Touring in support of his 2019 album State I'm In, Aaron Lewis – the chart-topping outlaw-county singer/songwriter and co-founder of rock outfit Staind – headlines an acoustic February 15 concert at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, treating fans to a repertoire that inspired Saving Country Music to rave, “Aaron's voice comes with a familiarity and richness of tone that endears itself to the songs he writes.”

A musical showcase held in support of Black History Month, the latest presentation in Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Workshop and Matinée Series finds the Midwestern greats of the Peter Callaway Quartet bringing their significant talents and deep love of jazz to Davenport's Redstone Room on February 16, offering a celebration of African-American jazz composers and musicians including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Duke Ellington, and many others.

What follows is a subjective list of my 10 favorite releases of 2019, as well as some honorable mentions. My personal tastes tend toward rock and metal, and this list reflects that, with a few exceptions. There's much good music that I've either missed or haven't fully appreciated. You are probably in the same boat. So read on – and feel free to recommend anything I may have overlooked.

Rozz-Tox puts on a free show of Iowa talent on February 7 as a companion event to follow an exhibition opening that showcases new works on paper by artist Lucas Berns. Acts include Quad Cities-based projects Aqualife and Dog Hairs and Iowa City-based projects Haunter and Gabi Vanek, and the show concludes with a special set in which all four of these solo performers play together.