Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Not sure my order but:

Umphrey's McGee - Similar Skin
Neil Diamond - Melody Road
Phish - Fuego

I don't know if I have one. Nothing blew my socks off this year.

I was going to say Darrell Scott & Tim O'Brien's Memories and Moments, but I just found out it was released in September of 2013.

Here's the best I can do...
The Cris Jacobs EP he had at his shows.
I like most of the Eric Johnson/Mike Stern disc
The new Bill Frisell disc
Oz Noy - Twisted Blues 2

I liked

The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

This is my favorite. If you dont have it...BUY IT NOW!!! 😛 😉 😉 😛

If there is to be a best blues record of the year, it's this one.

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This is one of my favorite versions . Little more uptempo and has a swing to it.

Key To The Highway

You've Changed

Little Trucking Woman

I liked

The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

It's doing pretty good with the critics thus far...

American Songwriter #2
Mojo #2
NME #3
Paste #1
Q #1
Uncut #1
Stereo Gum #2

The Breeze

A great tribute album to JJ Cale

I think with the wind down of the ABB i sought out some newer sounds which I hadn't done in quite some time. A little effort and giving some bands I didn't like at first a little longer time to sink in paid off:

War on Drugs - Lost in a Dream is great. Great Guitar work and song writing.

Strand of Oak - heal. Check this guy out. Looks like a metal dude but plays in an almost 80's/early 90's style. He got rave reviews in Philly and New York last week. "Goshen 97" is a great track.

Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams. These guys are an acquired taste but this record is really good. They've done well with adding Steve Selvidge from Memphis on the 2nd guitar in place of the keys . I went from not liking them at all to a big fan. Crazy story cycle song with recurring characters across all their albums.

Christopher Denny : if the roses don't kill us. Closest I've heard to Roy Orbison's amazing voice. Real good songs. Check him out.

Those are my top 4 and I'll throw the JJ Cale tribute by EC and Petty's Hypnotic Eye in as honorable mentions . They were good but I wasn't floored by them. They don't stand out from either of their recent releases. Also the free U-2 album everyone seemed to hate is actually pretty good if you take the time to actually listen to it. I think a lot of people who bashed it didn't even listen to it.

Live albums. Lucero - live in Atlanta. Not an ABB sound but I think ABB fans would like them

Gary Clark Jr Live. Real fun live record.

Archival releases. Wake Up to Find Out. Grateful Dead Nassau 90. The Branford Marsalis show. One of the best from one of their best years .

ABB - Complete Fillmore set. No explanation needed. Could be my favorite of everything listed.

[Edited on 12/9/2014 by tommars]

tommars, some nice suggestions there to check out. Thank you

I could not agree with you more on the Gary Clarke Jr Live album. I can't believe I missed that mention. Really a breakthrough album that captures his live sound which is infinitely better than studio.

Top 5 of 2014 for me:

1. Similar Skin - Umphrey's McGee
2. Hard Working Americans - Hard Working Americans
3. English Oceans - Drive-By Truckers
4. Metamodern Sounds In Country Music - Sturgill Simpson
5. New Ammo - Karl Denson

Next best:

Ryan Adams - s/t, Rich Robinson - The Ceaseless Sight, Chris Robinson B'Hood - Phosphorescent Harvest, Tom Petty - Hypnotic Eye, Jack White - Lzaretto.

Trigger Hippy

Trigger Hippy

agreed

Brian Blade Fellowship - Landmarks

[Edited on 12/10/2014 by stormyrider]

Umphreys McGee- Similar Skin
Sturgil Simpson- Metamoderrn Sounds In Country Music
Lake Street Dive- Bad Self Portraits
String Cheese Incident- Song In My Head
MSMW- Juice

Honerable Mention
Bob Seger-Ride Out
Kyle Hollingsworth- Speed Of Life
MMW- Woodstock Sessions Volume 2 (with Nels Cline)
moe.- No Guts No Glory
Nels Cline & Julian Lange- Room
Drive By Truckers- English Oceans
Hard Working Americans- Hard Working Americans
Greensky Bluegrass- If Sorrows Swim

Still some releases from this year I need to check out like the new Nickel Creek, Lucinda Williams, and Justin Townes Earle. Overall I think it has been a really good year music wise.

Do To The Beast - The Afghan Whigs.

The Ceaseless Sight Rich Robinson
Trigger Hippy
Anacapa David Binney
Juice Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood
Second Nature Flying Colors

honorable mention: Hard Working Americans

Emmaar - Tinariwen

I have to second Lake Street Dive, Gary Clark, Drive-By Truckers and especially Sturgill Simpson.

Other than that, my socks weren't blown off either. BUT........

..................the album I listened to the most year came out last year, but I didn't get hip to it until this year - a band from Denmark - Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies - flippin' smokes.

It was not a great year. My favorites were...
Rosanne Cash - The River and the Thread
The Spikedrivers - Sunset Motel
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Goin' Home

I just wanted to issue a disclaimer. I picked up War On Drugs CD on the recommendation here. I believe the poster said "great guitar." It's my fault really when I saw how many critics had it on their list. That should've been a clue. If I had to describe the record, I'd probably say something like ... horrible 80's synth pop. Oh well ... I wasted a coupon and only spent 5$ for it. It was a pretty weak year. I did like Rich Robinson's Ceaseless Sight.

I just wanted to issue a disclaimer. I picked up War On Drugs CD on the recommendation here. I believe the poster said "great guitar." It's my fault really when I saw how many critics had it on their list. That should've been a clue. If I had to describe the record, I'd probably say something like ... horrible 80's synth pop. Oh well ... I wasted a coupon and only spent 5$ for it. It was a pretty weak year. I did like Rich Robinson's Ceaseless Sight.

Youtube Youtube Youtube Youtube Youtube

It's an incredible tool to use to check out music.

I purchased 'Common Ground' (Dave and Phil Alvin) from an above posted recommendation.
Youtube links were posted, I checked them out, some others from the album and was sold! 😉

I just wanted to issue a disclaimer. I picked up War On Drugs CD on the recommendation here. I believe the poster said "great guitar." It's my fault really when I saw how many critics had it on their list. That should've been a clue. If I had to describe the record, I'd probably say something like ... horrible 80's synth pop. Oh well ... I wasted a coupon and only spent 5$ for it. It was a pretty weak year. I did like Rich Robinson's Ceaseless Sight.

Too funny! I checked out the samples on Amazon before buying (thankfully) and that was EXACTLY what I thought it sounded like! Hey we all have different tastes but the description seemed a bit off.

For me it's a tie:

Rosanne Cash - The River and the Thread

Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey- Going Back Home

"The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale" - Eric Clapton

The Fillmore Concerts...

Here's a couple of my favs from 2014 that probably won't make anyone else's list

Scott H. Biram - Nothing But Blood
Crowbar - Symmetry In Black

Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds

Lucinda Williams: Down Where the Spririt meets the Bone

Pretty much a tie on those two...they're both brilliant!

St. Paul and the Broken Bones - "Half the City"

Otis Redding in the body of a nerdy white boy ... backed by an incredibly tight band!

The following list could turn upside down depending on the day:

Top 5
Walter Trout - The BLues Came Callin'
Old Crow Medicine Show - Remedy
Albert Castiglia - Solid Ground
Johnny Winter - Step Back
Scythian - Jump at the Sun

Honorable Mention
Demon Eye - Leave the Light
JP Soars - Full Moon Night In Memphis
Tinsley Ellis - Midnight Blue
Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Phosphorescent Harvest

Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
DBT - English Oceans
Blues Pills - Blues Pills
Lee Bains III And The Glory Fires - Dereconstructed
Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness Of Dancers

Best thing I've heard tho' is Band Of Horses beautiful "Acoustic Live At The Ryman"