Caterwauler's favorite albums of 2008

This year I break with a tradition that has always perplexed and frustrated listeners. For the past 24 years, I've started the year with a list of thirteen of my favorite folk, roots, americana albums of the previous year. Initially it was the Fringe Folk Top 13, and then the Caterwaul Top 13.

Trouble was, I never actually had only 13 albums on the list. Inevitably, the list of actual albums would run to more than 20, a problem I solved with double and triple ties.

This year, I'm announcing the list of my favorite albums of the year the day before I feature them on the air on my Wednesday morning show (Caterwaul, WWUH-FM, 91.3, wwuh.org, 6-9 a.m. Eastern US Standard Time)

This year there are 31 albums on the list, and I do have a favorite, which you'll have to scroll to the bottom of this post to find.

But here they are, in a year when single song sales have far outdistanced traditional album sales, Caterwauler's favorite albums of 2008 with some video accompaniment.

Randy Newman - Harps and Angels (Nonesuch)


Various - Awake My Soul/Help Me To Sing (Awake)


American Music Club - Golden Age (Merge)


Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher (Nettwerk)


Neil Halstead - Oh Mighty Engine (Brushfire)


Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind (Lost Highway)


Chuck Brodsky - Two Sets (Waterbug)



Mark Erelli - Delivered (Signature Sounds)


Sacred Shakers – Sacred Shakers (Signature Sounds)


Primate Fiasco - Geek Dreams (Primate Fiasco)


Caroline Herring – Lantana (Signature Sounds)


Delta Spirit – Ode to Sunshine (Rounder)


Drive By Truckers - Darker Than Creation's Dark (New West)


Winterpills - Central Chambers (Signature Sounds)


Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (SubPop)


Vetiver - Thing of the Past (SubPop)


Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)


Various (Art Rosenbaum) - Art of Field Recording (Dust to Digital)


Todd Snider – Peace Queer (Aimless)


Rodney Crowell – Sex and Gasoline (Yep Roc)


Charley Haden – Rambling Boy (Decca)


Carrie Rodriguez – She Ain’t Me (Back Porch)


Charlie Louvin – Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs (Tompkins Square)



Brett Dennen – Hope for the Hopeless (Dualtone)



Billy Bragg – Mr. Love and Justice (Yep Roc)



Avett Brothers - Second Gleam (Ramseur)



Cedric Watson - Cedric Watson (Valcour)





Loudon Wainwright III – Recovery (Yep Roc)



Elvis Costello and the Imposters - Momofuku (Lost Highway)