45 Favorite Releases Of 2016: Part One - 21 through 45

This is in no way a Best Of List, since I was only able to listen to a fraction of the music that came out last year. The albums are shown in order of preference. I’d like to thank all the artists, press agents, and labels that sent me music to review. I sincerely apologize that due to time constraints, I wasn’t always able to respond to messages I received. I wish everyone the best of luck in their creative endeavors. Note: Some of these albums were actually released in 2015.
So, here is the second half of this year’s list. The numbers in parenthesis are the date the review was posted on Broken Hearted Toy.

21. Various - Friends And Frenemies: An Artist Compilation The first collection from the Mystery Lawn Music label featured songs by The Orange Peels and similar California acts. (12/28)

22. Jonny Weathers - Jonny Weathers And The Cosmic Stream Lots of 1970s genre-hopping fueled by consistently inventive guitar playing and evocative vocals. (1/25/17)

23. Mimi Betinis - Music Sounds The first of two 2016 albums from the Pezband founder found him exploring different types of music while keeping the emphasis on strong melodies.(8/16)

24. Javier Escovedo - Kicked Out Of Eden (1/12) Second solo effort from the leader of 1970s punk band The Zeros had loads of energy and he was backed by a first-rate band.

25. The Jangle Band - Edge Of A Dream The prolific Joe Algeri joined fellow Aussies Jeff Baker, Dave Wallace, and Mark “Sid” Eaton on a Byrds-inspired collection of power pop. (5/25)

26. Edward Rogers - Glass Marbles English/New York singer-songwriter mixed theatrical tunes delivered a voice reminiscent of David Bowie, as well as full-throttle rock songs.(5/4)

27. Tommy And The Rockets - Beer, Fun, and Rock ’n’ Roll Danish singer Thomas Stubgaard evokes an American style sock hop while emulating his heroes The Ramones. (6/21)

28. Rob Clarke And The Wooltones - Are You Wooltoned? New album gathered fun psych-rock and 1960-inspired songs from previous releases by the Liverpool-based trio. (11/30)

29. Mimi Betinis - Basement Tapes Vo. 1 The Pezband vocalist didn’t use much more than an acoustic guitar on these catchy songs, and opted for a lush arrangement on others. (9/15)

30. The Monos - Live ’78 Performance at the North East London Polytechnic club was a low-fi but worthwhile trip back to the dawn of the punk and power pop genres. (11/24)

31. Jeremy Porter And The Tucos - Above The Sweet Tea Jeremy Porter’s tales of dive bars and the bands and lonely people who frequent them were set to catchy melodies. (6/28)

32. Slow Buildings - Weapons Against Me New Jersey-based quartet continued to set darker sentiments with biting lyrics to catchy melodies. (1/25)

33. Colman Gota - Tape Vocalist-bassist from the Madrid created edgy pop tunes reminiscent of Elvis Costello and Graham Parker on his second solo effort (7/5)

34. The Unswept - Fake It England-to-Chicago transplants Charlie, Ryan, and Liz O’Brien crafted another collection of songs reminiscent of Carnaby Street circa 1965. (1/4/17)

35. Ken Sharp - New Mourning Noted rock journalist took a cosmopolitan approach to his original songs, choosing genres that included power pop, rock, soul, and even Broadway. (9/1)

36. Allyson Seconds - Little World The Sacramento-based singer took naturally to noted composer Anton Barbeau’s adventurous tales of interesting characters. (12/21)

37. Paul Carrack - Soul Shadows The voice on Squeeze’s “Tempted” and singer for Mike And The Mechanics was still at the top of his game as he explored a variety of genres. (3/2)

38. Karen Haglof Perseverance And Grace The veteran of New York’s 1990s alt rock club scene aligned clever and often biting lyrics with alluring melodies (6/16)

39. Erin Pellnat Dream In Color Brooklyn-based singer’s collaboration with composer Christopher Pellnat on this EP incorporated indie rock, torch songs and folk. (1/14/17)

40. Roxy Swain - Beneath A Full Moonlight Third album from the Chicago band showcased lead vocalist-rhythm guitarist Roxy Swain’s evocative vocals on rock, soul, and country music. (7/11)

41. The Neverly Brothers - Magical History Tour Double CD followed the format of the band’s live show, with covers of songs by rock and roll pioneers from the 1950s and ‘60s. (3/17)

42. Girls On Grass - Girls On Grass Brooklyn-based band led by singer-guitarist Barbara Endes mixed old school country and western with down-to-earth rock on its self-titled debut. (9/22)

43. Christopher David - The Houdini Tapes Mostly acoustic and low-key solo from Magatha Trysty singer-guitarist was far afield from his work with that band but still engaging. (2/10)

44. Gary Ritchie - pop-ti-mis-tic The latest CD from the former member of Loose Lips was filled with catchy 1960s style arrangements, clever wordplay, and ringing guitars (7-19)

45. Christopher David - Stereopsis Second 2016 solo effort Magatha Trysty singer-guitarist features acoustic-based arrangements and his cryptic imagery. (1/9/17)