Some people enjoy a good cry. I am not one of them — hell, I’m depressed enough most of the time as it is. But every year, I get a few albums that are so confessional and emotionally devastating that I can barely listen to them after I’ve finished reviewing them. Here are the magnificent albums of 2019 that I’ll probably never be able to listen to again:
TINNITIST’S PICK
Allison Moorer
Blood
WHO IS SHE? The acclaimed alt-country singer-songwriter from Alabama. The younger sister of the equally talented musician Shelby Lynne. The latest ex-wife of Steve Earle and apparently the current spouse of Hayes Carll. And most pertinently, the survivor of an abusive father who killed her mother and himself at the family’s home in 1986 when she was 14.
WHAT IS THIS? Her moving 10th studio release and the companion album to her memoir of the same name, which unflinchingly chronicles her family’s dark, destructive legacy.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? One of the most powerful and personal albums anyone could ever hope to make — or hear. Over the course of these 10 confessional songs, Moorer examines the tragedy of her upbringing from multiple angles, bravely sifting the ashes of her past in search of understanding, healing, peace and hope.
READ THE FULL REVIEW AND HEAR THE ALBUM HERE
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Art Alexakis | Sun Songs
Avicii | Tim
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | Ghosteen
Joe Henry | The Gospel According to Water
Mike Posner | A Real Good Kid
Purple Mountains | Purple Mountains
TO FIND REVIEWS OF THESE ALBUMS, PLEASE USE THE SEARCH WINDOW AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
