Dan and Dana’s Pick
PJ Harvey - Is This Desire?Sometimes music isn’t meant to be accessible and comforting. In those moments of despair and growth an artist can often find their true voice. PJ Harvey seems to do this with every album. No other artist out there shows the kind of growth and self-challenge that PJ demonstrates with each outing….and this is no exception.
Polly Jean has yet again pushed the envelope of what she can accomplish with her voice. On The Wind, PJ weaves a spell around the listener with her appropriately breathy and serene delivery.
Lyrically, this album elevates PJ’s usual topics to a new level of poetry. Her religious and sexual imagery has been sharpened with an overall sense of sadness and grief that permeates the entire piece.
The song, No Girl So Sweet has taken the slot of my favorite PJ Harvey song of all time. When she screams, "Took her from Heaven and gave her to me," you can actually hear the tears in her eyes. This is not Celine Dion grandstanding; it is naked emotion.
Dan’s Pick
Rufus Wainwright - Rufus WainwrightNot since Jeff Buckley exploded on the scene has a young man’s debut caused such a stir. What more can be said about an album that shuns all current music trends and clichés for a throwback sound that is at once hopelessly romantic and steeped in the cynicism of the 90’s?
The opening lines from Foolish Love are still some of the most beautifully simple lines of poetry I’ve heard all year, "I don’t want to hold you and feel so helpless, I don’t want to smell you and lose my senses, And smile in slow motion with eyes in love."
However, my favorite song on the album has gotta be the gorgeous Beauty Mark. This song, written for his mother, has the definitive Rufus lyric, "I may not be so manly, but still I know you love me, Even if I don’t have your Beauty mark!"
Obviously, this isn’t the most testosterone-laden music you’ll ever hear. But, I defy anyone to listen to the boozy crooning of Rufus and not fall for his beguiling charm.
Dana’s Pick
Duncan Sheik - HummingDuncan Sheik’s soft lyrical sound is a medley of love and despair. Must check out A Body Goes Down, a tribute to the late Jeff Buckley
Dan’s Pick
Susan Tedeschi - Just Won’t BurnSusan commands attention from the opening plea of "I haven’t been rocked in a long, long time!" from Rock Me Right. And, once she has you in her grasp, be forewarned that you’ll be on your knees by the time that she’s finished with you.
Whether she’s putting her own stamp on Ruth Brown classic Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean or blowing the roof off the joint with her own smoking original Looking For Answers Susan proves that the spirit of the blues is alive and wailing.
Dana’s Pick
Bonnie Raitt - FundamentalThis collection of instant classics is a "Fundamental" for any blues collection.
Dan and Dana’s Pick
Cheri Knight - The Northeast KingdomThis singer/songwriter from Western Massachusetts sounds more like she comes from the mountains of West Virginia. Her gorgeously stark melodies will cling to your brain and have you humming days after you’ve last listened to the disc
Whether she’s rocking out on Black Eyed Susie or breaking your heart with If Wishes Were Horses she demonstrates that there is still life in this often ridiculed genre of music.
All Blue sounds like it could have been a long lost track from Patsy Cline. The showstopper, though, is White Lies. It’s a sexy, smart and funny tale that begs to be played over and over.
Dan’s Pick
Ani Difranco - Little Plastic CastleOkay, it’s getting harder and harder to categorize this Righteous Babe as a folk artist, but I’m going to anyway. You’re not gonna to find a more honest lyricist or a more energetic performer in any genre of music.
Granted, she’s slowed herself down over the years and learned to hone her craft, but it still feels like you’re being swept away by a force of nature when the opening verses of Little Plastic Castle come flooding out of the stereo speakers. Also noteworthy are the leaps and bounds she demonstrates with her voice. Now that she’s not singing a-mile-a-minute, we find that Ani has an amazingly flexible and gorgeous voice. Who knew she had the chops of a punkster and a jazz singer.
Some may be disappointed that gone is the brilliant but bleak anger of Dilate. But don’t despair, Ani has simply learned some things about herself and is ready to share them with you the best way she knows how…through her songs.
The centerpiece of the album is the stirring As Is. The lines, "When I look down I just miss all the good stuff and when I look up I just trip over things," are more spiritual than anything that Alanis or Madonna could muster in entire albums of forced pseudo-New Age claptrap.
Dana’s Pick
Jewel - SpiritI didn’t give Jewel credit at first, but this album grew on me. I realized that it was the best Folk album of the year. "In the end only kindness matters," is one of the lyrics on the album that made me come around.
Dan and Dana’s Pick
Portishead - Roseland NYC LivePortishead has taken two great albums of songs and improved upon them in a live setting that can only be described as hypnotic. While many of these numbers are simply perfect reproductions of the originals, there is the occasional surprise such as Beth Gibbons’ hauntingly harrowing vocals at the climax of Sour Times. Portishead have proven once again that even if you can’t categorize what it is they do, they are simply the best at it. - Dan
Portishead + Full Orchestra = Sound Euphoria - Dana
Dan’s Pick
Sheryl Crow - The Globe SessionsIs it radio friendly? To a fault. Is it also the best pop album since R.E.M.’s Out Of Time? You bet!
After a bloodless and overly busy sophomore jinx, Sheryl has come back with a rollicking good time of an album. If you don’t admit that you love My Favorite Mistake and Anything But Down then you’re simply full of crap. Get over yourself and give it up for the reigning pop diva.
Dana’s Pick
The Cardigans - Gran TurismoThe current sultans of the Europop scene return with a great follow-up to the smash First Band On The Moon. One highlight in particular is the current hit My Favorite Game. But even better…listen for the ninth track, Do You Believe.
Dan’s Pick
Groovasaurus - Hot Horny AmateursMy choice here is a bittersweet one. This Boston-based band has been slaying audiences with their insanely fun live shows for years. However, their albums had not captured the full energy of their music until this gem. Unfortunately, just weeks after their record release party, news spread of the band’s demise.
Alas, we still have this fine collection of tunes to cherish and remember when Groovasaurus roamed the earth. They had so much going for them: a band that sounded as if each member was born to play together; some of the funkiest tunes and silliest lyrics you’ll ever find yourself boogying down to; and, most importantly, the unforgettable belting of Anita.
The song Showman is the perfect example of why it was literally impossible to go to one of their shows and stand still. That Way is the kind of slow-builder that became one of their trademarks. And Comin’ Back is the perfect killer closer. If only they would.
Dana’s Pick
Liz Phair - whitechocolatespaceeggLiz finally delivers on the potential promised by her earlier albums. Polyester Bride is the catchiest tune of the year. And, What Makes You Happy contains one of Dan’s favorite lyrics, "I see the sky above me like a full recovery."
Dan and Dana’s Pick
Tori Amos - From The Choirgirl HotelAfter the inaccessible and overly-ambitious Boys For Pele the thought of Tori attempting her first plugged-in album sounded like a huge mistake. Visions of Y Kant Tori Read may have immediately sprung to mind. However, the actual finished product dispels all fears and doubts. This is Tori in top form: both alarmingly emotional and undeniably listenable.
Raspberry Swirl is a delightful piece of fluff…tailor made for a club remix. Meanwhile, iiee ranks among Tori’s most scathing tunes. At last, there’s a dance album for the manic depressive set.
Dan’s Pick
Garbage - 2.0It’s not that this albums is necessarily bad, it’s just that it’s a pale imitation of PJ Harvey, The Artist Of The Year. When I read that Shirley Manson was a huge PJ fan, I was far from surprised. She steals so many of Polly’s old moves that she should be listed in the liner notes. There’s really nothing original about his band. They are just a more commercial repackaging of edgier and less radio-friendly vanguards like NIN and Polly.
Dana’s Pick
Madonna - Ray Of LightYa Madonna, you’re soooo crunchy! I’m sorry, but if you find this album to be cutting edge, you must have missed the last dozen releases by Dead Can Dance.
Dan’s Pick
Patty Griffin - Flaming RedDana’s Pick
Martin SextonBoth these artists suffered the same fate this year. After brilliant careers going the folkie/indie/acoustic route, they fumbled their first major studio albums. The verdict: Lose the distracting and overblown production values and unplug. It’s their terrific songwriting and unparalleled voices that we love…not the radio-geared sound effects that marred their most recent efforts.
Dan’s Pick
Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart The DrunkWhat can you say about the greatest tragedy to strike the world of music? It’s utterly shocking to think that this may be the last pieces of music we’ll ever be blessed with by this amazingly talent. And to think, these were the unfinished works and the discarded "failures" that Jeff was unsatisfied with. The lines, "Lay with me under these waves tonight," will haunt me every time I pop in this disc. The unrealized potential is awe inspiring.
Songs such as Yard of Blonde Girls and Jewel Box are enough to humble the most accomplished singer/songwriter. Apparently, some lights shine so brightly that they are destined to burn out.
Dana’s Pick
Frank Sinatra - The Very Best OfThis album captures the best of Frank, both his original pieces and standards. It is perfect for a longtime fan of Old Blue Eyes or for a crooner novice.
