Here they are, the 40 albums that I personally felt were the most important, fascinating and listenable in 2017. It was a near impossible process to collate them on a spreadsheet and make decisions and adjustments as to the creative worth of one over another. I’d highly recommend all the albums on this list and on any given day I’d present them in a different order based on my mood, location and the time of day.

Aldous Harding’s album felt like an important one. It was certainly polarising given her eccentric performance style, but the music rises above that debate. She’s managed to expertly combine new and old worlds, blend poetry with compelling music and present the theatrical and personally intimate all in the same package. Elsewhere you’ll find established Americana artists mixing with debutantes, Australian and NZ songwriters matching it with international musicians and the extremes of gritty alt-country with pastoral, delicate acoustic playing.

Hopefully you’ll discover a few albums you haven’t yet heard and which may also become favourites that you’ll return to time and again.

1. Aldous Harding – Party – REVIEW

2. Jep And Dep – They’ve Been Called – REVIEW

3. Hurray For The Riff Riff – The Navigator

4. Suicide Swans – Augusta

5. David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanack

6. Daniel Romano – Modern Pressure – REVIEW

7. Ryan Adams – Prisoner – REVIEW

8. Traveller – Western Movies

9. Texas Gentlemen – TX Jelly

10. Marty Stuart – Way Out West – REVIEW

11. Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Barefoot In The Head – REVIEW

12. Jake Xerxes Fussell – What In The Natural World

13. Iron And Wine – Beast Epic – REVIEW

14. Margo Price – All American Made

15. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound – REVIEW

16. Laura Marling – Semper Femina

17. Neil Young + Promise Of The Real – The Visitor

18. Fallon Cush – Morning

19. Valerie June – The Order Of Time

20. Deer Tick – Deer Tick Vol.1 / Vol. 2

21. The Singing Skies – Head In The Trees, Heart On The Ground – REVIEW

22. Justin Townes Earle – Kids In The Street – REVIEW

23. Colter Wall – Colter Wall

24. Lo Carmen – Lovers Dreamers Fighters

25. Gretta Ziller – Queen of Boomtown

26. Nadia Reid – Preservation

27. Bonnie Prince Billy – Best Troubadour – REVIEW

28. Old 97’s – Graveyard Whistling – REVIEW

29. Joan Shelley – Joan Shelley

30. Pokey La Farge – Manic Revelations – REVIEW

31. Brooke Russell & The Mean Reds – The Way You Leave

32. Dan Brodie – Lost Not Found – REVIEW

33. Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker – SpiderBeetleBee

34. Lilly Hiatt – Trinity Lane

35. John Moreland – Big Bad Luv – REVIEW

36. Chris Shiflett – West Coast Town – REVIEW

37. Dori Freeman – Letters Never Read

38. The Morrisons – The Morrisons – REVIEW

39. Ian Felice – In The Kingdom Of Dreams – REVIEW

40. Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow