Emotionalism by Avett Brothers

Emotionalism, the Avett Brothers' 2007 album on Ramseur Records, is the one that pushed the Concord, North Carolina band into the national spotlight. Bill Reynolds and Danny Kadar produced it, and brothers Scott and Seth Avett, trading lead vocals over banjo, guitar and piano, sound like a string band raised on punk: bluegrass and country bones, ragtime bounce, honky-tonk ache and pop hooks sharp enough to cut yourself on. It was also the first Avett record with cellist Joe Kwon, who went on to join the band for good.

"Paranoia In B-Flat Major" is the one the countdowns grabbed, and "Will You Return?" later became the theme song for the TV show A Chef's Life. The album's success caught the attention of Rick Rubin, who went on to produce their next record, I and Love and You.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.