2021 turned out to be a great year for #RearlRock albums. Perhaps the artists found some extra time during various lockdowns and low touring workloads, or maybe the pandemic has spurred new creativity. The end result was the strongest year of new killer rock releases we have seen in a very long time. Some new entrants in our list this year, some solo artists rising to the challenge and as always some true legends of classic rock are releasing albums as good as any in their career. The intent of this list is as always to give our readers visibility to some music they may have missed in 2021 and a strong T-Mak World endorsement to check these offerings out.
10. Mammoth WVH – Mammoth WVH
A new “band” makes an appearance on our list this year. An interesting band name but what is this WVH acronym? Well quite simply Eddie Van Halen’s son has taken it upon himself to carry on the VH name legacy. Wolfgang Van Halen is the guitarist of this album, he is also the vocalist, bassist, keyboardist and yes you guessed it the drummer. Do not expect to hear the trademark Van Halen hard rock sound here as Wolfgang clearly wanted to do his own thing and not simply ride on his dad’s legacy. This is a long album clocking in at almost 60 minutes and touches a wide variety of rock styles. Enjoy the ride!
9. Dirty Honey – Dirty Honey
This new band hails from LA (finally the Sunset strip can hopefully rock out again) and although they were formed in 2017, they released their first full album in 2021. Interestingly enough they are on tour in 2022 with Mammoth WVH (our number 10 entry in this article) and promise to bring back rocking good times to the venues they are visiting. Dirty Honey is a mix of Guns N Roses, AC/DC, The Black Crowes and Aerosmith. In other words killer rock that will knock your socks off. We are putting them on the radar as another band we are hoping can revive rock for the masses, but regardless this album should be on your playlist. Our favourite part of the album is the opening song, a wicked arena anthem California Dreamin’ and the final song Another Last Time (perhaps our single favourite song of 2021!)
8. Gary Kemp – Insolo
Here is an album which is a surprise to be found on our list. It is very arguable if it is even really “Rock” but we have enjoyed it this year and want to highlight it. Gary Kemp was the guitarist and songwriter of 80’s new romantic band Spandau Ballet. For sure not our style of music but Kemp was actually introduced to us as the guitarist and co-vocalist of Nick Mason’s early-era Pink Floyd tribute band named Saucerful of Secrets. We gave this album a listen based to that connection to Pink Floyd and one listen led to multiple listens the last few months. I suppose the best word to describe this album is mature. The haunting soundscape is interwoven with tasteful guitar riffs and upbeat piano interludes. We sure are glad we gave this album a chance and it lands solidly on our top 10 albums of 2021 chart.
7. Jerry Cantrell – Brighten
Definitely not an Alice In Chains album but certainly evident that Jerry Cantrell is part of the legendary “grunge” band. While one would expect the sludgy darkness of AIC here (and yes there are moments like that), the album has a certain positivity which the title is referring to. Even a cover of Goodbye from Elton John is on display here. On first listen you may question yourself “is this Alice In Chains or a smoother more adult like version of them?” but make no mistake this is a fantastic album born from pure rock genius.
6. Dennis DeYoung – 26 East Volume 2
Appearing on our Top 10 Album Of The Year list for the second year in a row (Vol 1 landed as our number 2 album of 2020!), the formal vocalist of Styx closes off his recording career with the second part of his swan song. ” That voice is as perfect as ever, and reminds us of the glory days of a simpler time. DeYoung successfully sets our mindset to those simpler times with a visual landscape that invites us to his beloved Chicago and his childhood home on 26 E. 101st Place. ” Those words still hold true from what we wrote last year. As he successfully delivered with his glory days in Styx, DeYoung delivers the spectrum ranging from power ballads, to hard rockers to AOR polished rock. Thank you for your storied contribution to #RealRock Mr Roboto.
5. Greta Van Fleet – The Battle at Garden’s Gate
When a band sounds so similar to the greatest band that ever was and will ever be you either love it or hate it. The raw power of Led Zeppelin lives on strongly in Greta Van Fleet and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This album shows the power of classic rock and continues to keep the heartbeat alive. This album should be played end to end in stadiums with full pyrotechnics, lasers and massive fog machines. Find some good headphones and 9 minutes in your life and trip out to The Weight of Dreams.
4. My Morning Jacket – My Morning Jacket
Our favorite band of the last 20 years keep delivering. My Morning Jacket is arguably the best band live these days and it is very hard to capture their energy on record. Their self named offering this year touches the various sounds of MMJ nicely. While their albums usually offer a variety of musical styles their lyrics are always thoughtful and incredibly intelligent. Jim James continues to have the best voice of rock this century and his socially responsible lyrics resonate strongly here. This album lands in our top 3 favorite MMJ albums ever released.
3. Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham
The best part of Fleetwood Mac continues to trailblaze via his solo career and an album that blew us away this year. The album most worthy of multiple listens on this chart is Buckingham’s self titled album. An intelligent album that can only be described as signature Lindsey Buckingham. Getting fired from the band he put on the map, suffering a heart attack and a triple bypass surgery, and going through a divorce with his wife of over 20 years should be enough emotional turmoil for more Rumour like material and emotional soaked lyrics. Instead Buckingham rolls out a positive vibe that touches more of his grow up pop sensibility than his angry 70’s history. A fantastic album that is on our turntable multiple times now and in the future.
2. Saga – Symmetry
SAGA has always been one of our favourite bands of all time and they continue to deliver the goods and leave more legacy on their storied career. The Canadian prog band knocked it out of the park in 2021 with an album of remakes of their own songs but done acoustically and re-arranged for a new perspective on songs spanning their 40 year career. This album can be enjoyed at dinner parties as much as with headphones walking through a baroque castle in the middle of Bavaria. Long time FM radio favorite Wind Him Up is redone for a new century but the highlights are some of the less popular songs such as Tired World or Always There really shine here. The most amazing part of this album is that vocalist Michael Sadler sounds arguably better now than even his vocal performance on the originals. Considering we rank his voice up there with Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury this album is definitely worth owning even if you have not visited SAGA for many years.
1. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
WOW! Maiden deliver once again an album that rank up there with their best of all time. The epic trademark sound is in full display with the last 3 songs on the album all clocking in over 10 minutes each. We love the long journey that certain songs give us and Iron Maiden continue with their unique ability to hold our attention that makes 30 minutes feel like 3 minutes. Roaring riffs, epic shrieks, thunderous drum fills and any other heavy metal buzz phrase you can think of is on full display here.
Top 10 Albums of 2021 article by Terry Makedon
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