Here's my first non-news post. See what I did with the title? Hahaha! (for those of you not in media circles, reporters are sometimes given "beats" like city hall or crime, so I thought it was fitting that I was going off my beat to talk about music). Yup. I'm a nerd.
Anyways, most people know that I have two big loves of my life: news/sports and music. To say I'm in the right line of work would be an understatement. Anyways, I still listen to full albums. I still buy CDs (although I've purchased nearly 1,000 songs on iTunes too). I have an addiction. And the only cure: this list (you thought I was gonna say cowbell, didn't you?). Without further adieu:
#12. Meat Loaf - Hell In A Handbasket
I remember watching some sort of movie or documentary about how messed up his situation was. But one of my favorite songs growing up was "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" just because of how epic it sounded. Just like something out of a movie. And while this album doesn't have that same swagger, it's still really good. And it delves into some unknown terrain, including an interesting "Blue Sky/Mad Mad World/The Good God Is A Woman And She Don't Like Ugly". Yup. Partly a Tom Cochrane cover. We also have a tune with Trace Adkins, Mark McGrath and Lil Jon. Patti Russo also returns, which is NEVER a bad thing. It may be all over the map, but it's an enjoyable album. Favorite song: All Of Me
#11. Tremonti - All I Was
If you like hard rock/metal, this might be your album. You've probably never heard the band but you probably know the namesake. Mark Tremonti is the lead guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge. Before you write this off as some sort of knock-off of either band, listen to the first single "You Waste Your Time". That's pretty much the album in a nutshell. It has some "softer" moments, but it's high-octane. You hear hints of this in his other two bands, but nothing full-on like this. Favorite song: So You're Afraid
#10. Offspring - Days Go By
To say there were a ton of "pop-punk" bands that came back in some way in 2012 would be an understatement. We had Eve 6, Lit, Green Day (x3) and a host of others. But none got my attention like this one. The first single "Days Go By" I found to be a pretty good driving song (always a key selling point). But the whole album is good. Sure, there are some "interesting" tunes like "Cruising California", but it's almost expected out of Offspring. A very good album that hits a nice happy medium between the "old school" stuff and the newer stuff. Favorite song: Secrets From The Underground
#9. Eric Church - Chief
I know what you're thinking. "Joe, you like rock, what the heck is a country album doing on your list?" Trust me. I'm almost as confused as you are. But let's look at one undisputable fact: this album is catchy as hell. The first song that caught my attention was "Homeboy" and thought it was pretty good. Then I bought "Springsteen" and I was a little more convinced. The weirdness of "Creepin'" was enough to make me buy the album. I appreciate good and catchy songwriting and it's on full display here. And yes, I realize it was released mid-2011. But many of the songs got big in 2012. And I didn't hear it until this year. And it's my list. So there... Favorite song: Homeboy
#8. Lostprophets - Weapons
Another one of those bands you're probably asking yourself "who?" Long story short, these guys have been around for a while (2001). They had some marginal success in the US but didn't make much of a blip on the Canadian radar. Part of the problem was they were hard to pigeonhole into a specific genre. They're sort of punk, sort of rock. All kinds of catchy though. This album is just solid from front to back and it kind of makes you want to go for a drive. I'm always posting live songs onto Facebook because this Welsh band seems to have a crazy following abroad. Overseas music festival anyone? Favorite song: A Song From Where I'm From
#7. Big Wreck - Albatross
Two "Big" re-emergences on the Canadian music scene this year: Big Wreck and Big Sugar (see what I did there?). Big Wreck is headed up by Ian Thornley, one of the best guitarists this country has produced. I was excited when I heard this album was coming out and it didn't disappoint. It's exactly what I expected. A little less "commercial" than what I thought but it has that trademark guitarwork and the band sounds tight. They might be one of my favorite acts to see live and this album would just add to what would surely be a wicked playlist. Favorite song: All Is Fair
#6. Stone Sour - House Of Gold And Bones (Part 1)
For those of you who don't know who Stone Sour is, think "tamer Slipknot". The lead singer is among the Slipknot members in this project. I'd say that Slipknot is a side-project for Stone Sour, but that'd offend a LOT of Slipknot fans. I'm a much-bigger Stone Sour fan. OK, that all out of the way, this is just a wicked album. You start off with a song like "Gone Sovereign" and you know what you're gonna get. But this album has many different levels to it. Corey Taylor (singer) does a phenomenal job with the lyrics and puts himself as one of the top vocalists in rock. Favorite song: Tired
#5. Halestorm - The Strange Case Of...
Full disclosure here: I have a full-on crush on Lzzy Hale. She's not only gorgeous but she plays guitar and has an unbelievable voice. This album has a few too many ballad-like songs for my liking, but the rockers absolutely melt your face. The first song "Love Bites (So Do I)" is exactly that. "Freak Like Me" also ranks right up there. But I'm going to spoil the "favorite song" part of this one. Because "American Boys" showcases a lot of what this band is all about. A catchy riff, solid rhythms and Hale's phenomenal voice. Check it out. Favorite song: American Boys
#4. Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
This was one of those albums that you listen to for the first time and I couldn't get into it. But the more I listened, the more I liked it. Then I saw them live and that upped the ante even more. These guys are obviously very talented and write some very good songs. While it's not as "heavy" as I typically go, I can't deny good songwriting. Their cover of "Sliver" is something to behold and I've really taken to "You Got Lucky". But again, this is one of those "front to back" kinds of good albums. Favorite song: Handwritten
#3. Thousand Foot Krutch - The End Is Where We Begin
In "The Introduction", the voice says "if you don't stand for something, you might fall for anything". And in that moment, I realized this album was going to blow my mind. And I was right. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've really started to pay attention to TFK. This album is the catchiest they've put out, but in a weird way, it's also one of the heaviest. "Let The Sparks Fly" is one of those driving songs. But two songs really stand out for me. One is "Be Somebody", one of the sappy tunes that really resonated with me over the course of the year. "War of Change" has been my favorite since day one though. Starts slow and lighter, then kicks into high gear with a solid chorus. Favorite song: War of Change
#2. Shinedown - Amaryllis
No one will probably be surprised by this. Managed to see these guys live for the first time this past year and it was as good as I thought it'd be. But this album has had my attention since before it even dropped. "Bully" hit right around the time the issue hit the mainstream and struck a lot of chords. One of the things about this band is their message, which is generally positive. Nowhere is that more evident than in "Amaryllis" and "Unity". I've really become a fan of "Enemies" and "Adrenaline" for the "straight-up rock" aspect of it. Brent Smith is among my top two or three vocalists in rock right now and the rest of the band works extremely well together. In any other year, this would have been my #1 album. But it came the same year as the behemoth that you're about to read about. Favorite song: Amaryllis
#1. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators - Apocalyptic Love
I recently watched a "making of" this record and what amazes me is that you have all these different talents coming together to making a straight-up rock record. From Slash, you wouldn't expect anything less. But it's the other part of the band that really works together. I've always been a fan of Myles Kennedy, with his work with Mayfield Four and then Alter Bridge. Todd Kerns is on bass (formerly of Age of Electric and Static in Stereo) and drummer Brent Fitz has been all over the place, including Theory of a Deadman, Econoline Crush and a session musician for a ton of other artists (I think Vince Neil's among them). I don't know if there's a weak song on this album. To tell you the truth, one of my "least favorites" (if you want to call it that) is the single "You're a Lie". The harmonies in the chorus for "No More Heroes" coupled with the guitar is awesome. "Standing In The Sun" has a cool groove to it. And to spoil the "favorite" part once again, is "Crazy Life". It has a stellar guitar part right off the top, we have a little cowbell and it has this rhythm to it that makes me wanna go to a lake and pin the volume to 11. Do yourself a favor and buy this whole CD (or the whole album on iTunes). You won't be disappointed.
There you have it. My "Top 12 albums of '12". Feel free to add your two cents. Maybe I missed an album somewhere in the midst. But here's hoping that we get the "Rise of Rock and Roll" in 2013!
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