My Favorite Albums Of 2020
Let's face it: 2020 sucked and there is no sugarcoating that fact. With no tours and a lot of musicians putting recording and album releases on hold, there was not a whole lot to get excited about regarding Glam music in 2020. That said, it seems like 2020 will shake out as the biggest year for straight Metal releases... ever. (What is more Metal than being locked down because of a global pandemic?)
2020 did produce many strong releases, including a surprise from a mega band. So here is a list of my faves from the year past and may 2021 be better. It has to be, right? RIGHT?!?!
AC/DC - Power Up
Obviously this is going to be on every "best of" rock list for 2020. A nice pandemic surprise that seemed to collectively cheer up the rock world. With great social media teases, a live launch on YouTube and official videos, AC/DC did their best to make us rock. That classic sound abounds on Power Up. With AC/DC, you know exactly what you are going to get - and we got it.
Corey Taylor - CMFT
The legend goes that Taylor has been working on solo tracks for, like, forever. Thankfully, Taylor finally released a solo project. The singer, known for his work as frontman of mega acts Slipknot and Stone Sour, has a pretty big range. I love Slipknot with their heavy drums and aggressive lyrics. My husband loves Stone Sour for their more melodic side. I enjoy Corey solo because tracks on CMFT remind me of party tunes. CMFT came out in early October. I think "Black Eyes Blue" is the best rock single of the year.
L.A. Guns - Renegades
Steve Riley's version of L.A. Guns released Renegades just before Thanksgiving. I prefer the Tracii Guns version of the band but Renegades is a strong effort and "Crawl" is a great tune that grew on me over time. The album is basic Sunset Strip rock - and that is glorious.
Richie Kotzen - 50 For 50
Everyone knows I love Richie Kotzen. He is a guitar master and an absolutely prolific songwriter. He seems to churn new tracks constantly. Kotzen released 50 For 50 to celebrate his 50th birthday. Clocking in at just under 3 and a half hours, you can pop this album on while settling in to work in the morning and not have to change artists until lunchtime. I really dig the track "As You Are."
Metallica - S&M2
Metallica teamed up with the San Francisco Symphony for another go 'round of orchestral adaptations and pageantry. I talked about the album and film when both came out over the summer. It was pretty divisive here, with most saying they do not care for orchestral version of Metal songs. I love them -- and always have. Pretty much all the classics are here like "One" and "Wherever I May Roam." There are some other tracks that satisfy like "The Day That Never Comes" and "The Iron Foundry, Opus 19" by Russian composer Alexander Mosolov. This is one of the albums I was most excited about in 2020 - and the corresponding film is great. If you have time to watch the film of the live performance, do it. If you prefer to just listen to your music, then enjoy the tracks available below.
So there you have it: my faves of 2020. Do any of our favorites overlap? Tell me your picks in the comments section. I can't wait to hear what you've loved - and if you have an album you hated - share that too!