I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2022 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year.
Paranoid Heart, John Fullbright (from the Blue Dirt Records release The Liar)
“Well maybe reckless hearts come in pairs, maybe that’s the only shake we’ll get to call fair.”
Problem With It, Plains (from the Anti- Records I Walked With You a Ways)
Stellar harmonies, a catchy melody, and just the right amount of attitude. “If you can’t do better than that, babe, I got a problem with it…”
Nobody’s Coming to Get You, Fantastic Cat (from the Blue Rose Music release The Very Best of Fantastic Cat, Volume 1)
Pop songs don’t get much more glorious than this.
Breaking Slow, Anthony D’Amato (from the Blue Rose Music release At First There Was Nothing)
D’Amato brilliantly straddles the line between melancholy and uplifting with his ode to heartbreak.
Books & Records, Adeem the Artist (from the Four Quarters/Thirty Tigers release White Trash Revelry)
A melancholy and engrossing tale of coping with economic hardship.
Rooting For Laundry, Autumn Hollow (from the self-released Throw the House)
Lessons on coping with life set to a catchy, sing-along melody. “I learned the hard way we’re all just rooting for laundry…”
When In Rome, When In Memphis, Cory Branan (from the Blue Elan Records release When I Go I Ghost)
Simply put, the rock anthem of the year.
Roll Away (Like a Stone), Butch Walker (from the Ruby Red Records release Butch Walker As… Glenn)
Few do rousing pop anthems like Butch Walker – here’s another gem for the collection.
Outlaws, Lee Bains + the Glory Fires (from the Don Giovanni Records release Old-Time Folks)
Bains explores Alabama history in this epic electric guitar and horn-fueled blast of rock and roll.
The Arsonist, Michael McDermott (from the Pauper Sky Records release St. Paul’s Boulevard)
What starts as a gentle piano ballad builds to a gloriously anthemic and cathartic conclusion.
Say Goodbye, Wade Bowen (from the Thirty Tigers release Somewhere Between the Secret and the Truth)
I’m a sucker for a great pop song and this one of the country variety is as infectious as it is melancholy.
Days Grow Longer, Dead Horses (from the self-released Brady Street)
Dead Horses serve up a freewheeling ode to reconnecting with simple and joyful pleasures.
As Good As It Gets, Andrew Duhon (from the self-released Emerald Blue)
Duhon’s ode to chasing one’s dreams is simply magical.
Sinz & Frenz, Futurebirds with Carl Broemel (from the No Coincidence Records release Bloomin’ Too)
“What makes you humble sets you free; sometimes you can mess everything up and still come out clean…”
Summer in the City, Nicky Egan (from the Colemine Records release This Life)
Egan’s spirited R&B gem strikes the right balance of retro vibe and contemporary polish.
Sundown, Patty Griffin (from the Thirty Tigers release Tape)
Griffin uses her words sparsely but still mines deep emotions on this somber ballad.
Birmingham, Will Hoge (from the Soundly Music release Wings on My Shoes)
Hoge knows how to pack an emotional punch, as this song clearly demonstrates.
Getting It Right, Caitlin Rose (from the Missing Piece Records release Cazimi)
“Talk too much or not enough, Everything tender always comes out rough, Someday I’ll find the answer somehow, But I’m just working on getting it right now.”
Miles and Miles, The Heavy Heavy (from the ATO Records release Life and Life Only)
This year’s best highway drivin’ song.
I Don’t Miss You, Phil Hurley (from the self-released The Firebird Sessions)
I do love me a good kiss-off song and Hurley delivers a gem.
They say distance, it makes the heart grow fonder,
so let’s just stay apart a little longer,
’cause I don’t miss you now that you’re gone,
well I thought I would, but I was wrong
Sweetheart of the Hurting Kind, Cody Nilsen (from the self-released Living Is Killin’ Me)
Nilsen, who I’ve gotten to know through his work with Ward Hayden and the Outliers, steps out with one hell of a muscular guitar album. Mostly notably on this rousing anthem.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.