Musician, Artist, and Music Discoveries of 2016

If I was asked what music from 2016 caught my attention the most, there would be but one answer - High Valley. The sibling duo is originally from Canada and they easily topped my most played playlist. Their songs have meaning and their sound is full of actual instruments. Their newly released album Dear Life sounds amazing and has the current chart climbing single "Make You Mine" on its' track list. They are not the only wonderful awesomeness to come out of 2016 though. Read on to hear about all the other wonderful musicians, artists, and music that caught my ear through out 2016 including the stunning collaboration Forever Country. 

~ Top 5 Noteworthy Bands ~

1. Michael Ray's Band:  

• Lucas Chamberlain – Guitarist
• Jonathon Sepulveda – Bassist
• Kurt Ozan – Utility Player
• Andrew Beselica - Drummer 

2. Granger Smith's Band:

• Jonathon Wisinksi – Bassist
• Dusty Saxton – Drums
• Todd Howard – Electric Guitar & Banjo
• John Marlin - Electric Guitar

3. Brantley Gilbert's Band:

• BJ Golden – Utility Player
• Jess Franklin – Guitar & Keys
• Noah Henson – Guitar
• Stephen Lewis - Bassist & Bass Cello
• Ben Simms  - Drums

4. Canaan Smith's Band:

• Luke Berridge – Bass
• Tucker Wilson – Drums
• Kenny Fuller – Guitar
• Stephen Whitfield - Guitar

5. Eric Paslay's Band:

• Tyler Tomlinson – Guitar
• Chris Roach – Bass
• Marcus Hill – Drums
• Luke Moller - Utility Player

.~Top 5 Noteworthy Musicians ~

1. Blaze - Guitar
2. Clark James - Drums
3. Lindsay Ell - Guitar
4. Dave Gayland - Fiddle
5. Seth Costner - Keys\Banjo

Lindsay Ell

~ Top 10 Must Listen To Artists ~

1. Seth Costner
2. Cole Taylor
3. David Fanning
4. Ryan Kinder
5. Jesse Joice
6. Tara Thompson
7. Runaway June
8. Travis Denning
9. Drake White
10. Timmy Brown

~ Top 10 Noteworthy Albums/Eps ~

1. Dear Life by High Valley
2. Remington by Granger Smith
3. Pawn Shop by Brothers Osbourne
4. You Should Be Here by Cole Swindell
5. Fired Up by Randy Houser
6. Timeless by The Swon Brothers
7. Spark by Drake White
8. Vinyl by William Michael Morgan
9. Southern Boy by Jordan Rager
10. Big Day in a Small Town by Brandy Clark

~ Top 10 Noteworthy Singles ~

1. "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw
2. "Alien" by Cassadee Pope
3. "You Should Be Here" by Cole Swindell
4. "Cold Beer "by Cole Taylor
5. "Road Less Traveled" by Lauren Aliana
6. "Hometown Girl" by Josh Turner
7. "My Church" by Maren Morris
8. "Lil Bit" by Timmy Brown
9. "Different for Girls" by Dierks Bentley
10. "Angels in this Town" by Eric Paslay