It has been a pretty good year so far on the music front. The ever prolific Charlie Crockett has delivered two records, the Rolling Stones have played it forward with their best effort in decades, and Rock is the New Roll favorites Lemon Twigs and the Sheepdogs have even entered the fray. There is a lot to cover, so let’s get started with the best, according to us, platters of the year.
20. Kacey Musgraves – Middle Of Nowhere
Returning to her roots a bit after 2018’s Golden Hour made her into a pop star, Kacey Musgraves returns to the dusty dirt songwriting lane where she made her bones.
Melding Country-Pop, Tex-Mex, and Norteno, the nuanced textures bodes well for a song-fest of repeated listens. Billy Strings, Miranda Lambert, and Willie Nelson dip their toes in the water on this one to add to the fun.
19. Jay Buchanan – Weapons of Beauty
The premier solo effort from the Rival Sons main man is deep, soulful, and atmospheric, very much a departure from the high-energy bombast of his main gig.
Produced by Dave Cobb, the vocals hit deep, very much in the Scott Walker mold. If you are a fan of Rival Sons, this may be a bit of a rock and roll disappointment, for the rest, this is a refreshing singer-songwriter coming out party.
18. Dale Watson – Unwanted
There are not enough Outlaw Country artists carrying the torch these days, with the one notable exception being Dale Watson, and he has been doing it under the Honky Tonk neon since 1994.
With song titles like “Willy, Waylon, and Whiskey,” “What The Hell Happened To The Cadillac,” “Don’t Let The Honky Tonks Go,” and the Bob Wills two-step of “Never Mend The Broken Spoke” you are in for Honky Tonk treat with this one.
17. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Future Soul
This side of Warren Haynes, there is no one out there keeping the spirit of The Allman brothers alive more than The Tedeschi Trucks Band.
With a somewhat scarce output of seven records in the last fifteen years, the band has been busy on the road with a rock and roll circus recreating the Mad Dogs And Englishmen experience, and the front-to-back Layla homage, a new Tedeschi Trucks record is a feast to the ears indeed.
The album’s 11 songs include “I Got You,” “Who Am I,” and the title track “Future Soul,” balancing groove, restraint, and emotional weight. With a 12-member band kicking in, led by the swampy grooves of Trucks and the back-of-the-barroom wail of Tedeschi, the future and collective soul here shines with every note.
16. Red Clay Strays – Grateful
Grateful finds the Red Clay Strays leaning hard into gospel, soul, and Southern rock, creating a record that feels less like a polished studio product and more like a revival-style experience.
Blurring Elvis crooning, Southern Rock, Americana, and Gospel, if you are a fan of Jason Isbell or Chris Stapleton this should be your jam for 2026.
15. Van Morrison – Someone Tried To Sell Me A Bridge
With his latest, Someone Tried To Sell Me A Bridge Van Morrison proves once again that he is incapable of generating a bad record. With the possible exception of the mildly political bent of the title track, this time out Van delivers a platter of deep cuts and need-to-be-heard classics digging into the archeological ruins of songs you forgot that you loved.
The best song of the litter might be the Junior Wells stomper “Snatch It Back And Hold It” with a greasy organ, sneaky riff, out front back up singers, and snarling vocals, this one is prime Van Morrison.
At 20 songs this one should, but does not feel bloated. How could it with epic collaborations featuring the likes of Elvin Bishop on “Play The Honky Tonks,” Buddy Guy slaying “Rock Me Baby,” and the mighty Taj Mahal on “Betty And Dupree.”
“Delia’s” Gone” is likely the most upbeat version of the song that you will ever hear, Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” is stripped down and reimagined, and the Blind Willie McTell penned “Deep Blue Sea” is vintage Van.
14. Tyler Ballgame – For The First Time, Again
Tyler Ballgame delivers a soul-retro sound of ‘60’s crooner, 70’s singer songwriter. Produced in Nashville under the mentorship of Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, Ballgame’s voice floats across the ether as the devil spawn of Rufus Wainwright and Roy Orbison.
“Down So Bad” could have been an Elvis B-side, “Waiting So Long” has a retro AOR vibe, and “Matter Of Taste” is a bit of a country rocker that would have been a nice fit in the canon of New Riders Of The Purple Sage.
With Tyler Ballgame it is the voice that carries the Day. The vintage analog recording captures the texture of the early ‘70s that is hard to replicate in today’s sterile studios.
This one rewards the listener with with artichoke leaves peeling off to reveal new surprises with each subsequent listen.
13. Sky Valley Mistress – Luna Mausoleum
The second full-length from psych-stoner rockers Sky Valley Mistress has Kaylie Davies and Max Newsome branching out as a duo in the wake of the 2020 covid induced departure of most of their band. Stoner desert rock in the Queens of the Stone Age mold with the most ferocious sound coming from two people this side of Meg and Jack White.
Catchy grooves, melodic hooks, and thumping bass lines are perfectly complemented by the dynamic vocals of Davies and the pulsing rock swagger delivery of a band on scorched earth mission.
“Thundertaker” is Black Sabbath if they were fronted by a bad-ass rock chick, and “Blue Desert II” is an epic, sprawling masterpiece.
Luna Mausoleum is the leader in the clubhouse for rock album of the year.
12. The Sheepdogs – Keep Out Of The Storm
The Classic Rock spirit is alive and well with the release of The Sheepdogs’ 11th album and their first in the last four years.
Listening to a Sheepdogs album is like digging through crates of of old vinyl and coming across that perfect mix of ‘70’s rock swagger, up-to-date production techniques, and old-school analog mixing secrets that you forgot you missed. “Nobody But You,” the first single released, hooks you like an episode of Dangerous Catch, and “Playing All Night Long” could be the first cousin of The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek.”
11. Ratboys – Singin’ In An Empty Chair
Ratboys lean fully into their signature blend of indie rock + Americana + alt-country, but this time it’s bigger and more refined.
Seemingly to have perfected their unique mixture of Indie Rock, Country, and Country influences, the record includes jangly guitars, poppy vocals, and expansive jams to cover you in a blanket of warm, rootsy textures.
10. Greenberry Woods – It’s All Good, Sugar…
Yet another Gem of an album courtesy of Rock is the New Roll favorites Big Stir Records. Full of sunny, harmony-rich songs that will have you reaching for your vintage Byrds records, this album, with its jangly guitars, catchy hooks, and effortless melody, bridges the gap between ’60s innocence and ‘90s power pop effortlessly.
09. Ryan Bingham – The Lucky Ones
Ryan Bingham returns with one of his strongest and most natural-sounding records—a dusty, road-worn Americana masterpiece that blends outlaw country, blues, folk, and classic rock swagger. After a long wait between albums, They Call Us The Lucky Ones feels less like a comeback and more like an artist reconnecting with what made him special in the first place.
Teaming up with Jesse Dayton and the Texas Gentlemen, this is deep Texas storytelling at its finest. “The Lucky Ones” takes you on a time travel through life and redemption, “Ballad of the Texas Gentlemen” takes you on the road with a travelling band, and “Cocaine Charlie” will take you to the depths and back again.
08. The Black Crowes – A Pound Of Feathers
Leaning into the bands roots and their post-brothers reconciliation era, the latest Black Crowes record is far superior than 2024’s Happiness Bastards, and just might be their best effort in decades.
The dirty blues-rock are dirtier than ever, the loose energy is palbable, and the Stonesy swagger emenates from every pore.
07. The Hanging Stars – Just A Day
London’s The Hanging Stars return with their sixth album, Just A Day, a dazzling collection of four-part harmonies, shimmering twelve-string guitars and chiming songs, touching on themes of longing, new beginnings and the fragility of the everyday.
Their sound draws on The Byrds, Big Star, The Feelies, Teenage Fanclub and Tom Petty, or Lou Reed. This latest record is an album that feels simultaneously classic and vibrant, their influences worn lightly giving the songs room to breathe.
06. The Hu – Hun
Where traditional Mongolian throat singing meets rock. After three albums, the shock of the first-hear experience of this blend of throat singing and traditional instruments and their Sabbath-like riffs may have worn off, but the pure, primordial, punch in the gut energy boost will make you feel alive.
Not sure where they go from here, “Echoes Of My Father” is about as close to a ballad as they are going to get, and “Greed” ventures into prog territory” but it does sound like with this one the band is ready to expand their horizons.
05. John R Miller – The Great Unknowing
Having started out in garage bands before discovering roots music, John R Miller embraces JJ Cale, Steve Earle, and James McMurtry on this raw set of broken confessionals.
The song writing is first rate, the fiddle and acoustic guitar are exquisite with just the right amount of fuzz, and there is a bit of Nebraska-era dreariness in the air that authenticates the entire proceedings.
04. Rattle Bones – A Few Disconnected Thoughts
Confidently sleazy, Pittsburgh’s Rattle Bones are definitely comfortable in their Sunset Strip skin. Known in the environs of the Steel City, the band, considered to be drunk-tank superstars, draws its inspiration from GN’R and Aerosmith along with early days, when they were cool, Def Leppard.
This is ears-down a great rock and roll record meant to be cranked up while plastered on rum.
03. Datura4 – High On The Low Brow
This band sounds like all of your favorite 70s bands at the same time. The litany of classic rock bands referenced here across 40 minutes of boogie, hard rock, and psychedelia is ear-boggling.
Deep Purple, there is some serious Hammond B-3 on display here, Free, Canned Heat, and the deep cut side of Steppenwolf all show up in fine fashion.
Sadly, you will have to travel to Australia to see these guys; they are named after an Aussie highway, but given the effort, the experience would likely be life-changing.
02. Ashley McBride – Wild
Ragged and raw, this is Country rock and roll in its most primal form. Every dark corner, family trauma, battle with the bottle, skeleton in the closet is ripped open for all to see on this, clearly Ashley McBrides best effort to date.
With lyrics that would make Steve Earle blush, she takes on sobriety with “Bottle Tells Me So,” the trip to redemption on “Lines In The Carpet,” and brings it all together in the fiery, autobiographical “Arkansas Mud.”
Written and recorded in the midst of a failing marriage, this album is fearless and vulnerable all at once.
01. The Lemon Twigs – Look For Your Mind!
Look For Your Mind finds The Lemon Twigs doubling down on what they do better than almost anyone in modern rock: reviving classic pop craftsmanship without sounding like a museum piece.
The opening titke track is pure early-era Beatles, “2 or 3” sounds more like the Beach Boys than the current version of the band, “Mean To Me” is Badfinger without the tragic backstory, and “My Heart Is In Your Hands Tonight” carries a scent of Walker Brothers in its DNA.
The blend of sunlit harmonies, jangly guitars, and baroque-pop flourishes along with the Beach Boys’ melodic sophistication and Todd Rundgren’s playful wizardry, makes this a perfect Pop record.
Rock Is The New Roll 