Here are my picks for the Top 10
folk-rooted or folk-branched albums of 2022. As in past years, I started with
the list of hundreds of new albums (including reissues) that I listened to over
the past year and narrowed it down to a short list of about 30. I’ve been over
the short list several times over the past couple of weeks and came up with
several similar – not identical – Top 10 lists. Today’s list is the final one.
The order might have been slightly different, and there are several other
worthy albums that might have been included, had one of the other lists
represented the final choice.
1. Lenka Lichtenberg –
Thieves of Dreams/Zloději snů (Six
Degrees). The songs on
Lenka Lichtenberg’s very poignant and very
powerful album,
Thieves of Dreams/Zloději snů are settings of poems
written by
Anna Hana Friesová, her maternal grandmother, while she was a
prisoner in the Terezin concentration camp in what was then Czechoslovakia
during the Second World War and the Holocaust.
2. Eliza Gilkyson –
Songs
from the River Wind (Howlin’ Dog). On
Songs from the River Wind,
Eliza
Gilkyson sings songs – some newly written, some older, and some adapted
from traditional folksongs – about the part of the West where she’s spent much
of her life. She visits such themes as the life of woman who is a travelling
musician, and the environment.
3. Mountain City Four –
Mountain City Four (Omnivore). The
Mountain City Four –
Anna McGarrigle,
the late
Kate McGarrigle, the late
Jack Nissenson, and
Peter
Weldon – is a legendary Montreal folk group of the 1960s. The Mountain City
Four never recorded an album back in the day but Peter Weldon has assembled
this CD from live recordings and home demos that show how compelling the Four
were as a group and where Kate and Anna came from, musically, when they emerged
as superb singer-songwriters in the ‘70s.
4. John McCutcheon –
Leap!
(Appalsongs). In
Leap! veteran folksinger, songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist
John McCutcheon offers a superb collection of
insightful, often-poignant and occasionally-funny songs that have much to say
about the state of the world and human relations. Among the highlights is “The
Third Way,” the true story of a refugee – John’s father-in-law – and his
brilliant and funny response to a conundrum with a wise lesson for us all.
Another is “Second Hand,” inspired by the passing of Holocaust survivor and educator
Esther Cohen, a stark reminder that as survivors pass on, it becomes our
collective responsibility to keep their memories and lessons alive as antisemitism
and fascism rise again in the contemporary world.
5. Happy Traum –
There’s a
Bright Side Somewhere (Lark’s Nest Music). On
There’s a Bright Side
Somewhere,
Happy Traum,
a six-decade veteran of the folk
scene offers a great set that encompasses several instrumentals, traditional
folksongs, and songs of
Woody Guthrie,
Bob Dylan,
Eric
Andersen,
Brownie McGhee and
Blind Willie McTell. One of my
favorites is “Love Song to a Girl in an Old Photograph,” an original song he
first recorded with his late brother,
Artie Traum, more than a
half-century ago.
6. Loudon Wainwright III –
Lifetime Achievement (StorySound). 53 years since
he released his first LP,
Loudon Wainwright III has released one of his best albums of original
material: a witty, poignant look at life, relationships, regrets, and, yes,
achievement, from a mature perspective of someone who has reached age 75, an
age that neither of his parents achieved. While there’s occasionally a full
band sound, most of the songs are presented with the kind acoustic arrangements
that bring out the best in the lyrics and folk-rooted melodies.
7. Various Artists –
Tribute
to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music). A finely curated
3-CD, 42-track set, including a few previously released recordings,
Tribute
to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen is a great homage to the veteran singer-songwriter
Eric Andersen. The repertoire ranges from folk-era classics like “Thirsty
Boots,” sung by
Bob Dylan, “Waves of Freedom,” sung by
The Kennedys,
and “Violets of Dawn,” sung by
Mary Chapin Carpenter, to contemporary
topical songs like “Rain Falls Down in Amsterdam,” sung by
Willie Nile, “Eyes
of the Immigrant,” sung by
Lucy Kaplansky, and “Trouble in Paris,” sung
by
Robert Aaron. Other highlights include
Dom Flemons’ version of
“Song to J.C.B.” and versions of many of the songs from Eric’s classic album,
Blue
River.
8. James Keelaghan –
Second-Hand
(Borealis). Long one of Canada’s finest, and most dynamic singer-songwriters,
Second-Hand
is an outstanding collection that finds James offering original songs,
including co-writes with
Lynn Miles,
Catherine MacLennan,
JD
Edwards and
Cara Luft (
The Small Glories),
Dave Gunning,
Coco Love Alcorn and his old
Compadres partner
Oscar Lopez.
There is also James’ excellent translation of the Italian song, “La Cattiva
Strada,” and a wonderful version of
Jesse Winchester’s nostalgic “Eulalie.”
9. Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne –
Blues from Chicago to Paris: A Tribute to Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon
(Stony Plain). There were several great blues albums released in 2022, but my
favorite is pianist-singer
Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne’s tribute to the wonderful
and enduring classic duo recordings of pianist
Memphis Slim and bassist
Willie Dixon from the early-1960s. With the strong collaboration of
Russell
Jackson on acoustic bass and vocals, and drummer
Joey DiMarco, Wayne’s
versions of these songs are compelling, infectious, and delightful.
10. Amy Speace- Tuscon
(Windbone). This short album – seven songs, 28 minutes – is
Amy Speace’s
profoundly moving coming-to-terms with the trauma she suffered from sexual assault
when she was young. While there are understandable expressions of anger
resulting from the harrowing experience, this is ultimately an album of healing
and redemption.
I will be featuring songs from
each of these albums on Stranger Songs, Tuesday December 27, 3:30-5 pm
(ET), on CKCU. The program is already available 24/7 for on-demand streaming at this link.
And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif
–Mike Regenstreif
