From collaborative outfits like The Gift Band, I'm With Her, and Luluc, to more solitary offerings from Amy Ray, Caroline Rose, and Alexander Tucker, there was much to enjoy about folk and Americana music in 2018.
Adrianne Lenker
abysskiss
A hushed, spare, engrossing set of solo songs from the Big Thief leader with production by Luke Temple.
Alexander Tucker
Don't Look Away
Grumbling Fur member Alexander Tucker completes a trilogy of solo albums containing his most focused, fascinating work.
Anderson East
Encore
Splitting the difference between retro-Southern soul and Van Morrison, Anderson East comes up with a minor gem.
Anna St. Louis
If Only There Was a River
Solid debut album from this country-folk songwriter reveals its complexities and depth with repeat listens.
Ben Howard
Noonday Dream
Widescreen ambient pop that demands both patience and, if available, a quality set of headphones.
Caroline Rose
Loner
Former folkie and roots rocker embraces dance-friendly pop and comes up with a smart and witty triumph.
Courtney Marie Andrews
May Your Kindness Remain
Andrews establishes herself as a melancholy reflector of the common man with soulful Americana on her sixth album and Fat Possum debut.
Daniel Bachman
The Morning Star
Nearly two years in the making, the Virginia guitarist reveals himself as a provocative sound explorer, but doesn't lose his sonic accessibility.
David McGuinness / Alasdair Roberts / Amble Skuse
What News
A gorgeously rendered set of historical U.K. ballads from an inspired trio who bring the ancient past uniquely into the present.
Eliza Gilkyson
Secularia
The songwriter's 20th album unflinchingly examines soulful, vulnerable, humanist spirituality in beautiful, poignant secular hymns.
Joan Baez
Whistle Down the Wind
The folk icon records an autumnal album at the age of 77 that acknowledges time but confirms she's far from a spent force.
Laura Veirs
The Lookout
Veirs' understated vocals are paired with arrangements that are as pillowy and warm as they are spilling over with interesting ideas.
Luluc
Sculptor
The Australian folk duo turn a bold corner on their more cinematic and neatly crafted third album.
Marc Ribot
Songs of Resistance 1942-2018
With an all-star cast of vocalists, the guitarist delivers an album of angry, inspired topical songs to inspire political unity in a dark, difficult era.
Marisa Anderson
Cloud Corner
A dusty and deeply satisfying union of American folk, blues, and West African influences from the acclaimed Portland guitarist and composer.
Mary Gauthier
Rifles and Rosary Beads
On her tenth album, the singer/songwriter collaborates with military veterans and their care givers in relating their poignant experiences.
Modern Studies
Welcome Strangers
The Scottish chamber pop quartet's ambitious sophomore set announces the full might of their communal power.
Mutual Benefit
Thunder Follows the Light
Even with its lyrical unease, the project's third LP confirms Jordan Lee's status as a leading architect of bucolic escapism.
Nathan Salsburg
Third
The Louisville guitarist's gorgeous and earthy third outing features nothing but a solo acoustic guitar.
Old Crow Medicine Show
Volunteer
Working with producer Dave Cobb, Old Crow Medicine Show expand their sonic horizons and sharpen their focus.
Olivia Chaney
Shelter
The sophomore studio effort from the English folk singer is as compelling and powerful as it unwaveringly intimate.
Red River Dialect
Broken Stay Open Sky
The London-via-Cornwall folk outfit offers a warm and deeply reflective sequel to 2015's Tender Gold & Gentle Blue.
River Shook / Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
Years
Second album of tough-as-nails honky tonk from this North Carolina tunesmith is rich, satisfying, and disarmingly honest.
Robbie Fulks / Linda Gail Lewis
Wild! Wild! Wild!
Jerry Lee's sister teams up with a gifted alt-country songwriter for a rollicking set of rockabilly, country, and boogie-woogie.
The Gift Band / Eliza Carthy / Norma Waterson
Anchor
The second release from the iconic U.K. folk mother-daughter duo is a poignant, playful, and gorgeously captured set from a nimble ensemble.
Various Artists
Thousand Incarnations of the Rose: American Primitive Guitar & Banjo
Compiled by Glenn Jones, this is an essential compendium of American Primitive guitar and banjo sources to be enjoyed, not just admired.
Xylouris White
Mother
On their third album, the cross-continental duo place their abundant improvisational skills at the service of folk song and understatement.
