Penguin Eggs Critics’ Poll: the individual Top 10s
The Penguin Eggs Critics’ Albums of the Year – which you can find HERE – are derived from the Top 10 lists of journalists, radio hosts, folk festival artistic directors, concert promoters and other industry tastemakers. That includes some of the regular writers you read here on Roots Music Canada.
So if you’d like to see how this year’s Critics’ Albums of the Year came together, here are the individual favourites lists from the contributing critics. Note that the albums are listed in alphabetical order; not in order of rank.
Philip Harries: Contributor to, Penguin Eggs magazine and long-time Edmonton Folk Music Festival Volunteer
Alvvays, Blue Rev (Polyvinyl) Ann Vriend, Everybody Matters (Independent), Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (4AD), Brandi Carlile, In The Canyon Haze (Low Country Sound/Elektra Records), Ezra Collective, Where I’m Meant To Be (Partisan), First Aid Kit, Palomino (Columbia), Ghostkeeper, Multidimensional Culture ( Victory Pool), Hurray for the Riff Raff, Life on Earth (Nonesuch), Kobo Town, Carnival of the Ghosts (Stonetree), Valerie June, The Moon and Stars: Prescription For Dreamers (Deluxe Edition) (Fantasy)
Jeff Robson Host of Tell the Band to Go Home on CJUM 101.5 UMFM in
Winnipeg and Fly with your Shadow.
Jacob Brodovsky, I Love You and I’m Sorry (One More Pastime), Jeff Crosby, Waitin’ on a Miracle (self), Skinny Dyck, Palace Waiting (Sleep Alone), Carter Felker, Even the Happy Ones Are Sad (self), JP Hoe, Botanicals (Parmar), Joe Nolan, Lost Verses (Fallen Tree), Bramwell Park, River City Blues (self), Benj Rowland, Community Garden (self), The Sadies, Colder Streams (Dine Alone), S.G. Goodman, Teeth Marks (Verve Forecast)
New discoveries: Sarah Burton, Bramwell Park, Micah Schnabel
The Penguin Eggs/Roots Music Canada 2022 Critics’ Album of the Year: James Keelaghan – Second Hand
Past winners of the Penguin Eggs Critics’ Poll
Check out the Critics’ New Discovery of the Year nominee playlist
Jim Marino: Host of the Freewheeling Folk Show, 93.3 CFMU (cfmu.ca) Hamilton, ON.
Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, O Glory (Warner), J. P. Cormer, Us (Independent),
Durham County Poets, Out of the Woods (Independent), Ennis Sisters, On We Go (Independent), Dave Gunning, The Same Storm (Wee House of Music), Lynne Hanson, Ice Cream in November (Panda Cave), James Keelaghan, Second Hand (Borealis), Harrison Kennedy, Thanks for Tomorrow (Electro-Fi), Madison Violet, Eleven (Passenger Sounds), Amanda Rheaume, The Spaces In Between (Ishkode Records)
New discoveries: Alex Krawczyk, Lester Smith, Adrian Sutherland
John Prentice: Host/Producer of Planet Mainstage, UMFM Radio
Sam Baardman, Marsh Radio (One More Pastime), The Bros. Landreth, Come Morning (Birthday Cake), Bruce Cockburn, Rarities (True North Records), Judy Collins, Spellbound (Cleopatra), Eliza Gilkyson, The River Winds (Howlin Dog Records), JP Hoe, Botanicals (Parmar Records),
James Keelaghan, Second Hand (Borealis), Pharis and Jason Romero, Tell Em You Were Gold (Smithsonian Folkways), Son of Dave, Call Me King (God Damn Recordz), Loudon Wainwright III, Lifetime Achievement (StorySound Records),
New discoveries: Boy Golden, Jocelyn Pettit, Morgan Toney
Brian Gladstone: music producer, promoter, founder of Toronto’s Winterfolk Festival and artist with five highly acclaimed albums
Janis Joplin & Jorma Kaukonen, The Legendary Typewriter Tapes (Omnivore), Joni Mitchell, The Asylum Albums 72-75 (Asylum), Julian Taylor, Beyond the Reservoir (Warner Music Canada), Lucy Kaplansky, Last Days of Summer (Round House), Mark Yan, Just as One (Independent), Robert Priest, Love is Hard (Independent), Roger Zuraw, Live at Gary 17’s Open Stage (Independent), Sam Bush, Songs of John Hartford (Smithsonian Folkways), The Lumineers, Bright Side (Dualtone Records), Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time (Columbia Records)
Glen Herbert: Writer and editor
The Brother Brothers, Cover to Cover (Compass Records), Sam Bush, Radio John: Songs of John Hartford (Smithsonian Folkways Records), I Draw Slow, I Draw Slow (Compass Records), The Infamous Stringdusters, Towards The Fray (Americana Vibes Records), Kathy Kallick and Friends, What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? (Live Oak Records), Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert, The Flowers That Bloom in Spring (self-released), Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder, Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (Perro Verde/Nonesuch Records), Punch Brothers, Hell on Church Street (Nonesuch Records), Pharis and Jason Romero, Tell ’Em You Were Gold (Smithsonian Folkway Records), Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Crooked Tree (Nonesuch Records)
Paul Corby: Host and programmer of Corby’s Orbit, on Toronto’s Radio Regent and Blues and; Roots Radio
Abigail Lapell, Stolen Time (Outside Music), Aleksi Campagne, For The Giving / Sans Rien Donner (Self), Bonnie Raitt, Just Like That (Redwing Records), By Divine Right, OTTO MOTTO (Fortune Stellar Records), Chris Antonik, Morningstar (Second Half Records / Moon Dog Music), Genevieve Racette, Satellite (Self), Janet Cull, Hear It (Self), Rosalia, Motomami (Columbia), Sam Weber, Get Free (Sonic Unyon), The Trade-Offs, Let Go, Give In, Fall Down (Aakuluk Music)
New discoveries: Evan Redsky, Sheila Soares, Julianna Riolino
Mike Regenstreif: CKCU host/curator of Stranger Songs (weekly), Saturday Morning (every 4th week) and Canadian Spaces (occasionally)
Eliza Gilkyson, Songs from the River Wind (Howlin’ Dog), James Keelaghan, Second Hand (Borealis), Lenka Lichtenberg, Thieves of Dreams/Zlodeji snu (Six Degrees), John McCutcheon, Leap! (Appalsongs), Mountain City Four, Mountain City Four (Omnivore), David Olney with Daniel Seymour, Evermore: The Final Live in Holland Sessions I/Nevermore: The Final Live in Holland Sessions II (Strictly Country), Amy Speace, Tuscon (Windbone), Happy Traum, There’s a Bright Side Somewhere (Lark’s Nest Music), Loudon Wainwright III, Lifetime Achievement (StorySound), Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Blues from Chicago to Paris: A Tribute to Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (Stony Plain).
New discoveries: Melissa Carper, Peter Lehndorff, Mama’s Broke
Rob Oakie: Executive director of Music PEI, treasurer of the Canadian Folk Music Awards, mandolinist and concert producer
Anais Mitchell, Anais Mitchell (BMG), Bonnie Raitt, Just Like That (Redwing Records), Bruce Cockburn, Rarities (High Romance Music), David Grisman, Dawgworks Volume 1, 2 & 3 (Acoustic Disc), Dylan Menzie, Modern Classic (Dylan Menzie), Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Crooked Tree (Nonesuch), Scott Parsons, The Gates of No Return (Scott Parsons), Steve Dawson and the Telescope 3, Phantom Threshold (Black Hen Music), The Burning Hell, Garbage Island (The Burning Hell), The East Pointers, House of Dreams (The East Pointers)
Ken Hunt: Music historian and critic currently writing Martin Carthy’s approved biography, Prince Heathen
Eliza Carthy And The Restitution, Queen of the Whirl (Hem Hem), Grateful Dead, Dave’s Picks Volume 43 (Rhino), Nancy Kerr, The Poor Shall Wear The Crown (Little Dish Records), Kronos Quartet, Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ and Rinde Eckert, My Lai (Smithsonian Folkways), The Magpie Arc, Glamour In The Grey (The Magpie Arc), Calum MacColl, About Time (Red Grape Music), Angeline Morrison, The Brown Girl
and Other Folk Songs (Own Label), Angeline Morrison, The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience (Topic), Emily Portman and Rob Harbron, Time Was Away (Own Label), Ye Vagabonds, Nine Waves (River Lea Records)
Jan Vanderhorst: Host, Just Us Folk, justusfolk.com
Matt Andersen, House To House (Sonic Records), Durham County Poets, Out Of The Woods (independent), Janis Ian, The Light At The End Of The Line (Rude Girl Records), Joe Jencks, The Coming Of The Years (independent), James Keelaghan, Second Hand (Borealis Records), Madison Violet, Eleven (independent), Malcolm MacWatt, The Settler (Singular Records/Need To Know), Mike Stevens, Breathe In The World Breathe Out Music (Stony Plain Records), Julian Taylor, Beyond The Reservoir (Howling Turtle), Suzie Vinnick, Fall Back Home (independent)
New discoveries: Aysanabee, Inn Echo, O’Jizo
Heather Kitching: Managing editor, Roots Music Canada
Angela Amarualik, Uvannik (Hitmakerz), Aysanabee, Watin (Ishkode), James Keelaghan, Second Hand (Borealis), Joey Noyuk, Inuugama (Hitmakerz), Julian Taylor, Beyond the Reservoir, Kobo Town – Carnival of the Ghosts (Stonetree), Madison Violet, Eleven (Passenger Sounds), Ninan, Innu Auass (Makusham), Onna Lou, Diamante (self), Pharis and Jason Romero – Tell ‘em You Were Gold (Smithsonian Folkways)
New discoveries: Sophie Lukacs, Nizo Alimov, Alex Krawczyk
