At the Half: Our Favorite Albums of 2025, So Far...

Charles and David list their favorite albums at the year's midpoint

The year’s half over, so we thought we’d take a quick minute to share our favorite 2025 albums so far. We’ve each pulled out a favorite among favorites to highlight but otherwise our respective Favorites lists are alphabetical only, not ranked, followed by several more Honorable Mentions from each of us. No commentary, but if we’ve written about the album before or Turned Up any of an album’s tracks, we’ve linked to that. Charles lists his favorites first, then David. Happy Fourth of July!

Charles’ favorite album of 2025, so far:

James McMurtry – The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy (“Annie”)

Charles’ other favorites, so far:

Annahstasia – Tether (“Believer”)

Bad Bunny – Debí Traer Más Fotos (“Turista”)

Julien Baker and Torres – Send a Prayer My Way (“Sugar In The Tank”)

Bon Iver – Sable, Fable (“I’ll Be There”)

Dallas Ugly - See Me Now (“Best Behavior”)

Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson – What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow? (“Marching Jaybird”)

Sierra Hull – A Tip Toe High Wire (“Muddy Water”)

I’m With Her – Wild and Clear and Blue (“Find My Way To You”)

Valerie June – Owls, Omens, and Oracles (“I Am In Love”)

Little Simz – Lotus (“Flood”)

Crys Matthews – Reclamation (album review)

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke (“Pareidolia”)

Dee White – Heart Talkin’ (“Little Things”)

Charles’ honorable mentions:

Willow Avalon – Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell; Mackenzie Carpenter – Hey Country Queen (“Boots On”); Lucy Dacus – Forever is a Feeling (“Come Out”); Divorce – Drive to Goldenhammer (“All My Freaks”); S.G. Goodman – Planting by yhe Signs; HAIM – I quit; Lil Wayne – Tha Carter VI (“Hip-Hop”); Olivia Ellen Lloyd – Do It Myself (“You”); Lucius – Lucius; Obongjayar – Paradise Now (“Talk Olympics”); Various Artists – Sinners: Original Soundrack; Various Artists – A Tribute to The King of Zydeco; Kelsey Waldon – Every Ghost; Hailey Whitters – Corn Queen

“Does anybody know what’s goin’ on?”

—

David’s favorite album of 2025, so far:

Bonnie “Prince” Billy — The Purple Bird (“Downstream”)

David’s other favorites, so far:

Akil the MC — Dress Rehearsal (“What You Sayin’”)

Willow Avalon —Southern Bell Raisin’ Hell (“Country Never Leaves”)

Bad Bunny — Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (“Turista”)

The Delines — Mr. Luck and Ms. Doom (“JP & Me”)

The Freedom Affair — The Freedom Affair (“The Water”)

Horsegirl — Phonetics On and On (“Frontrunner”)

Amina Claudine Myers — Solace of the Mind (“African Blues”)

Lizzie No — Commie Country (“Banks of the Rio Grande”)

Sacha —Woman in the Mirror (“One Hit Wonder” and “Tomorrows Left”)

Valerie June — Owls, Omens & Oracles (“All I Really Wanna Do”)

Kelsey Waldon — Every Ghost (“Tiger Lillies”)

The War & Treaty — Plus One (“Can I Get an Amen”)

David’s honorable mentions:

Brother Ali’s Satisfied Soul (“Name of the One”); Artemis’s Arboresque (“What the World Needs Now Is Love”); Cody Sisters’ All the Quiet People (“Not My Thoughts”); Doug Collins and the Receptionists’ Lonely Memories (“Trouble at Home” and “She Loves Lyin’”); S.G. Goodman’s Planting by the Signs; Lola Kirke’s Trailblazer (“Zeppelin III”); Gary Louris’s Dark Country (“Getting Older”); Rico Nasty’s Lethal (“Crash”); Willie Nelson’s Oh What a Beautiful World (“Still Learning How to Fly”); Sir Woman’s If It Doesn’t; Will Varley’s Machines Will Never Learn to Make Mistakes Like Me (“End Times”); Sunny War’s Armageddon in a Summer Dress (“Cry Baby”); Sure Fire Soul Ensemble’s Gemini (“Los Alas”); Hailey Whitters’s Corn Queen (“Casseroles”); Adam Wright’s Nature of Necessity (“Crawlspace”)

“Pull down the fences and pull up a chair…”

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