“Cool Album of the Day” Favorite Albums of 2011

 

One of the things that many music websites do this time of year is publish what they call “The Best Albums of year..blah blah blah.” All I have to say is, if you claim your list is a best of, then you better have heard every album that was released. I read a ton of these lists and I know for sure, these people are deciding on what is a best of and they haven’t come close to doing enough homework.

Yes, we’re putting out a list as well. But we’re calling it our “Favorite Albums of 2011. I know darn well that I didn’t hear nearly enough to think that I what I have to say is any type of best of listing. What I do know is the listing that I’ve put together were my favorite albums of the ones that I was lucky enough to hear in the last twelve months.

How do I chose my favorite ten? That’s easy, of all the albums I’ve heard this year, which ones consistently “begged me” to be heard again and again. The more I wanted to play them, the more I must have liked them. I think sometime people put together a listing trying to make themselves look cool. That wasn’t my goal. My heart told me what to place on this list.

They original plan was to get together with senior staff and compile our 10 favorites for the site, but for this year at least, we’re all announcing our own top 10. We even decided to extend the invitation to readers. We’ve added their entries as well. Did you not know we were doing that? No Worries!! For the next few days at least, feel free to submit them 1 thru 10, title and artist only to “CoolAlbumofTheDay@Gmail.com” and I’ll add them to the list. Enjoy!

Larry Carta

(Publisher – Cool Album of the Day)

1. Garland Jeffreys – The King of In Between
   
2. Mimi Betinis – All That Glitters
3. John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns
4. EmmyLou Harris – Hard Bargain
5. Glen Campbell – Ghost on the Canvas
6. Foster and Lloyd – It’s Already Tomorrow
7. Various Artists – Rave On Buddy Holly
8. Dave Alvin – Eleven Eleven
9. Jeff Beck – Rock N’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul)
10. Daryl Hall – Laughing Down Crying

Walt Falconer

(Senior Staff Writer, Publisher The Falcon’s Nest)

1. J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound – Want Some
2. Wild Flag – Wild Flag
3. Grouplove – Never Trust a Happy Song
4. Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
5. Deer Tick Divine Providence
6. Rival Sons – Pressure and Time
7. The Fleet Foxws – Helplessness Blues
8. Dawes – Nothing is wrong
9. Rachael Yamagata Chesapeake
10. The Bellle Brigade – The Belle Brigade

Stephen Dalrymple

Dennis Harris

1. Lucinda Williams “Blessed”
2. The Decemberists “The King is Dead”
3. Fleet Foxes “Helplessness Blues”
4. Kate Bush “50 Words for Snow”
5. Gillian Welch The Harrow & The Harvest
6. EmmyLou Harris “Hard Bargain”
7. The Civil Wars “Barton Hollow”
8. Bruce Cockburn “Small Source of Comfort”
9. tUnE-yArDs “whokill”
10. Laura Marling “A Creature I Don’t Know”

Eric Berman

(Publisher – Song of the Day)

1. Wilco – The Whole Love
2. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Mirror Traffic
3. Tom Waits – Bad As Me
4.  tUnE-yArDs – whokill
5. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
6. Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What
7. Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi – Rome
8. Starfucker – Reptilians
9. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
10. Deerhoof – Deerhoof vs. Evil

Vaughn Abbott

1. The Black Keys – El Camino
2. Jimbo Mathus – Confederate Buddha
3. Lindsey Buckingham – Seed We Sow
4. The Sheepdogs – Learn and Burn
5. Tommy Keane – Behind the Parade (comeback of the decade(s))
6. Tom Waits – Bad As Me
7. St. Vincent – Mercy
8. Todd Snider – Live The Storyteller
9. Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO
10. TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light

David Fisk

1. Paul Simon – ‘So Beautiful Or So What’
2. P.J. Harvey – ‘Let England Shake’
3. The Soulboy Collective – ‘Clique Tragedy’
4. Atlas Sound – ‘Parallax’
5. My Morning Jacket – ‘Circuital’
6. Crystal Stilts – ‘In Love With Oblivion’
7. Ivy – ‘All Hours’
8. Kites With Lights – ‘Cosmonauts’
9. Washed Out – ‘Within And Without’
10. Lindsey Buckingham – ‘Seeds We Sow’

EDITORS NOTE: A few more albums that I’d like to spotlight. One is the fine debut album from Sugar Lime Blue titled “Far From The Tree“. Very nice effort, we look for more from them.  Also, two of my favorite albums this year were newly released live CDs from concerts taped decades ago. I didn’t think they should qualify for the listing. They were Poco, Live at Columbia Studio 1971 and Rockpile, Live at Montreax 1980. E3 also wants to highlight Johnny Cash’s Live Around the World. Kristin also adds special mentions for Amy Winehouse – Lioness and Hidden Treasures and Kate Bush 50 Words for Snow.

Back to the Cool Album of the Day Home Page

See more albums released in 2011

As mentioned, we’re still taking your lists for a little while at least. These have arrived since we published the original listing, thanks so much!

Don Sebian