10 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2019

JamBase finishes looking back at the year in music by looking ahead to 2019 and the 10 most anticipated albums due out next year. These albums include follow-ups from longtime favorite projects as well as a handful of brand-new collaborations. Check out the list of what to keep an eye out for in 2019 below.

The Allman Betts Band

This year saw Devon Allman, son of the late The Allman Brothers Band co-founder Gregg Allman, tour with his and special guest Duane Betts, son of fellow Allmans co-founder Dickey Betts. The joint tour featured the two sons of the legendary musicians sharing the stage, collaborating and continuing their fathers’ legacies in their own way. After a successful time on the road, in early November the duo announced the formation of The Allman Betts Band, an official new project that will release an album and embark on a world tour in 2019.

The project will focus on, “new music, songs from [Devon Allman’s and Duane Betts’] solo projects and classic Allman Brothers and Gregg Allman tunes in honor of the 50th anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band.” Another member of The Allman Brothers Band family, Berry Oakley Jr. — son of co-founding ABB bassist Berry Oakley — will serve as the new project’s bassist. The group will also be rounded out by slide guitarist Johnny Stachela and percussionists R. Scott Bryan and John Lum. The Allman Betts Band’s debut album is due out in spring of 2019 and will also feature former ABB keyboardist Chuck Leavell and Gregg Allman Band organist Peter Levin.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium

In October, The Claypool Lennon Delirium announced that it would release its sophomore album in the coming year. The project spearheaded by Primus bassist Les Claypool and bandleader Sean Lennon earned critical acclaim and popular success when their band burst onto the scene in 2016. entitled South Of Reality, The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s new album is due out on February 22 via ATO.

South Of Reality will follow-up The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s two previous works. The band released their debut album Monolith of Phobos in 2016, which was supported by an extensive inaugural 2016 Summer Tour, appearances at high-profile music festivals and a New Year’s Eve date at Oakland’s historic Fox Theater. Though the group’s members primarily focused on other projects in the following year, the band released the EP Lime And Limpid Green in 2017, which featured four covers ranging across Pink Floyd, The Who, King Crimson and Flower Travellin’ Band.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium released the South Of Reality singles, “Blood And Rockets: Movement I, Saga of Jack Parsons – Movement II, Too The Moon” and “Easily Charmed By Fools,” and will tour in support the upcoming album’s release.

Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy established itself as a force within the music world. With crossover appeal, the band’s stellar musicianship catapulted the collective of musicians onto the world stage and earned the group three Grammy Awards. Led by Michael League and boasting a rotating crew of all-star instrumentalists, the band has released 12 studio and live albums since their inception in 2003, with the last being the critically acclaimed studio LP Culcha Vulcha in 2016.

In addition to an expansive catalog, for the last two years Snarky Puppy hosted the GroundUp Music Festival, in Miami Beach. The group will return to Florida in February to host the third-annual event. The band has announced that it will premiere its 13th album during a live performance at next year’s GroundUp. The latest effort from Snarky Puppy was recorded following the band’s 2018 spring tour.

Tedeschi Trucks Band

Fans of Tedeschi Trucks Band have been eagerly awaiting the release of the group’s fourth studio effort, which will be released in early 2019. Though still untitled and with details relatively sparse, the upcoming album will follow up the band’s 2011 debut Revelator, 2013’s Made Up Mind and 2016’s Let Me Get By.

Tedeschi Trucks Band guitarist Derek Trucks confirmed that the group was planning on recording a new album back in December of 2017. In April of this year, Trucks confirmed that soulful 12-piece had been road-testing new material on the album, including “Shame,” which became a staple of their live catalog during the band’s tours this year. As he explained to News-Press in the spring:

It’s a pretty reflective record. Everybody’s had a hell of a few years since the last record (including the 2017 deaths of Allman Brothers members Greg Allman and Butch Trucks, Derek Trucks’ uncle). And so there’s a lot to write about, a lot to dig in about. I’m not exactly sure what kind of record it’s going to turn out to be yet, but it feels honest and it feels good.

Greensky Bluegrass

In a few weeks Greensky Bluegrass will release their seventh studio album, All For Money, via the group’s independent record label Big Blue Zoo Records. Following 2016’s Shouted, Written Down & Quoted, the new album due on January 18 features 12 new tunes and already generated buzz within the bluegrass world and beyond. The forthcoming release was co-produced by Dominic John Davis and Glenn Brown and recorded at Asheville, North Carolina’s Echo Mountain Recording.

The jamgrass quintet dropped three singles thus far from All For Money. At the time of the announcement in mid-November, the group released the album’s lead single and title track. At the tail end of November, they issued the anthemic “Do It Alone,” then followed it up with the release of “Like Reflections.” Greensky will support the release of All For Money with a tour dates in January and February featuring support from Circles Around the Sun, Cris Jacobs Band and Billy Strings.

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

When Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe issues a new album in February it will be the group’s first studio release in five years. Details remain sparse regarding the new album entitled Gnomes & Badgers, which follows-up KDTU’s 2014 album New Ammo. Bandleader/saxophonist Karl Denson is backed by guitarist DJ Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and slide/lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman.

Recently, the band debuted a tribute set over Halloween weekend dubbed “Game Of Stones,” which saw KDTU paying homage to The Rolling Stones — Denson also serves as the touring saxophonist for the iconic rock act — and the hit series Game Of Thrones. This tribute set marks one of many the band has pulled together over the years, including Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe’s Allman Brothers Band tribute Eat A Bunch Of Peaches and the upcoming tribute to Aretha Franklin taking place in New Orleans next May.

Galactic

Galactic made headlines in recent weeks and is currently gearing up for what appears to be a monumental 2019. In addition to the recent purchase of the iconic New Orleans music venue Tipitina’s, the band plans to release a new album in the coming year. The release will be supported by an extensive spring tour in February and March (as well as an appearance at Red Rocks in July with The Motet and Moon Hooch).

Dubbed Already Ready Already, Galactic’s 10th studio album is set for release on February 8 on the group’s own Tchoup-Zilla Records. The effort marks the funk act’s first album in more than three years and will serve as a follow-up to 2015’s Into The Deep. The band has confirmed that the album will feature a handful of special musical guests, including Princess Shaw, David Shaw, Nahko, Erica Falls and BOYFRIEND. Galactic released “Clap Your Hands” in December as the Already Ready Already lead single featuring Miss Charm Taylor.

The Motet

The Motet recently announced the upcoming release a new studio album entitled Death Or Devotion. The self-released record is due out on January 25 and follows-up 2016’s Totem. The Colorado-based funk act released “Whacha Gonna Bring” to serve as the first single off Death Or Devotion.

The album is the first to feature a revamped The Motet lineup. Vocalist and frontman Lyle Divinsky and saxophonist Drew Sayers joined the group in 2016 and trumpeter Parris Fleming replaced Gabe Mervine at the start of this year. The new record is the first opportunity for each of the three new members to be involved with the creation of a full-length The Motet album from start to finish.

The Raconteurs

Jack White is a busy man, boasting dozens of creative endeavors over the years. One fan-favorite project is his work with The Raconteurs, a band featuring White as well as Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. At the start of October, as the guitarist wrapped up his solo tour supporting his recent solo album Boarding House Reach, White announced that he would be reviving The Raconteurs and releasing the project’s third studio album next year.

The Raconteurs celebrated the 10th anniversary of the release of their sophomore album, 2008’s Consolers Of The Lonely, with a reissue this year on Third Man Records. Packaged with the reissue were the newly released tracks “Sunday Driver” and “Now That You’re Gone” that stemmed, “from recent sessions that will ultimately result in a new Raconteurs album.”

Karen O & Danger Mouse

Two major forces in music will team up to release a new album set to drop sometime in the coming year. Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O partnered with highly sought-after producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) who is a co-founder of projects like Broken Bells (who also have a highly anticipated album on the way), Gnarls Barkley and others.

As Karen O said in a statement about the surprise collaboration and forthcoming release,

After making music for the past twenty years and embarking on making this record with Danger Mouse I knew a couple things: one was that the spirit of collaboration between us was going to be a pure one and two was that the more I live the less is clear to me. When you create from a blurry place you can go places further than you’ve ever been. I think we both were excited to go far out.

Ahead of the full-length album’s release, Karen O and Danger Mouse previewed the project in mid-November with “Lux Prima,” a nine-minute, atmospheric track that captures the sound of the new collaboration.