2020 wasn’t a year I acquired a lot of new music, but enough albums (okay, CDs and digital downloads. I still call them albums) to compile a list. First we’ll start with a couple of anniversary reissues, some miscellaneous albums and then the 15-CD countdown. Keep in mind, all of this is my opinion and your mileage may vary!
Rush’s Permanent Waves turned 40 in 2020. The CD is a 2-disc set featuring the classic album and a live set from Manchester, London. Not as fancy as the LP deluxe, but still a great reissue.
Turning 50 in 2020 was the Grateful Dead’s classic album, and it came along with 23 songs of live music on 2 discs. Always great to hear the Dead live!
This is an excellent live disc from Pearl Jam, featuring 7 classic tunes, featuring Alive, Jeremy, Ocean, Porch, Even Flow, Black and State of Love and Trust. I didn’t include live discs in the countdown, so I put it here as worthy of a listen or three.
Imaginary Traces by Piano Novel is a 3-song EP of beautiful classical piano music. As I generally love this kind of music, it would’ve wound up as my number 1 disc, but I was hesitant to have an EP as the best of 2020.
Clinton Kane put out a 2-song EP called Hopeless, about the end of a relationship. Both songs, Hopeless and Forget About us are heart-wrenching songs about heartbreak.
And now, the countdown …
#15: Keith Urban puts out consistently good albums. But somewhere along the way, the songs all sort of have a similar vibe. Personally, I think 15 songs from almost anyone is a bit too much. The opening few songs are Urban’s usual pop-country tunes, but the last few slow down a bit too much.
#14: Rise is the new release from Revolution Saints, one of the supergroups made up of Jack Blades (Night Ranger and others), Deen Castronovo (Journey and others), and Doug Aldritch (Whitesnake and others). It’s a great hard rock album that hits on all the right notes to be a fun disc of rockin’ tunes.
#13: The Psychedelic Furs returned with Made of Rain, their first release since 1991’s World Outside. Though the songs are not quite as catchy as their 80’s albums, this is a solid return to form for the boys.
#12: Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man is a solid disc, and for the most part, I liked this one. I’m not really a fan of songs that are more noise than melody and I’m not a fan of Post Malone, hence this album didn’t rank higher.
#11: Iration’s Coastin’. I’ve always been a fan of Reggae and I discovered this disc along the way. It has a number of fun, island songs as well as quieter moments, but all with that wonderful Reggae sound.
#10: Tenille Townes’ Lemonade Stand. And now for something completely different. Ms. Townes disc is a fine collection of country songs with heartfelt lyrics. The melodies are catchy and most of the tunes come a few shades shy of pop.
#9: I haven’t heard new Kansas in a long time, so when I gave a listen to Absence of Presence, I was pleasantly surprised. There are prog influences throughout this disc, and the music is pure Kansas.
#8: I love progressive metal bands (as long as the singer isn’t screaming), so when I heard Psychotic Waltz’s God-Shaped Void, I was impressed. I’m not familiar with their earlier work, but I’m looking forward to hearing their older works.
#7: To be honest, I haven’t heard enough of Midnight Oil to say whether I’m a fan or not. That being said, I enjoyed The Makarrata Project a lot. The album’s seven songs speaks of the First People of Australia and their way of life. This is also the first Midnight Oil LP in 18 years. Time to go back and find more of their music!
#6: I’m admitting here that I’m a fan of Pentatonix. Any group that can put out albums without a single instrument, going full-on acapella, is worth listening to. This 6-song EP kicks off with ‘Home’, a medley of songs about home, from Ozzy to Motely Crue. The other five songs are covers (what they’re best known for) of pop tunes from artists Dua Lipa, the Weeknd and others.
#5: I’ve always been a fan of Moby, and his newest release, All Visible Objects, is more of his electronic wonders with guest vocals throughout.
#4: Little Big Town is a country quartet with wonderful harmonies and they tread that border where pop and country meet. Nightfall is a great album of songs that really show the band at their finest.
#3: Matthew West’s religious / spiritual CD, Walking Miracle, is a 5-song EP of uplifting songs. Tunes such as Walking Miracle, Truth Be Told and What If speak to the soul, energizing the spirit. if you need a spiritual lift, I recommend this disc. (Apologies … I couldn’t find a copy of the cover to put up here)
#2: Bon Jovi’s 2020 is a deep look at our society in the middle of a pandemic, with songs about veterans’ struggles, what patriotism means and how we’re surviving through all that’s going on.
#1: Bruce Springsteen’s Letter To You is a poignant examination of our lives in our pandemic, political world. From the opening track, One Minute You’re Here, the listener is taken on a journey through the heart of life in these trying times.