As a rule, albums make my annual list not necessarily because they were the most enthusiastically praised at the time I wrote about them (if I did) but because these particular recordings stayed with me and on my personal playlist. In other words, I continued to listen to them after I was finished with them professionally. As usual, the list comprises a range of roots styles, all done in what struck me as unique and compelling voices.

An asterisk in front means I covered the discs at Rambles.NET, and you can follow the link to read the review. The absence of an asterisk and link, however, doesn't mean a review won't appear later if circumstances permit.

I can tell you that the two albums I returned to most often in 2022 were Charlie Musselwhite's exquisite personal interpretation of the downhome-blues tradition, Mississippi Son, and the stirring collection of Civil War-era hymns, spirituals and folk tunes Songs of Slavery & Emancipation. Even so, be assured that the other titles carry their own delights and comforts and are more than worth your while.

Or anyway, so my own tastes in these matters direct me to tell you.

* Cheryl Cawood, Bullet in the Cabin Wall (Bobbitt)
Eden & John's East River String Band, Goodbye Cruel World (East River)
* Corb Lund, Songs My Friends Wrote (New West)
* Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder, Get on Board (Nonesuch)
* Markey Blue Ric Latina Project, Jumpin' the Broom (Soul Sound)

Charlie Musselwhite, Mississippi Son (Alligator)
* Ian Noe, River Fools & Mountain Saints (Thirty Tigers)
* Rod Picott, Paper Hearts & Broken Arrows (Welding Rod)
* Happy Traum, There's a Bright Side Somewhere (Lark's Nest Music)
* various artists, Songs of Slavery & Emancipation (Jalopy)

various artists, Wait for Me: Songs of Love, Lust & Discontent from the 1920s & 1930s (East River)
* Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Blues from Chicago to Paris (Stony Plain)
* Wildfire, Quiet Country Town (Mountain Fever)
Jr Williams, Railroad Town (Pinecastle)

Editor's note: Jerome later reconsidered and added a dozen more albums to his list for 2022. Check out the addendum here.