This is a new series I'll be posting monthly in which I'll mention the best five albums I've come across in the given month. I don't plan on spending too much time on writing these, but we'll see how it evolves. I also don't plan on ranking the top five albums or re-listening to any of them in preparation for these posts. I will, instead, rely on the grades they received and how much I remember enjoying them.
However, there are five albums I consider better, four of which I've considered on at least one occasion giving A's to and one of them which has gotten A (so far). Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is the album I'd mostly likely rank as the best, In Spite of Ourselves is among the top five best albums Prine has released, and The Notorious Byrd Brothers is definitely the best Byrds albums so far and I expect it to the stay that way--Sweetheart of the Rodeo will a shot though (I haven't listened to it yet). Paul Simon's debut Paul Simon hasn't been reviewed yet, but I will get to that by the fifth of February. Charley Patton's The Best of Charlie Patton--there's no consensus on the spelling of his name--hasn't been reviewed either. Although I devoted several paragraphs to discussing Bob Dylan's 2020 list-topping "Love and Theft", I neglected to mention my favorite song on the album was easily "High Water (For Charley Patton)" and had been for a long time. On the fifth of January, I got to thinking for the first time ever: who is Charley Patton?
Charley Patton turned out to be the one of the first delta blues musicians ever to be recorded in 1929. He had a mix of Native American, black, and white ancestry and he was an influence on essentially every delta blues musician you can name including the immortal Robert Johnson. He was also the first delta blues musician who was able to make a career solely from his music. I first checked out Charley Patton's "High Water Everywhere Pt.1," which is the song Dylan pays homage to. I thought it was terrible after three listens, but--and this is the power of Dylan's recommendation--I persisted and checked out another song from Patton: "Shake and Break It" (another song Dylan pays homage to on "Love and Theft"). I thought it was extraordinary and it instigated my dive into 20s and 30s blues guitar in January, which has included checking out Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, and revisiting Robert Johnson (I already listened to his recordings before). I've come around to "High Water Everywhere" now and I even like Patton more than Johnson--we'll see how long I stick with this opinion, which probably no one in the world shares. There are a number of other delta blues guitarists I hope to get into February such as Son House and Skip James. So far, I've reviewed none of the delta blues albums I've checked out this year--mostly because it is such a new style of music to me--and I don't currently have plans of reviewing them.
With school back in full swing for me, reviews will be coming out less frequently--likely you've already noticed a dip. In February, I will finish the Byrds and move onto the Flying Burrito Brothers, then a few Gram Parson albums, and then listen to the Eagles. I will also be starting Love and Delaney and Bonnie. Although it will not happen in February, I've become very interested in listening into jazz in the future. In addition to delta blues, jazz is another genre I did not anticipate getting into this year. I have absolutely no idea how or when I'll be able to fit jazz into my schedule, but I'm hoping to squeeze it in before this year ends.
My 5 Favorite Albums From January:
The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)
Derek and the Dominoes: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
Charley Patton: The Best of Charlie Patton (2005)
John Prine: In Spite of Ourselves (1999)
Paul Simon: Paul Simon (1972)
Note: There's a lot of different compilations for Charley Patton and it doesn't matter much which one you check out. However, the one I listed seems to have the best audio quality (less cracking in the background and on his voice) as well as a very consistent track list.
