2008 - The Year In Review

In my humble opinion 2008 was a lean year for music and it was tough compiling a good list of my favorite CDs. Long time and reliable stalwarts issued the cream of the crop. So with reservations, and hope that 2009 is artistically more rewarding, here are Bloggerhythms top five CDs of 2008.

1. Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
Four of Ms. Lynne's CDs released since 2000 have landed in my top five of the year and the remaining one needs to be in your CD collection too. Lynne's 2008 tribute to Dusty Springfield is also a tribute to the singer-songwriter's talents because this disc proves she can cover other people's work just as easily as she can write and record her own material. This music is head and shoulders above everything else I heard this year.

2. She & Him - Volume One
Actress Zooey Deschanel proves that music may actually be where her true talents lie. On Volume One Deschanel (She) teamed up with singer-songrwriter M. Ward (Him) and issued a truly wonderful debut disc. Paste Magazine's 2008 CD of the year explores early 60s girl group pop, a little bit of country, and a love of older pop music in general. Both Deschanel's vocals and songs are superb. Look for a full review early in 2009.

3. Los Lonely Boys - Forgiven
More great harmonies, more fine pop songs, and best of all, more smokin' electric leads from guitarist Henry Garza prove, that nobody can play mainstream rock better than this trio of brothers.

4. The Mother Truckers - Let's All Go To Bed
With their third CD Austin's country-rockers turn up the volume. This is their loudest album to date and it's also their best. Songs with an obvious Rolling Stones influence ("Streets of Atlanta") mix it up with a cover of Billy Joe Shaver's "When I Get My Wings." Your best chance to see this quartet is by visiting the Texas state capital but The Truckers made a surprise visit east this summer, rocking out at the Bethlehem Musikfest in Pennsylvania, where I caught them for the second time in less than a year. This is ear shredding country music at it's best.

5. Robert Lamm - The Bossa Project
Chicago's heart and soul proves again that he deserves a successful solo career instead of semi-obscurity. This CD is a fine homage to one of jazz's less respected sub-genres but the disc has received accolades from critics everywhere. It was even considered for a jazz Grammy, but unfortunately, it didn't make the cut to the famous award show's final five nominees.

HONORABLE MENTION
Bett Butler - Myths & Fables
If it hadn't been released in November 2007, too late in the year for me to have heard it, the second disc from this fine jazz singer, pianist, and songwriter would have made last year's top five. Butler's work is so good it needs to be on a "best of" list somewhere. This is not lounge lizard music, nor smooth jazz. It's the real thing.

The Cat Empire - So Many Nights
While it's not quite as eclectic or as rewarding as it's predecessor, Two Shoes, these Aussies prove that they are still one of the most original party bands in the business. There is no need to apologize for the letdown because Two Shoes was so outstanding. This year's entry only pales by comparison.

REISSUE OF THE YEAR
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (1977)
Despite the limitations of Wilson's voice this lovingly repackaged solo disc from 1977 shows surprisingly excellent production, songwriting, arranging, and at times a strong Beach Boys influence. Many people were shocked that, of all the Beach Boys, such a quality piece of work came from the man who most people considered to be the least talented Wilson Brother.

BEST OBSCURE FIND OF THE YEAR
Tim Pierce - Guitarland (1995)
Unfortunately, sometimes music doesn't come into our lives until many years after it's release. Studio guitarist, Tim Pierce, whose superb resume includes playing on the recordings of many outstanding stars, recorded his one and only solo album in 1995. Guitarland is a rocking, instrumental album that leans toward the melodic, pop side of rock and roll. It's worth finding this long out of print CD. Bloggerhythms will be posting a full review soon.

Comments

  1. Perplexio4:59 PM, December 30, 2008

    Excellent list, Charlie! I should do the same.

    Have you heard Bill Champlin's No Place Left to Fall yet? I'd rate that and Steve Lukather's Ever Changing Times high on my list. Toto's farewell live album, Falling in Between Live might also make the list as would Guns 'n' Roses surprisingly good (and long overdue) Chinese Democracy.

    I'll have to check out Cat Empire at some point. As always, thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more