Charlotte 101.3 - Greenville 97.3 - Boone 92.9 - WSIF Wilkesboro 90.9
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WNCW's Top 10 Staff Picks of 2024

Here are the Top Ten new album release picks from some of the WNCW staff.
Click here for the complete Top 100 list as voted by our listeners and programming staff.

Joe Kendrick, Program Director and weekday host:

1. Pony Bradshaw – Thus Spoke the Fool

2. Cyrena Wages – Vanity Project

3. Leslie Mendelson – After the Party

4. (tie) Cardinals At the Window

5. (tie) Caverns of Gold: A Benefit for WNC Hurricane Relief

6. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood

7. Rare Sounds – Introducing: The Rare Sounds

8. Fruition – How To Make Mistakes

9. Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms – Gold In Your Pocket

10. La Luz – News Of the Universe

Martin Anderson, Music Director & weekday host:

1. Ghost Funk Orchestra -- A Trip to the Moon

2. Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore – TexiCali

3. Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham -- Cunningham Bird

4. Billy Strings -- Highway Prayers

5. Charley Crockett -- $10 Cowboy

6. Waxahatchee -- Tigers Blood

7. Sierra Ferrell -- Trail of Flowers

8. Organ Fairchild -- Songs We Didn't Write

9. Muireann Bradley -- I Kept These Old Blues

10. Bronwyn Keith-Hynes -- I Built a World

“Tied for 11th”:

Charm City Junction -- Salt Box

Hayes & the Heathens -- Hayes & the Heathens

Hurray For the Riff Raff -- The Past is Still Alive

Jim Lauderdale -- My Favorite Place

Jontavious Willis -- West Georgia Blues

LA LOM – LA LOM

Paul Cauthen -- Black to Black

Steep Canyon Rangers -- Live at Greenfield Lake

Warren Haynes – Million Voices Whisper

Woody Platt – Far Away With You

Roland Dierauf, weekday and Jazz & Beyond host:

  1. The Rare Sounds -- Introducing: The Rare Sounds
  2. Billy Strings -- Highway Prayers
  3. LA LOM – LA LOM
  4. Cedric Burnside -- Hill Country Love
  5. Sun Atlas -- Return To The Spirit
  6. Charley Crockett – $10 Cowboy
  7. Tyler Ramsey -- New Lost Ages
  8. Sierra Green & The Giants -- Here We Are
  9. Anya Hinkle -- Oceania
  10. The Wilder Flower -- If I Wait Any More

Joe Greene, weekday and Goin’ Across the Mountain host:

1. Billy Strings – Highway Prayers

2. Dan Tyminski – Live From The Ryman

3. Randall Bramblett – Paradise Breakdown

4. Woody Platt – Far Away From You

5. Melissa Carper – Borned In Ya

6. Tony Trischka – Earl Jam

7. The Wilder Flower – If I Wait Any More

8. Lake St. Dive – Good Together

9. Mavericks – Moon & Stars

10. Andrew Bird Trio – Sunday Morning Put-On

Brad Watson, Cosmic American Music Show host:

1. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

2. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - South Of Here

3. Charley Crockett - $10 Cowboy

4. Sierra Ferrell - Trail Of Flowers

5. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

6. Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir

7. West Of Texas - Hot Motel Nights

8. Dwight Yoakam - Brighter Days

9. X - Smoke & Fiction

10. American Aquarium - The Fear Of Standing Still

Tied For 11

Pat Reedy - Make It Back Home

Kaitlin Butts - Roadrunner

Deslondes - Roll It Out

Old 97's - American Primitive

Jack White - No Name

Julian Booker, Thursday Evening and Culture Caravan host:

1. Lucy Rose - This Ain't The Way You Go Out

2. Ibibio Sound Machine - Pull The Rope

3. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light My Destroyer

4. Helado Negro - Phasor

5. Nubiyan Twist - Find Your Flame

6. Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace

7. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

8. Arooj Aftab - Night Rein

9. Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Quiet In A World Full Of Noise

10. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future

Alex Budd, ARC Overnight host:

  1. American Aquarium - The Fear of Standing Still
  2. Melissa Carper - Borned in Ya
  3. Mavericks - Moon and Stars
  4. Rare Sounds - Introducing: The Rare Sounds
  5. Hayes and the Heathens - Hayes and the Heathens
  6. Green Sky Blue Grass - The Iceland Sessions with Holly Bowling
  7. Charlie Crocket - $10 Cowboy
  8. Khruangbin - A La Sala
  9. Hermanos Gutierrez - Sonido Cosmico
  10. Caverns of Gold - Compilation Benefiting WNC Hurricane Relief

Jasmin Melton, Host for Mountain Mornings, Local Color, and various other programs

1. Pony Bradshaw - Thus Spoke The Fool

2. Mark Knopfler - One Deep River

3. Charlie Parr - Little Sun

4. Heavy Heavy - One of a Kind

5. Sierra Ferrell - Trail of Flowers

6. Caleb Klauder & Reeb Wilms - Gold in Your Pocket

7. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

8. David Rawlings and Gillian Welch - Woodland

9. Organ Fairchild- Songs We Didn't Write

10. Jody Stecher - Instant Lonesome and the Twinkle Brigade

Rachel Hilton, Eclectic Electric, Celtic Winds, and occasional weekday host:

1. Iron & Wine -- Light Verse

2. Lunasa -- Live in Kyoto

3. Altan -- Donegal

4. Avett Brothers -- Avett Brothers

5. John Doyle - Haven

6. Mavericks -- Moon & Stars

7. As For the Future -- As For the Future

8. Aerialists -- I Lost My Heart on Friday

9. Brigitte Calls Me Baby -- The Future is Our Way Out

10. Mystery Plan -- Complicated Dance Moves

Spencer Jones, Weekday host and Underwriting Representative

  1. Washed Out- Notes From A Quiet Life
  2. Moby- Always Centered at Night
  3. Willie Nelson- Long Story Short: Live At the Hollywood Bowl
  4. Sierra Green & the Giants- Here We Are
  5. Melissa Carper- Borned In Ya
  6. Dangermuffin- Dangermuffin
  7. LA LOM- Los Angeles League of Musicians
  8. Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms- Gold In Your Pocket
  9. Khruangbin- A La Sala
  10. American Aquarium- Fear of Standing Still

Scotty Robertson, Rhythm Theorem host:

The Rare Sounds - Introducing the Rare Sounds

Randall Bramblett - Paradise Breakdown

Organ Fairchild - Songs We Didn`t Write

Dangermuffin - Dangermuffin

Ghost Note - Mustard n' Onions

Khruangbin - A La Sala

The Boom Yeh - Near-Earth Objects

The Headhunters - The Stunt Man

Jay Sanders - Evanescent

Sun Atlas - Return to the Spirit

Oh So Close...

Sierra Green and the Giants - Here We Are

Thee Sinseers - Sincerely Yours

Caitlin Krisko and the Broadcast - Blueprint

Ezra Collective - Dance, No One`s Watching

Grateful Dead - Dave`s Picks vol.52, The Downs at Santa Fe, 9/11/83

Brenda Craig, Marketing Director:

1. Waxahatchee — Tigers Blood

2. The Secret Sisters — Mind, Man Medicine

3. Lizzie No -- Halfsies

4. Hayes & The Heathens -- Hayes & The Heathens

5. Sierra Ferrell — Trail of Flowers

6. Sarah Jarosz — Polaroid Lovers (We have the name wrong on our list)

7. Willi Carlisle -- Critterland

8. Fruition -- How to Make Mistakes

9. Amanda Anne Platt — The Ones That Stay

10. Amythyst Kiah — Still + Bright

Tied for 11th:

The Mavericks — Moon & Stars

Steep Canyon Rangers — Live at Greenfield Lake

AJ Lee & Blue Summit — City of Glass

Melissa Carper — Borned in Ya

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes — I Built a World

Various Artists: Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty

Wilder Flower – If I Wait Any Longer

Armando Bellmas, occasional weekday host:

1. Paul Weller - 66
2. Maggie Rogers - Don't Forget Me
3. Chuck Prophet with ¿Qiensave? - Wake the Dead
4. Aoife O'Donovan - All My Friends
5. Lizzie No - Halfsies
6. Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free
7. Kim Deal - No One Loves Your More
8. Mark Knopfler - One Deep River
9. The Coward Brothers - The Coward Brothers
10. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive

Trent Henley, Dead Air and Dubatomic Particles host.

1. "Got A Story To Tell" by Thee Sacred Souls

2. "Les Cigales" by The Offline

3. "In Green We Dream" by Parlor Greens

4. "Easy as Pie" by The Surfrajettes

5. "Indoor Safari" by Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets

6. "Mood Swings" by Marcus King

7. "Smoke and Fiction" by X

8. "100% Sahara Guitar" by Etran de L’Aïr

9. "Prayer to Dub" by Body Meπa

10. "Happiness Bastards" by The Black Crowes

Honorable mention. (2 of 'em)

......"Flight b741" by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

And

"Introducing: The Rare Sounds" by The Rare Sounds.......