The Reverend's Favorite New Albums of 2024

For whatever prurient reasons, I've been checking out the various "best of" album lists for 2024 in different publications. As I've stated elsewhere, I'm old as dirt, and a lot of today's pop music isn't being made for me. I'm OK with this...my tastes are pretty eclectic, anyway. But I've noticed a trend where rock 'n' roll and blues music have been edged out by pop and hip-hop (f/k/a R&B) artists, many of whom will likely record an album or two before disappearing into obscurity...

Much of today's disposable pop music does little but enrich the bank accounts of record label execs, and few of those featured today will forge long-term careers. As for rock 'n' roll, with the exception of Fontaines D.C. and Jack White, I'm seeing few legit "rock" LPs on these young writers' lists, and absolutely no blues grooves. So I thought I'd put together my own danged list. These aren't necessarily the 30 "best" albums of the year to anybody but me, and the list largely reflects the new music I bought (or was sent a promo copy of & loved) in 2024...

The Black Keys - Ohio Players
Cedric Burnside - Hill Country Love
Calidoscopio - Scorpio Rising
Steve Conte - The Concrete Jangle
Alejandro Escovedo - Echo Dancing
Fontaines D.C. - Romance
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band - Rare Dreams
Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers - Can't Outrun A Memory
Robyn Hitchcock - 1967
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets - Indoor Safari
Willie Nile - Live At Daryl's House Club
Peter Perrett - The Cleansing

Greg Prevost - After the Wars
Sugaray Rayford - Human Decency
Redd Kross - Red Kross

Sour Ops - Evangeline
Aaron Lee Tasjan - Stellar Evolution
Tennessee Blues Mob - Deep Dark Alibi
The Blessings - Woke Up With the Noonday Devil
The Church - Eros Zeta + The Perfumed Guitars
The Fleshtones - It’s Getting Late (...and More Songs About Werewolves)
The Higher State - Internecine Free
The Loons - Memories Have Faces
Walter Trout - Broken
Various Artists - Can't Steal My Fire
Jack White - No Name

White Animals - Star Time
Steve Wynn - Make It Right
X - Smoke & Fiction

Sami Yaffa - Satan’s Helpers War Lazer Eyes & The Money Pig Circus