Folk Alley | Listener Poll - Favorite Music of 2011

Listener Poll - Favorite Music of 2011

Top Listener Picks of 2011

The results are in! 2011 was another amazingly rich year in the folk and roots music world, with some of the best new music released in any genre.

For over three weeks, we asked Folk Alley listeners to vote for up to 10 of their favorite 2011 releases that we featured last year.

Below are the top 20 results of our Folk Alley Top CDs of 2011 Listener Poll!

These CDs along Folk Alley host and staff favorites are featured in our Best of 2011 side stream.

Click here to listen!

Click here to see Folk Alley host and staff picks for 2011.

	Artist	Name	Label
1	Gillian Welch	The Harrow & The Harvest	Acony
2	Alison Krauss & Union Station	Paper Airplane	Rounder
3	The Wailin' Jennys	Bright Morning Stars	Red Horse
4	Sarah Jarosz	Follow Me Down	Sugar Hill
5	Lucinda Williams	Blessed	Lost Highway
6	Civil Wars	Barton Hollow	Sensibility
7	Crooked Still	Friends of Fall	Signature Sounds
8	Emmylou Harris	Hard Bargin	Nonesuch
9	Abigail Washburn	City of Refuge	Foreign Children Records
10	The Decemberists	The King Is Dead	Capitol
11	Eliza Gilkyson	Roses At The End Of Time	Red House
12	Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers	Rare Bird Alert	Rounder
13	Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii	Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii	Nonesuch
14	David Wax Museum	Everything Is Saved	self
15	Steve Earle	I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive	New West Records
16	David Bromberg	Use Me	Appleseed Recordings
17	Paul Simon	So Beautiful or So What	Hear Music
18	Ollabelle	Neon Blue Bird	Thirty Tigers
19	Chris Thile & Michael Daves	Sleep with One Eye Open	Nonesuch
20	Ryan Adams	Ashes & Fire	Capitol

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I have to say I am very surprised that Matraca Berg's new CD The Dreaming Fields did not get a mention????? Whilst I have several of the CD mentioned and they are all good....The Dreaming Fields surpasses most.

Posted by Bob Crain on February 11, 2012

Resolution by Dougie MacLean, really good album. Also Anna Elias and the Forlorn Hope, The Valleys in the Flatlands (import from UK): Amazing and very cool album! Not so much a vote as a recommendation to check her and Karine Polwart (This Earthly Spell) out.

Posted by Bob Lindeman on December 31, 2011

So very happy to see Black Lillies and Ollabelle CDs on the list. They are sublime!!!

Posted by Marilyn Rabens on December 31, 2011

Would have picked Stray Birds if they were on the list.

Posted by John Foster on December 30, 2011

A top release omitted from this list is Florida's Grant Peeples. His 2011 release is called "Okra and Eccliastes", recorded with Gurf Morlix. Grant's 3rd album exhibits strong songwriting skills and a delivery that demands that you pay attention.

Posted by Ken Connors - Progressive Roots - Jax, FL on December 21, 2011

What about Laura Marling? A Creature I Don't Know

Posted by Crystal on December 21, 2011

Do my eyes deceive me?!?!? Only ONE vote for Tom Russel's amazing Mesabi? And only 2 for The Civil Wars?!?!? C'mon people!!! Buy some Q-Tips and clean out your ears, then give those two another listen!!!!

Posted by joe mock on December 21, 2011

I would definitely add "Goat Rodeo Sessions" to my list.

Posted by Sloan Hamilton on December 20, 2011

How about Red Molly "Light in the Sky"

Posted by Richard White on December 20, 2011

A few more not on the list above: Bobby Long - A Winter Tale Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

Posted by Tanya on December 19, 2011

For me the great surprise in 2011 was definitly Sarah Jaroz! Saw her live at Toender-Folkfestival / Denmark. Thank you Sarah, an amazing evening! But my everlasting love will be The Wailin' Jennys!!!

Posted by Peter M. on December 18, 2011

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion - Bright Examples Folk Uke - Reincarnation

Posted by Don B on December 18, 2011

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion - Bright Examples Folk Uke - Reincarnation

Posted by Don B on December 18, 2011

missing from your list of options: Becca Stevens Band, Weightless Greg Brown, Freak Flag Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile; The Goat Rodeo Sessions

Posted by Joe Cleveland on December 17, 2011

How about 'That Old Familiar' from David Thom? http://thedtb.com/str/product_info.php?products_id=31

Posted by David Thom on December 16, 2011

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