Top 12 Albums of 2014: Nikki Lane — All Or Nothin’

Perhaps the only brand-new 2014 discovery on the list, this album drifted onto my radar thanks to year-end publicity. Possibly NPR’s preamble “best of” discussion, when the hosts played brief song samples.

I was initially drawn in by the sweet pedal steel and organ (aka my musical catnip), but soon was captivated by the unclassifiable mix of genres. It’s country music that rolls through the decades, picking up classic sounds and elements of other styles along the way.

Maintaining cohesiveness without giving the impression that every song sounds the same is always a delicate balance. This album successfully mixes things up: “I Don’t Care” and “Seein’ Double” incorporate a slight surf-rock feel and 1960s girl-group choruses. “You Can’t Talk to Me Like That” wouldn’t feel too out of place in the poodle skirt world of the Grease soundtrack. “Love’s On Fire,” a fiddle-filled duet with Dan Auerbach, is folk festival singalong-ready. You want some merry almost Christmas-y chimes? You got it, on “Good Man.”

Yet this is a uniform package: Every track is wrapped up in more-or-less jaunty rhythms and delivered with strong, clear vocals with a light-heartedly flippant edge. For a breakup album (per “official” editorial descriptions) with a bluesy influence, this sure is fun. Toe-tapping is not optional.

Note 1: This Top 12 list is not ranked. It’s generally a good idea to have 2014 coverage be published in 2014. Before Christmas, even. If I had to rank these, we wouldn’t be done until next August.

Note 2: More on the “Put Your Money Where Your Typing Is” selection methodology here. Short version: These are the 12 albums I bought on CD/vinyl/both this year.