Named for a longstanding music festival in her home state of North Carolina, H.C. McEntire’s second album, Eno Axis, is a gentle, smooth collection of original Americana and folk songs. Lyrically and musically hypnotic, the album climbs to the top of a crowded genre, sticking head and shoulders above the rest. Come for songs like Final Bow, which features a slow-burning guitar solo and a masterful rhythmic through-line, and “True Meridian,” my personal favorite. Stay for the Led Zeppelin cover that arrives at the end.
FFO: Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile.
Runner up:
Disappearing Girl by Juliet McConkey is a strong record that lives comfortably in the space where Folk and Country merge. Highly recommended.
