i thought last year was a bad music year - this year was pitiful! i've
never been so stumped to think of my favorite new releases, and i
realize it's cause there are so few of them that impressed me in a big
way. so, here goes...
1. youssou n'dour - joko. this guy plays some of the world's best pop
music. great beats, great musicianship with lots of different sounds,
and a voice that is indescribable. this is as good or better than
anything he's done. also one of the best live acts i've ever seen, and
consistently so (6 shows i've seen over 12 years have all been amazing)
2. emmylou harris - red dirt girl. the great interpreter proves she can
be an auteur, too. excellent songwriting. plus i just love her live -
she comes across as a real person, down to earth, ego bridled, soul
involved in her craft.
3. jane siberry - hush. as a whole, this album can feel a little
redundant. it is all traditional songs interpreted by jane, arranged as
a jane chorus. the arrangements are unique, lush and 80-90% layers of
jane's voice. what puts it over the top is that her versions of
"jacob's ladder" and "all through the night" could make you weep. it's
so cool hearing the subtle differences in the different vocal tracks.
there's also a children's song called "false false fly" that i've never
heard before and she brings that sib-signature combination of quirky
soulfulness and childlike playfulness to it just beautifully.
4. toshi reagon - the righteous ones. this one was released in 1999,
but i didn't get it til the spring, after i saw her perform on a whim
while stuck in minneapolis for the weekend (great town, BTW). she was
just explosive. joan armatrading meets ani difranco - folk/blues/soul
with attitude. there are a couple of ballads on here that are just
stunning - she's got great chops.
5. i don't really have one. pj harvey's 'stories' might be one, but it
hasn't completely sunk in yet. i just got teddy thompson's record a
couple of months ago(son of richard). i haven't paid enough attention
to it to give it real accolades, but my first impressions were quite
good. it was produced by joe henry, whom i also haven't spent enough
time with. i'm not a big fan of richard's, so this sounds better to me
than his dad (i think he plays some guitar on it, BTW). love Rickie Lee
Jones' take on 'low spark of high-heeled boys', though the album didn't
take me by storm. BSN also didn't do it for me, though i completely dug
the new version of 'both sides now', a song i haven't been fond of since
i was about 10 years old. also haven't soaked up radiohead's "kid a"
yet, but initial response is give me some "bends". some releases from
last year that are still spinning - bruce cockburn's "breakfast in new
orleans, dinner in timbuktu", ani difranco's "to the teeth" and last
year a friend gave me billy bragg & wilco's guthrie thang "mermaid
avenue" & that is sinking in like a stone (a 98 release). new blues
discovery: corey harris, who is very taj mahal-like in approach. i've
had three addictive phases this year - van morrison, especially 'the
healing game' and 'no guru no method no teacher'; kate bush, especially
'the red shoes' and 'sensual world' and i had cassandra wilson's 'blue
light 'til dawn' in the player for about 2 months solid (a very long
time for me).
