Rosalía - Lux: 'Rosalía’s Lux is a tour-de-force. Recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and featuring Björk, Carminho, Estrella Morente, Silvia Pérez Cruz, Yahritza and the Escolania de Montserrat i Cor Cambra Palau de la Música Catalana, and Yves Tumor, the album has 18 songs exploring ‘feminine mystique, transformation, and spirituality,’ arranged in four movements with lyrics in 14 different languages.'
Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World: 'If there’s a single album we should all be listening to right now, it’s Mavis Staples Sad and Beautiful World. A singer who’s been always at the forefront in struggles to transform our world through love and justice, whose weariness turns into doggedness, and whose happiness and joy shines through even life’s darkest moments, Mavis Staples draws passion for change from the depths of her soul, and her emotionally resonant vocals shimmer with tenderness in celebratory soul songs, even as the shiver with the grittiness in prowling blues numbers.'
Natalie Bergman - My Home Is Not In This World: 'If Mercy equates to the direct songs of praise and witness found on Bob Dylan’s Gospel albums, then her latest release, My Home Is Not In This World, equates to those later Dylan albums (like Infidels, Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind and Rough and Rowdy Ways) where faith infuses songs exploring life and love. Bergman has quoted T Bone Burnett’s distinction between songs about the light and songs about what you can see from the light. Mercy is the former and My Home Is Not In This World, the latter.'
Damien Jurado - Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son: Jurado's 'eleventh full-length album, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son (2014) stands out as visionary and a triumph of creativity. The album is a distinct stylistic change from his previous Seattle-born acoustic folk/Americana to Jurado’s new latin-inspired, sci-fi, psychedelic spiritual folk. Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son is a concept album along with Jurado’s previous Maraqopa (2012) and his newest Vision of Us on the Land (2016), forming a cohesive narrative-based sci-fi trilogy.'
John Davis - John Davis: 'The rest of the self-titled record arrived in 2005, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it may go down as the highwater mark of Davis’ songwriting: soulful, smart, aggressive, honest, and hooky as all get out. The musical palette was considerably broader than that of Superdrag. His Beach Boys obsession reached new heights on “I Hear Your Voice,” “Me and My Girl” hit all the right Rubber Soul notes (indeed, the very fact that he included a ‘secular’ love song on a Gospel record is worth noting), “Stained Glass Window” is the prettiest thing he’s ever done, and “Do You Know How Much You’ve Been Loved?” made a strong case for Davis as a country singer.'
The Lees of Memory - The Blinding White Of Nothing At All: 'For the most part, Blinding White trades the shoegazing layers for acoustic 12-strings, pedal steel, and sitar. Most songs are upbeat and push forward with a strong emphasis on melody. It’s power pop all grown up standing up shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Big Star and The Replacements. Especially tracks like “Find Yourself Walking” and “Hypothetical Shows”. There’s a general sense of hope and love running through each song. Even with the Fisher-lead tracks being the darkest, the album stays focused on its underlying theme of positivity ... It’s the sentimentality that makes The Blinding White Of Nothing At All work so well. A record about love created with love.'
Innocence Mission - Midwinter Swimmers: 'The long-running band’s 13th album surveys faith, longing, and middle age with the commonplace language of awe and a sense of unbarred earnestness ... Much like the way Sufjan Stevens’ most prevailing love songs double as hymns, the Innocence Mission have consistently turned to Catholicism to better understand the world and their place within it. “Oh I’m grateful for you/And oh I am afraid/of many things I should not fear if I believe,” Peris sings on “Orange of the Westering Sun.” Over plodding piano in “We Would Meet in Center City,” she coos, “Are you with me? Can you come? Can you reach me when you want, on any wave?” It’s an emotionally walloping chorus, and she answers those questions with a wordless, goosebump-inducing vocal refrain that, appropriately, feels like being brushed by a ghost. Midwinter Swimmers doles out discreet edification; Peris is no preacher or proselytizer. She’s instead like a solicitous follower who does her part by keeping the sacristy tidy or straightening bibles in hymnal racks: creating a welcoming space for those seeking comfort.'
After the Fire - Bright Lights: 'After the Fire live played a noisy, high speed new wave pop that never quite translated to record, although at times it came close. Clearly there was a desire for commercial success at play, courtesy CBS/Epic, Mack and some band members, but also room for a genuine place in the rock world, as evidenced by the positive response from Van Halen and their fans. If the sometimes questionable fashions the band at times adopted or the sustained interest in space travel as a metaphor reveals the music’s age, the songs on show here are quirky, energetic and inventive, keyboard or guitar led music that can proudly hold its head up alongside its musical neighbours from the time. The bright lights might have eluded the band, but now we can all hear what we missed out on at the time.'
Deacon Blue - The Great Western Road: '‘The Great Western Road’ itself is about the need for new challenges and experiences. Memories prove important on the journey, whether celebrating moments of exhilaration (‘Late ’88’) or awareness of the necessity of always moving on (‘How We Remember It’). The journey is always undertaken ‘Underneath The Stars’, which provide a consistent backdrop and point of orientation. ‘The Curve of the Line’ is what is followed for direction, with God, the Devil, and other people encountered. In all the confusion of change and movement ‘People Come First’, as the anthemic third track reminds us. Relationships are central to getting through and so awareness of death approaching and leaving one of a couple to cope on their own is the final challenge (‘If I Lived on My Own’). Much of life – it’s vicissitudes and joys – is compelling gathered up and explored here on what is a great, late album.'
My previous Top Ten's can be found here - 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
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.
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John Davis - Stained Glass Window.
