Lists can be a great way to discover things you haven't heard of if they are contemporary and slightly obscure. As a subscriber to Acoustic Guitar, looking through the list this year there were some great albums I didn't know existed. So heres what Acoustic Guitar had to say about 2010:

(Disclaimer; these are Editors picks. Repeats may happen. On the positive side, you get more perspective for a given album)

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Genuine Negro Jig
Banjos, fiddles, resonator guitars, jugs, and bones whip up a joyful frenzy that hints at this old-time trio’s thrilling live performances. Authentic takes on fiddle tunes and traditional songs dominate, though Rhiannon Giddens’s version of the modern-day tale of revenge “Hit ’Em Up Style” is a highlight. (Nonesuch)


John Mellencamp, No Better Than This
Recorded in mono around a single mic, Mellencamp’s 21st album captures both the vibe of the historic locations in which it was created (a stop on the Underground Railroad, Sun Studios in Memphis, and the Texas hotel where Robert Johnson first recorded) and present-day struggles of working Americans. (Rounder)


Heidi Talbot, The Last Star
The third solo outing for the former lead singer in the Irish group Cherish the Ladies includes her takes on traditional songs both heartbreaking (“Bantry Girls”) and uplifting (“Sally Brown,” “The Shepherd Lad”), with guitar work by Ian Carr and Boo Hewerdine. (Compass)


Darrell Scott, A Crooked Road
One of the best writers in Nashville proves there’s still much to say about relationships and love with this inspired double album of original songs, on which he plays all the instruments—guitar, banjo, mandolin, drums, and piano. (Full Light)


The John Hartford Stringband, Memories of John
Guitarist Chris Sharp assembled the John Hartford Stringband for this heartfelt tribute in memory of their bandleader. Guests include Tim O’Brien, Béla Fleck, Alison Brown, and Hartford himself via unfinished demo recordings. (Compass)


Joy Kills Sorrow, Darkness Sure Becomes This City
Anchored by 2006 Winfield flatpicking champion Matthew Arcara and Jacob Jolliff, the first recipient of a full-ride mandolin scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, this set showcases string-band instrumental chops on original songs delivered in Emma Beaton’s ethereal voice. (Signature Sounds)


Mark Erelli and Jeffrey Foucault, Seven Curses
Two talented songwriters’ spare interpretations of contemporary murder ballads perfectly captures the ache of Woody Guthrie’s “Philadelphia Lawyer,” Neil Young’s “Powderfinger,” Norman Blake’s “Billy Gray,” and others. (Indie Europe/Zoom)


Karan Casey and John Doyle, Exiles Return
On this set with his former Solas bandmate, John Doyle is at his subtle best, serving the Irish, Scottish, and English songs with tasteful guitar and bouzouki, and sharing his warm singing voice. (Compass)


Ray LaMontagne, God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise
This past fall’s tour with Levon Helm seemed fitting for LaMontagne, who has created an intimate album of his cinematic songs, with soulful vocals and acoustic guitar front and center, and a feeling reminiscent of the Band’s early days. (RCA)


Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Legacy
In the words of track five, “So good, so good, so good.” Peter Rowan’s mentor Bill Monroe looms large throughout this collection of traditional and original bluegrass, with special guests Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Tim O’Brien, and Del McCoury. (Compass)

Justin Townes Earle, Harlem River Blues
Being named after Townes Van Zandt and having Steve Earle as your father sets up some pretty big expectations, but Justin Townes Earle has developed his own style, one that comes to full realization on the stellar Harlem River Blues. The follow-up to Midnight at the Movies features Earle’s guitar front and center, from his palm-muted fingerpicking on “One More Night in Brooklyn” to the rockabilly strumming on the racy “Move Over Mama.” (Bloodshot)


Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Hawk
The third collaboration between Campbell (formerly of Belle and Sebastian) and Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age) mines familiar territory for the unlikely duo—melancholy, spare acoustic duets that pair Lanegan’s gravelly baritone with Campbell’s delicate, breathy vocals. This is the sound of smoky, lovesick evenings and regret-filled Sunday mornings. (Vanguard)


Elvis Costello, National Ransom
Costello teams up once again with producer T Bone Burnett and a crack team of roots musicians for the follow-up to Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane. Feisty, deeply reverential, and rollicking, National Ransom finds Costello tackling American music with a mischievous glint in his eye. (Hear Music)


Jakob Dylan, Women and Country
Opening with the lilting country shuffle of “Nothing but the Whole Wide World to Gain,” Women and Country finds Dylan returning to the quiet, moody acoustic sound of his previous effort, Seeing Things. Once again Dylan’s sturdy songwriting is given the space to shine, with nuanced touches of pedal steel, banjo, fiddle, and restrained drums perfectly complementing the dusty imagery of the songs. (Columbia)


Junip, Fields
Swedish-Argentine guitarist José González fronts this trio, which features his subdued yet insistent nylon-string guitar lines, atmospheric keyboard fills from Tobias Winterkorn, and minimalist drumming by Elias Araya. Mesmerizing from the start, Fields reveals more upon repeated listening. (Mute)


Johnny Cash, American VI: Ain’t No Grave
His voice ravaged by illness and grief, the late country legend sings of death, faith, and loss against starkly minimalist arrangements—and to chilling effect. This final installment of the Rick Rubin–produced sessions is marked by beautifully restrained guitar work from the likes of Mike Campbell, Smokey Hormel, and Matt Sweeney. (Lost Highway)


Avett Brothers, Live, Vol. 3
Part of the Avett Brothers’ charm is the band’s ragged take on Americana, which owes as much to punk rock as it does to bluegrass. On Live, Vol. 3, the Avetts belt out fan favorites such as “The Ballad of Love and Hate” and “Paranoia in B Flat Major” before an enthusiastic audience that seems bent on singing louder than the band. (Columbia)


The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt
Hailing from Sweden, Kristian Matsson delivers his emotional songs in a peculiar, pinched voice that dips and swells, an imperfect-yet-perfect instrument for his impressionistic lyrics. His dexterous, thumb-driven fingerpicking and insistent strumming (“King of Spain”) evoke early ’60s Bob Dylan, but the comparisons stop there—Matsson has charted his own idiosyncratic and thrilling path. (Dead Oceans)


Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964
Recorded by Dylan himself for a music publisher, these demos show the transformation of a talented Woody Guthrie devotee into a powerful singer-songwriter who changed the direction of popular music. Highlights include “Masters of War,” “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” and 15 previously unreleased songs. What were you doing at the ripe old age of 24? (Sony)


Mark Olson, Many Colored Kite
Since 2007 the founder of the Jayhawks has released a pair of solo records so emotionally fragile that the listener can’t help but feel like he or she is eavesdropping on Olson’s deepest thoughts and fears. His voice is considerably weaker than when he harmonized with erstwhile bandmate Gary Louris, but his diminished vocal power serves these delicate songs of heartbreak and hope well. (Rykodisc)


Grant Gordy, Grant Gordy
The young bluegrass/jazz virtuoso’s debut is an inspired, ambitious, coherent collection of original compositions for string jazz quartet (guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass) that ranks with the best of his employer, David Grisman. (grantgordy.com)


Black Prairie, Feast of the Hunter’s Moon
Black Prairie’s unclassifiable, mostly instrumental music mines old-time, bluegrass, Gypsy, and tango, combining dobro, accordion, fiddle, acoustic bass, acoustic archtop guitar, and sultry vocals in a completely original way. (Sugar Hill)


Jenny and Johnny, I’m Having Fun Now
Johnathan Rice and Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis certainly sound like they’re having fun on this stripped-down garage-pop gem that contains their most wryly accessible, tuneful, and trenchant songwriting yet. (Warner Bros.)


Heidi Talbot, The Last Star
Irish singer Heidi Talbot has made good on the promise of her 2004 solo debut with a gorgeous, heartfelt, and inventive trad Celtic folk album that features producer/multi-instrumentalist John McCusker and guitarist Ian Carr. (Compass)


The John Hartford Stringband, Memories of John
This John Hartford tribute band’s refreshing combination of old-time tunes, bluegrass songs, and Hartford-style whimsy is best described by Hartford’s beyond-the-grave exhortation, which introduces “Madison, Tennessee”: “It’s gonna be straight-ahead, with allegiance to the music, and not tricky.” (Compass)


Laura Veirs, July Flame
On her most acoustic outing yet, Laura Veirs demonstrates why calling her a “singer-poet” says as much about her inventive lyrical imagery as her understanding of the rhythmic possibilities of simple words. (Raven Marching Band)


Various artists, Southern Filibuster: A Tribute to Tut Taylor
This tribute to Dobro player Tut Taylor is not only a showcase for the best dobro players in the country, it also features some brilliant playing from guitarists Bryan Sutton, David Grier, and Russ Barenberg. (E1)


Broken Bells, Broken Bells
A quirky, tuneful combination of hooky pop, semi-acoustic instrumentation, and accessible electronica from Shins lead singer James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, Beck). (Columbia)


Ola Belle Reed, Rising Sun Melodies
This enjoyable collection of recordings by Appalachian banjo player, singer, and songwriter (“I’ve Endured,” “High on the Mountain”) Ola Belle Reed is a great reminder of what a frisky and fluid lead and rhythm guitarist her son David is. (Smithsonian Folkways)


Karan Casey and John Doyle, Exiles Return
Solas’s original singer (Karan Casey) and guitarist (John Doyle) reunite for a spare, subdued trad collection that proves how much simple beauty and power can be created by a single guitar and voice. (Compass)