Top 8 Michigan albums for the 2025 holiday shopping season

Finding the right gift for the music lovers on your holiday shopping list shouldn’t create a quandary — especially if they embrace Michigan’s robust music scene.

That’s because a wide variety of artists from the Great Lakes State have released enticing albums and EPs in 2026, often in vinyl form, making ideal gifts for music devotees.

Here’s just a Top 8 list to consider, with another option that aids regional artists: Purchase a gift card as a stocking stuffer from Bandcamp.com, which allows independent artists to keep the majority of revenues from sales of their music.

1. The Accidentals and Kaboom Studio Orchestra, “Sonus Borealis: A Holiday Winter Collection”: The timing is perfect to gift someone this lush collection of holiday tunes created by Traverse City alt-folk band The Accidentals with help from Ohio’s Kaboom Studio Orchestra. The lineup includes favorites such as “All I Want for Christmas” and “Silent Night,” as well as contemporary gems, including the Fleet Foxes’ “White Winter Hymnal.”

2. Greensky Bluegrass, “XXV”: Even folks who aren’t fans of bluegrass music will appreciate the instrumental virtuosity and special guests (Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Lindsay Lou, Nathaniel Rateliffe) that Kalamazoo progressive bluegrass powerhouse unleash on this inviting recording celebrating the group’s 25^th anniversary. It feature reinterpretations of some Greensky favorites and as mandolinist Paul Hoffman puts it, it’s “so much more than bluegrass.”

3. Lord Huron, “The Cosmic Selector, Vol. 1”: The pop-tinged Americana of Lord Huron is unlike anything else in music. The Michigan-bred band now based in California is hitting on all cylinders with its latest studio album, a brilliant and lyrically clever collection filled with sci-fi references that give many songs a magically spacey nature. Standout tracks include “Watch Me Go,” “Nothing I Need” and “Who Laughs Last” (which also features spoken-word observations from actress Kristen Stewart).

4. Larry McCray, “Heartbreak City”: Saginaw/Bay City blues guitarist Larry McCray long ago ascended the ranks of Michigan blues legends, but his latest studio release also has put him into rarified company on a national scale and prompted high-profile global touring. With guests on board such as Joe Bonamassa (the album was released on Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive label), “Heartbreak City” boasts soul-drenched blues enhanced by top-shelf musicianship, making this an absolute must for blues aficionados. 

5. Bob James and Dave Koz, “Just Us”: Traverse City jazz piano great Bob James says he and acclaimed saxophonist Dave Koz became enamored of the sonic simplicity of an acoustic piano and saxophone. It eventually led to an unexpected and absolutely mesmerizing studio project, “Just Us,” which also led to a duo tour that kicked off at The Alluvion in Traverse City. From “Sommation” to “New Hope,” this 10-track collection is the perfect soundtrack to a winter’s day and has been nominated for Grammy Award. (Speaking of The Alluvion, the venue hosts the “Bob James & DiSimone Family Holiday Concert” at 7 p.m. Dec. 20.)

6. Charlie Millard Band, “Pilot Boy”: It was a long time coming, but northern Michigan keyboardist and songwriter Charlie Millard finally released a long-awaited studio album earlier this year and it doesn’t disappoint. Throughout, there are hook-filled crescendos that never sink into mainstream cliches, classical-meets-pop interludes, delightful keyboard romps and dreamily, psychedelic moments – aided by an all-star cast of Michigan musicians.

7. Myron Elkins, “Nostalgia for Sale”: West Michigan tunesmith Myron Elkins first made a splash as a teenager with his vintage country music and a voice to match. It led to a record deal and a move to Nashville, but it all fizzled out about a year later, which led this emerging Americana and heartland rock artist to independently record this album in Memphis. The result? An intoxicatingly soulful release showing off the singer’s stellar songwriting, untethered from the expectations of the Nashville machine.

8. Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton, “Live at the Legion”: Amid all the hoopla surrounding Michigan’s superstar bluegrass guitarist (who first made a splash in Traverse City) and the psychedelic lighting and sonic bombast of sold-out arena shows, there’s a musician who simply adores and champions traditional bluegrass music. Hence, “Live at the Legion,” recorded with fellow acoustic guitarist Bryan Sutton at an American Legion post in Nashville, eschews the regalia of a full-band spectacle to concentrate on the beauty of two virtuosos paying tribute to classic bluegrass music in acoustic fashion.

— Find more Michigan music news and concert listings at LocalSpins.com. Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.