The Mike + Ruthy Band - Bright as You Can (2015)

Married singer-songwriter duo Mike Merenda and Ruthy Ungar may have cut their teeth as two-fifths of seminal indie folk troupe The Mammals, but for the past decade or so, they've been making their way, doing their own thing. Now with most of The Mammals back together (sans Tao Radriguez-Seeger), they've redubbed themselves The Mike + Ruthy Band, and have dropped an album that has become a strong personal favorite for its synergy of old time and new folk energy and its horn section that's as capable of subtleties as it is of booming fanfare. But more than anything, Bright as You Can is just flat-out lousy with great songwriting.