Music Monday: Albums

If 2011 was the year of concerts, then 2012 has been the year of music downloads and lots of them being whole albums (thanks to MP3 credits and $5 deals from Amazon). I just like music and this year I’ve needed the escape that good songs and new music gives me. Here’s my recounting of my favorite albums I’ve added to my collection this year.

• The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow | Their voices are beautiful and the music is haunting and perfect for enjoying a good book while cuddled under a blanket on the couch.
• Adele – Live at the Royal Albert Hall | Simon bought me this album as a random surprise – it’s the next best thing to seeing her perform live and in person.
• Maroon 5 – Overexposed | I’ve been a longtime fan of the band and love them more from watching Adam Levine on The Voice but this album is definitely my favorite of theirs, can’t wait to see them in concert in February!
• Mumford & Sons – Babel | A sophomore album that is ever better than the first.
• Matt Redman – 10,000 Reasons | Praise and worship music at its best and my kids like it… this absolves me from letting them listen to Party Rock Anthem, right?
• Dave Matthews Band – Away From the World | Back to the DMB that I love, if you are a fan but haven’t loved their recent stuff, you need to get this album.
• Ellie Goulding – Lights AND Halcyon | Love both of these albums, so glad I discovered this artist and her voice.

Best of the rest:

• Tristan Prettyman | Cedar + Gold
• Ingrid Michaelson | Human Again
• Sugar & the Hi Lows | self-titled
• Chris Tomlin | And if Our God is For Us
• Newsboys | God’s Not Dead
• Rick Hopkins | If Only It Was Now
• Brandi Carlile | Bear Creek
• Amos Lee | Last Days at the Lodge
• The Lumineers | self-titled
• NEEDTOBREATHE | The Reckoning
• Bruno Mars | Doo-Wop and Hooligans
• Jason Mraz | Love is a Four Letter Word
• The Fray | Scars & Stories
• Each month Amazon offers a free sampler of Rising Artists… I download them every month and keep only the songs I enjoy (the beauty of a free album is that you don’t have to keep songs in your music collection that you don’t love simply because you feel you ought to because you paid for it); because of these albums I’ve gained songs by Emeli Sande, The Lumineers and fun.

Good, but not my favorites:

• Norah Jones | Little Broken Hearts
• The Black Keys | El Camino
• Kate Voegele | A Fine Mess [with the exception of “Forever and Almost Always”]