While plenty of people were busy in 2025 obsessing over Taylor and Travis (and Ms. Swift’s latest album), or perhaps Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, K-pop and other chart-topping pop acts—or hipster favorites from the likes of Rosalia, Geese, Bon Iver or Perfume Genius—I was finding a lot to like from acts that mostly flew under the radar.
That’s not to dismiss the aforementioned acts. But if, like me, you favor power pop, rock, blues and Americana, the albums on this list should be in your wheelhouse. Here are the albums that stood as my favorites for 2025.
Claire Morales: Lost in the Desert
One of the year’s most singular albums, Lost in the Desert is brave, genre-defying, diverse and frequently surprising. The album starts out in fairly straight-forward fashion with “Road Dogs,” one of the album’s three economical and effective blues-tinged rock tracks. Elsewhere, though, Morales ventures into unexpected, more adventurous territories. “YVB” is a rich, epic rock track that shifts between atmospheric and stormy segments that create a rich, slightly spooky experience. The title song is another multi-faceted melodic track that is at turns edgy and ethereal. “Neon Labrynth” is another standout, building from an acoustic opening to a bold, rocking climax. Clearly, Lost in the Desert is quite the find.
Rodney Crowell: Airline Highway
For five decades, Crowell has been one of the finest songwriters going, crafting sharp lyrics and writing music that straddled the lines between country and rock. On Airline Highway, Crowell is in top form, rocking a bit more than on some of his albums (“Rainy Days in California,” “Heaven Can You Help” and “Some Kind of Woman” are good examples), while mixing in several sturdy ballads (“Taking Flight,” “Maybe Somewhere Down The Road” and “Sometime Thang”).
Jon Batiste: Big Money
The Grammy-winning artist himself has said the goal of Big Money was to make songs and lyrics that were deep and complex sound simple and inviting. Batiste does just that on Big Money, stripping back instrumentation, while crafting sturdy melodies and bringing a buoyant energy and thoughtful, often topical lyrics to songs that span soul, pop, R&B, reggae and gospel.
Will Hoge: Sweet Misery
The first couple of albums Hoge released in the early 2000s didn’t really catch my attention, but I’m now playing catchup on his catalog after Sweet Misery grabbed me in a big way. Working in the musical neighborhood of Tom Petty, Hoge hits the mark on brisk and catchy rockers “Another Planet” and “St. Agnes,” and the robust mid-tempo “Maryanne” and “Latin American Summer,” while the folk-kissed title track and emotionally resonant ballads like “Silver Linings” and “Postcards & Payphones” balance out the album nicely.
Buddy Guy: Ain’t Done with the Blues
At 83 years old, Guy gives a master class in blues on his latest album, rocking his way through the driving “Been There Done That,” shuffles like “It Keeps Me Young” (with a guest shot from Peter Frampton), the spry “I Got Sumpin’ for You” (which gets a little country kick) and a ballad, “Blues on Top,” that’s prototypical Chicago blues. Let’s hope this Guy never acts his age.
Paul Kelly: Seventy
The latest album from the accomplished Australian singer/songwriter is named after his age, and Kelly seems to be getting even better as he goes, as Seventy is one of the best efforts in a formidable catalog of more than 20 solo albums. Seventy offers plenty of variety, spanning ballads, rich mid-tempo songs and brisk and catchy rockers.
Sloan: Based on the Best Seller
On their 14th album, one of Canada’s very best musical exports returns in prime form. They rock out on catchy first-rate tracks like “Dream Destroyer,” “Capitol Cooler” and “No Damn Fears” and pack in just as much pop appeal into songs like “Fortune Teller” and “Open Up Your Umbrella” that dial back on the intensity.
The Mommyheads: No Quietus
This band has been ridiculously prolific over the past eight years, cranking out 11 albums in that span. No Quietus is on par with the Mommyheads’ best, an ambitious pop-rock album that boasts sharp melodies. No Quietus also has some prog rock in the winding arrangements of the songs and smart lyrics that examine death from multiple angles.
Superchunk: Songs in the Key of Yikes
Three decades into their vastly underappreciated career, Superchunk haven’t run out of meaningful things to say lyrically or their ability to come up with catchy riffs and smart guitar solos—as punk-edged rocking pop songs like “Care Less,” “Stuck in a Dream” and “Is It Making You Feel Something” prove.
Larkin Poe: Bloom
Sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell come out rocking with the song “Mockingbird” and keep the energy rolling throughout this stirring rootsy rock album. Happily, the rockers are uniformly strong, with plenty of tasty slide work from Megan Lovell accenting “Easy Love Pt. 1,” “Bluephoria” and “Nowhere Fast.”
The Grip Weeds: Soul Bender
The Grip Weeds have quietly been releasing consistently excellent albums for two decades now. Soul Bender continues the tradition, as the band delivers 12 new songs that deftly blend rock, pop and rootsy Americana. Highlights include the title song, “Flowers For Cynthia” (with a guitar solo that takes the song to another level) and the combustible “Conquer and Divide.”
Kathleen Edwards: Billionaire
A few years ago, Edwards seriously considered stepping away from her music career. We’re all the better that circumstances didn’t force that move. With Billionaire the 10 finely crafted tracks are split between melodic uptempo rockers like “Say Goodbye, Tell No One” and “Save Your Soul” and more restrained rootsy country-tinged tunes, including “Little Pink Door” and the title track.
Iain Hornal: Return to the Magic Kingdom
On this gem of an album there’s a bit of ’80s Cars-ish new wave in the synth lines that accent the crunchy “Positive People.” “Already Dead” feels a bit like a Beatles-meets-Queen song. “Little Bit More” evokes early Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Such comparisons noted, Hornal is no imitator. He has his own way of crafting melodies and deploying a bounty of pop flavors in original ways within his songs.
Labrador: My Version of Desire
Far from being a dog, this album is more like a best-in-show contender. Splitting the difference between gritty roots rock and guitar pop, Labrador rise above the pack on the rockers “A Favor to Someone,” “Every Day Is Something Different,” “Someday I’ll Pay” and “Dry Out In June” that also boast some lyrical smarts and humor.
The Minus 5: Oar On, Penelope
Scott McCaughey and his crew continue to crank out highly catchy rocking pop on this latest album. “Death The Bludgeoner” and “Words & Birds” are energetic rockers. There’s also enjoyable poppier fare with the playful “Burgundy Suit” and the piano-accented “I Don’t Want To Hate Anyone,” which bring welcome variety to this dud-free effort.
