A year in review: The best albums of 2024
Editor’s Note: Since August 2012, Garret K. Woodward has held the position of arts and entertainment editor for The Smoky Mountain News. In December 2018, he also became a contributing writer for Rolling Stone.
Below are a handful of excerpts from my Rolling Stone travels this year covering some of the best albums of 2024, excursions that took me from Maine to Montana, Florida to New York, Utah to Kentucky and then some — always in search of all things beautiful and true, especially when it comes to the sacred act of live performance.
Support live music. Support independent artists. Support local venues. For the more you do, the more these incredibly creative and intrinsic folks can do for you, musically and spiritually.
The Red Clay Strays — “Live at the Ryman”
The Red Clay Strays are arguably the hottest new act on the scene when it comes to Americana and rock music. Their latest album, “Live at the Ryman” is a mix of fire-and-brimstone vocals and swampy blues-rock that also serves as a testament to the band’s reputation as a must-see live act.
When they took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, it was as if Lynyrd Skynyrd were backing 1950s Elvis Presley, but with more snarling edge in tone and intent.
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“We try to put on a good show and just want to be an inspiration for people,” lead singer Brandon Coleman said. “You don’t lean against a shovel and pray for a hole. You’re going to have to do the work.”
Charlie Parr — “Little Sun”
Recorded in Portland, Oregon, “Little Sun” is Charlie Parr’s 18th studio album since his 2002 debut. It’s signature Parr, a gritty blend of Delta blues and Depression-era roots music soaked in his hardscrabble Minnesotan voice. It’s a sacred realm of folk wisdom and sorrowful vulnerability, reserved for the likes of Willis Alan Ramsey, John Hartford or even Link Wray.
During the recording sessions, one of the worst snowstorms that Portland has ever seen overtook the city. And yet the weather was rather poignant, a symbolic ode to Parr’s meditative tone — swirling sounds and existential thoughts like driving a backcountry road in a haze of undulating snowflakes, bright headlights and enveloping darkness.
“I have self-confidence I didn’t have before. I feel better about myself as a musician,” the 57-year-old Parr said. “I feel better about myself as a father, as a friend. I feel comfortable in my skin, my clothing, my age. I present myself better because I feel better. I found my voice.”
Widespread Panic — “Hailbound Queen”
In truth and in method, Widespread Panic is the musical amalgamation of the Southeast. There’s the swamp rock of North Florida à la the Allman Brothers Band and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the hard rock of Atlanta in the same vein as the Black Crowes and Drivin N Cryin and the thick thread of Memphis R&B/soul and Mississippi Delta blues. There’s also an oozing jazz/swing element straight out of New Orleans.
The balancing act of tension and release within the live setting is the epitome of what Panic set out to do when they started playing Athens, Georgia, dive bars and fraternity parties in the mid-1980s.
It’s also the foundation of Panic’s new album “Hailbound Queen,” the band’s 14th studio LP and the second offering this year from the group. In June, they released “Snake Oil King,” their first studio record in nine years.
“We’re in there and exploring the music together,” said lead singer and guitarist John Bell. “Sometimes you’re fighting to catch a wave and it takes all six of you [onstage] to catch the wave. And when you’re catching it together, you get that big inward smile going. Everybody’s listening, everybody’s present.”
Cris Jacobs — “One of These Days”
What has emerged from this current, cathartic chapter of Cris Jacobs’ life is his latest release, “One of These Days.” Produced by Jerry Douglas, himself a bluegrass icon, the album features Jacobs backed by Grammy-winning jam-grass act the Infamous Stringdusters.
“One of These Days” also features guest appearances by Billy Strings, Lindsay Lou, Lee Ann Womack, Sam Bush and the McCrary Sisters. The result is a blend of bluegrass, indie-folk and blues sensibilities anchoring Jacobs’ soaring, fiery voice, a vocal tone akin to that of Scott Avett or Dan Auerbach.
Although Jacobs is well-known for his electric guitar playing and rock-n-roll stage aesthetic, putting together a bluegrass album isn’t something out of left field. It’s more so a return to form, with Jacobs circling back to his musical roots.
“Musically, I had this identity crisis and I wanted to bring it back to a place where I was having fun again,” Jacobs said. “Where I was connected to myself and the music was coming from a pure place.”
Blitzen Trapper — “100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions”
Blitzen Trapper formed in Portland, Oregon, around 2000 and hovered in the indie-folk and alt-country realms with a sound that was vibrant, ethereal and catchy, evoking a mix of Tom Petty, Beck and Van Morrison.
They pivoted seamlessly between poignant ballads and soaring rock numbers, with each song’s melody inspired by the raw emotions and stage presence of lead singer Eric Earley, which resides at the core of their latest album, “100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions.”
“[Songs] have always been my way of journaling or processing all the things that have happened to me over the years,” Earley said. “For a lot of years, I was at odds with touring. Now? I’m more in tune with the people around me, onstage and in the audience. It almost feels like I’ve sort of awakened to what I had all along.”
