Top ten albums 2014 (Page 1 of 2)

I bought a lot more than 10 albums this year, but most of them were not released in 2014.  My top 5 of 2014:

1. Umphrey's McGhee - "Similar Skin" - maybe i put it so high because it's my introduction to the band, but it really blew me away. Great playing, great tunes, something for everyone - catchy choruses, ridiculous guitar solos, groovy as all get out.

2. Joe Bonamassa - "Different Shades of Blue" - doesn't need much explanation here, but it's outstanding.  In my top 3 JB albums ever.

3. KXM - "KXM" - heavy, gritty, soulful, dark... I like the songs, and every player (George Lynch, dUg Pinnick, Ray Luzier) is in top form.  It's a really good heavy rock record.

4. Lucinda Williams - "Down Where Spirit Meets the Bone" - a return to form, so to speak. Doing what she's always done best.

5. Judas Priest - "Redeemer of Souls" - I like Priest, but I'm not a fanatic. That said, this album really surprised me. Killer guitar playing and strong songs. \m/ \m/

Never sure how to grade things such as this but one album stands head and shoulders above anything else this year, - in part because I was fortunate enough to be at the launch party:

Rival Sones - Great Western Valkyrie

The worthy rest:

Gov’t Mule - Dark Side Of The Mule
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Goin Home
Foo Fighters - Sonic Highway
Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes
Tom Petty - Hypnotic Eye
Royal Blood - Royal Blood
Seether - Isolate and Medicate

- and not quite 2014 releases but the extra work on the Led Zep albums this year is surely worth inclusion?

I can't come up with 10 but some of favorites from 2014 include:

Different Shades of Blue - JB
Electric Religion - Matthew Curry
The Great Western Valkyrie - Rival Sons
Beauty and Rain - Bob Mould

I've actually purchased more music this past year and some that I liked were:

Dan Patlansky - Dear Silence Thieves

Ty Curtis - Water Under the Bridge

Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

Adam Hood - Welcome to the Big World

The War On Drugs - Lost In the Dream

Joann Shaw Taylor - The Dirty Truth

Xander and the Peace Pirates - Order Out of Chaos

Proud Mary - The Same Old Blues

The Dead Dasies - The Dead Dasies

Dan Bubien - Empty Roads

I see Dan Patlansky's Dear Silence Thieves has made a lot of lists in the web out there.I need to check it out more.I had heard it once through and liked it but it didn't grab me as album Of  the year material .But some times these things take a little more time to digest if you know what I mean.

1.) Joe Bonamassa: Different Shades Of Blue,
2.) Gov't Mule: Dark Side Of The Mule,
3.) Pink Floyd: The Endless River,
4.) Walter Trout: The Blues Came Callin'.

My top three

Gary Clark Jr - Live 
Gov’t Mule - Dark Side Of The Mule
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye

Rival Sons and Tom petty!