It’s been a banner year for rock records from Nashville. Is it the greatest year for rock in the city’s history? Maybe, depending on how you define “greatest.”
It may not boast the explosive impact of 1956, when Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Johnny Carroll and The Rock ’n’ Roll Trio cut seminal sides in the city, or the commercial success of 1960, when half of Billboard’s year-end Top 10 singles were rock recordings from Nashville. It may not have the cultural impact of 1966, when Bob Dylan came to Nashville and forever altered the face of rock music. Or the dramatic local ramifications of 1985, when Jason and the Scorchers released their major label debut Lost and Found. But in terms of both quality and quantity, 2022 has been unprecedented.
The year began with a historically important reissue in January featuring Charlie McCoy & The Escorts, Screamin’, Shoutin’, Beggin’, Pleadin’ — The Rock ‘n’ Soul Recordings 1961-69. The collection’s 29 tracks featuring Nashville’s hottest ’60s rock band, more than half of which are previously unreleased on CD, are essential listening for anyone interested in Nashville rock history.
In February, Dashboard Confessional, whose leader Chris Carraba has lived in the Nashville area since 2014, released its ninth studio album and first in four years, All The Truth That I Can Tell. Emo legend Carraba reunited with producer James Paul Weiser for the quasi-concept album about hitting middle age.
Things heated up in April with a trio of releases from some rock veterans. Jack White released his first solo album in four years, Fear of the Dawn, a funky, bombastic, blues-rock-derived collection that went to No. 1 on both Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts and reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. In addition, De Piratas, fronted by Jonathan Bright and featuring former Scorchers Warner Hodges and Jeff Johnson, dropped its debut F.U., a potent and catchy blend of hard rock and power pop. Also, Government Cheese released Love, an infectious collection of pop rock that may well be their best album in more than three decades of making records.
Two noteworthy albums were released on May 13. After a detour into the Delta blues on their previous album, The Black Keys returned with Dropout Boogie, an irresistible, distortion-drenched set that reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top Rock and Top Alternative album charts. That same day, supergroup The Chefs — Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites), Stan Lynch (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and Joe Blanton (Royal Court of China) — released their second album Sing For Your Supper, featuring a dozen tracks of high-grade retro rock that wouldn’t sound out of place in the early ’70s.
June featured three more notable albums. Soccer Mommy released Sometimes, Forever, the impressive psychedelic-influenced follow-up to their 2020 breakout Color Theory. Sonic trailblazer Adrian Belew dropped his 25th solo album, Elevator, a mind-boggling record straddling the familiar and the unknown on which he wrote, arranged, played and sang every note. Also in June, Total Wife (Luca Kupper and Ash Richter) released A Blip, an artful, wall-of-sound collision of melody, noise and rhythms.
There were two rock releases worth noting in July. Jack White dropped his second album of the year, Entering Heaven Alive — a more mellow offering than his earlier release, but equally impressive. Like its predecessor, the album was No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts and reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200. Also, indie rockers Twen released their second album, One Stop Shop, and on it, vocalist Jane Fitzsimmons and multi-instrumentalist Ian Jones serve up 10 tracks of intelligent, funky, eclectic pop rock.
August featured three albums of note. Marcus King released his best album to date, the incendiary Young Blood, which was produced by Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound Studios. With her punk-influenced band Queens of Noise “on pause,” RobinAugust released a stunning solo debut, Avocado Head. A concept album about a breakup, musically it goes well beyond her work with the Queens and should put her on the radar of major label A&R execs. Also, an important retrospective finally went into wide circulation in August: Tommy Womack’s 30 Years Shot to Hell: An Anthology — 42 tracks that are a testament not only to his staying power but his brilliance as a songwriter and recording artist.
There were two significant releases in September by a pair of Nashville rock veterans. Warner Hodges released Boots Up: The Best of the Warner E. Hodges Band So Far, a two-disc collection that includes a dozen hard-rocking selections from his four solo albums, plus six unreleased tracks featuring his hot U.K.-based band. Also, Southern rock legend Jimmy Hall returned with Ready Now, his first album in more than a decade. Produced by Joe Bonamassa, the record reminds us that Hall is still one of rock’s most soulful vocalists and harmonica players.
We close out our tour of 2022 rock releases with a trio of impressive records from October. Indie-rock quartet Crave On released their fifth album Slow Pulsing Rainbow, which features stripped-down, slightly off-kilter and extremely satisfying folkish rock. In addition, Ariel Bui dropped Real & Fantasy, a garage-rock tour de force produced by Andrija Tokic and powered by Bui’s insightful, melodic songwriting. Also, Robyn Hitchcock returned with his first record in five years, the brilliant Shufflemania! — a truly magical album, one of the best of his stellar career.
Talking with rising roots star Sierra Ferrell, counting down the year’s top Nashville albums and more
