A few months ago I was challenged to posting my top 10 favorite/most influential albums of all time. A truly daunting task if you ask me. I posted each day without giving any substantial thought to it. Jump forward, and its still going around and other friends are participating and I got tagged again. I thought why not go full-throttle into this thing. I’ll post my pick each day and add my reasons behind my picks here on this here bloggity-blog-blog.
Today I tried to whittle down my list to 10 albums only. Couldn’t do it. So expect some honorable mentions at the end of these 10 days. Also, these albums are in no particular order, really. It was hard enough selecting only 10. To put them in some sort of meaningful order would be akin to shoving ice picks under my toenails — or something like that.
Here’s a little secret about me; I like folk music. I didn’t broadcast that back in my 20s because it just wasn’t cook to admit that you liked the twang on a banjo just as much as the scream of a guitar. With that being said, first on the list is Johnny Flynn’s Been Listening. Johnny Flynn might possibly have it all. Not only is he a very talented singer and musician (he plays guitar, violin, trumpet, mandolin, piano, banjo and God knows what else) he also is a trained Shakespearian actor who has starred in London’s West End as well as various movies and tv productions. I bet he probably paints and draws too. Yep, he’s got it all, and you almost want to hate him for it. But not quite, because he’s as humble as they come, as evident in his interviews and clips on posted on YouTube of his shows.
I stumbled upon Johnny Flynn on a movie (Song One) I put on one night I couldn’t sleep. The songs weren’t his, but the performance was. The next day I was checking his music out online and I was pretty much hooked immediately. Here’s a little secret about me. I’ve always liked folksy, old-timey, music and that’s what Johnny Flynn plays, but with a modern twist. His lyrics are downright spiritual, deep and very personal. Currently, his lyrics speak to me at the place I am right now in my life. I could have chosen his Country Mile album just as well as Been Listening but there is just something about this album in particular. There are traces of the Blues on Howl that mix perfectly with his modern folk sound. There is also a duet with Laura Marling (Holy Cats she is amazing) on The Water. Beautiful harmony and some thoughtful lyrics. Barnacled Warship is currently my favorite song.
While Johnny Flynn is a fairly new discovery to me, he’s been around for quite some time. I know that I will be listening to his music for years to come. I’ll leave you with a link to a video of he and his band playing in Germany. I dig the energy in this song.https://youtu.be/o7LjABo2CcE
Yesterday's Tomorrow Today 