American Songwriter Staff Picks for 2008

Here are our individual lists for Top Ten Albums of 2008. It was a terrific year for breakthrough artists like Bon Iver, MGMT, Hayes Carll as well as tested veterans like George Strait, Brian Eno and David Byrne, and Randy Newman. Trimming down this year’s releases to ten albums wasn’t an easy task for each of us.

Here are our individual lists for Top Ten Albums of 2008. It was a terrific year for breakthrough artists like Bon Iver, MGMT, Hayes Carll as well as tested veterans like George Strait, Bryan Eno and David Byrne, and Randy Newman. Trimming down this year’s releases to ten albums wasn’t an easy task for each of us. We hope you enjoy checking out these lists as much as we’ve enjoyed putting the magazine together for you this year. Happy Holidays!

We’ll post the American Songwriter Top 25 Albums of the Year this week!

Matthew W. Shearon, Editor

1. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
2. Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy
3. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
4. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
5. Silver Jews, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
6. Destroyer, Trouble in Dreams
7. The Dodos, Visiter
8. Department of Eagles, In Ear Park
9. Hayes Carll, Trouble in Mind
10. Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song

Douglas Waterman, Editor-at-Large

1. Barton Carroll, The Lost One
2. Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song
3. Amos Lee, Last Days at the Lodge
4. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
5. Hayes Carll, Trouble in Mind
6. Ron Sexsmith, Exit Strategy of the Soul
7. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
8. George Strait, Troubadour
9. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cardinology
10. Kenny Chesney, Lucky Old Sun

Rachel Briggs, Art Director

1. Damien Jurado, Caught in the Trees
2. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
3. Shearwater, Rook
4. Sun Kil Moon, April
5. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Lie Down in the Light
7. Dr. Dog, Fate
6. Mount Eerie, Dawn
8. Lambchop, Oh (Ohio)
10. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours
10. Black Mountain, In The Future

Robert Clement, VP Business Development/Publisher

1. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
2. Coldplay, Viva la Vida
3. Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind
4. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
5. The SteelDrivers, The SteelDrivers
6. Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life
7. Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song
8. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
9. Duffy, Rockferry
10. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular

Kayla Van Zyl, Operations Director

1. M83, Saturdays = Youth
2. Sigur Ros, Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
3. Little Joy, Little Joy
4. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
5. The Walkmen, You & Me
6. She & Him, Volume One
7. Spiritualized, Songs in A & E
8. Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun
9. Katy Perry, One of the Boys
10. Taylor Swift, Fearless

Davis Inman, Online/Interactive Advertising

1. The SteelDrivers, The SteelDrivers
2. Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life
3. Sigur Ros, Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
4. Waylon Jennings, Waylon Forever
5. Jonny Fritz, I’m Not Ready To Be A Daddy
6. Little Joy, Little Joy
7. Beck, Modern Guilt
8. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Lie Down in the Light
9. Delta Spirit, Ode to Sunshine
10. Coldplay, Viva La Vida

Paul Zollo, Senior Editor

1. Randy Newman, Harps & Angels
2. Inara George & Van Dyke Parks, An Invitation
3. Walter Becker, Circus Money
4. Piper-Grey, Apples
5. Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
6. Golden Smog, Stay Golden, Smog
7. Tony Joe White, Deep Cuts
8. Sonny Landreth, From The Reach
9. Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun
10. David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

Evan Schlansky, Contributing Editor

1. Miley Cyrus, Breakout
2. Wynton Marsalis, He and She
3. Clay Aiken, On My Way Here
4. Dem Franchize Boys, Our World, Our Way
5. Sixpence None the Richer, The Dawn of Grace
6. Boz Scaggs, Speak Low
7. Cyndi Lauper, Bring Ya To The Brink
8. Tom Jones, 24 Hours
9. Barenaked Ladies, Snacktime
10. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges

Holly Gleason, Contributing Editor

1. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah: Part 1
2. Lee Ann Womack, Call Me Crazy
3. Kings of Leon, Only By the Night
4. Mudcrutch, Mudcrutch
5. The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely
6. Rodney Crowell, Sex & Gasoline
7. AC/DC, Black Ice
8. Allison Moorer, Songbird
9. Randy Hauser, Everything Goes
10. Michael Stanley, Just Another Night

Howell O’ Rear, Legal Counsel

1. Kings of Leon, Only By the Night
2. Dr. Dog, Fate
3. Sun Kil Moon, April
4. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
5. Ryan Adams, Cardinology
6. Jessica Lea Mayfield, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt
7. Kelleigh Bannen, Radio Skies
8. Silas Bankhead, Cougar
9. Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers
10. Brett Dennen, Hope for the Hopeless