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George Graham's Best of 2015 Albums List

These albums were selected by Mixed host George Graham from the over 500 CDs featured during the year on the New Releases segments presented daily on Mixed Bag. The Mixed Bag musical styles include rock, folk, blues, reggae, world music, Celtic, electronic, and other varieties presented on the program. The emphasis is on records that received little or no attention in the commercial media. Selection criteria include originality, uniqueness of sound, and quality of musicianship.

The list is arranged chronologically.

* designates Homegrown Music Artists.

Artist

Album Title

Label

Date First Featured

Rob Larkin & the Wayward Ones *

Dogwood Roots

independent

01/12/15

Bettye LaVette

Worthy

MVD

01/13/15

Intended Immigration

Una Cartina

Wooden Hat

01/19/15

The Vespers

Brother and Sisters

independent

01/19/15

The Rua

Essence

independent

01/20/15

Baked Goods

One of Those Things

independent

01/21/15

Concetta Abbate

Falling in Time

Waterbug

01/22/15

Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King

Fat Man’s Shine Parlor

Blind Pig

01/23/15

Last Charge of the Light Horse

Nine Kinds of Happy

independent

01/26/15

Belle & Sebastian

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Matador

01/26/15

Redtenbacher’s Funkestra

Dr. Hypenstein

independent

01/27/15

Rebel Tumbao

Rebel Tumbao

independent

01/28/15

Lucas Jack

Before I Forget

independent

01/29/15

Bourbon and Bliss *

The Trouble We Gave

independent

01/30/15

The Levins

Trust

independent

02/03/15

11 Acorn Lane

Time for Tea

Wooden Hat

02/03/15

Blackberry Smoke

Holding All the Roses

Rounder

02/05/15

Frank Viele *

Fall You Way

independent

02/12/15

Oak Creek *

Glorietta

independent (EP)

02/12/15

Willy Porter

Human Kindness

Weasel

02/16/15

Jessi Teich *

Twisted Soul

independent

02/19/15

Colin Hay

Next Year People

Compass

02/23/15

Brandi Carlile

The Firewatcher’s Daughter

ATO

02/24/15

Ewert and the Two Dragons

Circles

Sire

02/24/15

The Revel Switch *

At Night We Sleep up in the Trees

independent

02/27/15

New York Funk Exchange

This Is Your Brain on Funk

independent

03/02/15

The Roosevelts

Cold Sheets

independent

03/03/15

Dan Masterson*

Atlas

independent (EP)

03/04/15

Jefferson Thomas *

Come Alive

independent

03/04/15

Caravan of Thieves

Kiss Kiss

independent

03/05/15

Bombadil

Hold On

independent

03/05/15

The Kennedys

West

independent

03/09/15

Spuyten Duyvil

The Social Music Hour

independent

03/09/15

Nellie McKay

My Weekly Reader

429 Records

03/10/15

Jose Gonzalez

Vestiges and Claws

Imperial/Mute

03/11/15

Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem

Violets Are Blue

Signature Sounds

03/12/15

Mark Knopfler

Tracker

Verve

03/12/15

The Nields

XVII

independent

03/12/15

10,000 Maniacs

Twice Told Tales

Cleopatra

03/13/15

Chris Daniels & the Kings

Funky to the Bone

independent

03/13/15

Ryley Walker

Primrose Green

Dead Oceans

03/16/15

Blues Traveler

Blow Up the Moon

Loud & Proud

03/16/15

Tigran Hamasyan

Mockroot

Nonesuch

03/17/15

Gypsy Lumberjacks

Giants of America

independent

03/18/15

Midnight Pilot *

Midnight Pilot

independent

03/19/15

Anne Stott *

Love Never Dies

independent

03/19/15

The Sarafinos

We Will Be Fine

independent

03/24/15

Umphrey’s McGee

The London Session

Hanging Brains

03/26/15

Painted Caves

Painted Caves

independent

03/26/15

Robben Ford

Into the Sun

Provogue

03/27/15

The Staves

If I Was

Nonesuch

03/27/15

Bob Malone

Mojo Deluxe

Delta Moon

03/30/15

Clarence Bucaro *

Like the 1st Time

20/20

03/31/15

The Waterboys

Modern Blues

independent

04/01/15

Tim Chaisson *

Lost in Light

MDM

04/07/15

Jon Regen

Stop Time

Motema

04/07/15

Tad Robinson

Day into Night

Severn

04/08/15

Slam Allen

Feel These Blues

American Showcase

04/08/15

Buena Vista Social Club

Lost & Found

independent

04/08/15

Mighty Oaks

Howl

Astralwerks

04/09/15

The Speed Bumps

Soil to the Seed

independent

04/09/15

Brian Wilson

No Pier Pressure

Capitol

04/09/15

The Cerny Brothers

Sleeping Giant

independent

04/10/15

Heather Maloney

Making Me Break

Signature Sounds

04/10/15

The Ballroom Thieves

A Wolf in the Doorway

Blue Corn

04/13/15

Sam Lewis

Walking on You

independent

04/13/15

They Might Be Giants

Gleam

independent

04/15/15

San Juan

Horizons

independent

04/16/15

Macaco

Historias Tattooadas

Sony Masterworks

04/17/15

Van Morrison

Duets

RCA

04/20/15

Ryan Montbleau Band

Growing Light

independent

04/20/15

Loudon Wainwright III

Haven’t Got the Blues (Yet)

429 Records

04/21/15

Morgan Heritage

Strictly Roots

independent

04/21/15

Becca Stevens Band

Perfect Animals

Universal Music Classics

04/22/15

Shoebox Letters

Buckle Up

independent

04/22/15

Keller Williams

VAPE

independent

04/24/15

Cash Box Kings

Holding Court

Blind Pig

04/27/15

Eilen Jewell

Sundown Over Ghost Town

Signature Sounds

04/27/15

Giant Sand

Heartbreak Pass

New West

04/28/15

Led to Sea

The Beautiful Humming of Ms. Fortune

independent

04/29/15

Turnover

Peripheral Vision

independent

04/30/15

Mazzmuse *

The Band

independent

05/04/15

Maura Kennedy

Villanelle

Varese Sarabande

05/05/15

John McCutcheon

Joe Hill’s Last Will

Appalsongs

05/06/15

Pocket Panda

This Arrangement of Molecules

independent

05/08/15

Nonpronto

Unready

independent

05/11/15

Saun & Starr

Look Closer

Daptone

05/12/15

Pokey LaFarge

Something in the Water

Rounder

05/14/15

Adrian Duffy & the Mayo Bros.

United We Fall

independent

05/14/15

JP Jones *

Anywhere I Wander

Vision Company

05/15/15

Della Mae

Della Mae

Rounder

05/19/15

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Power in the Blood

True North

05/19/15

Leonard Cohen

Can’’t Forget

Columbia

05/20/15

Jesse Cook

One World

E-One

05/20/15

Sonny Landreth

Bound by the Blues

Provogue

05/26/15

Jeff Richman

Hotwire

independent

05/28/15

Zervas and Pepper

Zervas and Pepper

independent

05/28/15

Otis Taylor

Hey Joe Opus Red Meat

independent

05/29/15

Dawes

All Your Favorite Bands

Hub

06/02/15

Ryan Adams

Ten Songs from Live at Carnegie Hall

Blue Note

06/08/15

Halie Loren

Butterfly Blue

Justin Time

06/10/15

Lucid

Dirt

independent

06/11/15

Stephanie’s Id

Excavator

independent

06/15/15

Beat Funktion

Olympus

independent

06/16/15

Louie Setzer *

Jukebox Bluegrass

Patuxent

06/17/15

The Grahams

Glory Bound

independent

06/18/15

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard

Django and Jimmy

Legacy

06/19/15

Midival Punditz

Light a Candle

independent

06/19/15

Richard Thompson

Still

Fantasy

06/22/15

James Taylor

Before the World

Concord

06/23/15

Tiempo Libre

Panamericano

Universal Classics

06/23/15

Good Old War

Broken into Better Shape

Nettwerk

06/24/15

Laila Biali

House of Many Rooms

independent

06/24/15

Sonny Knight and the Lakers

Do It Live

Secret Stash

06/26/15

Hot Rize

When I’m Free

Ten in Hand

06/29/15

Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band

Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band

Yep Roc

06/29/15

Sawyer Lawson

Shine

independent

07/01/15

Van Wagner *

Ash to Ash

independent

07/02/15

Birdsong at Morning

A Slight Departure

independent

07/06/15

Steep Ravine

The Pedestrian

independent

07/08/15

Galactic

Into the Deep

Provogue

07/09/15

Amy Helm

Didn’t It Rain

E-One

07/13/15

John Ginty *

No Filter

American Showplace

07/14/15

Warren Haynes featuring Railroad Earth

Ashes and Dust

Concord

07/15/15

Dana Cooper

Building a Human Being

independent

07/15/15

Heather Kropf *

Chrysalis

Reverie

07/16/15

Cabinet *

Celebration

independent

07/16/15

The Bird and the Bee

Recreational Love

independent

07/16/15

Empire in Decline *

The Rhythm of Regret

independent

07/17/15

The Waifs

Beautiful You

Compass

07/21/15

Albert Cummings

Someone Like You

Blind Pig

07/22/15

Ben Sidran

Blue Camus

independent

07/28/15

Nation Beat

Carnival Caravan

independent

07/29/15

Tim May & Steve Smith

Tim May & Steve Smith

independent

08/03/15

Miracles of Modern Science

Moon Dreams

independent

08/05/15

Solitaire Miles

Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas

Seraphic

08/05/15

Church of Betty

Swirled World

Fang

08/13/15

Smash Palace *

Some Kind of Magic

Zip

08/13/15

TufStrings

TufStrings

independent

08/13/15

Stolen Jars

Kept

independent

08/17/15

Zac Harmon

Right Man, Right Now

Blind Pig

08/24/15

Ben Folds

So There

New West

08/25/15

Joan Shelley

Over and Even

No Quarter

08/27/15

Shemekia Copeland

Outskirts of Love

Alligator

08/28/15

Lizz Wright

Freedom & Surrender

Concord

08/31/15

Gospel Machine

Your Holy Ghost

independent

09/01/15

Austin Plaine

Austin Plaine

Washington Square

09/02/15

Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio

Still She Will Try

independent

09/03/15

John Mayall

Find a Way to Care

Forty Below

09/08/15

The Mae Trio

Housewarming

independent

09/09/15

Jewel

Picking Up the Pieces

Sugar Hill

09/09/15

Los Lobos

Gates of Gold

429 Records

09/10/15

Gabe Dixon

Turns to Gold

independent

09/10/15

Tarmac Adam

In Place

independent

09/14/15

Sam Pacetti

Origins

independent

09/14/15

Daby Toure

Amonafi

Cumbancha

09/15/15

The Souljazz Orchestra

Resistance

Strut

09/15/15

Shawn Colvin

Uncovered

Fantasy

09/16/15

ALO

Tangle of Time

Brushfire

09/17/15

Darlingside

Birds Song

Thirty Tigers

09/18/15

Joe Jackson

Fast Forward

independent

09/18/15

Judy Collins

Strangers Again

Wildflower

09/21/15

Avery Hill

Dreams & Ghosts: A Family Album

independent

09/22/15

Georgia Sound

Love Can Change

independent

09/23/15

Girls in Trouble

Open the Ground

independent

09/23/15

Phyllis Chapell

Naked World

independent

09/23/15

Lee Ritenour

A Twist of Rit

Concord

09/24/15

Pete Kennedy

Heart of Gotham

independent

09/25/15

Kristen Toedtman

Limbo - Baltimore, Los Angeles

independent

09/28/15

Boxcar Lilies

Knockout Rose

independent

10/07/15

Lines West

Two of a Perfect Pair

independent

10/07/15

Happy Traum

Just for the Love It

independent

10/09/15

The String Cheese Incident

Live in Las Vegas

SCI Fidelity

10/13/15

Shawn Mullins

My Stupid Heart

Sugar Hill

10/14/15

St. Germain

St. Germain

Nonesuch

10/19/15

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell

So Familiar

Rounder

10/22/15

Ben Caplan

Birds with Broken Wings

independent

10/23/15

The Zombies

Still Got That Hunger

The End

10/23/15

Joss Jaffe

Dub Mantra Sangha

independent

10/26/15

Steve Forbert

Compromised

independent

10/27/15

Lettuce

Crush

independent

10/29/15

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Paper Mache Dream Balloon

ATO

10/29/15

Maia Sharp

The Dash Between the Dates

E-One

11/04/15

Andrea Superstein

What Goes On

Cellar Live

11/10/15

Tim O’Brien

Pompadour

Howdy Skies

11/11/15

Black Masala

I Love You Madly

independent

11/13/15

Little May

For Company

Capitol

11/16/15

Leslie West

Soundcheck

Provogue

11/17/15

Melissa Ferrick

Melissa Ferrick

independent

11/18/15

Kishi Bashi

String Quartet Live

Joyful Noice

11/23/15

Joshua Hyslop

In Deepest Blue

Nettwerk

11/26/15

Scott Krokoff *

Realizations & Declarations Vol. 2

independent

11/26/15

Fat Freddie’s Drop

Bays

independent

11/27/15

Jono McCleery

Pagodes

If Music

12/01/15

Bob Lanza Blues Band

From Hero to Zero

independent

12/02/15

Eliza Rickman

Footnotes for the Spring

independent

12/07/15

James Houlahan

Multitudes

independent

12/08/15

A Yawn Worth Yelling

Play Pretend

ind. EP

12/10/15

Dotan

7 Layers

Republic

12/15/15



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