Minkin's Music: Best of 2019

By Jay Minkin

With the holidays and Black Friday just weeks away, it’s time to offer some suggestions for that audiophile on your gift list. Here are a few favorites released this past year.

The best album of the year could also be the comeback album of the year, as Tanya Tucker delivered the goods with While I’m Livin’. Produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, it’s Tucker’s first album since 2009 with radio singles “The Wheels of Laredo,” “Hard Luck,” “High Ridin’ Heroes,” “Bring My Flowers Now,” and a cover of Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.”

Other notable female singer/songwriter releases include Bonnie Bishop, The Walk, Julia Jacklin, Crushing, Danni Nicholls, The Melted Morning, and Kelsey Waldon, White Noise/White Lines. You may not know these names, but once you hear their voices you’ll fall in love with them.

As for the gentlemen, Tyler Childers’ anticipated follow-up to Purgatory (2017) debuted at number one, with Country Squire topping both Billboard’s Country Albums and American/Folk Albums upon release. Produced by Sturgill Simpson, Childers brings the “hillbilly” back to country western music and is blazing on the single “House Fire.”

An artist that released his 69th studio album, Willie Nelson continues to record stellar material with Ride Me Back Home. Another Texan, Joe Buchanan, released Back from Babylon that not only is a great sounding record, but also has some beautiful spiritual undertones. I loved the documentary film and soundtrack Echo in the Canyon, featuring music that came out of L.A.’s Laurel Canyon neighborhood between 1965-67. Starring Jakob Dylan, beautiful covers like “Go Where You Wanna Go,” “The Bells of Rhymney,” “In My Room,” “Goin’ Back,” and “Never My Love” take me back in time.

Stay tuned for some final comments next month.

Contact Jay at Blues4Bird@aol.com or post on his Minkin's Music Facebook page.