200. SERMON ON THE ROCKS by Josh Ritter

I continue to follow Josh Ritter closely as he is one of my favorite artist discoveries of the past 10 years or so. Previously covered here, everything I said back then still holds true today. An absolute stellar singer, songwriter, performer, social activist, etc., I could listen to his music all day long.

Coming off his previous "divorce" record, he was ready to strike a more hopeful tone with this 2015 album. And with his Royal City Band in tow, he headed down to New Orleans to put his thoughts and music on tape. With a mix of fast, upbeat tracks and slower, more contemplative ones, these are a good place to start:  'Getting Ready To Get Down' (think R.E.M.'s 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' stream of consciousness), 'Homecoming,' 'Where The Night Goes' and 'The Stone.'

Postscript:  Well, we've reached somewhat of a milestone - 200 issues of Daily Records. I just wanted to take a moment to show my appreciation for you - the reader/listener. Thank you for lending me your eyes and your ears every now and then (yes, I know, Daily Records is not quite daily) and for your retweets, comments and feedback. It means a lot to be able to slowly grow my readership and, more importantly, spread my love for music to all those who will listen.

Lastly, don't forget that if you want to go directly to the tracks I recommend, you can just click on the Apple Music or Spotify links down below (if you're reading this in your email) or up top (if you're reading this on the website) to go straight to my playlists containing all the songs I mention.