreleased songs the quality and spirituality of which could not be denied.

Piers Faccini - Shapes of the Fall: 'In Shapes Of The Fall Piers Faccini has created a masterpiece – cerebral, thought-provoking, but above all, musically, an intensely enjoyable listening experience.' 'As he explains, “The fall is what we’re already living through, there is a kind of collapse happening already. And alongside that, I wanted to play around with the myth of the Garden of Eden, as if it were today.” The exhaustion of the planet’s resources and ongoing environmental catastrophes and loss of bio-diversity evidenced first-hand in his witnessing trees dying and birds disappearing within his locality leads him to pessimistically question man’s relationship with his environment whilst ruminating upon any possible resolutions. Thus hope and desperation, destruction and rehabilitation are parallel dichotomies that run like threads through the album.'

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - Carnage: 'Carnage comes after a remarkable trilogy of Bad Seeds releases, in which Cave and his band—among the fiercest animals in rock’n’roll, when they want to be—approached total stillness.' 'The story they tell is a version of the one Cave has spent his whole career telling, before and after the tragedy that ruptured his personal life—about our equal capacities for cruelty and love, and the flickering possibility of salvation in a brutal world.' 'As ever, Cave uses overtly religious imagery in ways both subversive and devout. The “kingdom in the sky” first appears in the album’s opening lines, where the foreboding music suggests we are doomed never to find it. Its final recurrence comes near the album’s end, in the dreamlike “Lavender Fields,” where a choir urges Cave’s narrator to have faith despite his loss: “Where did they go?/Where did they hide?/We don’t ask who/We don’t ask why/There is a kingdom in the sky.”'

The Alpha Band - The Arista Albums: 'Originally T-Bone Burnett, Steven Soles and David Mansfield met when they worked together in Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder review backing band. When the wheels fell off the bus of that particular tour at the end of 1975, the trio were immediately signed by Arista with big things predicted. They recorded three albums - 'Interviews', 'Spark In the Dark' and 'The Statue Makers Of Hollywood' - before sadly quitting as a band in 1979. Despite the high expectations and critical acclaim poured on the band, they failed to convert their talents into record sales so despite being fine albums, these remain cult classics. In hindsight, perhaps The Alpha Band were just too good or just ahead of their time. Mixing a myriad of Americana and world music influences together, they manage to sound spookily contemporary to 21st century listeners.' Robert Christgau writes of The Alpha Band as 'a country-rock band shocked by city living into a credible, slightly surrealistic nastiness, rather than the usual sleazy lies.' 'This unholy trio's second album is "humbly offered in the light of the triune God," but T-Bone Burnett still sounds like a helluva monad to me.' 'Now I learn that my man J.H. Burnett really is a born-again Christian, which must be why he feels so strongly about money changers and temples. Nonbelievers consider him shrill, but I find something sweet and reflective right beneath his cool, caustic self-righteousness.'

Our Lady Peace - Healthy in Paranoid Times: 'Deeply motivated by today’s social climate, Our Lady Peace finds a smooth balance between enjoyable music, and deep-thinking lyrics. This is surely one of the most mature albums that the group has made to date; and stands quite strongly in the post-American Idiot world of politically-minded rock records. The album opens with the punchy “Angels/Losing/Sleep,” and is represented on the airwaves by jaunty first single “Where Are You.” Highlights include the darkly played track “Wipe That Smile Off Your Face,” U2-tinged “Boy,” and the gorgeous, subdued album closer “Al Genina (Leave A Light On).” Sung with such passion, and child-like hope (choked with cynicism); it is truly a gorgeous tune.'

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Songs of Yearning: 'The revival of Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus that began in 2015 with the Dostoevsky-quoting Beauty Will Save The World has culminated in two new albums – Songs Of Yearning plus companion, Nocturnes. Just like Beauty…, the songs here are friendlier on the ear than the experimentalism of their youth, new players (including children of the original members) bringing fresh impetus. True, a still-intense album of neo-classical 4AD-style ambient folk featuring six different languages and a cover of Ave Maria might not sound that friendly but this is beautiful music built on a relatively unchanged sonic aesthetic that still works after nearly four decades – delicate, plaintive, swelling, and with a never-ending yearning for a half-forgotten past.' 'RAOTIJ may be destined to be remain one for the Godspeed-cum-Gorecki fans but Songs Of Yearning is far purer of spirit and intent than ever before – one for the heart not the heads.'

Valerie June - The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers: 'The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers is an unusual record, one that draws together a diverse array of influences – guided meditation, Fela Kuti, Sun Ra, Memphis soul, racial oppression, pedal steel and Tony Visconti among them, and somehow weaves them into one of this year’s most exceptional offerings.' 'The Order Of Time was an intimate, half-conversational affair, that voice muted and meandering, but oddly all the more heart-rending for its new restraint. The album drew wide critical acclaim and the admiration of Bob Dylan. The Moon And Stars feels a more fully realised project, more wide-ranging and self-assured than its predecessors. Its 14 tracks offer a loose lyrical narrative of the path of the ‘dreamer’ – the conjuring of self-belief, the setbacks, the sorrows, the strength to rise again. In and between, June introduces moments of sonic contemplation that on first listen prove unexpected; it is a brave album that follows its opening track with a 55-second wordless meditation – a wind-chimed, otherworldly deep breath before the heart-thumping, percussive scurry of “You And I”.'

Mica Paris - Gospel: 'the British soul icon returns to her roots with Gospel, her first studio release since 2009’s Born Again. The scope is fairly liberal: Paris tackles traditional gospel (‘Oh Happy Day’, ‘Amazing Grace’), African-American spirituals (‘Go Down Moses’, ‘Motherless Child’), contemporary anthems, perhaps with a latent religious subtext (‘Something Inside So Strong’, ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’), and two originals which, though secular in content, have a clear church influence (‘The Struggle’, ‘Mamma Said’).' 'in many ways this is the album a lot of Mica Paris fans have been waiting for: Songs which allow Paris’ marvellous voice, and all its colours and textures, to shine. Her instrument, which drew comparisons to Anita Baker when Paris first came on the scene in the late 1980s, has deepened beautifully with age. And there are some rousing vocal performances. She allows her voice to shred as she catches on a high note, opting for impassioned imperfection over polish. The heaviness and depth to Paris’ vocal imbues spirituals ‘Go Down Moses’ and ‘Motherless Child’ with a conviction and confident storytelling. Flecks of bluesy guitar swirl around Paris on original song ‘The Struggle’, where she sings of the challenges of navigating this world as a Black woman.'

Deacon Blue - Riding on the Tide of Love: 'Deacon Blue’s new album was never meant to be but, as Covid has bent lives and livelihoods out of shape, doors close, plans change and opportunities arise. With no option to tour their 2020 City of Love album, the band chose to mine the spirit of that record in other ways with their second album in less than 12 months. Riding on the Tide of Love is a continuation, featuring three tracks recorded during the City of Love sessions and others polished up incrementally, with each musician heading into the studio to record their part in isolation. The result is a mellow companion piece, gentle, unhurried, simple, effective and, given its piecemeal gestation, admirably cohesive. The opening title track combines a number of Deacon Blue signatures – a swagger to the rhythm, an ache to the vocals, an uplift to the arrangement – with the bonus feature of Ricky Ross intoning on the verses like a Caledonian Leonard Cohen warming to the theme of love in the time of adversity. Next comes love in a cold climate. She Loved the Snow is a winter song to snuggle up with, a comforting, cosy, breathy duet with Lorraine McIntosh. The easy rapture of their intertwined voices recalls the languid atmosphere of their 2009 McIntosh Ross album, The Great Lakes, recorded in the US with the cream of Americana players. This album is buffed up with more of a pop sheen, but the beguiling spirit remains the same, with a laidback southern soul feel to Send Out a Note. This last number is a call to call out in times of trouble, while there is further empathy in Ross’s beseeching falsetto assurance that “there’s nothing to be scared of, no reason to fear” on Nothing’s Changed. In a year where everything changed, Deacon Blue are determined to be a safe haven.'

Chrissie Hynde - Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan: A mini-genre of music has emerged in recent years: Bob Dylan tribute records from excellent female singers. Joan Osborne, Bettye LaVette, and Emma Swift have all made great contributions since 2017, but Chrissie Hynde, with her new album, Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan, may have achieved mastery. Made with Pretenders bandmate James Walbourne, via text messages during the pandemic lockdown, Standing in the Doorway is a rich experience of emotional and intellectual profundity. The eternal truth and power of Dylan’s lyrics, full of ancient wisdom and poetic dexterity, resonate with dramatic force. It is as if these songs are the chorus parts in a classical Greek tragedy, observing the consequences of human folly while also signifying the potential for deliverance. All four of Dylan’s recent celebrants demonstrate why his songs deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature.' 'The restraints of the lockdown work in her favor, as limited accompaniment — acoustic guitar, piano, mandolin, slide guitar — give the nine songs a hypnotic cohesion. Her curation is also inspired. There is not one “hit” on Standing in the Doorway. Instead, Hynde deftly leads her listeners through unique renditions of some of Dylan’s best and most obscure songs.' 'Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan rises out of the conditions of disease, chaos, and deprivation to document and exercise aesthetic and philosophic beauty. That’s one definition of hope.'   

My previous Top Ten's can be found here - 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

In January I'll be talking with Delvyn Case about rock and pop songs for Lent, Easter and Christmas. The latest series of Jesus Is Just Alright for HeartEdge will look at rocking the Church calendar. Register for the series here. 

My co-authored book ‘The Secret Chord’ is an impassioned study of the role of music in cultural life written through the prism of Christian belief. Order a copy from here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Songs of Yearning.