Pop Matters has released its year-end list of the best Americana albums of 2015, and Blackbirds checks in in the top 10, at #8. From Pop Matters:

From cane fields and ocean basins to manicured lawns and hospitals, Gretchen Peters lifts the veil of tranquility, exposing the dark undercurrents of existence on Blackbirds. Peters, a 2014 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, is joined by a bevy of artists including Jimmy LaFave, Will Kimbrough, Kim Richey, Suzy Bogguss and Jason Isbell, who help to bring her short stories of plainspoken poetry to life. Be it on the title murder ballad, the suburban nightmare of “The House on Auburn Street” or the personal “Jubilee”, Peters does not shy away from the stark reality of death greeting us all.  Should it come too early or in due time, Peters endures the pain, reminding us not to forsake our own journeys.—Eric Risch

To see the entire list, visit Pop Matters.