Orville Peck : "Stampede"

This album is an interesting step in Peck's career. It is a duet album, which is much like a covers album, and tends something artists fall upon when writer's block settles in, as they typically are not sprung from creative high points in anyone's career. Three albums into his career it's a little soon for Peck to fall back on something like this. The first song is both "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other" is a cover of  Ned Sublette's 1981 song. Willie Nelson at 91 sounds like he should have retired ten years ago. It generated a bit of internet buzz before the album's release but doesn't hold up to Peck's previous work. 

Peck then teams up with Midland for the pretty forgettable "The Hurtin Kind" which does nothing to hook me in though it's better than the Willie Nelson duet. The duet with Elton John on "Saturday Night's Alright" shows Elton can still belt it out, but Peck really only helps out with the high notes and feels awkward on the rock verses. "Back at Your Door" is the first song that measures up to what he normally delivers. He is joined by Debbii Dawson for this one.  There is more of a boozy New Orleans feel to "Chemical Sunset". Canadian singer Allison Russell lends her voice to it. 

He is a little more energized when joining forces with Beck for "Death Valley High"  This one sounds like Beck had the heaviest hand in the writing. It is almost disco. Noah Cyrus continues to set herself apart from her sister when she joins Peck on "How Far Will We Take it?" which makes this one of the album's best songs. Their voices work really well together. He covers the Magnetic Fields with Molly Tuttle. It works well enough. "Midnight Ride" is not as an unexpected turn as it sounds on paper when Kylie Minogue and Diplo collaborate with him. It does get dancey but disco and country music have coexisted in 70s. 

YouTuber Teddy Swims does a guest spot on "Ever You're Gone". They do not have a ton of chemistry together and things go in a gospel direction that he would have done better to have enlisted Christ Stapleton for. But even the Temu version of Christ Stapleton can work. The argument for this kind of album can be made in the fact that Peck can hold his own with most singers, Elton John being the notable exception to this rule. Margo Price is a singer who makes more sense for this album, and she works well with him on "You're An Asshole". 

Peck takes the reins on the songwriting to "Where Are We Now", though Mickey Guyton is pretty mediocre, she wants to be Shania Twain, and there are more interesting singers that would have been a better fit. Nathaniel Rateliff showed up with his own song that Pedk is just along for the ride for. But it goes back to my point that this is Peck showing he can hang with different kinds of singers. This is also another one of the album's strongest songs. When comes to a classic like Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" Peck would have been better off tackling this one on his own. TJ Osborne can sing, but Waylon Payne and Fancy Hagood, should not have been invited. Peck could have knocked it out of the park on his own, but some of the other voices falter. I will give this one an 8.5, while this is better than most of the pop country collabs that are coming out this year, it's really the Noah Cyrus song and "Back at Your Door" that makes it better than Yung Gravy's country album, which is a little disappointing for Peck whose work has been stellar up to this point. 

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The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers-90-81

Now  past the half way point of our  list of the top 200 greatest rock singers, inspired by the travesty that was Rolling Stone's supposed list. Where they got it wrong, this list hopes to be more effective,  not only focusing on rock singers and those adjacent to the genre. If you have been reading you know the focus is not only on  technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? . How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. There are also not going to be any Bob Dylan like singers, who are better songwriters than vocalists.

. Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these do their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.

 90- David Byrne

The nervous vibrato in his voice sells the cheerful façade in his lyrics. His delivery is always smooth and he can reach into his upper register with frantic glee. Sure there have been singers lower on the list who can belt with more power, but none are as distinct as Byrne.

   

89-Klaus Meine 

The more familiar radio anthems of the Scorpions may not convince you that he should place this high, but the deeper tracks is where he really shines and emotes. Perhaps this does not place him as equals to singers of other metal bands of the time, but he is better than most

.  

88- Matt Barlow

The gruff aggressive chest register to his high Paul Stanley like wailing make him the best man on the microphone for Iced Earth. They have had singers whose screams are higher and growls harsher, but it the balance of Barlow that makes him the best man for that job.

 

87-Geddy Lee

Despite his voice being an acquired taste there is not denying the power he can belt his shrill tenor with. Rush fans will tell you there is more nuance and depth to his voice than a casual listener might perceive from their radio hits , which are not a fair indicator of what he is capable of.

 86--George Harrison 

All but one Beatle is a great singer, their voices worked better as a unit. However when it is time to take the spotlight there is thoughtful tenderly reflective quality to George's voice. 

 

 85- Greg Puciato

His solo work and side projects have allowed him to really open his voice up and make the most of it rather than beat his pipes from the fury of the screaming he once did. He has clearly taken notes from the best singers of the 90s.

 

84--Kurt Cobain

Kurt had to die because he knew he could not pretend and play the game of the music industry. Sadly it got written off by his drug use and no one took his warning to heart. His raw voice was real. He was not pretending to have angst he was releasing it through this song. Typically terrible live, but he captured what could have been in the studio. 

               

83- Dave Gahan

There is something about the fluid baritone that makes the listener feel Depeche Mode's front man was struggling with the concepts of God , drugs and sexual identity. This in turn made listeners confront there own such struggles, there is power to a voice that can do that.

 

 82-Josh Homme

For someone who fronts a hard rock band his voice is very smoothly. He always sounds matter of fact like the drugs just kicked in. He conveys melancholy without whining. 

81 Orville Peck

If all there was to his gimmick was just being a gay country singer who wears a mask, he would not be on this list. However he has a great resonate baritone, a quite the range when he decides to use it including blending his head register smoothly. 

the Top 10 Folk / Country Albums of 2022

Feeling depressed? Need a soundtrack to sitting outside by yourself? This year's current crop of folk and country albums provided that. As with years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure, you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 folk and country albums of 2022

10-Serpentent -"Ancient Tomes, Volume 1 Mother of Light"  

While Anne K O' Neill's dark folk project, might follow a long trend over the past decade of goth sirens, but there is an honest conviction that gives the feeling of earnestness to what she is doing rather than trying to be the next Marissa Nadler or Chelsea Wolfe. It is surprising to see she is from Seattle as there is depth that carries and Old-World European feeling. 

Abysmal Hymns: Serpentent : "Ancient Tomes, Volume I: Mother of Light"

 

9-Karin Park-"Private Collection"   

A fan of Park's earlier pop album and kept an open ear toward the work she has done since.  These are e songs she has re-envisioned and decided to record again with new arrangements that lay her vocals bear with only a piano or organ accompanying her.; She has a great deal of integrity as an artist to embark upon making an album like this when given today's current pop landscape we have artists when two dozen producers and another dozen songwriters helping them create product for Tik Tok, with not true artistry. The dramatically stripped-down minimalist approach does high light here voice. For the first two songs this formula works really well and showcases a richness to her voice I had now notice before and propels the tracks on raw talent

  

Abysmal Hymns: Karin Park: " Private Collection"

 

8-Angel Olsen - "Big Time" 

If this album was solely Angel Olsen doing retro country, then its strengths might play off the moments the horns sounds like they s from 60s Motown. They bring together an interesting cross section of sounds not unlike what country music did in the 70s which is my favorite decade of country music. However midway into this album she takes off the cowboy hat and it's back to business as usual, which works as well. 

Abysmal Hymns: Catching Up with 2022 : Angel Olsen :"Big Time"

 

7-Swans -"Is There Really a Mind?"  

These are the demos Gira released to crowdfund the new album, which would be a Swans album that is not stripped down and strummed out on an acoustic guitar, not to say they have not used those neo folk elements before, they just tend to work off the weird and loud, so this is a skeleton of the songs, yet they still work better than most younger bands fully formed sense of self. At the end of the day, it's about the songs and that is what this is. 

Abysmal Hymns: Swans: "Is There Really a Mind? "

6-Ryan Adams -"Chris" 

His 19th album. He is a great songwriter who has been around the block a few times. At this point he is who I listen to when most people would listen to Bruce Springsteen. These songs fall somewhere between his country folk and rock leanings. The strum of guitar falling very comfortably into his wheelhouse so much so you might dismiss it as him just dialing it in, but there is something more urgent about the delivery than what people who dial it in normally do. Maybe he is just faking it. There is more of a rock swagger in the guitar in some songs, while it might not be Adams at his most inspired. He is a songwriter, and he cranks albums out it seems once a year, but his dialing it in is better than most can they do when they try their hardest

Abysmal Hymns: Ryan Adams : " Chris"

5-Emily Jane White-"Alluvion" 

There is a dark tension to this album that moves with the pulse of intense atmosphere that is coupled with a floating ethereal melody. At first the undercurrent of darkness here might remind you of Chelsea Wolfe, but the overall vibe of the album has more in common with Marissa Nadler. Sometimes showing its brighter side to the second song. In some places the melodies flow like pop with an almost 90s rock drive to it. 

Abysmal Hymns: Emily Jane White : "Alluvion

4-Sharon Van Etten- "We've Been Going at the Wrong Way" 

She continues to perfect her brand of atmospheric folk rock, with a great dynamic build on the opening track. Piano plays a more prominent role on the second song. Her voice holding a hushed tension. She is capable of writing pop worthy hook and works well with the beat, but the organic nature of this albums strips things down in a way that proves more intimate and introspective to earn its place here

Abysmal Hymns: Sharon Van Etten: "We've Been Going at This the Wrong Way"

 

3-Orville Peck-"Bronco" 

Even in 2022 the novelty of being a gay cowboy is only going to go so far for so long, so he had to prove himself on this album. Which making the number three spot means he did. Peck has grown his sound since "Pony". His voice has filled out into a more confident baritone croon that owes in equal amounts to Johnny Cash and Elvis. He does include is his love for Elvis in the lyrics f, and his yodel " feels more fluid than when he did this on his earlier work. He also hits pretty solid notes from his chest register. There is a more organic feel when it comes to how the interplay of the music backing him. The guitar tones reverberate with pristine lushness than accent the Western in country western.

Abysmal Hymns: Orville Peck: "Bronco"

2-Tyler Childers -"Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven" 

The more gospel slant to what he does this time around would not work for me given my distaste for the Christian religion and really all religion, but there is something raw and honest about what he does that seems like more of an ode to his hillbilly past rather than a declaration of his current belief system. The first version certainty more of a honky tonk feel. If you were going to compare this to say Orville Peck, it is clear who the more authentic version of country music is.

Abysmal Hymns: Tyler Childers : 'Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven"

 1-Marissa Nadler-"For My Crimes" 

She continues down a path of hauntingly morose balladry. More ghostly than Lana Del Ray. More folk than country this time around, though hints of western sounds still color this album. This one had to slug it out for top spot against Tyler Childers in my head and came out on top as Childers experimented more and included some instrumentals where Nadler was more song focused thus earning the top spot, as she can write songs that stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone.  

Abysmal Hymns: Marisa Nadler : " For My Crimes"

Orville Peck: "Bronco"

 

Peck has grown his sound since "Pony". His voice has filled out into a more confident baritone croon that owes in equal amounts to Johnny Cash and Elvis. He does include is his love for Elvis in the lyrics for "Outta Time". His yodel in the chorus of "the Curse of the Blackened Eye" feels more fluid than when he did this on his earlier work. He also hit pretty solid notes from his chest register. There is a more organic feel when it comes to how the interplay of the music backing him. The guitar tones reverberate with pristine lushness than accent the Western in country western. "Outta Time" is straight forward in the strum it opens with. The full band joining in as the song progresses. 

There is more melancholy in the guitar than his vocals this time around. Even on "C'mon Boby Cry" there is a Neil Diamond like hopefulness to the mood the song. The 60s vibe is a thematic element of the album's overall emotional currency.  He experiments more with the arrangements on this album. At many points in this album Chris Isaak is brought to mind. There are equal moments of folk influence on this album. Sometimes this is colored by a smoky rambling campfire story telling. This is done with varying levels of hooks depending on the story being told. Sometimes this intent seems to place more focus on atmosphere. 

The title track has more of a rock feel to it. He simmers and reflects on "Trample Out the Days" which reminds me a little of 80s Elvis. "Blush" shows him marrying the best of his story telling with his growing knack for catchy songwriting, that can sometimes co-exist effectively.  He pulls this off again on "Hexxie Mountain".  "Let Me Drown" is more like Vegas Elvis. He steps on the gas back into rock n roll on "Any Turn" which doesn't always play to his strengths as a songwriter, but I appreciate his enthusiasm going for it. "City of Gold" is a more reflective folk. He closes the album with a more traditional country feel. I will give this album a 9.5, he tries some new things, and they generally work, empowering a newfound strength to his voice. 

Top 10 Folk Albums of 2019

It's that time of year again, to sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, then use them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. Later in the month I am making the top 10 lists for the decade, though to be blunt this is the decade's weakest year for music; Especially when it comes to new artists. There are only 3 on this one. Yes, this is the first folk list. I have thrown country on here as the lines are often blurry these days.  I am; giving a brief explanation as to why these albums stand over their peers in lower positions on the list. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more.

After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it.;I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list. There are  links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 folk albums of 2019

10- Heilung- "Futha" 

This is folk at it's most primitive. With members spanning Northern Europe... Norway, Germany and Denmark, they pool elements from each country. They use a Iron Age Norse dialect and instruments. Yes this is Viking music. Which despite shitty Time magazine articles, proves that there is only Northern Euro influence here, thus making it viking music. It's a more atmospheric listen than as an album of songs so this is almost more of an honorable mention.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/07/heilung-futha.html

9-Benjamin Tod- "a Heart of Gold is Hard to Find"

The Lost Dog Street Band singer's solo album is a raw stripped down look at the worst of the world in his periphery. Less story telling more musing. If you like your folk heavy on the country side this is for you.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/12/benjamin-tod-heart-of-gold-is-hard-to.html

8- Hexvessel -" All Tree" 

I could have stood to have given this album a few more listens. I like it when I  spin it. It has a dark rock slant to their brand of neo-folk thanks to  Kvohst. His  voice sounds great as it always with a  melancholy tremble to it. His vocals alone secure it's spot here on this list.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/02/hexvessel-all-tree.html

7- Orville Peck-"Pony"


This album could double as the sound track to a David Lynch movie. Orville Peck is the masked pseudonym of this gay Canadian "Country" singer. I could care less if he is gay or not, the only way it factors in is lyrically. His music hearkens back to the classic western side of country music, but there is a post punk/ indie rock influence to the way it jangles along. The songs stick with you with more urgency than Hex Vessel.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/10/gothtober-orville-peck-pony.html

6-the Dead South - "Sugar & Joy" 

 This album is a lot of fun and takes blue grass and gives it enough folk rock sensibility to make it more easily ingested by someone like me, who has an appreciation for country music but never knows what side of the cow pasture to start from when looking for it. The vocals this time around feel greatly improved

. https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-dead-south-sugar-joy.html

5 Sundays -"Wiaca"

This Danish band goes for more of a pop  thing, There singer has a rock inflected tenor.   They sing in English with a little more of a joyful tone  than my average listening. These guys are more focused on the song than the sound. Though is well produced, it does not seem they have a specific sounds they were going for and just played this is what came out. Their songwriting is what earned them this spot as something can be said for a well used pop hook.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/08/sundays-wiaca.html

4- Lost Dog Street Band-"Weight of a Trigger" 

This band's 5th album is convincing with it's lurking melancholy in side the country twan, but it is on songs like "War Inside of Me " that the weight of it's emotional honesty wins out and gives this a self depreciating sense of doom that is real and not just emotional on the Dashboard Confessional way. It's this mood that beat out the happier Sundays album.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/lost-dog-street-band-weight-of-trigger.html

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3-Lillie Mae- "Other Girls"


If I am half way into the first song and looking for a way to down load it then you know something is right. The opener "You've Got Other Girls For That" is powerful songwriting as evident in spurning this reaction. When her sound expands beyond the strum and she really lets her melodies open up she is pretty unstoppable as a song writer. She has a quality to her voice that is similar to Kacey Musgraves, if this was not written with any pretense of a pop market involved

 2- Chelsea Wolfe-"the Birth of Violence"



. Mainly due to the fact she is singing out and not in the more breathy spectral tone she can employ. It is not as rock n roll or grungy as "Mistake in Parting" The album  is stripped down but at times still atmosphere. It is not a rehash of "Unknown Rooms" despite being acoustic at it's core. Perhaps I have not giving this one as much time as I could have, but it seems to already be getting a fair amount of lip service despite not being her best. Yet her second best is still better than most.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/chelsea-wolfe-birth-of-violence.html

1- Lana Del Rey- "Norman Fucking Rockwell" 

This might be a step away from retro pop and closer to folk owing more to Joni Mitchell than Amy Winehouse. For her to beat out Chelsea Wolfe for the top spot means two things. "the Birth of Violence" is not Wolfe's most finely tuned a-game and Lana is on her's . Her songwriting is absolutely dialed in for this. This deservedly elvated her into an even brighter spot light , while being true to who she is.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/lana-del-ray-norman-fucking-rockwell.html