5 Albums That Won’t Let Me Go This Summer

Many years ago, while George Harrison was experiencing a resurgence surrounding the release of his album Cloud Nine, a reporter asked him if he listened to any new music. His response? “The new Bob Dylan album.” Beyond being classic George, he made a point that I can totally relate to. You hit a point where most of the new music just doesn’t stack up to the old. I don’t think it’s just a musician thing. I think all music lovers experience this in one way or another. You have songs that have been the soundtrack of your life for decades, then you have this new artist that sounds pleasant enough but just sounds like an OK knockoff of something you like far better. 

Don’t get me wrong. I listen to a lot of new music with my kids. I really enjoy Noah Kahan and Billie Eilish and Lizzy McAlpine. As a Christian musician, I love what new artists like Josiah Queen and Caleb & John are doing. 

But when I am on a road trip or plane ride and have the ability to listen to anything, I always go back to the tried and true. So when making this list of records that have formed the soundtrack of the summer for 2026, there are zero surprises. Well, there are actually a couple of surprises, but there is nothing new. Or if it’s new (sort of), it’s by an artist I’ve been listening to for decades. 

George Harrison was on to something. 

Here are 5 records I’ve been listening to a lot lately: 

David Gray, White Ladder: I started listening to this a couple of weeks ago while riding on a train in Paris. This record, with its acoustic driven tracks accompanied by quirky lo fi drum machines, still sounds like the future, even though it’s been out since the last millennium. It’s also the perfect train headphone music.

Tom Petty, Wildflowers and All the Rest: I’ve been getting back into songwriting mode lately, and there’s nothing quite like hearing stripped down demo versions of some of your favorite songs by one of your favorite artists. Sometimes great songs become almost untouchable. You know them so well you don’t even really hear them anymore. Every instrument, every note, takes on an air of importance. Demos are a great way to knock those songs back down to earth and hear the spark of the greatness they would later become. 

Van Morrison , Moondance: Full disclosure: this was an algorithm recommendation. As a general rule, I HATE algorithms. They reduce the nuances of music styles and genres into a cartoon version of themselves. They leave zero room for surprises or quirky discoveries. That being said, right after listening to Tom Petty, my algorithm fed me Moondance by Van Morrison. I’ve always liked the idea of Van Morrison, but never really found the right entry point. This album hit me in the right way at the right time. I love the songs, and I love the production. Acoustic driven songs with a full band. This will probably go into the Mark Lee canon. 

June Tabor, Airs and Graces: If the last entry comes with an asterisk for algorithm interference, this one gets a double asterisk for AI. Looking for an artist I should listen to but haven’t, I turned to ChatGPT. I was given a list of Christian and folk artists. Some were obvious. Some, like June Tabor, I had never heard of. Really haunting melodies. Great rainy day staring out the window kind of music. 

Wilco, Cousin: The above George Harrison quote also applies to bands. Wilco is one of my 2 or 3 favorite bands, but I don’t regularly listen to much past their 2007 masterpiece Sky Blue Sky. I recently saw Wilco in concert, and one of the standout songs of the night was “Evicted” from their 2023 album Cousin. So I’ve been listening to that album a lot for the last few days. Is it as good as their late ’90’s/early ’00’s output? I don’t know – let me live with it for 20 years LOL