As the words of a Crosby Stills, and Nash song state: “It’s Been a Long Time Comin!”

Through all of the weather delays and station closings, the official Philby 100 Best Albums of 2018 post is finally ready! This is not the latest it’s ever been posted…but it’s close.

Once again, it was an incredible year for music! I will probably always say that. At least, I hope I can.

Once again, I listened to thousands of albums-(probably the most ever!), somewhere in the vicinity of 3500 albums, and I had to trim several hundred of them to keep the list at 100! There were several weeks that I listened to at least 85 albums: That’s 12 per day!

And that’s only first listens.

I’ve probably listened to everything on my list at least ten times each!

One of these years, that figure will go down, or at the least, level off, but I keep trying to find new ways to listen to music!

I think, on an individual basis, each album has its own unique brilliance—just like every diamond does. That is also why I list some of the individual categories next to several of them, to highlight the brilliance that each one brings!

So without further delay, these are the PHILBY 100 BEST ALBUM WINNERS for 2018! Just remember that even at album 100, there are thousands of albums on the other side of that number. Each one is an artistic work of art, no matter what the genre is. The musicians were artists at the top of their game! Hope you find something you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts!

Philby 100 Best Albums for 2018

1. The Threshold and The Hearth—The Ragbirds [Album of the Year][Best World Album][Best Danceable Album] 

2. The Gap of Dreams—Altan [Best Celtic Album]

3. Are You Listening?—Billy Brandt and Sarana VerLin

[Best Americana Album] [Best Album by a Duo, Small Group, or Chorus]

[Best Album Art]

4. The Dustbowl Revival—The Dustbowl Revival [Best Funky/Swing Jazz/R&B/Vaudeville/Americana Album][Best Album by An Ensemble or Large Group][Best “I’m Not Really Sure What Category I Fit In” Album]
5. I Dug It Up—Whit Hill [Best Theme Based album] [Best Singer/songwriter Album][Best Album Cover Photo]
6. Wrong Side of Right—Tosha Owens [Best R&B Album][Best R&B Female Vocalist]
7. Crash Boom Bang!—The Bayonets [Best Rock Album]
8. Where We Are—May Erlewine [Best “Almost Missed” Album]
9. Extralife—Darlingside [Best Harmonies][Best Four Man Vocals Album][Best Album Based on a Video Game Theme]
10. Dust Bowl: American Stories—Grant Maloy Smith [Best Historic Americana Album]
11. The Good Stuff—Gregory Stovetop [Best Classic Rock Album] [Best Guitar Solos][Best Male Rock Vocals][Best Album by a Stovetop][Best Album by a Gregory]
12. Overgrowth—Strawberry Heritage [Best Mellow Album]
13. Temporary High—Nick Piunti [Best Pop/Rock Album]
14. Hey Kid!—Angela Perley and The Howlin’ Moons [Best Rock Groove Album]
15. Spinning the Earth in Reverse—The Turnback  [Best Rock/Pop album]
16. Eggtones for Fun—Seth Bernard [Best Album in a Continuing Series Over Years][Best Fun Album][Best Eggtones Album for This Year]
17. The Way Back Home—Joshua Davis [Best “Welcome Back” Album]
18. Mike Gentry—Mike Gentry [Best Solo Debut Album][Best Folk Male Vocals] 
19. Holding On: A Heal My Soul Companion—Jeff Healey [Best Archival Find]
20. River of Sand—Lynne Hanson [Best Canadian Americana Album]
21. Heavy Days—Katy Guillen and The Girls [Best Album by a Rock Trio][Best Female Rock Vocals]
22. A Different Kind of Train—Craig Moreau [Best “Real Country” Album]
23. Mother Lion—May Erlewine [Best Second Album by an Artist on This Year’s List]
24. Champion—Nora Jane Struthers and The Party Line
25. Peaks and Valleys—Chris Richards and The Subtractions
26. Blue Mesa—Luke Winslow-King
27. Love and Justice—Karen Nash [Best Female Americana Vocals]
28. Stranded—Greg Nagy [Best Blues Album]
29. Two Sides to Every Story—Allan Thomas [Best Jazz with Vocals Album]
30. Psychsploitation Today—The Prefab Messiahs [Best Garage Rock Album]
31. Nightbird—The Bankesters [Best Bluegrass Album]
32. Buddha Pesto Manifesto—Dave Caruso [Best Album Title]
33. Better a Fool Than Aloof—Elliot Schneider
34. This River—Amy Soucy
35. Pick Your Poison, Pick Your Blues—Latvian Radio
36. Bar—The Pandys [Best Punk Album…Again]
37. Carry Fire—Robert Plant
38. Didn’t It Rain—Amy Helm [Best Arrangements]
39. A World Unknown—Caleb Ford
40. Detroit 2 Nashville—The Jesse Xavier Band
41. Walk With Me—Laura Rain and The Caesars
42. Offerings—Joseph Veloz [Album With the Best Supporting Cast of Artists]
43. If We Dig Any Deeper, It Could Get Dangerous—Sarah McQuaid [Best British Folk Album]
44. Living Inside—The Dirk Kroll Band
45. Altered Sweet: The Songs of Matthew Sweet—Various Artists [Best Tribute Album]
46. American Beauty—C.J. Ramone
47. Beyond the Static—Nick Piunti
48. With a Lampshade On—The Dustbowl Revival
49. Circling the Moon: The Songs of Mike Stephens—Joe Peters, MJ Bishop, and Bobby Pennock [Best Folk Collaboration]
50. Diggin’ Down—Mick Clarke [Best British Blues Album]
51. Serve—The Rallies
52. Witchy Feelin’—Savoy Brown
53. Birds Say—Darlingside
54. Songs of Movement—Tom Curless
55. Over the Weather—Olivia Millerschin
56. Lay Around That Shack—Windborne [Best Album by a Chorus or Choir]
57. A Good American Life—Ed Dupas
58. Formaldehyde, Tobacco, and Tulips—Jason Hawk Harris
59. Housewarming—The Mae Trio
60. Storm Queen—Katherine Moller [Best Album by a Violinist or Fiddler][Best Instrumental Album]
61. Let It Shine—Adrianne Serna [Best Good Vibes Album]
62. Fair Mitten (New Songs of the Historic Great Lakes Basin)—Gifts or Creatures [Best Album Based on Michigan]
63. It’s Never Too Late—Tommy Emmanuel [Best Last Minute Addition]
64. Coral Creek—Coral Creek [Best Slide Guitar] [Best “Dang, I Don’t Miss “Little Feat” As Much After Hearing This Album” Album]
65. House Caught Fire—The Detroit Dives [Best Rock EP]
66. The Bottom Drawer Sessions, No.1—Jeremy Clyde
67. The Traveler—Rhett Miller
68. When the Bloom Falls From the Rose—Sarah Jane Scouten
69. Kozmic Maze—Jemmi Hazeman and The Honey Riders [Best Psychedelic Album]
70. Breaking and Entering—Eliza Neals
71. Ghost Light—Royal Wood
72. Volume II: Without Nothing I’m You—Black Note Graffiti
73. Territorial Chant 6—Territorial Chant [Best Progressive Album]
74. Korembi—California Guitar Trio
75. Strangers Again—Judy Collins
76. Nose Dive—Saskwatch
77. The View From Here—Tim Bennett
78. Motor City Shakedown—Trio Reenactment [Best Jazz Album]
79. Feel These Blues—Slam Allen
80. Taller Than They Appear—Taller Than They Appear
81. Shine—Bernie Marsden
82. Lost on the Road to Eternity—Magnum
83. Ten Cent Tour—The Empty Pockets
84. Heavy Dudee—Big Dudee Roo
85. The Sabres—The Sabres [Best Surf/Rock Album]  
86. For the Dirt—Nina and The Buffalo Riders
87. Bark’s Wagon Tales—Michael Snyder—Barker
88. Stepladders—Stepladders
89. Until the End of Days—Nick Urb
90. The Dreamer and Other Essays—Morgan Treni [Best String Arrangements]
91. Without You—Judy Banker
92. Meant 2 Be—Happy Curmudgeons
93. Everybody Has a Purpose—Joe Kidd and Sheila Burke
94. Beer Me—Kevin Fisher [Best Country Musical Comedy Album]
95. Both Sides of the Sky—Jimi Hendrix [Hall of Fame]
96. Here Again, and Lost—Joel Boyea
97. Every Single Part of You—David and The Disasters
98. Bitzer—Shady Groves
99. This Too Shall Pass—Abby Hoffman
100.The Grey EP—Oginalii