To celebrate a great year in music, we present our annual unranked list of outstanding and essential albums in Americana for 2022. From epic double and triple-length masterworks to subdued and contemplative folk projects, we heard the variety and commitment to excellence we've come to expect from the roots music community. Picks and commentary by our music journalist Craig Havighurst.
I always feel fulfilled and very much at home when I visit western North Carolina, the place where I first spent nights in the woods, first rafted on whitewater rivers, and first heard Doc Watson. I grew up in the central Piedmont region of the state, but those Smoky Mountains always felt close by, and in the years I’ve been on the music beat, my relationship with the area in and around Asheville has only grown richer and more rewarding. One big reason is Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters.