Mandy’s 2nd Annual All Music Top Fives

Last January, in a fit of procrastination and boredom, I started a blog listing my favorite songs/musicians and such. So just for fun, I decided to revisit it this year and give you all some updated info!

Top 5 Albums I listen to over and over: 1. Marc Broussard Carencro 2. Andrew Peterson Love and Thunder 3. Nickel Creek Why Should the Fire Die? 4. Chris Thile How to Grow a Woman from the Ground 5. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals Jacksonville City Nights

Top 5 songs that always make me smile: 1.Shawn Mullins “Talking Going to Alaska Blues” from 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor 2. Randall Goodgame “The Opener” from War and Peace 3. Chris Thile “Heart in a Cage” from How to Grow a Woman from the Ground (I must admit that the reason this makes me laugh or smile is not wholesome. It’s the use of the F-bomb with mandolin music.) 4. Andrew Peterson “Nothing to Say” from Carried Along 5. “Susan Coats’ Pants” by Randall Goodgame on War and Peace Honorable mention: “Brakeman’s Blues” on Chris Thile’s How to Grow a Woman from the Ground

Top 5 sad songs I like for some reason: 1. “Dear John” by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals on Jacksonville City Nights 2. “Stay Away” by Chris Thile on How to Grow a Woman from the Ground 3. “9 Crimes” by Damien Rice from 9 (At least I think that’s what the album’s called!) 4. “A Smile that Explodes” by Joseph Arthur from Our Shadows Will Remain 5. “Hallelujah”–Jeff Buckley’s version on Grace

Top 5 songs that always convict me: 1. Andrew Peterson “Silence of God” from Love and Thunder 2. Randall Goodgame “Jerusalem” from Hymnal 3. Randall Goodgame “I Did Not Catch Her Name” from War and Peace 4. Selah “Before the Throne of God Above” 5. Andrew Peterson “More” from The Far Country

Top 5 albums I’m proud to own: 1. Andrew Peterson–all of them: Carried Along, Clear to Venus, Love and Thunder, Behold the Lamb of God,and The Far Country 2. Marc Broussard Carencro 3. Ryan Adams (Gold, Jacksonville City Nights) 4. Chris Thile: How to Grow a Woman from the Ground 5. Mat Kearney: Nothing Left to Lose

Top 5 albums I’m embarrassed to own: 1. Some Ricky Martin CD, his last all Spanish release, Vuelve. I was minoring in Spanish at the time and it helped me pass a final! 2. There’s a Michael Bolton CD. . . . 3. It’s not an album, but I have a closet admiration of John Denver. I have a few of his songs on my iPod. 4. My Point of Grace collection–embarrassed isn’t really the right word, I really think they’re good people, I just don’t really listen to them anymore, ever. 5. I went through my CDs the other day and there was something that embarrassed me, but now I can’t remember what it was!

Artists I didn’t really like at first, but then they grew on me: 1. David Mead 2. Andy Davis (I know! I thought he was depressing) 3. David Gray 4. Coldplay 5. Damien Rice

Artists I think everyone needs to check out: 1. Dave Barnes 2. Andrew Peterson 3. Randall Goodgame (one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard!) 4. Marc Broussard 5. The Gabe Dixon Band 6. Joseph Arthur 7. KT Tunstell 8. Damien Rice 9. Mindy Smith 10. Ryan Adams

Albums I’m buying next: 1. Gomez How We Operate 2. Eliot Morris What’s Mine Is Yours 3. Joshua Radin We Were Here 4. Chris Thile How to Grow a Woman from the Ground (I have it on my iPod, but I want the physical CD) and Deceiver 5. Joseph Arthur Nuclear Daydream and Our Shadows Will Remain