2025 Album of the Year List!

10) The Wildwoods – Dear Meadowlark
-The first track on this album is the title track “Dear Meadowlark” and it will take you about 10 seconds to hear why I love this sound. It’s a beautiful vocal track with an intricate folk spirit to it. The thing is, the entire album has this same type of tenderness to it. The second track has an incredible guitar part that puts me in mind of the Milk Carton Kids. “I will follow you to willow” has a solid contemporary Americana sound to it, heavy on the fiddle in the best way. The vocal harmonies again give me some Civil Wars vibes on this one. I’ve been writing about folk duo vocal acts for over a decade, and this is an excellent example of the subgenre. When I clicked on “Dear Stranger” I wondered if it was a cover of the Mandarin Orange song by the same name; it’s not, but they are another good comp for this band. If you only have time for one or two tracks, I’d suggest “Sweet Niobrara” and “Postcards from Somewhere.”

9) Jacob Collier – The Light for Days
-If you’ve been around my writing for the past few years, you’re not surprised to see Collier on this list. You might be surprised that it’s near the bottom rather than the top. Honestly, that’s no slight to Collier as much as it is a compliment to the others. I know ranking art is a fool’s errand, so just hear me out about what I love about this album. I love that it was recorded in a day, a more stripped down acoustic style that reveals the spirit of what makes Collier’s genius so evident. I ranked the closing track “Something Heavy” on my top 10, but there are a few tracks here that could have made that list. “Sweet Melody” reminded me of a lot of what I liked about “Little Blue” a few years back. “You Can Close Your Eyes” and “Fairytale Lullaby” are captivating reflections of Collier’s soul. There’s a beautiful connection between the delicate acoustic fingerpicking and the contemplative vocal on each of these tracks that makes it stand out so well even in a crowded folk scene. Collier’s talent seemingly knows no bounds and this album felt like a gift to me personally.

8) Ben Rector – The Richest Man in the World
-If you’ve been around my writing for the past few years, you’ve definitely seen my coverage of Ben Rector. He’s an outstanding songwriter (that we interviewed WAY back when). He’s also an incredibly gracious soul and someone that makes me want to be a better person just because of interacting with his art. The title song “Richest Man in the World” is ranked on my top tracks of the year, so obviously I love that one. But this album has a few bangers on it. The opener “Forever (Doesn’t Quite Seem Long Enough)” feels like it may have been recorded in the 80s and kept in a time capsule with the Noid and a case of Zima. The second track “I Got It Bad For You” has some retro vibes, too, capturing a bit more of a smooth adult contemporary vibe at times. “Part of Life” is a song that reorients the listener to the ups and downs of life, like a therapy session in a song. I love the southern gospel harmonies at the heart of the recording and the overall message for sure. The consistent lyrical themes of optimism, good relationship, and personal commitment is such a positive influence on me. I should listen to this album every day. (“Favorite Person” makes me think of my college sweetheart wife and “Golden Years” makes me think of my sweet family. I’m not crying, you’re crying.)

7) Clover County – Finer Things
-Every once in a while you find an artist that just feels like an absolute hidden gem. Clover County emerged for me this as an absolute joy. The acoustic work on these tracks is solid, but it’s the quality songwriting that really cuts through the noise for me. I’m pretty sure it was “Virginia Slim” that was sent to us initially, but I found myself listening to the whole album after that and loving. Clover County sings with these expressive, gritty-yet-smooth lines that feel like the genuine article. I’d love to be able to sit down with John Prine and Kris Kristofferson to listen to this song; I mean that. The whole album has these intricate, complex themes about relationships and coming of age. I just can’t believe that someone exists who can write this well. Fans of Anna Tivel’s style of intelligent, spirit-filled folk music will find a lot to like about this album. You may be wondering what genre this album is (since I didn’t really lead with that) and honestly… I guess I’d say Prine-like country. You know what I mean… not mainstream country, but not exactly the gritty turn in Americana either. It’s just a great style of folksy storytelling country that’s sure to win over a lot of hearts. Give it a spin. If you only have time for one, try “Whiskey Cherry” or “Virginia Slim.”

6) Cole Swensen – Soul Center EP
-If you’ve been around my writing the past few years, then you know I say yes to almost everything Cole Swensen shares. He’s an incredibly talented, open, transparent, accessible, and endearing songwriter. This new EP has a delightful blend of intimacy and lightness to it. There are moments, highlighted by his mother’s cello playing, that carry an emotional gravity to them. Swensen’s vocal is often at the emotional core of his performances. One of the things I learned about him in my interview with him last year was that he actually produces his own work as well, which makes the feat of this EP all the more impressive. Since I put “even though it’s not a lifetime” on my song of the year list, you probably already know that it’s my favorite here. So I’ll spend a moment highlighting the others. “Farmer’s market song” has a plaintive folk core with romantic lyrics and a “just right” steady pace that has wonderful crisp pops and turns. The penultimate track “less than what I need” is another one we featured this year, a thoughtful and almost prayerful expression. The final track “julia” is about his sister and I’ve loved the song since the first time I heard it on socials. Put this EP on and just relax; it will fill your soul with so much joy.

5) Adam Melchor – The Diary of Living
-I really can’t do this album justice with a paragraph-sized review here for the end of year list. It deserves a full on review. Melchor is an incredible songwriter, one of the best in this current generation, and I still believe that he’s criminally underrated. In terms of genre, this album has aspects of folk, folk rock, singer songwriter, and honestly just some really good clever storytelling that’s worth your time. Rooted in his New Jersey background, much of the texture and style of his writing comes from his sense of place and identity (as he sings on “Boardwalk Royalty”) “this is where I belong.” I don’t think I’m off base in saying that sometimes I hear some Bob Dylan vibes with Melchor, yet other times there’s more of a folk rock spirit to the sound. If you only have time for one or two, go with “The Hopefuls” and “Dead Right.” Although I have to give a shoutout to the collab with Mt Joy on “Room on Your Shoulder.” They’re a folk band we’ve featured as well, so it’s nice to hear these two talented artists working together. Honestly, I like every track on this album; that’s why it flew up the list this year.

4) Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter
-The award-winning Americana and country music star Tyler Childers is back at it. I’ve been writing about him since “Dust in a Baggy” first became a sensation; now he’s a household name in the genre and it’s well-earned. After an album that had considerable religious imagery, leading critics to wonder if he had found the straight and narrow, this album Snipe Hunter turns back toward the profane that helped to define Childers’ rise to prominence. He’s got two major hit songs here, “Eatin’ Big Time,” a clever reflection on success. He also has one called “Bitin’ List” about the people you would want to bite if you were stricken with rabies. It’s an absurd thought, but hilariously well delivered. This album is Childers showing off that he’s still the same guy that we’ve loved all these years. Maybe don’t take ourselves too seriously with all of the different “takes” on how he is or isn’t changing. His rerecording of “Nose on the Grindstone” here is exceptional, hitting me just as emotionally as it did on first listen. The song I wasn’t expecting to love is actually “Tirtha Yatra,” an absolutely incredible bit of songwriting that uses a gospel style with lyrics about going to India to learn more about eastern religion. If you’re reading this, you’re probably already familiar with the two big hits, but for my money “Tirtha Yatra” is the track I’ll always remember from this outstanding album.

3) Mia Wilson – Self Titled
-Every year there seems to be that one album that just… comes out of NOWHERE and wins my heart. This year, it was the incredible songwriting and vocal of Mia Wilson. I’ve written about nearly every song on this album through the year. From each new submission, I kept writing the same basic themes about sounding like a vintage Karen Carpenter or Linda Ronstadt style sound. I love the piano, the orchestration, and the overall production style here. It’s honestly hard to believe that this is a 2025 album and not from 1975. The intimacy on “Face to Face” feels like a perfect example of those mid-70s slow burn romance tracks. It’s not crass or over the top and feels like you could slow dance all evening to a track like this. It’s the kind of album that makes it hard to pick a favorite because they are all so high quality. “The Dream in Everything” feels a bit like an ABBA deep cut, so that’s on my short list. I guess if I had to pick, I’d say either “Face to Face” or “Going Back,” if you only have time to listen to one track. But I implore you… listen to the whole thing, start to finish. This is an outstanding album.

2) Jesse Welles – Pilgrim
-It’s pretty hard not to see 2025 as the “year of Jesse Welles.” He released three full-length albums full of outstanding socially conscious folk music. He also released acoustic single versions of the songs on his YouTube channel, multiple per week, all year long. He’s the most prolific songwriter I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Besides that, he’s not just cranking out mediocrity; these are incredible, generational songs. He opens this album with “We’re All Gonna Die,” an expressive existential contemplation about political corruption and the relative little the common folks can do about it. If you read my song of the year list then you know that “Will the computer love the sunset?” is my favorite from this album, but there are several significant cultural commentary and good folk tunes on this album. It’s start-to-finish amazing. It’s the kind of album that will make you think they cannot possibly all be from the same artist in the same year. They’re jam packed with moving messages and clever turns of phrase. If you only have time for one song, you need to hear “Will the computer love the sunset?” but if you can, I implore you to try “Gilgamesh” and “Pilgrim.” This is just a remarkable cultural moment, nevermind an album.

1) Vulfmon – Deg
-I have spent more time with Vulfmon this year than any other artist. It was only a few years ago that I discovered this incredible sound, but I just can’t quit (nor would I want to). I really like so many of the songs on this album that it solidified itself as album of the year a while ago. Most of these tracks I listened to on YouTube before I found the album itself. The opening love song “It Might Have To Be You” is by the talented vocalist Evangeline, who brings a ton of spirit and soul to the song that is written by Vulfmon. “Banc de poissons” is a beautiful piano duet with lightness, texture, and character that puts a smile on my face with every listen. “Valk” was very high on my song of the year list this year, so it’s obviously and album favorite for me; it’s a brass track with tons of layers of different brass instruments. It feels buoyant, celebratory, and an absolute joy in a year that was full of moments that were… not joyful. “Chicago Summer” makes me feel like a music theater kid at the coolest school ever created; it’s got this sassy expressive vocal from Evangeline that wins me over with each listen. The keys work on it is outstanding and the overall vibe defies easy description (but it’s so good). “Big Boy 4014” might be the most indicative song as to why I love an album like this; it’s a funk rock track about a railroad. It’s got texture, depth, and energy in spades. The electric guitar break (those are arpeggios, right?) give it this unique almost classical texture at times as well. Honestly, this album is so good it makes me want to stop writing and just listen. Please, just give it a spin. If you’re a music nerd like me, you’ll be in heaven.

(Honorable mention albums: Honeybear, the band | The Sways – Self Titled | Jesse Welles – Devil’s Den | Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke | Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow )