3 Yell Fire!,
Michael Franti &
Spearhead (Anti). California native has been rapping
for nearly twenty years, beginning with the memorably-named Disposable
Heroes of Hiphoprisy in the late 1980s. The current project
contains political material reflecting his recent trips to the Middle
East, including Iraq and the Palestinian territory. Best tracks:
"Time to Go Home," title, "I Know I'm Not Alone."
4 Eye to the
Telescope, K.T. Tunstall
(Virgin). 31-year-old woman from St. Andrews, Scotland, really
beginning to get noticed on this side of the Atlantic. She writes
her own songs, which are thoughtful lyrically while being conveyed with
energy. Best cuts: "Under the Weather," "Black Horse and
the Cherry Tree," "Suddenly I See."
5 An Ancient
Muse,
Loreena McKennitt
(Verve). Canadian singer-songwriter released her sixth studio
album,
but first since 1997 following a personal tragedy. The sound is
familiar; she continues in her music and accompanying journal entries
to explore Celtic influences on the world of music. I love her
voice,
but like the instrumental cuts ("Kecharitomene," "Sacred Shabbat") best.
6 Both Sides
of the Gun, Ben Harper
(Virgin).
Ben Harper's songs vary from folk to jazz to earsplitting. This
album, his biggest chart success to date, tries to help the confusion
by dividing the album into two short discs, one with slower songs and
one with more uptempo material. "Better Way," one of the best
songs of the year, starts off the second, more uptempo disc.
7 Departure, Mammals
(Signature). Folk-rock group formed in 2001, releasing their
second major-label album. Unlike 2002's Evolver, this disc contains all
contemporary tunes, which they twist in folk or rock directions,
depending on where the song starts. Guitarist Tao Rodriguez-Seeger is
the grandson of Pete Seeger; fiddler Ruth Ungar is the daughter of Jay
Ungar of Fiddle Fever.
8 Living With War,
Neil Young (Reprise/WEA).
Biographer Jimmy McDonough believes Young does his best work in a
hurry, without any polishing or refinement. He should like this
CD, which was recorded and released with lightning speed. I'm not
sure how well these topical songs will wear over time, but for now they
do just fine. "Let's Impeach the President" is improbably jaunty.
9 Breathe, Dan Bern (Messenger).
Seventh full-length album from this Mt. Vernon, Iowa, native now living
in California has found an edgy sound to accompany his witty,
perceptive lyrics. Best tracks: "Trudy," "Suicide Room,"
title cut. As in the past, he has released an EP as well,
entitled Breathe Easy, which
contains the song "Breathe" as well as four tracks not on the main
album.
10 Let's Get Out of this
Country, Camera Obscura
(Merge). Sentimental pop from Glasgow, Scotland. This is
their third album, the second to be released in America after 2004's Underachievers Please Try Harder.
The first single was the intriguingly-titled "Lloyd, I'm
Ready to be Heartbroken," which is about Lloyd Cole, a British pop star
of the 1980s. "If Looks Could Kill" is the next single; "Dory
Previn" is another good cut.
1985
Centerfield, John Fogerty (Warner
Brothers). Fogerty's comeback album after a decade lost to
copyright wrangles with his former manager Saul Zaentz. The
former leader Creedence Clearwater Revival got two memorable hit
singles out of this, "The Old Man Down the Road" and "Rock and Roll
Girls," as well as the baseball standard "Centerfield."
1986 Graceland, Paul Simon
(Warner Brothers). The most memorable of the three albums in
which he collaborated with a variety of instrumental styles. This
one featured a number of South African musicians, including Ladysmith
Black Mambazo. My
favorite cuts: "You Can Call Me Al", "The Boy in the Bubble," and the
Cajun-flavored "That Was Your Mother".
1987
In the Dark, Grateful Dead
(Arista). This album produced the Dead's highest-charting single,
"Touch of Grey," as well as the dark (and more typical of their work)
"Hell in a Bucket" and "When Push Comes to Shove." All but one
cut is 5:00 or longer, giving the listener a sense of long Deadish jams.
1988 Songs From The Southside, Bruce Hornsby and the Range (RCA). On my favorite of the three albums he did with the Range, Virginian Hornsby combined jazz piano licks with socially conscious folk-style lyrics. The album produced top ten singles "The Valley Road" and "Look Out Any Window," as well as "Jacob's Ladder" which was a hit for Huey Lewis.
1989 Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, Edie
Brickell
and the New Bohemians (Geffen). This band with the anguished
intellectual sounds had a huge hit with "What I Am" and a worthy
follow-up
in "Circle." After two well-regarded solo albums and marriage to
Paul Simon, she reunited with the group for the 2006 release "Stranger
Things."
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1990 An Attainable Love, Christine Lavin
(Philo).
New York based folk singer/songwriter most famous for her humorous
songs
("Sensitive New Age Guys," "Shopping Cart of Love: The Play") but she
can
be strikingly tender, as in "Venus Kissed the Moon." This was the
last "album of the year" I bought on LP, and it wasn't easy to get.
1991 Ragged Glory, Neil Young (Warner Brothers). The veteran Canadian rocker seemed to recover his old spark with the CSNY project "American Dream." This is a powerful record, both lyrically and in terms of volume. Best cuts: "Country Home," "Days That Used To Be," "Mansion on a Hill."
1992 The Visit, Loreena McKennitt (Quinlan Road). The third album by a Canadian woman who plays the harp. There are some instrumentals ("Tango to Evora") but also some orignal songs ("All Soul's Night") and striking settings of old texts, including Tennyson's epic poem "The Lady of Shalott."
1993 The Future, Leonard Cohen (Columbia). Poet-turned-folkrocker from Montreal. Cohen's best songs are so unremittingly morose that they can't fail to cheer you up. His voice isn't much, but the beat's infectious. Best songs: "Democracy," "The Future," "Closing Time."
1994 Singer Songwriter Beggerman Thief, Five Chinese
Brothers
(Prime CD). This is actually copyright 1992, but must have been
caught
in indie hell because it didn't get airplay here til spring '94.
Best cuts: "Paul Cezanne," "Stop Talking," "All I Need."
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1995 Lost Dogs and Missed Blessings, John Prine (Oh
Boy).
A veteran singer-songwriter from Melrose Park, Illinois, has penned
some
memorable songs including "Ain't Hurtin' Nobody," "He Forgot That It
Was
Sunday," "Lake Marie," and "Leave The Light On."
1996 Matapedia, Kate and Anna McGarrigle (Hannibal). The first album in six years from the singing sisters of Montreal, but less dark and more folky than "Heartbeats Accelerating" was. Even "Why Must We Die?" is done with their old wryness. Other outstanding tracks include the title and "Goin' Back to Harlan."
1997 The Book Of Secrets, Loreena McKennitt (Quinlan Road). Another remarkable set of compositions by this harpist-singer/songwriter/musicologist from Stratford, Ontario, reflecting Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. Favorite tracks: "Skellig," "Night Ride Across the Caucasus," "Mummer's Dance."
1998 Mermaid Avenue, Billy Bragg and Wilco (Elektra). The folk music event of the year--Woody Guthrie lyrics, heretofore rotting in an attic, set to music by English Marxist folkrocker Bragg. What's amazing is that the songs don't sound dated in the least. I don't know whether that's due to Bragg's contemporary settings or Guthrie's timeless lyrics.
1999 Morning Light, Paula
Joy Welter (Starry Sky Music). This is drawing outside the
lines--the
album is copyright 1995--but it was released privately in California
and
only made it to Iowa this year. A gentle singer with superlative
songs, including "Each Brings A Light" and "Long Ago."
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2000 Red Dirt Girl, Emmylou
Harris (Nonesuch). Wonderful songs about people, many of whom
have seen pretty tough times. But sung in Emmylou's gentle way,
they
suggest that they have achieved some kind of requiem. Best
cuts:
title, "Bang the Drum Slowly," "Michelangelo."
2001 Essence, Lucinda Williams (Lost Highway). Very intimate songs from a singer-songwriter from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her first album appeared in 1978. She wrote all the songs on this album, which was produced by Bo Ramsey. "Lonely Girls" and title cut are good, but "I Envy The Wind" could grow hair on a cement post.
2002 Looking for the Moon, Tom
Paxton (Appleseed). This veteran folksinger turned 65 in
2002,
but celebrated by releasing some of his best songs yet, with the mix of
warmth (title, "Early Snow"), humor ("My Pony Knows The Way"), and
poignancy
("The Same River Twice") his fans have come to expect. My
son Eli really likes "The Bravest" about firefighters responding to
9/11.
2003 The Mavericks, The
Mavericks
(Sanctuary). Latin-influenced
country band featuring lead singer and songwriter Raul Malo.
Confusingly,
their first, independently-released album had the same name. This
one is an enjoyable listen from beginning to end. Best
tracks:
"Would You Believe" and "I Want To Know," as well as "Time Goes By"
which
features Willie Nelson.
2004 Lonely Runs Both
Ways,
Alison Krauss & Union Station (Rounder). Krauss is a
33-year-old fiddler born in
Champaign, Illinois, who records solo albums as well as group efforts
with Union Station. She does lead vocals on 10 songs, guitarist
Dan Tyminski on three, and guitarist Ron Block on one. Other
members are Barry Bales (bass) and Jerry Douglas (dobro).
Production, by the group, is incredibly clear and vibrant.
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2005 Country
Man, Willie Nelson
(Lost Highway). One from the vaults, recorded about a decade
earlier
but only in 2005 did any record company realize that an album of
Willie Nelson singing reggae songs would be a genuine contribution to
Western civilization. The collaboration with Toots Hibbert on
Johnny Cash's "I'm A Worried Man" joyously soars.
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last update: 1/8/07