Favorite cds of 06

[funkkjunkie]

I'll go first. No hard and fast rules here. It only has to be a new to you cd. In no particular order:
1. Stanton Moore - III
2. Dirty Dozen Brass Band -What's goin on
3. Big Sam's Funky Nation - Take Me Back
4. Delta Nove - the Future is When
5. Jazzfest Live - 2005 compilation
6. Robert Walter - Super Heavy Organ
7. New Birth Brass Band - New Orleans Second LIne!
8. Our New Orleans 2005 - A benefit album

[chrisjoseph]

1. Springsteen "Seeger Sessions"
2. Dan Zanes "Catch That Train"
3. Tom Waits "Orphans"

[saturn]

In no particular order:

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Alejandro Escovedo - The Boxing Mirror
John Butler Trio - Sunrise Over Sea
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Yell Fire
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning
Zozo Sisters - Adieu False Heartand a whole bunch more I can't think of right now. ;)

[NOLA]

Here are my top five...plus one for lagniappe.

Irma Thomas - After the Rain
subdudes - Behind the Levee
New Orleans Social Club - Sing Me Back Home
New Orleans Jazz Vipers - Hope You're Coming Home
Chris Thomas King - Rise
Tab Benoit - Brother to the Blues

[ohio]

I don't buy many anymore. After I got to over 500, I started burning live shows. But here goes:

1. Warren Haynes- Jazzfest Live '06 - of all the stuff I collected, I keep coming back to this one. beautiful.

2. Dave Alvin- West of the West

3. Robert Palmer- Sneakin' Sally - with Meters and Lowell George, thanks to whomever started that thread on the old board!!

4. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals- Nothing But The Water- One of the most surprising 'new' artists to me. A helluva live show too.

5. Cale/Clapton- The Road To Escondido - Gathering no dust here since it's release. The cut 'Hard To Thrill' co-authored by Clapton & John Mayer really moves me.

note to saturn: they were out of cd's when I went to see Alejandro, an eye-opening show for me- what a talent!

[funkkjunkie]

Like I said, no hard and fast rules--live shows eligible for faves list!

[glinda]

I'm slow to catch on... a new fav for me in 06 was Drs, Professors, Kings & Queens big ol' box of New Orleans. Course I wouldn't have heard about it had it not been for this bored!

[rosetree]

YYR Glinda!!! I got that @ JF two years ago. It's like Jazz Fest in a box. Even the book that comes with it is good. My only problem is I lost one of the CDs:mad: :( :mad:

[peteup]

Tom Waits - Orphans
Springsteen - the Seeger Sessions
The Dirty Dozen - What's Going On
Ali Farka Toure - Savane (sublime posthumous release)
New Orleans Social Club - Sing me Back Home
Los Lobos - The Town and The City
Irma Thomas - After the Rain

[Fred (Texas JF Fanatic)]

Walter Trout - Full Circle

[NeenAtlanta]

YYR Glinda!!! I got that @ JF two years ago. It's like Jazz Fest in a box. Even the book that comes with it is good. My only problem is I lost one of the CDs:mad: :( :mad:

YYR - the book was as good as the cd's. Chuck Taggart has been such a great guy with his gumbo pages over the years, containing such great info. It was a treat to see him put this compilation and book together.

For those of you who haven't checked it out, take a look at his site:
http://www.gumbopages.com/

Rosetree - which disc was it? I can make a copy to send you if you want.

.

[rosetree]

Neen: It's disc #4...and you will have made my day!!! I'll send you my address offline if you email me @ info<at>rosetreeglass <dot> com. Thanks a bunch!:cool:

[Bluesthinker]

My Top 5

Bob Dylan- Modern Times
Irma Thomas - After the Rain
New Orleans Social Club - Sing Me Back Home
subdudes - Behind the Levee
New Orleans Jazz Vipers - Hope You're Coming Home

[funkkjunkie]

Welcome, bluesthinker.

[steffie]

Bruce Springsteen - The Seeger Sessions
Augustana - all the stars and boulevards
Putumayo Presents New Orleans Christmas
John Mayer Trio - Try

[Amy Winette]

Those are some of my faves too Steffie!

My number one keep playing it over and over fave of the year is Feeder Bands on the Run.

[Jordan]

Morning 40 Federation - Ticonderoga
Grace Potter - Original Soul
Scrapomatic - Alligator Love Cry
Nadine Goellner - Live CD
Alexi Murdoch - 4 songs
Asylum Street Spankers - My Favorite Record
Chris Smither - Leave the Light On
Olabelle - Riverside Battle Songs
Warren Haynes - Jazzfest set

[ice nine]

I concurr with Jordan on Alexi Murdoch. Time Without Consequence is a great album. If you like Nick Drake you will like Alexi.

[funkkjunkie]

Bump for Doc.

[doctorgmb]

Just wanted to get my original post for this thread up here with the rest of 'em. Sorry it's so wordy, but I would be interested in hearing a bit about why people choose the records they did!


Well, all of my friends did this, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was next to impossible to actually rank these. The best I could do was a top 7. The rest are in no particular order. I've included a comment here or there, for what it's worth. I think these were all outstanding records and are worthy of a listen. Many of these artists were discovered by me on My Space, which has been a tresure trove of great music. There were lots of other very fine records this year, but these jumped out tonight as I sat down to put this together.

So here goes (beginning with my top 7):

1) Paul Steel-Home Demos:
It still stuns me that this CD remains officially unreleased, and it stuns me even more that Paul sent me a copy of it after I wrote to him on My Space asking where I could buy his CD. I have Nelson Bragg to thank for this one. He has been a huge supporter of Paul's music, and rightly so! This kid is 19 years old and is making music that is lightyears beyond his young age. The only person to compare him to is a youthful Brian Wilson. That's how good this is!!! Go to his page and check it out. You won't be sorry.
2) Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint- The River In Reverse
Okay, there are a couple of New Orleans records on my list, and I admit that I wear my heart on my sleeve for this city, but this one deserves every accolade it's gotten. This is one of America's finest songwriters and he's found as empathetic a voice as his music's ever attracted in Costello. It's obvious that Elvis cares about the man and his city and these performances (predominantly by New Orleans musicians) are stellar. Go out and buy this record and then send a donation to Habitat or some other group working to rebuild America's most unique city!
3) Ollabelle- Riverside Battle Songs
With Levon's daughter in this group, it's inevitable that there will be comparisons to the Band, and I say bring 'em on, cause these guys a (and gals) live up to it. This is a wildly talented group of musicians who all write, sing, and play music that's deeply rooted in Americana. Sound familiar???
4) Darrell Scott- The Invisible Man
Thanks for this one John! This is a remarkable acoustic record by a songwriter that will break your heart with his gorgeous stories.
5) Bill Reveles- Inside Gospel Garage
Okay, technically this is from 2005, but I didn't hear it or find out about it until I discovered My Space in 2006 so I'm including it anyway. I loved this record from the moment I first put it in my player and it has yet to wear thin. Sometimes Bill's vision is a bit dark, but he also brings a good deal of humour to the table too (Hollywood Cowboy would make Warren Zevon proud). Bill is someone to keep your ear out for in the years to come.
6) Roger McGuinn- The Folk Den Project
Again, this is technically a 2005 release that I didn't get until 2006. I must admit that I bought this more out of wanting to support McGuinn and his music than out of a real desire to listen to this collection of folk songs that span the gamut from old spirituals to sea shanties to work songs. But when I put the first of the four discs in my player, I couldn't stop listening! Mcguinn is a great interpreter of other people's music as evidenced by the Byrds success with Dylan covers and this just takes it one step further back into our musical heritage. I am so thankful that he gave me the opportunity to hear so many of these wonderful songs that I would have never heard if he didn't care so much about preserving them.
7) Troy (Trombone Shorty) Andrews- Orleans and Claiborne
I was lucky enough to see this bold group of extremely young musicians play at House of Blues in New orleans during Jazz Fest 2006. As I listened I kept getting more and more excited about what I was hearing. It was this crazy mix of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk, hip hop, zydeco, and you name it. It's what makes New orleans such an exciting and vital place for music. This kid and his cohorts know no boundaries. There is nothing they won't play or do in the name of music. I can't wait to hear what Andrews and his band are going to be doing when I get back down for the fest in May!

And now for the rest (in no particular order)

Magenta- Home
This is a prog rock band from Wales that (once again) I found out about thanks to My Space. I really didn't think anyone was making this kind of music anymore. The female singer has as beautiful a voice as Annie Haslem (od Renaissance fame) and the band at times sounds like Steve Hackett era Genesis with a bit of Yes and Pink Floyd thrown in for good measure. Great songwriting!!

Blue Cartoon- September Songs
I generally don't think of Austin, Texas as a place to find great pop music, but here it is folks. Fans of the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Byrds will find plenty to love in this record.

The Bittersweets- The Life You Always Wanted
Fronted by a female voice, this band is filled with fine players. The songwriting is excellent as are the performances.

Vince Gill- These Days
My first Gill purchase (after seeing him on some TV show and having my socks knocked off by his performance). This is a 4 disc set that cost about $25. You won't find a better bargain anywhere. He does it all!

Chris Thomas King- Rise
King was wiped out by Katrina. This is his response---full of the hope and determination that will see New Orleans rise from it's ruins!

Los Lobos- The Town and The City
I must admit that I haven't had a chance to really set down and give this a good, strong listen and yet it still lands in my top 15 of the year. By far the best record they've made in years.

Brandon McGovern and The Scrappers- Pet Food
This guy is one of my favorite finds on My Space (Thanks Rick). Brandon's a bit younger than me, but we obviously both listened to a lot of the same records growing up. Each record he does is progressively better than the one before. Keep rockin' Mr. McG!!!

The Now People- The Last Great Twentieth Century Love Affair
The ubiquitous Nelson Bragg (perhaps deserving of my MVP award for music in 2006) is one of the members of this band, along with his fellow BW Bandmate Probyn Gregory. This band owes more to Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb than Wilson and there ain't nothin' wrong with that! A gorgeous debut album.

So there you have it. I'd love to hear any comments, so drop me a note!

-Greg

[Frosty]

I have tried posting to this thread numerous times but it would never let me.

It is difficult to remember what came out post 8/29 in '05 and what came out in '06. And, I'm sure I'll forget more than I will remember. But, here goes.

1) After the Rain - Irma Thomas - Hands down the best CD of '06

2) Our New Orleans - Various - Fantastic Collection of NO music

3) Desperate Kingdom of Love - CJ Chenier - I absolutely LOVE this CD. What fun music!

4) Seeger Sessions- Bruce Springsteen - What music should be about: spontaneity, camaraderie, fun...

5) Thunderbird - Cassandra Wilson - She continues to expand her sound and incorporates technology so well into her music that it sounds organic. Even samples The Wild Tchoupitoulas in the song, Mexico.

6) All the Roadrunning - Emmilou Harris and Mark Knopfler - Great combo which recalls the days when country music was about songs and not anthems.

7) Sing Me Back Home - The New Orleans Social Club - John Boutte asks the most important question of the year, Why?

8) Youth - Matisyahu - Great Old Testament, existential music about demanding accountability from yourself to do what is right in the world.

OK, who all am I forgetting?

[saturn]

I have tried posting to this thread numerous times but it would never let me.

It is difficult to remember what came out post 8/29 in '05 and what came out in '06. And, I'm sure I'll forget more than I will remember. But, here goes.

1) After the Rain - Irma Thomas - Hands down the best CD of '06

2) Our New Orleans - Various - Fantastic Collection of NO music

3) Desperate Kingdom of Love - CJ Chenier - I absolutely LOVE this CD. What fun music!

4) Seeger Sessions- Bruce Springsteen - What music should be about: spontaneity, camaraderie, fun...

5) Thunderbird - Cassandra Wilson - She continues to expand her sound and incorporates technology so well into her music that it sounds organic. Even samples The Wild Tchoupitoulas in the song, Mexico.

6) All the Roadrunning - Emmilou Harris and Mark Knopfler - Great combo which recalls the days when country music was about songs and not anthems.

7) Sing Me Back Home - The New Orleans Social Club - John Boutte asks the most important question of the year, Why?

8) Youth - Matisyahu - Great Old Testament, existential music about demanding accountability from yourself to do what is right in the world.

OK, who all am I forgetting?

I have all but 2 of those and agree wholeheartedly with your list. (Adding the other 2 to my "must get" list now.)

[Orleansnj]

Subdudes - Behind the Levee
Sing me Back Home - New Orleans Social Club
Irma Thomas - After the Rain (her voice hasn't sounded this good in years)
Dr. John - Sippiana Hurricane

The live show and subsequent podcast of the Subdudes at the House of Blues with Keb 'Mo. (available free for download on the itunes site as well as the Subdudes (http://www.subdudes.com) site

Anything live from the 'fest from last year....definitely

Okay - I have a vast appreciation for music of all kinds - so I will also admit to liking the Madonna release, confessions on a dance floor (it's fantastic work out music or when you are stuck in the traffic jam of the century).....

[Frosty]

Yes, definitely Behind the Levee. I thought it was an earlier release in '05 but I was wrong. I just remember hearing the songs at an evening show during the '05 Jazz Fest.

[funkkjunkie]

YYR. Much more interesting read.
1. Stanton Moore - III -The best and funkiest of Stanton's 3 albums.
2. Dirty Dozen Brass Band -What's goin on. Their remake takes me there. Even with the heavy emphasis on hiphop, I love this laid back groovin yet strong statement of our world after the thing.
3. Big Sam's Funky Nation - Take Me Back -I would love anything Big Sam did. He's such a cool, funky, kindhearted young man.
4. Delta Nove - the Future is When - saw them at wakatwosa and loved their groove. Rock, world, funk, jazz.
5. Jazzfest Live - 2005 compilation -How can you go wrong with a jazzfest compilation?!
6. Robert Walter - Super Heavy Organ- It may be an 05 but it is definitely some super heavy organ.
7. New Birth Brass Band - New Orleans Second LIne! It's brass band music. Nuff said.
8. Our New Orleans 2005 - A benefit album-my ears say the best of the benefit albums

[funkkjunkie]

bumping for drgmb