Is this discussion being limited to folk-pop recordings?
There's a ton of fine trad-style material that was released this year.
To name a very few,
"There's Gangs of Them Digging"   Frank Harte (Daisy)
"Fenlandia" Mary Humphries and Anahata (Wildgoose)
"Harlan County" various (Rounder)
"Down By the Old Riverside" the Brazil Family (Musical Traditions)
"Sea Fever" John Roberts (Golden Hind)
"White Wings" Alison McMorland and Geordie McIntyre (Greentrax)
"Feathered Maiden" Lisa Null (Folk-Legacy)
"Three Score and Ten" Peggy Seeger (Appleseed)
"These Bones" Cooper & Nelson (Self Produced)
"Take the road to Aberfeldy" Margaret Bennett (Camsco)

I could go on and on, but why bother. I'm having enough trouble keeping the list up-to-date at camscomusic.com