Folk music has taken different forms at different times over the years. Initially, it was defined as music that talked about a person’s national or cultural identity and was played using traditional instruments.

However, the folk music genre is constantly changing. This is dictated by changes in society and the adoption of modern musical instruments. 

In this article, we are going to talk about some of the best folk music albums you can listen to today. 

They include;

Neutral Milk Hotel: In The Aeroplane Over the Sea

In The Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel is made up of songs blending psychedelic folk and indie rock. It is one of the most popular folk music albums, especially at the venues dedicated to folk music in the United States of America.

This album features unusual musical instruments such as digital horns, singing saws, and uilleann pipes and slowly developed a devoted and quiet following.

Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited

Highway 61 Revisited is Bob Dylan’s sixth album, which debuted in early 1965. This was the first album where Bob Dylan used rock artists as part of his band.

You can find some of the best classics such as Ballad of a Thin Man and Like a Rolling Stone in this album. The album is known for spending about forty-seven weeks on the Billboard 200.

Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde

After the Highway 61 Revisited album, Bob Dylan released the Blonde on Blonde album in 1966. It was the last album in the rock trilogy after Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing It All Back Home.

The Blonde on Blonde album obtained double-platinum status and peaked at position nine on the Billboard 200. 

Sufjan Stevens: Illinois

This is a concept album composed in 2005 by Sufjan Stevens. It tells stories of events, places, and people that relate to the American state of Illinois. 

He explores different corners of the State such as Chicago, often referring to it as the center of gravity for America’s Midwest. 

Nick Drake: Pink Moon

During the entire lifetime of Nick Drake, Pink Moon is the only album that he released in northern America. The artists passed on in 1976, two years after releasing the album. The lyrics in most of the songs are based on his struggle with depression.

Nick Drake is among the brilliant musicians who have battled mental illnesses. Even though the album was not doing well in the first few years after it was released, it was later listed in 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone and All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Colin Larkin.

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin is an English band that specialized in rock music. Even though they had been singing for a couple of years, they became popular in 1969 with their first album. 

The Led Zeppelin album was initially not popular to a point where the band had to intervene and claim that their songs talked about the same things as the Jeff Beck Group’s songs. 

Charles Latham: Little Me Time

Charles Latham went back to North Carolina after living in different cities across the UK and the US. He felt the need for the change to start working on his fourth album, the Little Me Time.

Even though he had previously recorded all other albums from his home studio, this one was not. According to reviews, Charles Latham’s Little Me Time is a mix of folk-fused and alt-country melodies.

Love: Forever Changes

Love’s Forever Changes was released in 1967. This was the last album the rock group ever released before its bitter breakup. 

According to experts like Colin Larkin, Robert Christgau, and Rolling Stone, the album was a good example of psychedelia. In 2011, it got a spot in the National Recording Registry, making it one of the best folk albums of all time.

Sufjan Stevens: Carrie and Lowell

One of the best folk artists of the modern era, Sufjan Stevens released the Carrie and Lowell album in 2015. This was the artist’s seventh album and the second one on this list. It shows how talented Sufjan Stevens is.

The album was released through NPR, which stated that it focuses more on the dark, sad, and ambivalent corners of a person’s life. 

Neil Young: After the Gold Rush

Neil Young, Nash, Stills, and Crossby released an album called Deja Vu that was a massive hit. After the success of that album, they each went ahead to release solo albums. Neil Young named his album After the Gold Rush.

This album featured some of the best folk music singles such as When You Dance I Can Really Love and Only Love Can Break Your Heart. In 2014, the album was listed in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Joni Mitchell: Blue

Blue by Joni Mitchell has often received accolades and is regarded as among the best folk music albums of all time. It is well known for its exploration of the complexities that are brought by relationships such as obsession and insecurity.

The album was released at a time when Mitchell was involved in relationship struggles with Graham Nash and was moving on to start another one with James Taylor. She confesses her relationship struggles in this album.

Neil Young: Harvest

Harvest had often been regarded as the best album released by Neil Young. It debuted in 1972 and features several guest performers. Some of them include James Taylor, Nash, Stills, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The album made the most sales in 1972, with one of its singles, the Heart of Gold, hitting position one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other notable folk music albums to listen to include Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home, Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes, Paul Simon’s Graceland, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Elliot Smith’s Either/Or. 

These are the folk music albums to listen to if you value quality and good music.