Several years ago, I went through an exercise on this site of ranking my one hundred favorite albums. That was truly an enjoyable endeavor, but like in all facets of life, things change. Since that time, my music collection has grown considerably, and my tastes have also changed in some ways. I’m not going to re-rank one hundred albums (at least I don’t currently plan to do so), but I thought I’d give an updated look at my favorites, in a different format. This is the first post in a series that will rank my favorite songs and albums from each year, and from selected artists.
For the first post, I will look at the year 2010, since it is the year before I started blogging about this music. My favorites from 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 can be found in the archives of this blog.
While not the strongest of years overall for me, 2010 is now dominated by an album I didn’t even own when I made my original Top 100, but has since gained a special place in my collection. But first, my list of favorite songs recorded in that year:
1. “Then I Met the Master,” Booth Brothers, Declaration (Mosie Lister)
2. “God Did It All,” Booth Brothers, Declaration (Dianne Wilkinson/Rusty Golden)
3. “It’s Almost Over,” Mark Trammell Quartet, Testimony (Ann Ballard)
4. “I Want to Know,” Mark Trammell Quartet, Testimony (Big Chief Wetherington)
5 “In Christ Alone” Medley, Booth Brothers, Declaration (Keith Getty/Stuart Townsend)
6. “I’ve Never Known a Day,” Inspirations, On the Sunrise Side (Van Mitchell)
7. “I See Grace,” Booth Brothers, Declaration (Jim Brady/Tony Wood/Barry Weeks)
8. “Ransomed and Redeemed,” Mark Trammell Quartet, Testimony (Daryl Williams)
9. “A Higher Throne,” Booth Brothers, Declaration (Keith Getty/Kristyn Getty)
10. “I of the Storm,” Old Paths, A Wonderful Life (Ken Kuykendall)
11. Calvary Medley, Mark Trammell Quartet, Testimony (Various)
12. “Saved by Grace,” Triumphant Quartet, Love Came Calling (Carroll McGruder)
13. “Test of Time,” Kingdom Heirs, 25th Anniversary (Savana Foust)
14. “There’s a Record Book,” Primitive Quartet, He Lifted Me Out (Larry Whitehead)
15. “The More I Think About Heaven,” Inspirations, On the Sunrise Side (Rich Stevens/Tami Stevens)
16. “One Drop of Blood,” Mark Trammell Quartet, Testimony (Dustin Sweatman)
17. “River of Mercy,” Inspirations, On the Sunrise Side (Beverly Sexton/Kenny Sexton)
18. “That Sounds Like Home to Me,” Gaither Vocal Band, Greatly Blessed (Aaron Wilburn/Eddie Crook)
19. “Every Need Supplied,” Barry Rowland & Deliverance, Glory Burst Through the Darkness (Joel Hemphill)
20. “Sheltered,” Breakin’ Ground, Sheltered (Jonathan Davis)
Of the 57 albums in my collection recorded in 2010, here are my top ten:
1. Declaration, Booth Brothers
2. Testimony, Mark Trammell Quartet
3. On the Sunrise Side, Inspirations
4. Love Came Calling, Triumphant Quartet
5. A Tribute to the Cathedral Quartet, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
6. Greatly Blessed, Gaither Vocal Band
7. Jubilee 2, Booth Brothers/Greater Vision/Legacy Five
8. He Lifted Me Out, Primitive Quartet
9. Something’s Happening, Hoppers
10. Glory Burst Through the Darkness, Barry Rowland & Deliverance
2 comments
Several of your favorite albums for 2010 where also on my list of favorites for that year (“Declaration”, “Love Came Calling”, “Tribute to the Cathedral Quartet” and “Greatly Blessed”). However, my favorite album and song for that year did not even make your list. “Never Walk Alone” by Brian Free and Assurance was easily my favorite album for 2010. I know you may not be a fan of BFA’s more progressive style, but I’m especially sorry you did not included the song “Never Walk Alone” in your list. It is quite possibly my favorite Brian Free feature ever (and that includes a lot of huge hits), and since it is not progressive like the rest of the album it should appeal to all Southern Gospel fans. Anyway, thanks for the post…I enjoyed comparing our lists!
Author
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Brad!
“Never Walk Alone” is my favorite from that album. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it…who knows, maybe another listen will move it up a few notches.