On Songs & Albums

The first song of Joe Henry’s album Invisible Hour — my favorite record of 2014 — is the subject of the second installment in my new series called "Listening Closer." Plus: Two new albums well worth your time and attention.

This week, I begin a new year-long adventure: "Listening Closer." I will write about one song every week, opening it up to consider what's inside, where it came from, what it might mean, and why it has caught my attention and stayed on my mind.

Albums I wanted to hear every week; albums I would be happy to own in a variety of formats; albums I would like to put in the trunk of my car so that I can give them away to everyone I know; albums that made a significant difference in my head and heart this year.

What album meant the most to you in 2014? Tell us about it, and you may win a copy of the excellent 2014 double album by Lucinda Williams: Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone.

It just made sense. Inviting people to share Christmas playlists, shouldn't I invite someone who spends her days welcoming newborn babies?

W. David O. Taylor and Phaedra Taylor bring us one step closer to Christmas Eve with their own Christmas playlist.

Nobody I know writes about music with more passion, personality, and insight than Andy Whitman. And here he is with a Christmas playlist.