After reviewing my 2013 Albums of the Year list, I noticed I forgot to mention my three honorable mentions.  While Dylan’s Another Self Portrait was a revelation,  these three albums also received heavy rotation.

Honorable Mentions:

I picked up the Sarah Jarosz’s Build Me Up From Bones and the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Made Up Mind in Blowing Rock, NC on a family tailgating trip to see the Appalachian State Mountaineers.  Both records are exquisite.  This is Jarosz’s third album and she continues to refine her bluegrass femme fatale sound.  I’ve been a fan since her first record release and the wisdom and heartache in her voice resonates throughout her work.  While only 22, Jarosz presence is as timeless as the bluegrass tradition itself.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Made Up Mind record is also stellar. I saw Derek Trucks when he was thirteen at a local spot in Greensboro, NC.  To this day his solo guitar performance of “America the Beautiful” is the best rendition I have ever heard. Derek has now transformed his solo project into a family band that feature his fiery soul singing wife, Susan Tedeschi, on lead vocals.  The record will blow you away. It is by far one of the bluesiest, grooviest, earth quaking recordings to break through this year.

Last but not least is the 20th Anniversary release of Nirvana’s In Utero.  The super deluxe edition comes with 3 CDs and 1 DVD, a remastered version of the album plus 31 bonus tracks, 17 live tracks from their Live and Loud performance at Pier 48 in Seattle (12/13/93) and 11 bonus videos.  The packaging does not disappoint either.  This is all window dressing, however, for one of the greatest albums ever recorded.  Putting it back in the rotation taps you into the loud purity that made Nirvana the tour de force of 90s rock.

Best Lines: Formulate Infinity’s 2013 Albums of the Year (Complete List/ Original Post)