Ken's Best of 2021 - #9: Melissa Carper - Daddy's Country Gold


While most artists on my top 10 of 2021 are ones we have covered previously, Melissa Carper came out of seemingly nowhere for me. Her album Daddy's Country Music sounds (and the cover kinda looks like) one of those cassettes you would have seen in truck stops and convenience stores with a "Nice Price" sticker. This album is filled with perfect classic country songs. If anything, it sounds like it could have been a legacy artist's greatest hits album since songs sound like they could be from different decades. Plus, Carper injects more than a little jazz into her classic country sound. Besides just killer classic country songs, Carper also has a little subtle sense of humor that pops up here and there. This is obvious with a song title like "Would You Like to Get Some Goats?" (although the song itself is quite heartfelt), but also pops up in "Makin' Memories" when she tries to remember someone's name. Daddy's Country Gold is the kind of album for people that complain that they just don't make music like that anymore.

Songs of note: "Makin' Memories," "I Almost Forgot About You," "Back When," and "Many Moons Ago"

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

The Freqs - "Witch"