10 SUPERB CHOICES
Despite the dismal output, 2005 pop music still had a few bright spots
By Chris Morris
I feel like the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons this year: Worst ... year ... ever. There was a palpable lack of ambition and excitement on the popular music front in 2005, which may explain the fact that three of my 10 favorite albums might be considered "catalog" releases, while another two were previously issued in the U.K. and only saw U.S. release this year.
Sigh. Pray for better days.
But this stuff was good.
1. Ry Cooder, Chavez Ravine (Nonesuch). In a year in which not many musicians stretched very far, guitarist Cooder brought forth this operatic piece about the destruction of a Hispanic community to create a ballpark. Smart and soulful, with a sparkling cast of players that included Thee Midnighters' Little Willie G and the late Lalo Guerrero, it's among the definitive L.A. albums.
2. Lewis Taylor, Stoned (Hacktone). This clever, melodic Brit finally brought his brand of one-man old-school R&B showmanship to these shores in 2005. Question: If KCRW is so goddamn eclectic, why did it have to wait for an American issue of this album to jump on board? Well, glad it did, anyway.
3. Bob Dylan, No Direction Home: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 (Columbia Legacy). Marty Scorsese's Dylan documentary of the same name was the film event of the year for music fans; the accompanying soundtrack, comprising almost entirely unheard '63-'66 Dylan material, ran a close second.
4. Sarah Borges, Silver City (Blue Corn Music). I caught this Boston spitfire during a trip to Nashville this fall. A powerfully mature singer, Borges ranges through blues, country, and rock 'n' roll with stunning poise, and she's got one of the hottest little bands around. When she finally makes it to L.A., just go already.
5. Various artists, American Primitive II: Pre-War Revenants (1897-1939) (Revenant). The latest gem from the country's finest reissue label is a marvelous thing: a compilation of prewar musicians, all of them fabulous, about whom literally nothing is known. These phantoms hold an amazing force.
6. Antony & the Johnsons, I Am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian). Antony is this generation's Little Jimmy Scott, though he's not an interpreter, as Scott is. His dizzying helium voice is put to work on a collection of darkly personal songs, not one of which fails to rip your heart out.
7. Los Super 7, I Heard It on the X (Telarc). A concept album about the thrill of old-time Tex-Mex radio, hammered home by an all-star group of master musicians raised in the border melting pot. It's a gutsy primer about those exciting megawatt days when roots music blanketed the country.
8. Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, Moments From This Theatre (Proper). This set saw release several years ago in England, and it's about time it arrived here. Dan Penn isn't just one of Southern soul's greatest writers, he's one of the music's great voices; this intimate live performance with keyboardist and sometime writing collaborator Oldham is his finest work on record. With Zane Records' most recent compilation of unreleased Eddie Hinton material, essential listening for deep soul freaks.
9. Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate, In the Heart of the Moon (Nonesuch). I never got around to writing this one up, but it's been a splendid late-night companion for much of the year. Mostly instrumental, it's a work of sheer beauty: Toure's guitar and Diabate's kora intertwine in velvety interplay. I can't think of anyone who won't be seduced by the gorgeousness of this stuff.
10. Jelly Roll Morton, The Complete Library of Congress Recordings (Rounder). New Orleans was much on our minds this year, and this astonishing solo recital by the city's "inventor of jazz" - a masterpiece of piano brilliance, storytelling, and American hokum - touched the music where it was born.
Book of the year: Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (Little, Brown) by Peter Guralnick. God, the man can write.
Published: 12/29/2005
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