Top 48 Music Albums of 2008
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 10/22/2025 01:15
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:47).
- Chart size: 48 albums.
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2008 – NEW WEST
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife
2. 3 Dimes Down
3. The Righteous Path
4. I’m Sorry Huston
5. Perfect Timing
6. Daddy Needs A Drink
7. Self Destructive Zones
8. Bob
9. Home Field Advantage
10. The Opening Act
11. Lisa’s Birthday
12. That Man I Shot
13. The Purgatory Line
14. The Home Front
15. Checkout Time In Vegas
16. You And Your Crystal Meth
17. Goode’s Field Road
18. A Ghost To Most
19. The Monument Valley
So, how did Drive-By Truckers survive losing their up and coming songwriting star Jason Isbell? They went back in the studio and recorded a double album, that’s how. And while this album may not have the immediacy and power of previous albums like Decoration Day, A Blessing And A Curse and The Dirty South, it does stand up very well on its own. The band returns to a more country oriented sound here, and the songs are a bit simpler, but there are plenty of gems to be found. Mike Cooley, in particular, steps up and helps fill the shoes left vacant by Isbell. He makes the most of his seven contributions to the album, and his best lines are classic: “Bob ain’t light in the loafers/He might kneel, but he never bends over” (from “Bob”), and “Skeletons ain’t got no place to stick their money/Nobody makes britches that size” (from “A Ghost To Most”). “Self Destructive Zones” and “Perfect Timing” are high quality, as is the refreshing “Lisa’s Birthday”.
Patterson Hood’s highlights include “Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife”, about musician Bryan Harvey, who was murdered with his family in a home invasion: “Daddy Needs A Drink”, and “You And Your Crystal Meth”. Bassist Shonna Tucker brings three songs herself, including the fine “The Purgatory Line”. There’s a bit of filler here (a double album was certainly an ambitious idea), but Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is a nice transitional album for the band, a return to their roots, and a glimpse of what was to come in the future. And they have stayed busy: since this album, they have released three studio efforts, three live albums, and a pair of compilations. Drive-By Truckers have always released listenable records, and this one is certainly no exception. Always consistently good…this is one of those bands that you just can’t go wrong with. Carriers of the torch for Southern rock, for damn sure. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife
2. 3 Dimes Down
3. The Righteous Path
4. I’m Sorry Huston
5. Perfect Timing
6. Daddy Needs A Drink
7. Self Destructive Zones
8. Bob
9. Home Field Advantage
10. The Opening Act
11. Lisa’s Birthday
12. That Man I Shot
13. The Purgatory Line
14. The Home Front
15. Checkout Time In Vegas
16. You And Your Crystal Meth
17. Goode’s Field Road
18. A Ghost To Most
19. The Monument Valley
So, how did Drive-By Truckers survive losing their up and coming songwriting star Jason Isbell? They went back in the studio and recorded a double album, that’s how. And while this album may not have the immediacy and power of previous albums like Decoration Day, A Blessing And A Curse and The Dirty South, it does stand up very well on its own. The band returns to a more country oriented sound here, and the songs are a bit simpler, but there are plenty of gems to be found. Mike Cooley, in particular, steps up and helps fill the shoes left vacant by Isbell. He makes the most of his seven contributions to the album, and his best lines are classic: “Bob ain’t light in the loafers/He might kneel, but he never bends over” (from “Bob”), and “Skeletons ain’t got no place to stick their money/Nobody makes britches that size” (from “A Ghost To Most”). “Self Destructive Zones” and “Perfect Timing” are high quality, as is the refreshing “Lisa’s Birthday”.
Patterson Hood’s highlights include “Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife”, about musician Bryan Harvey, who was murdered with his family in a home invasion: “Daddy Needs A Drink”, and “You And Your Crystal Meth”. Bassist Shonna Tucker brings three songs herself, including the fine “The Purgatory Line”. There’s a bit of filler here (a double album was certainly an ambitious idea), but Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is a nice transitional album for the band, a return to their roots, and a glimpse of what was to come in the future. And they have stayed busy: since this album, they have released three studio efforts, three live albums, and a pair of compilations. Drive-By Truckers have always released listenable records, and this one is certainly no exception. Always consistently good…this is one of those bands that you just can’t go wrong with. Carriers of the torch for Southern rock, for damn sure. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
8
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Produced by Rostam Batmanglij. I have to admit, it does kind of crack me up how this album is supposedly an introduction to African music...it's and even more watered down rendition than what Paul Simon (and later David Byrne) brought us years ago. But this album itself is really fantastic. A collection of great songs and very interesting playing. The first four songs are as strong an opening as you'll ever find. This is band with loads of promise, and they've lived up to it so far.
[First added to this chart: 11/02/2012]
Year of Release:
2008
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,759
Rank in 2008:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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2008-RELENTLESS
Produced By JAY JOYCE
1. In One Ear
2. James Brown
3. Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked
4. Tiny Little Robots
5. Lotus
6. Back Against The Wall
7. Drones In The Valley
8. Judas
9. Back Stabbin’ Betty
10. Soil To The Sun
11. Free Love
From the rock and roll hotbed that is Bowling Green, Kentucky, Cage The Elephant soared to stardom with their debut self titled album in 2008. Specifically, “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”, a blatant White Stripes sound alike that tore up the charts, turned the “rock is dead” press on its ear, and heralded the arrival of an exciting new band. Led by brothers Matt and Brad Shultz, Cage The Elephant was already getting a lot of attention for their wild live shows before the album came out…Matt Shultz was a wild man on stage with tendencies toward stage diving and cross dressing. “Ain’t No Rest”, despite sounding a lot like the Whites (Cage The “Elephant”?) has an energy all its own, as does the rest of the debut. And it’s not just the one song that carries this album. “Free Love”, “In One Ear”, and “Back Against The Wall” are also excellent, high energy songs that make this band and this album worth caring about.
The band has remained active since, releasing three more albums (and one on the way) and touring almost constantly. Their drummer, Jared Champion, was hospitalized in 2011 and Dave Grohl filled in for him. They’ve had varying degrees of success, and were nominated by Rolling Stone for Best New Artist of 2011, despite the fact that their first album had been out for two years and that they had just released their second. They are a band to keep an eye on for years to come, and one that carries the torch for rock and roll into the future. This makes their debut, although it’s not perfect by any means, worthwhile. Despite being quite derivative, Cage The Elephant does sound pretty great, and will be an important part of the band’s history…one I believe will go on for a lot of years. At least I hope so. [First added to this chart: 05/21/2013]
Produced By JAY JOYCE
1. In One Ear
2. James Brown
3. Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked
4. Tiny Little Robots
5. Lotus
6. Back Against The Wall
7. Drones In The Valley
8. Judas
9. Back Stabbin’ Betty
10. Soil To The Sun
11. Free Love
From the rock and roll hotbed that is Bowling Green, Kentucky, Cage The Elephant soared to stardom with their debut self titled album in 2008. Specifically, “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”, a blatant White Stripes sound alike that tore up the charts, turned the “rock is dead” press on its ear, and heralded the arrival of an exciting new band. Led by brothers Matt and Brad Shultz, Cage The Elephant was already getting a lot of attention for their wild live shows before the album came out…Matt Shultz was a wild man on stage with tendencies toward stage diving and cross dressing. “Ain’t No Rest”, despite sounding a lot like the Whites (Cage The “Elephant”?) has an energy all its own, as does the rest of the debut. And it’s not just the one song that carries this album. “Free Love”, “In One Ear”, and “Back Against The Wall” are also excellent, high energy songs that make this band and this album worth caring about.
The band has remained active since, releasing three more albums (and one on the way) and touring almost constantly. Their drummer, Jared Champion, was hospitalized in 2011 and Dave Grohl filled in for him. They’ve had varying degrees of success, and were nominated by Rolling Stone for Best New Artist of 2011, despite the fact that their first album had been out for two years and that they had just released their second. They are a band to keep an eye on for years to come, and one that carries the torch for rock and roll into the future. This makes their debut, although it’s not perfect by any means, worthwhile. Despite being quite derivative, Cage The Elephant does sound pretty great, and will be an important part of the band’s history…one I believe will go on for a lot of years. At least I hope so. [First added to this chart: 05/21/2013]
Year of Release:
2008
Appears in:
Rank Score:
746
Rank in 2008:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/13/2018]
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[First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]
Year of Release:
2008
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,187
Rank in 2008:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 05/11/2012]
Year of Release:
2008
Appears in:
Rank Score:
696
Rank in 2008:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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2008 – BELLA UNION / SUB POP
Produced By PHIL EK
1. Sun It Rises
2. White Winter Hymnal
3. Ragged Wood
4. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
5. Quiet Houses
6. He Doesn’t Know Why
7. Heard Them Stirring
8. Your Protector
9. Meadowlarks
10. Blue Ridge Mountains
11. Oliver James
Fleet Foxes plays what is called indie folk. Formed by a pair of high school kids (Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset) in the 2000’s who were influenced heavily by Bob Dylan and Neil Young, they had the excellent good fortune to have renowned produced Phil Ek as a friend of Pecknold’s family. He got them into a studio and onto the radar of Sub Pop records, and the rest is history. Their self titled debut album from 2008 didn’t exactly fly off of the shelves, but it was very highly regarded by critics and set the stage for their breakthrough album, 2011’s Helplessness Blues. The sound of this album is simple, quiet and mature, with a set of very good songs that will grow on you if you give them the chance to. Fleet Foxes made a great number of best of lists from 2008, and for good reason. This is a really exceptional debut album. It’s a beautiful, laid back disc that will keep bringing you back for more.
The beautiful sound of this album is best on display on the track “White Winter Hymnal”, which opens a cappella and quickly turns into a beautiful played track. “Your Protector” features flutes and portrays a sense of surprisingly mature longing and wistful beauty. “He Doesn’t Know Why” is a majestic and perfect song. Fleet Foxes is loaded with material like this, and although their next album is better known…this is really the one to have. This was a band and an album that I did not have huge hopes for, but they surprised me a lot. And if you like this, then you’ll definitely want Helplessness Blues as well. The band took a break after that and released a third album, Crack-Up, in 2017. Fleet Foxes is a band, and an album, and a sound, that is more than worth checking out. These guys are the real thing, and the treasures that await you on their albums are much more than numerous. [First added to this chart: 02/15/2013]
Produced By PHIL EK
1. Sun It Rises
2. White Winter Hymnal
3. Ragged Wood
4. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
5. Quiet Houses
6. He Doesn’t Know Why
7. Heard Them Stirring
8. Your Protector
9. Meadowlarks
10. Blue Ridge Mountains
11. Oliver James
Fleet Foxes plays what is called indie folk. Formed by a pair of high school kids (Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset) in the 2000’s who were influenced heavily by Bob Dylan and Neil Young, they had the excellent good fortune to have renowned produced Phil Ek as a friend of Pecknold’s family. He got them into a studio and onto the radar of Sub Pop records, and the rest is history. Their self titled debut album from 2008 didn’t exactly fly off of the shelves, but it was very highly regarded by critics and set the stage for their breakthrough album, 2011’s Helplessness Blues. The sound of this album is simple, quiet and mature, with a set of very good songs that will grow on you if you give them the chance to. Fleet Foxes made a great number of best of lists from 2008, and for good reason. This is a really exceptional debut album. It’s a beautiful, laid back disc that will keep bringing you back for more.
The beautiful sound of this album is best on display on the track “White Winter Hymnal”, which opens a cappella and quickly turns into a beautiful played track. “Your Protector” features flutes and portrays a sense of surprisingly mature longing and wistful beauty. “He Doesn’t Know Why” is a majestic and perfect song. Fleet Foxes is loaded with material like this, and although their next album is better known…this is really the one to have. This was a band and an album that I did not have huge hopes for, but they surprised me a lot. And if you like this, then you’ll definitely want Helplessness Blues as well. The band took a break after that and released a third album, Crack-Up, in 2017. Fleet Foxes is a band, and an album, and a sound, that is more than worth checking out. These guys are the real thing, and the treasures that await you on their albums are much more than numerous. [First added to this chart: 02/15/2013]
Year of Release:
2008
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,612
Rank in 2008:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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2008 – BLOODSHOT RECORDS
Produced By R.S. FIELD & STEVE POULTON
1. Hard Livin’
2. The Good Life
3. Who Am I To Say
4. Lone Pine Hill
5. South Georgia Sugar Babe
6. What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome
7. Turn Out My Lights
8. Lonesome And You
9. Ain’t Glad I’m Leaving
10. Far Away In Another Town
What do you do when you’re the son of the legendary Steve Earle, who gave you your middle name in honor of the great Townes Van Zandt? What else are you going to do except to make music? Every bit his father’s son, Justin Townes Earle does just that, and on his debut album, The Good Life, he delivers. Not completely, mind you. Not just yet. Earle was still just getting his young feet wet here, and not trying to ride the wave of his father’s success. Give the boy some credit…he’s done it his way, and in his own time. He started catching on with his audience in 2010, with his album Harlem River Blues. The Good Life is an understated, almost shy debut that exposes Earle for what he really is: he’s a folkie with an outlaw country heart. And that, my friends, is something we definitely need more of.
The centerpiece and biggest highlight of The Good Life is “Lone Pine Hill”. It’s a song about a man in Civil War times wondering what he’s fighting for, and wishing for his true love. Also of note is “Hard Livin’”, “What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome”, and “Far Away In Another Town”. This album runs unfortunately short…it barely reaches thirty minutes in length…but as a debut for an up and coming young songwriter, it still works quite well. The backing musicians are excellent, led by lap steel player Chris Scruggs, bassist Bryn Davies and Cory Younts from Old Crow Medicine Show. There’s no posturing here…just a guy and his guitar and his little band playing some of his little songs for you. It’s that intimate, and it works well that way. Earle’s career is worth following, and there’s no better place to start than here, at the beginning. [First added to this chart: 11/12/2018]
Produced By R.S. FIELD & STEVE POULTON
1. Hard Livin’
2. The Good Life
3. Who Am I To Say
4. Lone Pine Hill
5. South Georgia Sugar Babe
6. What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome
7. Turn Out My Lights
8. Lonesome And You
9. Ain’t Glad I’m Leaving
10. Far Away In Another Town
What do you do when you’re the son of the legendary Steve Earle, who gave you your middle name in honor of the great Townes Van Zandt? What else are you going to do except to make music? Every bit his father’s son, Justin Townes Earle does just that, and on his debut album, The Good Life, he delivers. Not completely, mind you. Not just yet. Earle was still just getting his young feet wet here, and not trying to ride the wave of his father’s success. Give the boy some credit…he’s done it his way, and in his own time. He started catching on with his audience in 2010, with his album Harlem River Blues. The Good Life is an understated, almost shy debut that exposes Earle for what he really is: he’s a folkie with an outlaw country heart. And that, my friends, is something we definitely need more of.
The centerpiece and biggest highlight of The Good Life is “Lone Pine Hill”. It’s a song about a man in Civil War times wondering what he’s fighting for, and wishing for his true love. Also of note is “Hard Livin’”, “What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome”, and “Far Away In Another Town”. This album runs unfortunately short…it barely reaches thirty minutes in length…but as a debut for an up and coming young songwriter, it still works quite well. The backing musicians are excellent, led by lap steel player Chris Scruggs, bassist Bryn Davies and Cory Younts from Old Crow Medicine Show. There’s no posturing here…just a guy and his guitar and his little band playing some of his little songs for you. It’s that intimate, and it works well that way. Earle’s career is worth following, and there’s no better place to start than here, at the beginning. [First added to this chart: 11/12/2018]
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[First added to this chart: 01/17/2013]
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[First added to this chart: 11/27/2014]
Total albums: 48. Page 1 of 5
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Top 48 Music Albums of 2008 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| Kaiser Chiefs | 1 | 2% | |
| Elephant Revival | 1 | 2% | |
| Portishead | 1 | 2% | |
| The Steeldrivers | 1 | 2% | |
| The Tapes (US) | 1 | 2% | |
| N*E*R*D | 1 | 2% | |
| Sébastien Tellier | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 48 Music Albums of 2008 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 11 from 27th to 16th808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 16th to 17th Break Up The Concrete by Pretenders |
| Down 1 from 17th to 18th Warpaint by The Black Crowes |
| Down 1 from 18th to 19th Live 1969 by Simon & Garfunkel |
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Other year charts by Romanelli
(from the 2000s)| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 52 Music Albums of 2009 | Romanelli | 2009 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 48 Music Albums of 2008 | Romanelli | 2008 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 67 Music Albums of 2007 | Romanelli | 2007 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 73 Music Albums of 2006 | Romanelli | 2006 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 62 Music Albums of 2005 | Romanelli | 2005 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 51 Music Albums of 2004 | Romanelli | 2004 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 53 Music Albums of 2003 | Romanelli | 2003 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 56 Music Albums of 2002 | Romanelli | 2002 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 71 Music Albums of 2001 | Romanelli | 2001 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 53 Music Albums of 2000 | Romanelli | 2000 year chart | 2025 | |
Top 48 Music Albums of 2008 ratings
87/100 (from 4 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 4 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 10/30/2022 20:50 | DJENNY | | 100/100 |
| 80/100 | 02/22/2015 11:34 | pago82 | | 78/100 |
| 80/100 | 02/28/2013 17:06 |  Triple Seis | | 79/100 |
| 100/100 | 11/03/2012 03:25 | strawberryfields | | 95/100 |
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