Favorite Roots and America Albums of 2021 So Far: 10-6

2021 has been a mixed bag of a year. On one hand, for most concert fans, the year has been another loss, with live music sparse if not absent completely. On the other, as people start getting vaccinated, shows are finally starting to ramp up. And a side effect of all this not touring is that roots and Americana artists had time to write and record some of the best albums of their lives in 2020 and that extended into 2021. Finding 10 favorites in six months was harder than you'd think. Notice I didn't say “best” there like so many other publications. Being a one-man review show, I can't listen to a tenth of the albums out there, even in the roots and Americana categories. So these might not be the best. If you've heard better, put them in the comments. I'd love to hear them! A good list is a conversation starter, kind of like a tasting menu in a nice restaurant.

To keep the list's size manageable, I have excluded live albums and EP, which took out some great releases both live (the dozen or so Jason Isbell shows on Bandcamp, Richard Thompson's Live from London, Aoife O'Donovan's many “house shows”) and EP (Danny Burns' Hurricane).For this, where I reviewed the album, I've linked to the full review. Where not, I've linked a YouTube video of one of the album's songs.

Now, on to the first half of the list. Stay tuned for 5-1 in the next few days.

10. KC Jones- Queen of the In-Between
Kellie Jones of award-winning Cajun band Feufollet rebrands herself as KC Jones for her solo, moving away from her Appalachian and Cajun roots to explore fuzzed-out psych rock, '60s girl group harmonies, and classic country. It doesn't make for a particularly cohesive album, but that's part of its charm. Queen of the In-Between is like visiting your one friend who has the eclectic record collection (vinyl, of course, what else?) and is liable to put on some early Pink Floyd, followed by Bobbie Gentry, followed by ? And The Mysterians, followed by The Ronettes.
Essential Listen: “Stop on the Way”

9. Todd Snider- First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder
A few years ago, Todd Snider started his amazing East Nashville Skyline with the words “My new stuff is nothing like my old stuff was, and neither one is much when compared to the show.” While it's true both that Snider live is universally better live than in the studio and that he's evolved his sound over the years, but he's retained the core of what makes Todd Snider special on First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder; a sense of humor that cuts to the bone of whatever he takes on. The self-described Evangelical Agnostic (“I don't know what we're doing here. And you don't know what we're doing here either”) takes on religion, environmentalism, toxic politics, and toxic people with the same shaggy dog humor that's become his trademark.
Essential Listen: Todd's touching tribute to his old boss and mentor John Prine, “Handsome John”

8. Amigo the Devil- Born Against
If I were giving an award for “hardest to pin to a genre” this year, it wouldn't even be a competition. Amigo the Devil's Born Against revels in the pure rebelliousness of smashing genre boundaries. While all of his songs have an undeniable anchor in folk, if you look at his tour schedule for the rest of the year, he's primarily frequenting metal festivals, playing alongside bands like Judas Priest, Sabaton, and even (ugh) Limp Bizkit. There's a streak of the macabre throughout Born Against the appeals to even the most ardent metal fan. It's an album that sounds like nothing else you'll hear in 2021.
Essential Listen: Murder at the Bingo Hall

7. Allison Russell- Outside Child
The terms “Supergroup” gets overused anytime two people from bands come together for a project. But Our Native Daughters fits the true definition. How much? Three-fourths of the group released albums so far in 2021, and all three of them are in my 10 favorites. First up is Allison Russell, who stepped away from her bands Birds of Chicago, Po' Girl, and Our Native Daughters to release her gorgeous solo debut Outside Child. The album is polarizing, not in a “love it or hate it” way, but in a “favorite album or just among the favorite albums” sense (it's my wife's absolute favorite release so far). From singing a jazzy tune in French to an electric guitar tune, there's a weight to the album without ever weighing you down.
Essential Listen: Hy-Brasil

6. Amy Speace and The Orphan Brigade- There Used to Be Horses Here
I would admit a bias toward Amy Speace. I subscribe to her Patreon page and I look forward to every release. But my bias is truly for albums with lyrics that tend toward the literary; romantic poetry and beautiful prose that just happens to pair well with an acoustic guitar. Very few artists do that as well as Speace. Where most good songwriters paint vivid watercolor portraits of their subjects, Speace works in oils, infusing all of her songs with depths and shadows, hopes and hurt that are 4 minute biographies that flesh out characters better than some novelists do in 300 pages. Anyone who ever lost anyone important to them, especially someone you had a complicated relationship with, will find kinship with Speace's songs of coping with her father's death and the mixed emotions that come with it.
Essential Listen: There Used to Be Horses Here