Do You Hear What I Hear?

Year-end music list combines favorites and ‘best of’

Arkansas native Elise Davis had one of my favorite albums of 2016 with “The Token.”
Arkansas native Elise Davis had one of my favorite albums of 2016 with “The Token.”

Putting together a “Best Of” list is never easy, no matter the subject. Best of what? Best of only what I was exposed to? Best of every single thing released this year? Of course the latter is completely improbable. What one person has time to listen to every album released in a single year? I’ll admit I tried my best, though. I sifted through hundreds of hours of music throughout the year, exploring beyond my comfort zone, so that I might discover the best 2016 had to offer.

That being said, preferences are still going to sway my judgment. So this list is somewhere between a “Best Of” and a list of favorites. I say that because I couldn’t just put all my favorites on the list. I recognize some of my tastes, while fun to blast and rock out to, may not have been the greatest artistry released last year. (I’m looking at you, Nick Jonas and Panic! at the Disco.) But there are a few albums that, start to finish, captured me. They moved me emotionally — some of them physically, as well — and I really connected with the lyrics, the melodies or both. So here are some of my favorite album releases of 2016, in no particular order because that would simply be impossible.

“I’m Alone, No You’re Not” by Joseph — Who doesn’t love a good three-part harmony? The Closner sisters make up the folk/pop outfit who delivered their second album last summer. Anthemic and inspiring, the tunes are catchy and likely to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. But I don’t mind. I’m a sucker for poppy, big, clap-driven numbers (“White Flag”) but it’s the peaks and valleys that kept me returning to this album last year. In the moments of uncertainty, there’s still a strength to the women’s voices — ever lifting. It’s the kind of music I turn to in my own uncertain moments.

Best Moment: “Honest”

“The Bird & the Rifle” by Lori McKenna — I came upon “Rifle” by accident and was instantly in love. McKenna’s grounded voice gives life to the characters she’s singing about. You believe her, and you feel what they’re feeling. There are the usual country music tropes — whiskey, high school days, your small hometown — but she gives them a twist, and sometimes you don’t see it coming. Clever writing over a sweet Americana sound is going to get me almost every time.

Best Moment: “Giving up on Your Hometown”

“Ology” by Gallant — On first listen, “Ology” was one of those albums that, for me, just sounds so good — that mix of sensuality and vocal/melodic/percussive balance that speaks to your soul and your body in a way that only R&B can sometimes, you know? But when you get into it, there’s a lot going on in Gallant’s lyrics. Sure, he’s a little derivative of Usher while blending that feel from ’80s and ’90s R&B, but it’s Gallant’s lyrical content that sets him apart for me. Anxieties about the future, about life, delivered between his smooth voice and that flawless falsetto offers a complex listening experience.

Best Moment: “Weight in Gold”

“The Weight of These Wings” by Miranda Lambert — One of the biggest names in country music is known for loading her songs with a punk-tinged cowgirl image — cigarette in one hand, pistol in the other — who takes no sh*t and is a bit of a hot mess. But Lambert’s double album released at the end of last year is, marginally, an introspective departure from that persona. There are still the moments of sass and gypsy spirit that make Miranda Lambert who she is, but “These Wings” is an open door to a darker, more vulnerable place than she usually lets fans traverse. The vintage country sound only plays up the ache of these tunes that sometimes hurt so good, but also carry the stinging pain of familiarity.

Best Moment: “Vice”

“Constant Stranger” by Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster — Kinkel-Schuster’s writing is the kind you need to sit and spend some time with. It’s a disservice to the poetry and to yourself not to listen to the lyrics. The haunting, slight twang of Kinkel-Schuster’s voice wraps around images of family and lovers while grasping at both unrest and romance. The singer/guitarist of Mississippi folk rock band Water Liars, Kinkel-Schuster explores a quieter, more folksy writing style on his first solo venture with just his fluid vocals, a guitar, the occasional piano and a soft harmony here and there.

Best Moment: “False Dawn”

“The Token” by Elise Davis — Where some artists leave you guessing whether a song is their past or a character’s, Davis puts it out there that her music is her truth. Her voice has weight, like it’s carrying a lot of miles with it. On “The Token,” her bluesy country has a gritty edge — in sound and subject matter. But Davis isn’t looking for pity from the listener or from the person she’s singing to. She delivers a realistic look at casual hookups, expectations and the struggle of not knowing if you want more — matter-of-factly and without shame. It’s a refreshing perspective on relationships — rejecting the traditional bubbly falling-in-love; spurned, out-for-revenge; and pining, unrequited story lines.

Best Moment: “Penny”

“Hamilton Mixtape” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and various artists — I’ll admit, this one is biased all the way around. I don’t know how impactful this album will be if you’re unfamiliar with the original score from the Broadway musical that has taken over the world. But like a solid portion of breathing humans, I’m obsessed. A mix of covers and new music layering over and sampling pieces of the original, the “Hamilton Mixtape” expands on themes revealed in the show through potent writing, and blending musical styles and performers. Like any good art, I feel something new every time I listen to it. The artist collaborations infuse the project with complex depth, modernity and powerful meaning even surpassing that of the original.

Best Moment: “Who Tells Your Story”

Listen Here!

JOCELYN MURPHY

NWA Democrat-Gazette

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