AcousticMusicScene.com is pleased to publish the monthly Top Albums and Songs charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. In January 2012, Light In The Sky by the female Americana-roots trio Red Molly topped the albums chart and sported six of the top 25 songs. “Promised Land,” the title track from the new album by Gina Forsyth, a singer-songwriter, violinist and guitarist from New Orleans, was reportedly the most-played song on folk radio during the month.

The January 2012 charts are based on 14,658 airplays from 16 2different DJs. The number of spins (airplay) is shown in parentheses.

Red Molly (Photo by Annabel Braithwaite)

Top Albums of January 2012

1: “Light In The Sky,” Red Molly [redmolly.com, 10/11] (94)
“Your Long Journey”
“Come On In My Kitchen”
“Dear Someone”
“Walk Beside Me”
“By The Mark”
2: “This Land: Woody Guthrie’s America,” John McCutcheon [Appalsongs, 11/11] (66)
“I Ain’t Got No Home”
“Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done”
“Deportees”
“This Is Our Country Here”
3: “The End Of The Beginning,” John Flynn [johnflynn.net, new] (53)
“The End Of The Beginning”
“Giving Stone”
“When I Throw Stones”
“Crow”
3: “Promised Land,” Gina Forsyth [Waterbug, new] (53)
“Promised Land”
“Sweet And Sunny South”
“Sparrows”
5: “This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark,” Various Artists [Icehouse, 11/11] (50)
“Cape,” Patty Griffin
“Texas Cookin,” Gary Nicholson, Darrell Scott And Tim O’Brien
6: “The Harrow And The Harvest,” Gillian Welch [Acony, 6/11] (47)
“Way It Goes”
“Scarlet Town”
“Hard Times”
“Silver Dagger”
7: “Three,” The Refugees [Wabuho, new] (46)
“January Sky”
“Can’t Stop Now”
“Catch Me If You Can”
8: “Home By Dark,” Steve Gillette And Cindy Mangsen [Compass Rose, new] (43)
“California Zephyr”
“Holy Smoke”
“Home By Dark”
9: “Big Big Love,” Katya Chorover [katyachorover.com, 10/11] (41)
“Big Big Love”
“Satisfied Life”
“Brother Flower”
10: “Paper Airplane,” Alison Krauss And Union Station [Rounder, 4/11] (38)
“Dimming Of The Day”
“Paper Airplane”
“Dust Bowl Children”
11: “Brother Sun,” Brother Sun [World Wide, 2/11] (37)
“What Must Be Done”
“All I Want Is A Garden”
“Trouble”
11: “Little Blue Egg,” Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer [Red House, new] (37)
“Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key”
“Better Way”
“Hard Edge Of Livin”
13: “Long Ride Home,” Darrell Scott [Full Light, new] (36)
“It Must Be Sunday”
“No Use Living For Today”
“Still Got A Ways To Go”
14: “Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee,” Joe Crookston [Milagrito, 3/11] (35)
“I Sing”
“Darkling And The Bluebird Jubilee”
“Good Luck John”
14: “Friends Of Fall,” Crooked Still [Signature, 10/11] (35)
“We Can Work It Out”
“American Tune”
“It’ll End Too Soon”
14: “The Horse King,” Cosy Sheridan [Waterbug, 10/11] (35)
“Be Outside”
“Air Guitar”
“Don’t Walk Away From Love”
17: “Two Nights In Texas,” Kate Campbell [Large River, 9/11] (34)
“Crazy In Alabama”
“Cotton Field Away”
“Jesus And Tomatoes”
17: “Dark So Gold,” The Pines [Red House, new] (34)
“Cry Cry Crow”
“If By Morning”
“Rise Up And Be Lonely”
17: “Everything Is Everywhere,” Carrie Newcomer [Available Light, 11/11] (34)
“Air And Smoke”
“Everything Is Everywhere”
“I Believe”
17: “The Tiny Life,” Honor Finnegan [honorfinnegan.com, new] (34)
“Internet Junkie”
“Life Is Short”
“Wonderful World”
21: “Get Your Phil,” Disappear Fear [disappearfear.com, 7/11] (30)
“Changes”
“I Ain’t Marching Anymore”
“No More Songs”
21: “Move,” Sultans Of String [Canada, 9/11] (30)
“Heart Of Gold”
“Andalucia”
21: “Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down,” Ry Cooder [Nonesuch, 8/11] (30)
“No Banker Left Behind”
“John Lee Hooker For President”
24: “Fogarty’s Cove,” Stan Rogers [Fogarty’s Cove, 1976] (29)
“Barrett’s Privateers”
“Fogarty’s Cove”
“Giant”
24: “A Passing Glimpse,” Pharis And Jason Romero [Lula, 7/11] (29)
“Hillbilly Blues”
“Forsaken Love”
24: “Skippin’ And Flyin’,” Laurie Lewis [Spruce And Maple, 10/11] (29)
“Blue Moon Of Kentucky”
“Carter’s Blues”
27: “Bright Morning Stars,” The Wailin’ Jennys [Red House, 2/11] (28)
“Bright Morning Stars”
“Bird Song”
27: “Past Perfect,” Steve Spurgin [Blue Night, 4/11] (28)
“Collar To The Wind”
“Fire On The Kettle”
29: “The Road Is Dark,” Michael Jerome Browne [Borealis, 11/11] (27)
“Doin’ My Time”
“The Road Is Dark”
“Sing Low”
30: “Thirteen Songs You May Or May Not Have Heard Before,” Richard Shindell [richardshindell.com, new] (26)
“Beyond The Iron Gate”
“You Stay Here”
30: “Row Upon Row Of The People They Know,” The Once [Borealis, 10/11] (26)
“By The Glow Of The Kerosene Light”
“Jack The Sailor”
“Song For Memory”
32: “Mesabi,” Tom Russell [Shout Factory, 9/11] (25)
“Farewell Never Never Land”
“Goodnight Juarez”
“Land Called ”
32: “Roses At The End Of Time,” Eliza Gilkyson [Red House, 5/11] (25)
“Midnight On Raton”
“Death In Arkansas”
“Slouching Towards Bethlehem”
32: “Stem The Tide,” The Paul McKenna Band [Greentrax, 4/11] (25)
“Again For Greenland”
“John Riley”
35: “Perfect Storm,” Dan Crary And Thunderation [Blue Night, 7/11] (24)
“Deep River Blues”
“Girl From The North Country”
35: “Rare Bird Alert,” Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers [Rounder, 3/11] (24)
“Atheists Don’t Have No Songs”
“Rare Bird Alert”
37: “American Anonymous,” Joel Mabus [Fossil, 7/11] (23)
“Rising Sun Blues”
“Farmer Is The Man”
37: “Hope,” Abbie Gardner [abbiegardner.com, 4/11] (23)
“Walkin’ Cane”
“Hope”
“Liar”
37: “Old White Men,” Vance Gilbert [Disismye, 9/11] (23)
“Boy On A Train”
“Dragonfly Wings”
37: “Steamboat In A Cornfield,” Truckstop Honeymoon [truckstophoneymoon.com, new] (23)
“Your Mother Is A Sociopath”
“On The Prairie Now”
41: “Subtotal Eclipse,” Chuck Brodsky [chuckbrodsky.com, 6/11] (22)
“Out Of Time And Out Of Place”
“World As You Once Knew It”
42: “American Story,” Bearfoot [Compass, 9/11] (21)
“Come Get Your Lonesome”
“Midnight In Montana”
42: “For The Good Times,” The Little Willies [Milking Bull, new] (21)
“Fist City”
“Jolene”
42: “Mercury,” Pieta Brown [Red House, 9/11] (21)
“No Words Now”
“Glory To Glory”
42: “Small Source Of Comfort,” Bruce Cockburn [True North, 3/11] (21)
“Called Me Back”
“Comets Of Kandahar”
46: “Sleep With One Eye Open,” Chris Thile And Michael Daves [Nonesuch, 5/11] (20)
“Rain And Snow”
“20/20 Vision”
47: “Live At The Red Shack,” Eric Taylor [Blue Ruby, new] (19)
“Tractor Song”
“Mission Door”
47: “Revolutions Per Minute,” Emma’s Revolution [Moving Forward, 11/11] (19)
“Occupy The Usa”
“Better Days”
47: “Shadow And Light,” John Doyle [Compass, 9/11] (19)
“Bitter Brew”
“Bound For Botany Bay”
47: “Vintage & Unique,” John Reischman & The Jaybirds [Corvus, 6/11] (19)
“Shady Grove”
“Goin’ Across The Sea”
51: “American Folk Songbook,” Suzy Bogguss [Loyal Dutchess, 8/11] (18)
“Wildwood Flower”
“Froggy Went A-Courtin”
“Rock Island Line”
51: “Church Of The Never Wrong,” Sons Of The Never Wrong & Friends [Waterbug, new] (18)
“Standin’ On The Mountain”
51: “Follow Me Down,” Sarah Jarosz [Sugar Hill, 5/11] (18)
“Run Away”
“Ring Them Bells”
51: “Lifeboats For Atlantis,” Heather Styka [Kite Stripe, 10/11] (18)
“Contented”
“Glory Hallelu”
51: “Live at Teatro della Corte: The First 10 Years,” Beppe Gambetta [Gadfly, 11/11] (18)
“East Virginia Blues/Soldier’s Joy”
“Romance In Durango”
51: “Lost And Found,” Kate MacLeod And Kat Eggleston [Waterbug, 6/11] (18)
“My Forsaken Love”
51: “A Nod To Bob 2: An Artists’ Tribute To Bob Dylan On His 70th Birthday,” Various Artists [Red House, 5/11] (18)
“Lay Down Your Weary Tune,” Storyhill
“Just Like A Woman,” John Gorka
51: “The Touch Of Time,” Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie [Rural Rhythm, new] (18)
“Little Pink”
“My Baby Thinks He’s A Train”
59: “Land Like A Bird,” Amy Speace [Thirty Tigers, 3/11] (17)
“Manila Street”
“Galbraith Street”
59: “The Lost Notebooks Of Hank Williams,” Various Artists [Columbia, 10/11] (17)
“How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart,” Norah Jones
“Sermon On The Mount,” Merle Haggard
59: “On The Brooklyn Road,” Nell Robinson [nellrobinsonmusic.com, 6/11] (17)
“Red Clay Creek”
“Turn Your Radio On”
59: “Rose City Ramble,” Lauren Sheehan [laurensheehanmusic.com, 4/11] (17)
“Honey Baby Blues”
“Memory Of Your Smile”
63: “A Creature I Don’t Know,” Laura Marling [Ribbon, 9/11] (16)
“My Friends”
“Rest In The Bed”
63: “Appellation D’origine Controlee,” La Bottine Souriante [Borealis, 11/11] (16)
“Andre Alain En Sol Majeur”
63: “Birds Of A Feather,” Red Hen Stringband [Wepecket Island, 6/11] (16)
“Cluck Old Hen”
“Blue Yodel #3”
63: “City Of Refuge,” Abigail Washburn [Rounder, 1/11] (16)
“City Of Refuge”
63: “Footwork,” The Barefoot Movement [Lonesome, 6/11] (16)
“Southfork By Midnight”
“Whole World Round”
63: “On The Other Side Of The City,” Downtown Ramblers [downtownramblers.com, 8/11] (16)
“Singing With The Birds”
“I’ll Go”
63: “Prologue,” The Milk Carton Kids [themilkcartonkids.com, 8/11] (16)
“Undress The World”
“Milk Carton Kids”
63: “The Road Never Questions,” Brian McNeill [Mad River, 8/11] (16)
“Condolences Set”
“Ewen And The Gold”
63: “Still Beneath the Stars and Moon,” Bill And Kate Isles [billisles.com, 11/11] (16)
“Little Blue”
63: “Sunday Never Comes,” Jackstraw [jackstraw.net, new] (16)
“Come On Back To Me”
“May The Twain Ne’er Meet”

Top Songs of January 2012

1. “Promised Land” (15)
by Gina Forsyth
from “Promised Land”
2. “Heart Of Gold” (14)
by Sultans Of String
from “Move”
2. “January Sky” (14)
by The Refugees
from “Three”
2. “No Banker Left Behind” (14)
by Ry Cooder
from “Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down”
5. “Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done” (13)
by John McCutcheon
from “This Land: Woody Guthrie’s Amer”
5. “Way It Goes” (13)
by Gillian Welch
from “The Harrow And The Harvest”
7. “I Ain’t Got No Home” (12)
by John McCutcheon
from “This Land: Woody Guthrie’s”
7. “Scarlet Town” (12)
by Gillian Welch
from “The Harrow And The Harvest”
7. “We Can Work It Out” (12)
by Crooked Still
from “Friends Of Fall”
7. “Your Long Journey” (12)
by Red Molly
from “Light In The Sky”
11. “Big Big Love” (11)
by Katya Chorover
from “Big Big Love”
11. “Bright Morning Stars” (11)
by The Wailin’ Jennys
from “Bright Morning Stars”
11. “Come On In My Kitchen” (11)
by Red Molly
from “Light In The Sky”
11. “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind” (11)
by Red Molly
from “Light In The Sky”
11. “The End Of The Beginning” (11)
by John Flynn
from “The End Of The Beginning”
11. “Walk Beside Me” (11)
by Red Molly
from “Light In The Sky”
11. “What Must Be Done” (11)
by Brother Sun
from “Brother Sun”
18. “By The Glow Of The Kerosene Light” (10)
by The Once
from “Row Upon Row Of The People They Know”
18. “California Zephyr” (10)
by Steve Gillette And Cindy Mangsen
from “Home By Dark”
18. “City Of Refuge” (10)
by Abigail Washburn
from “City Of Refuge”
18. “Dear Someone” (10)
by Red Molly
from “Light In The Sky”
18. “Deportees” (10)
by John McCutcheon
from “This Land: Woody Guthrie’s America”
18. “Internet Junkie” (10)
by Honor Finnegan
from “The Tiny Life”
18. “It’s Too Late To Call It A Night” (10)
by Red Molly
from “Light In The Sky”
18. “One Good Year” (10)
by Slaid Cleaves
from “Broke Down”