The list highlights a diverse selection of notable music releases from 2025, spanning genres including rock, folk, Americana, and blues. Prominent artists such as Robert Plant, David Byrne, and Willie Nelson showcase their latest works, while emerging talents such as Lucy Dacus and Molly Tuttle also make significant contributions. The compilation reflects a broad spectrum of musical styles and moods, emphasizing both established legends and innovative voices shaping the year’s musical landscape. You can listen to this playlist on Amazon Music
- Robert Plant – Saving Grace
An intimate, acoustic-leaning set that blends English folk, gospel touches, and a few reimagined old songs, this captures Plant in relaxed, late-career storyteller mode rather than arena-rock god. His voice sounds warm and unforced, and the interplay with Suzi Dian and the band gives these songs an earthy, lived-in glow that rewards close, late-night listening. - David Byrne – Who Is The Sky?
“Who Is The Sky?” plays like a playful, late-career counterpart to “American Utopia,” folding Byrne’s curiosity about technology, community, and anxiety into bright, horn-flecked art pop. His collaboration with the Ghost Train Orchestra gives the arrangements a theatrical, chamber jazz feel, so even when he’s worrying about algorithms or disconnection, the songs move with nimble, optimistic energy. - Melody’s Echo Chamber – Unclouded
A concise, 30-minute swirl of chamber pop and psych where Melody Prochet leans into tight song craft and groove rather than hazy drift. Skittering, break-beatish drums and plush bass underpin her airy vocals, making this a hooky, repeat-play album that feels both dreamy and sharply focused. - Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman
Rooted squarely in honky tonk country, this record channels Price’s defiant streak into sharp songwriting about heartbreak, Midwest blues, and stubborn resilience. The twangy, barroom sonics keep things lively even when the lyrics turn bruised and reflective, making it feel like a tough, cathartic reset rather than a downer. - Eddie Chacon – Lay Low
A feather-light blend of lo-fi R&B, jazz, and soul, this album drifts by on slow pulses and hushed vocals while quietly circling grief, loss, and hard-won hope. Its eight songs feel like a single, late-night mood piece—elliptical but emotionally direct, with production that rewards headphones and patience. - Paul Thorn – Life Is Just A Vapor
Thorn turns 60 and leans into it, delivering wry, grown-up roots songs about aging, domestic routine, and making peace with life’s brevity. The mix of front porch humor and gentle wisdom gives the album a comforting, conversational feel, like swapping stories with an old friend who has seen some things but isn’t bitter. - Van Morrison – Remembering Now
A reflective late-career set in which Van revisits aging, romance, and spiritual yearning over warm, mid-tempo arrangements that recall his classic mystic mood. It runs a bit long and uneven, but the high points—especially the extended, exploratory tracks—show his voice and sense of transcendence surprisingly intact this far into the journey. - James McMurtry ‘The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy’
Gritty Americana storytelling about addiction, aging, bad politics, and broken lives, delivered in McMurtry’s laconic drawl over spare but tough band arrangements. The songs cut deep without melodrama, full of dark humor and sharp detail, cementing his status as one of the most unsentimental narrative writers in roots music. - Todd Snider – High, Lonesome and Then Some
Snider strips back into a world-weary blues shuffle mode, trading some of his usual breezy folkiness for slower, more fatalistic grooves and spoken word rambles. The mood can get murky, but his crooked humor and cracked sage perspective still break through, especially when the full band kicks in on the standout tracks. - The Third Mind – Live Mind / Right Now!
Two slabs of exploratory psychedelic jam-band rock, this live set pushes Dave Alvin and company into long, improvisatory excursions that mix blues, acid rock, and free-form swirl. It is all about top-shelf musicianship and open-ended grooves, a record for settling in and letting the solos and dynamics carry you wherever they go. - Willie Nelson – Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle / Oh What A Beautiful World
A loose, late career Merle Haggard tribute where Willie and the Family Band lean into western swing shuffles, honky tonk piano, and Trigger’s woody guitar, keeping the performances live and un-fussed. It feels like spending an evening with old friends revisiting songs they know by heart, more about warmth and feel than bold reinterpretation. - Lucy Dacus – Forever Is A Feeling
A hushed, slow-burning set of love songs where Dacus trades indie rock crunch for orchestral swells, ballads, and intimate detail about domestic, queer love. It is her softest and most hopeful record yet, less immediate than “Home Video” but deeply rewarding if you sink into its patient tempos and emotional specificity. - Molly Tuttle – So Long Little Miss Sunshine
“So Long Little Miss Sunshine” is a bold, hooky pivot that stretches Molly Tuttle well beyond straight bluegrass into a bright mix of pop, country rock, and virtuoso string fireworks. The songs balance big, radio-ready choruses (including the sly cover of “I Love It”) with the intricate flat picking and new banjo textures that remind you she’s still one of the sharpest pickers in the game, turning the record into a kind of coming-out party for every side of her musical personality. - Geese – Getting Killed
“Getting Killed” finds Geese pushing hard against the boundaries they’d already stretched on “3D Country,” swapping post punk angularity for a more chaotic, collage-like indie rock attack. The Kenny Beats production lets the band veer from nervy, tightly coiled verses into explosive guitar storms and warped grooves, giving the whole record a jittery, darkly funny energy that suits their quarter-life crisis lyrics about money, identity, and growing up. - Christopher Gold – Ramble
“Ramble” is a sparse, lived-in Americana record that feels like it was built for late nights and long drives. The songs move at an unhurried pace, letting Christopher Gold’s worn, conversational voice carry stories about doubt, death, and the struggle to keep going without becoming maudlin. Acoustic guitars, light percussion, and occasional touches of organ or electric color the edges, but the focus stays on sturdy melodies and lyrics that land like pages from a well used notebook. - S.G. Goodman – Planting By The Signs
“Planting By The Signs” is a slow burn, deeply mournful record that trades S.G. Goodman’s punchier moments for long, unhurried songs built on steady drums, hazy guitars, and a heavy sense of grief. The lyrics circle burnout, small town memory, and the deaths of loved ones, turning tracks like “Satellites,” “Fire Sign,” “Snapping Turtle,” and “Heaven Song” into meditations on fate, survival, and self belief that reward sitting still with them rather than treating the album as background noise. - Jason Isbell – Foxes In The Snow
A stark, solo acoustic album tracked at Electric Lady, it strips Isbell down to voice and guitar as he works through the wreckage of a dissolved marriage and the uneasy bloom of new love. The spare arrangements put every lyric in the spotlight, giving the record a raw, confessional power that feels like an extended, necessary exhale. - Rumer – In Session
“In Session” reimagines Rumer’s early classics from Seasons of My Soul alongside fresh material, backed by Redtenbacher’s Funkestra in a lush jazz-funk pocket that feels both nostalgic and newly vibrant. Her voice—still a miraculous blend of Karen Carpenter purity and emotional depth—carries re-recordings like “Take Me As I Am” and “Slow” with undimmed power, while the buoyant bass lines and subtle swing add warmth without overpowering the vulnerable lyrics. The result is timeless, easy listening that bridges her breakthrough sound to a more mature, groove-oriented present. - Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – ‘New Threats From the Soul’
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band deliver a sprawling, poetic roots-rock odyssey on New Threats From the Soul, blending hypnotic spoken-sung vocals with lush, shifting arrangements of pedal steel, violin, piano, and unexpected rhythmic detours. Across seven extended tracks averaging eight minutes, Davis probes identity, loss, and late-capitalist absurdity with wry humor and vivid imagery—think Bill Callahan meets honky-tonk surrealism—on standouts like “Better If You Make Me,” “Monte Carlo / No Limits,” and the paired “Mutilation Springs/Falls” meditations. The Roadhouse Band’s intuitive sprawl turns personal fragility into something intimate yet cosmic, a near-masterpiece that unfolds new layers on every spin. - Pulp – More
Pulp’s first album in 24 years, More, finds Jarvis Cocker confronting middle age with his signature mix of wry observation, kitchen-sink drama, and lush orchestral pop. Standouts like the propulsive “Spike Island” and bittersweet “Farmer’s Market” blend aging anxieties with infectious hooks, while slower ballads like “Tina” and “Partial Eclipse” stretch into reflective, Scott Walker-esque territory. It’s a mature, often moving return that trades ’90s sleaze for poignant insight, proving the band still captures everyday longing like few others.
BLUES
Joe Bonamassa – B.B. King Blues Summit 100 Vol 1-4
Buddy Guy – Aint Done With The Blues
D.K. Harrell – Talkin’ Heavy
Carolyn Wonderland – Truth Is
Various Artists – A Tribute To The King of Zydeco
The blues scene in 2025 continues to honor its rich heritage while embracing new influences. Notable releases include Joe Bonamassa’s comprehensive “B.B. King Blues Summit 100 Vol 1-4,” which pays homage to the legendary king of the genre. Buddy Guy’s “Ain’t Done With The Blues” exemplifies ongoing mastery and innovation within the style. D.K. Harrell’s “Talkin’ Heavy” and Carolyn Wonderland’s “Truth Is” further demonstrate the genre’s depth and vitality. Additionally, a collective tribute titled “A Tribute To The King of Zydeco” highlights the genre’s interconnectedness with other regional styles.
AMERICANA
Jason Isbell – Live At The Beacon Theatre
Charley Crockett – Dollar A Day
Alison Krauss & Union Station – Arcadia
Case Oats – Last Missouri Exit
Slow Motion Cowboys – World of St. Elmo
The Americana genre in 2025 showcases a blend of storytelling, roots, and traditional sounds. Jason Isbell’s live recording at the Beacon Theatre captures the raw emotion characteristic of his work. Charley Crockett’s “Dollar A Day” offers nostalgic narratives rooted in American history. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s “Arcadia” presents refined musicianship and timeless melodies. Case Oats’ “Last Missouri Exit” and Slow Motion Cowboys’ “World of St. Elmo” contribute fresh perspectives and regional storytelling, reinforcing Americana’s role as a vessel for authentic American experiences.
FOLK
I’m With Her – Wild and Clear and Blue
BettySoo – If You Never Go Away
Nicholas Jamerson – One With You
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Madison Cunningham – Ace
Folk music in 2025 continues to thrive through heartfelt lyrics and acoustic instrumentation. I’m With Her’s “Wild and Clear and Blue” exemplifies collaborative artistry rooted in tradition yet forward-looking. BettySoo’s “If You Never Go Away” emphasizes emotional depth through intimate songwriting. Nicholas Jamerson’s “One With You,” Folk Bitch Trio’s “Now Would Be A Good Time,” and Madison Cunningham’s “Ace” showcase diverse approaches within folk, from introspective ballads to innovative arrangements, highlighting the genre’s versatility and enduring appeal.