Best Acoustic Songs - January 2026
As I already mentioned in the Album of the Month review, January turned out to be an incredibly prolific start to the year for acoustic music. We were treated to full-length releases by The Paper Kites, Bre Kennedy, Luca Fogale, Richard Walters, Mon Rovia, and Claudia Hoyser, alongside exciting upcoming album and EP announcements from The Paper Kites, Marc Scibilia, The Franklin Electric, Garrett Kato, and Joshua Burnside.
With so much beautiful music coming out in such a short time, narrowing things down wasn’t easy, but these are the songs that stood out the most to me as the best acoustic releases of January 2026.
January - Marie Dresselhuis
Last year, James McVey opened the year with a song called January. This year, that role belongs to Marie Dresselhuis. Built around simultaneous guitar playing and live vocals, January feels intimate in the truest sense of the word, unpolished in the best possible way, as if you’re sitting in the room with her. If you get the chance, I strongly recommend watching the performance video on YouTube as well: the visual element completes the experience and reinforces the song’s quiet emotional honesty.
No One Knows My Name - Marc Scibilia
The first taste of an upcoming album Marc Scibilia began writing during a trip back to his hometown of Buffalo, NY. No One Knows My Name is a gentle tribute to people who live quiet, meaningful lives, known deeply by only a few, yet rich in purpose. With this release, Scibilia also adds another entry to his growing catalogue of fingerstyle-driven songs, sitting comfortably alongside More To This, Summer Clothes (Acoustic), and his cover of Piano Man.
I already shared a guitar tutorial for this one, which tells you everything you need to know about how much this song stuck with me.
There’s A Fire - The Franklin Electric
The second release from an upcoming EP, There’s a Fire is all about resilience and starting over, about trusting the process and listening to that inner fire that nudges us toward growth. Jon’s songwriting keeps evolving in such a natural way, and this track confirms it once again. If this EP keeps going in this direction, it’s going to be something special.
Before The Dawn - Claudia Hoyser
The title track, and closing song, of Claudia Hoyser’s latest album is also its most acoustic moment. Before the Dawn is the perfect example of what I like to call delicate country: intertwined guitars, a soft but expressive vocal performance, and an overall feeling that almost resembles a gentle caress. The instrumental section, in particular, is absolutely stunning.
Something Else - Joshua Burnside
Something Else by Joshua Burnside is a quietly devastating meditation on grief and meaning. Released as the third single from his upcoming album It’s Not Going to be Okay, the song was written in the aftermath of the death of Burnside’s closest friend and captures that disorienting moment when loss makes ordinary life feel insufficient. Through intimate memories, everyday details, and subtle references to wonder and the uncanny, Burnside expresses a longing to believe in “something else”, something beyond what’s visible, logical, or easy to accept. It’s not about answers, but about the fragile human need for meaning when certainty disappears, making it one of the most emotionally resonant acoustic releases of the month.
A Call from Somewhere Else - Drea Lake
The title track of Drea Lake’s latest album (already available physically, though still rolling out on streaming platforms). I’ve been following Drea for quite some time now, and her ability to create ethereal soundscapes through fingerpicking continues to impress me. If this track resonates with you, I highly recommend checking out 4U as well.
A Word I Needed More - The Paper Kites
From If You Go There, I Hope You Find It. I was torn between this and Deep (In the Plans We Made), a song I heard in preview last July during their concert at the Amsterdamse Bos, but in the end, I went with the fingerstyle track. This is pure Paper Kites: just guitar and harmonies. The perfect morning song. The guitar tutorial will come soon!
Nine Lives - James Cutler
This song is a reminder of why I love doing what I do. Without my playlists and the platforms I collaborate with, I would have never discovered this absolute gem. Slide guitar riffs that feel straight out of a Better Call Saul soundtrack, acoustic strumming, a catchy bass line, and vocals full of energy make Nine Lives one of the grooviest tracks of the year so far. I haven’t been able to find the artist online, so if any of you do, please let me know.
what’s not mine - Bertie Newman and Savannah Leigh
The first duet of the year, written partly at a distance and completed in London. The song explores how, in relationships, we’re often told to hide our broken parts, to mask the mess or show up fully healed. As the artists wrote on Instagram, it’s about “the fear of being seen, or being rejected at your most vulnerable.” Honest, fragile, and deeply relatable.
Find Me a Place - Jack & the Weatherman
The first true acoustic feel-good song of the year, released on Jack’s birthday. Find Me a Place feels like a small preview of summer, especially welcome during a particularly cold January here in the Netherlands.
Somewhere Down in Georgia - Mon Rovia
Taken from Mon Rovia’s latest album Bloodline, which has been a great source of material for my playlist To the Mountains. In hindsight, I probably should have been promoting Mon Rovia earlier, he’s one of the few artists consistently bringing the ukulele to the forefront, including on this track. If you enjoy rhythmic shifts and dynamic arrangements, this one’s for you.
Portugal - Will Knox
From Will Knox’s upcoming album (already released in physical format). This time, I’ll let Will himself introduce the song through a Reel he shared on Instagram.
A Friend Like You - The Milk Carton Kids
The first single from their upcoming seventh studio album Love, Cause, Lover, Fool. “It’s a long song about the longest road trip you’ve been on in your life, and all the things you can’t say to the person in the passenger seat,” they wrote on Instagram. The instrumental recipe is very familiar: drums, mandolin, bass, and guitars.
Seventeen - Nina Nesbitt
Another great acoustic guitar song from Nina Nesbitt, inspired by the emerging artists she worked with and discovered during her 2025 competitions to find support acts. Seventeen feels like a look back at the beginning of her own journey, a reminder of where it all started.
Hymn - Luca Fogale
Taken from Challenger, Hymn strips everything back to just guitar and voice. Luca described the album as a journey through rebuilding the self, confronting the past with courage and grace. The lyrics reflect this beautifully, touching on change, acceptance, and the quiet truth found in letting go of control. “There is beauty in this part” feels like the emotional core not just of the song, but of the entire record.
Becoming - Bre Kennedy
Taken from The Alchemist, an album shaped by moments of vulnerability and self-reflection, Becoming feels like one of its emotional anchors. The song reflects on growth as something gradual and often exhausting rather than triumphant. The lyrics speak to learning when to stop running, to finding pride in small forms of resilience, and to recognising that heavy days are not wasted time, but part of the process. Stripped-back and honest, Becoming captures the quiet strength that runs throughout the entire record.
Salt Forest - Richard Walters
From Songs from the Solent, written and recorded during Richard Walters’ artist residency for the Solent Seascape Project. Each track is inspired by a specific location along the Solent coastline, complete with a map allowing listeners to experience the songs in situ. Salt Forest is my favourite, featuring three singers from the Big Notes Choir of Horsham and Chichester, a beautiful reimagining of the saltmarshes that unfolds almost like a lullaby. As if that weren’t reason enough to listen, 25% of all proceeds from the album support habitat restoration across the region.
January set the tone for what could be a remarkable year for acoustic music. If this is how the year begins, I can’t wait to see where the next months take us!
You can find all these songs spread across the All of Acoustic 2026 playlist!