TOP 10 CDs OF 2006
by Al Kaufman
Ah, the obligatory top 10 CDs of the year. Yes, this is an objective list, it’s supposed to be. The worst part about it is that I openly admit if you asked me to give you a top 10 list in another week, half of these CDs may not even be on it. The best way to describe this list is that these are 10 CDs that came out in 2006 that I am proud to have in my collection and have been proud to have all year. They have also managed to stay out of their cases more than they have been in them.
1. GNARLS BARKLEY – St. Elsewhere (Warner) – Great beats, great imagination, great songs. This collaboration of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse proves that two heads are better than most bands out there. I’ve been hearing “Crazy” all summer and I still seek it out on the radio.
2. TODD SNIDER -- The Devil You Know (New Door) – Imagine Jerry Jeff Walker’s personality with Bob Dylan’s writing talent. One of the greatest living singer/songwriters around, as this CD proves. His live shows are hilarious. The man can ramble as well as he can write.
3. DAN BERN – Breathe (Messenger) – After spending a couple of years fighting the Bush administration, the brilliantly cocky folk troubadour has grown up and written a CD about taking personal inventory while the world around you goes to hell.
4. KILLERS – Sam’s Town (Island) – There’s no way this CD can be as good as lead singer Brandon Flowers says it is, but his recent discovery of early Springsteen has helped him to write the best straight ahead rock album of the year.
5. RACHAEL SAGE – The Blistering Sun (MPress) – Great pop melodies, good phrasings, and a wonderful sense of the theatric. One of the best songwriters and performers that no one knows about.
6. NEIL YOUNG –Living With War (Reprise) – As much a love letter to the US as it is a diatribe against GW Bush. Led by passion and fury, this rocks as hard as anything Young has done with Crazy Horse.
7. NEKO CASE – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Anti) – She’s always had the voice, now the songwriting has caught up as well. Beautifully rich songs told as only this chanteuse can tell them.
8. JOHNNY CASH – American V: A Hundred Highways (American/Lost Highway) – There was nothing left of his voice but gut and determination, but this collection is as full of hope as it is of death. To listen is to be mesmerized.
9. BORN AGAIN FLOOZIES – Novelties, Addenda and Ephemera (self) – A tuba player and tap dancer making up most of their rhythm section. They write songs like “Small Penis Compensation Vehicle” (about people who drive Hummers), and they do it all in an endearing, bluegrass style. I thought the novelty of this would wear off, but it never did.
10. REGINA SPEKTOR – Begin to Hope (Sire) – Quirky and comfortable. Spektor hiccups her way through some bizarre, stream of consciousness lyrics, but her melodies are accessible and, as much as she sometimes tries to undermine it, her piano playing is exquisite.
Senior Contributing Editor Al kaufman invites readers to send their own top 10 lists to UATWmag@yahoo.com. We'll run a selection in our February issue.
