Earworms & Song Loops’ 100 Best Songs of 2022 — Part 4 (76-100)

Featuring such genres as: Folk, Country, Singer-Songwriter, Ambient, World

Photo by Raúl Nájera on Unsplash

Well, here we are. The last of my 100 favorite songs of 2022. I spent some extra time getting this playlist just right, so if you have a free 99 minutes, I recommend playing the playlist from start to finish.

It’s a blessing and a curse, loving music from so many different genres and cultures. I didn’t even get to a lot of the stuff I wanted to, such as progressive rock, heavy metal, electronic, experimental and hard rock. Maybe some of those will appear as earworms.

As always, I’d love to hear what you think of any of these songs. Many should be new to you, but I think there will be a few recognizable names.

Paolo Nutini — Through the Echoes

I’ve been a huge fan of Paolo Nutini ever since first hearing him back in 2006 with his These Streets album. I was drawn in by his gritty, emotionally rich vocals and the dynamics of his songwriting. His follow-up albums Sunny Side Up and especially Caustic Love, were huge steps forward. Nutini revealed his funkier, more soulful sides (sounding like a cross between Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley on the great “Let Me Down Easy”) but also would dabble in psychedelia and folk and a bit of reggae too.

His latest album, Last Night in the Bittersweet, expands his sonic palette even further, adding power-pop, new-wave and other genres to his repertoire. But he isn’t simply a retro act. The emotional power of a song like “Through the Echoes” really stopped me in my tracks.

Jeb Loy Nichols — Big Troubles Come in Through A Small Door

Jeb Loy Nichols was new to me in 2022. As The United States of the Brokenhearted is his 13th album, I have some catching up to do to acquaint myself with his vast catalogue. Nichols’ rich, lived-in gravelly voice exudes history and emotion in equal measure. The soulful arrangement of “Big Trouble Come in Through a Small Door” is sublime. The entire album is excellent, but this song really stood out for me. It feels like a modern classic.

MJ Lenderman - You Have Bought Yourself A Boat

I knew of MJ Lenderman from his other band, Wednesday (who also released an excellent covers album, Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling Them Up, in 2022), but after reading some glowing review of his Boat Songs album in April, I checked it out and it’s been on heavy rotation ever since.

The Sadies — All the Good

The Sadies are one of those bands that should have become a lot more famous. Or widely known at least. This Toronto band has been recording gorgeous country, surf, and rock songs for more than two decades. Sadly, founding member Dallas Good passed away just weeks before their latest album’s (Colder Streams) release.

Orville Peck — Hexie Mountains

Orville Peck is one of a kind. Sure, he gets the Elvis Presley vocal comparisons, but as shown in the gorgeous “Hexie Mountains,” there’s a lot more to Peck than schtick.

Shovels & Rope — The Show

One of the best shows I’ve seen in the past half dozen years was Shovels & Rope. Allmusic.com describes them like this: “South Carolina husband-and-wife duo Shovels & Rope channel country, folk, bluegrass, Americana, and blues through a nervy indie rock prism.” That about says it. Each of them plays multiple instruments and sing lead vocals, often together. They can be quiet and loud, tender and brash, often all in the same song, like in “The Show.”

Drive-By Truckers/Margo Price — Forged in Hell and Heaven

The Drive-By-Truckers regularly make these lists. So does Margo Price for that matter. Combining them together is a dream combination. Margo’s voice is more subdued here, but the song would be empty without it. She’s got a new album coming in 2023. I fully expect a song from it to make my top songs once again.

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway — Castilleja

Molly Tuttle is just 30 years old but is already considered one of the best bluegrass guitarists of all time. But more than her virtuosic instrumental abilities, she is an extraordinary songwriter and always surrounds herself with musicians (Golden Highway) who complement her perfectly. Check out this live version of “Castilleja” above, which takes the haunting 3 minute original and turns it into a 7 and a half minute instrumental masterclass.

Madison Cunningham — Anywhere

I included Madison Cunningham in my favorite songs of 2019, writing about her here on my old blog. She’s upped the ante in 2022 with “Anywhere,” a hypnotic tune in 7/8 time signature that reminds me of something that I can’t put my finger on. Rickie Lee Jones? Help a guy out.

Erin Rae — True Love’s Face

I’m saying it here: Erin Rae is gonna become a household name. Maybe she already is. I am out of the loop. But she is gonna get bigger. Like in a Sharon Van Etten sort of way. Lighten Up is her first album, and it’s about as assured a debut as there has been this year. The production on this song adds a lot of reverb to her voice, but the rest of the album lets her gorgeous voice sing, less adorned.

Laura Veirs/Kate Stables — Autumn Song

Laura Veirs is one of those singer-songwriters who I’ve followed for more than 20 years. She’s been a critic darling for most her 13 albums, but it wasn’t until her latest, Found Light, that made me finally see the light. Maybe the addition of Kate Stables to “Autumn Song” is what made this song stand out. I think it’s also the interweaving guitar lines which add a deeper, more hypnotic and emotional current.

Joan Shelley — Home

Joan Shelley has one of those clean, pure voices that suck you right in. One that makes you feel at home, cozy and curled up into her song.

Hurray For the Riff Raff — nightqueen (feat. Ocean Vuong)

Hurray For the Riff Raff is another veteran band that has consistently released emotionally and culturally rich Americana music. Led by Alynda Segarra, their latest album, Life on Earth, might be their best yet. “nightqueen,” featuring a vocal interlude by Vietnamese author Ocean Vuong, is the centerpiece of an album filled with centerpieces. Taken from an interview with Krista Tippett on her “On Being” podcast, Vuong says, “As a species, as life on Earth, we’ve been dying for millennia….But I don’t think energy dies. It just transforms.”

Weyes Blood — It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody

Natalie Laura Mering has been performing/recording as Weyes Blood for 15 years. I only learned of her on her previous album, Titanic Rising, which was one of the best albums of 2019. Now, with And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, she has upped the ante on her songwriting and vocal brilliance. I’ve been throwing the word gorgeous around like candy on these little write ups, but on “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody,” it’s more apt here than ever before.

Amanda Shires —Everything Has It’s Time

Amanda Shires holds nothing back on her fantastic album Take It Like a Man. It’s emotionally wrenching. She lays bare her feelings about what seems like a fragile marriage to Jason Isbell, and the songs arrangements match the lyrical rawness. Nothing is as lush as “Everything Has Its Time,” which could sound cheesy with the wrong artist, but instead cuts deep. It might not be literally about her marriage (or maybe it is), but the sentiment of everything having its time is one most listeners can relate to.

Fenella / Jane Weaver — Pulsion (Nurse on Train)

Now we move to the ambient section of the mix. Fenella and Jane Weaver’s, The Metallic Index has been on regular rotation for me in the wee hours. I tend to play ambient, electronic music when I’m trying to wind down or just space out and the entire album does that for me, none more than "Pulsion (Nurse on Train).” It feels like the soundtrack to the movie often playing in my head.

Tangerine Dream — Along the Canal

Tangerine Dream continuous to make transformative electronic soundscapes for going on their 7th decade. Founding member Edgar Froese died in 2015, but the songs on Raum were apparently created from Froese’s archival recordings. As a casual fan, I have to say that this sounds amazing, maintaining the rich, moody, dramatic textures of Tangerine Dream’s signature albums from the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Beneather —Dreamgaze

Beneather is British composer Lewis Young. He writes sad, ambient, dreampop soundscapes submerged under fuzzy tape loops (his Bandcamp page describes his sound as such). It’s extremely evocative and when I play his music it never fails to calm me but also makes me feel like I’m about to break down in tears. It’s a confusing yet captivating combination.

Dania — I Lied

I discovered Dania on an ambient music playlist and have found myself returning to “I Lied” over and over, entranced by Dania Shibab’s layered, looping vocal textures. Subtle shades of keyboards blend with the vocals, creating something that feels ceremonial.

Here’s more from her bio on Soundcloud:

“Born in Baghdad, raised in Tasmania, and now based in Barcelona, Dania Shihab moves between cultures and continents with an amorphous creative vision directly tied to her transient existence. As founder of experimental outpost Paralaxe Editions, Dania divides her time between Spain and the remote corners of Australia, where she works as an emergency doctor. Now, Dania presents her solo debut 'Voz,' which finds her rediscovering her voice as a primary instrument.”

Yungchen Lhamo — Awakening

I had the great pleasure of getting to meet Yungchen Lhamo back in 1999, when I worked for World Entertainment Network as a videographer. My job was to film concerts and interviews with artists from around the world. I felt like I was in the presence of a person of enormous spirit and generosity.

Lhamo’s transforming, otherworldly music has graced many a movie soundtrack and she’s recorded with artists such as Natalie Merchant, Bono, Annie Lennox and Peter Gabriel. Her latest album, Awakening, is fantastic and the perfect antidote to depression and overwhelm.

Wardruna — Solringen (First Flight of the White Raven)

The more I explore new music, the more I discover music that has been around for decades, if not for hundreds of years.

Wardruna, who I just learned of in 2022, has been exploring Nordic cultural and historical rituals and events via a variety of traditional instruments including deer-hide frame drums, flutes, kraviklyra, tagelharpe, mouth harp, goat horn, and lur. Non-traditional instruments and other sources of sound like trees, rocks, water, and torches are also used.

It’s probably not surprising that Wardruna’s music became the soundtrack to the enormously popular Vikings TV show. And that their origins are from the Norweigan black metal scene.

I am a Wardruna newbie but can see becoming obsessive about them in 2023.

Congotronics International — Resila (feat. Juana Molina)

Congotronics International is an off-shoot of the excellent Congotronics series of albums from artists of the Congo, of which Konono No. 1 was the first band to release an album in 2005. I highly recommend seeking all 5 Congotronics albums.

The International version of Congotronics is a global collaboration bringing such disparate artists as Juana Molina, Konono No. 1, Kasai Allstars and Deerhoof together. All the bands wrote original music and it’s exciting to hear, for example, Deerhoof learn African rhythms on a Kasai Allstars song, or Konono No.1 play along with Juana Molina, such as on this track, “Resila.”

There is a documentary about this collaboration, though I can only find a clip from it online. Check this awesome clip out here. If I find the full doc, I will link to it on a future post.

Vieux Farka Touré — Gabou Ni Tie

Vieux Farka Touré is finally stepping out from the shadow of his legendary musician father, Ali Farka Touré. Maybe he’d stepped out a while ago, but in 2022, he’s released two new albums. Les Racines, from which this song “Gabou Ni Tie” is from and also Ali, an album I assume is in honor of his father, played with Texan groove trio, Khruangbin. I personally prefer the more traditional Malian sounds of Les Racines, but admire Vieux branching out and expanding his sound.

Combo Chimbita — La Perla

Combo Chimbita are a Brooklyn-based Columbian band that I’ve been following since before their Ahomale debut album in 2019. I love the way they mix jazz and traditional Columbian music, giving it all a modern twist that is exciting.

The HU — Bii Biyelgee

The HU made their mark a few years ago as “The Mongolian Throat Singing Heavy Metal Band.” Their debut album The Gereg, made some waves in the metal scene, and their version of Metallica’s “Sad But True” gained them added exposure.

I like that they are branching out a bit on their latest album Rumble of Thunder, mixing other elements to their loud, driving blend of traditional Mongolian instrumentation and hard rock tunage. This song, to my ears, has what sound like Irish melodies in it. It’s super fun and I find myself swaying my head back and forth and trying to sing along, as best as I can.

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Well, that’s the last of the 100 favorite songs of 2022! I’m friggin’ exhausted! At least I won’t have to do that again for another 50 weeks…

As always, I’d love to know what you think/thought of any of these tracks, and what singer-songwriter/ambient/world music songs were your favorites in 2022?

We will return to the shorter supplemental posts to the regular Earworm essays starting next week. I hope your 2023 is starting off well and I look forward to spending time with you this year, in words, in person or some other combination.

Take care,

Steve