Top 10 CD's of 2006

Hello and Happy New Year. As promised, it's time for the annual Top 10 CD list. Given the predominance of iTunes and iPods and single-song downloads, it's easy to be concerned that the album is becoming a lost art. Commercially there may be an element of truth to that, but I've reviewed plenty of albums this past year that are worth enjoying as a whole, not piecemeal. And as always, I have much more respect for artists who can impress me for forty minutes at a time, rather than just four.

I've reviewed nine of these albums already, and the tenth was reviewed here by Jim Lynch, so I don't have to go into any lengthy descriptions.

1. The Ditty Bops, Moon Over The Freeway. They're clever, they're funny, and they have to many good songs to ignore.



2. Johnny Clegg, One Life. I'm always happy when an old stand-by returns to form in a big way.




3. Dion, Bronx In Blue. He's always been a great singer, but I was really impressed with his guitar-playing on this one.



4. Värttinä, Miero. They're doing some U.S. shows this month, so keep your eyes open. The review was posted in Green Man Review.



5. Merrie Amsterburg, Clementine and Other Stories. Like Bronx in Blue, this album brings the musical traditions of America's past into the 21st century.


6. Loreena McKennitt, An Ancient Muse. Another unique artist makes a fine return.




7. Weird Al Yankovic, Straight Outta Lynwood. His biggest hit, only twenty-five years after his first album. Even people like me who loved his first record assumed at the time that he was just a novelty act. I guess we were wrong.

8. Maria Kalaniemi, Bellow Poetry. To really hear this one, turn the lights out and shut off all sound.




9. Amy Speace, Songs For Bright Street. A sharp wit and some good melodies should have gotten her more attention than she has to this point.



10. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. Eerie and Cryptic, but also compelling.

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The Top 10 CD's of 2005

Amy Speace, Songs For Bright Street (Wildflower Records, 2006)

Baltimore native Amy Speace has been living in New Jersey and performing on the folk circuit in New York City (along with Hoboken and Jersey City) for several years. She recorded her second album Songs for Bright Street with her backing band the Tearjerks, consisting of James Mastro (guitars, producer), Richard Feridun (guitar, banjo, lap steel, keyboards), Matt Lindsey (bass and backing vocals), and Jagoda (drums). Speace's songs straddle the line between folk and alternative country. The field of female singer-songwriters armed with acoustic guitars is rather crowded, and about half of the songs here would fit well, if inconspicuously, on albums by people like Dar Williams or Shawn Colvin. It's on the other half of the disc, where Speace either shows her edgy side or delves more deeply into country music, that she really shines as a singer and writer. On "Not The Heartless Kind," a lively rocker propelled by some fierce slide guitar work from Mastro, Speace threatens all sorts of retribution against an ex-lover but seems reluctant to make good on her warnings. "The Real Thing" is a classic anthem of female defiance, which deservedly got the loudest reactions when I saw her perform live and is most likely Speace's best chance for significant airplay. The countrified cover of Blondie's "Dreaming" is a brilliant re-interpretation; generally the best indicator of a well-written song is if it still works in a completely different arrangement than the original performers intended, and that's clearly the case here. Speace also shows her sense of humor with "Double Wide Trailer," a song about a woman from up north whose car breaks down on her way to visit friends in North Carolina, and winds up being rescued in more ways than one by the classic stereotypical southern man.

Amy Speace is an artist with plenty of things to say, and she says them very effectively on Songs for Bright Street. This album will obviously appeal to WFUV listeners, but Speace's songs have enough edge and wit to reach a broader audience as well.

Overall grade: A-

Amy Speace and the Tearjerks/Swamp Cabbage at the Goldhawk Lounge, Hoboken NJ, January 19, 2006

On Thursday January 19, Amy Speace and the Tearjerks played a double bill with Swamp Cabbage at the Goldhawk Lounge in Hoboken, New Jersey. Baltimore native Amy Speace had first come to my attention when a song of hers called "Not The Heartless Kind" appeared on a sampler CD in an issue of Paste magazine. That particular song was one of many she played Thursday night from her forthcoming CD Songs for Bright Street, due out in April. Amy and the Tearjerks perform a very straightforward style of no-frills country rock; Amy plays acoustic guitar, Rich Feridun plays lead guitar, Matt Lindsay plays bass, and Jagoda plays drums. There may not be anything new or noteworthy about their style of playing, but Speace wins over her audiences by combining a strong voice with some down-to-earth charm and witty and often humorous lyrics. For example, in "Not the Heartless Kind," Speace recites a litany of unpleasant things she could inflict on an ex-lover -- if she was the kind of person who'd do that. "Double Wide Trailer" is a love story that good-heartedly pokes some fun at southern country stereotypes. Her best chance for a hit, though, appears to be the defiant take-me-as-I-come-or-else anthem "The Real Thing," several lines of which elicited shouts of approval from the audience. Speace and the Tearjerks also threw in one cover, a disturbingly effective Texas two-step arrangement of Blondie's "Dreaming."

Conveniently, Matt Lindsay and Jagoda also make up two thirds of the second act Swamp Cabbage. The trio is completed by guitarist and vocalist Walter Parks. Swamp Cabbage play the same kind of down and dirty guitar boogie popularized by ZZ Top. Parks even plays and sings like Billy Gibbons, so if you like ZZ Top's sound you'll have no difficulty getting into Swamp Cabbage. Like Amy Speace, Swamp Cabbage threw one cover into the mix, opening with a rendition of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein." Their set was entertaining not just for the music, but also for Parks' amusing anecdotes about growing up in northern Florida. For what it's worth, I now know what "grunting for worms" is, although I can't say I have any immediate plans to try it.

The double bill turned out to be a pretty good two hours of music for a minimal price in a nice setting. The Goldhawk Lounge has a decent-sized lounge room with an assortment of chairs, tables, booths, and couches to choose from, making the overall atmosphere quite warm and cozy. (And it should only get warmer and cozier once the smoking ban takes effect.) Both acts play a lot in the metropolitan area, and I'd particularly recommend checking out Amy Speace if you get the chance. Her songs are good enough that she should hopefully soon earn a place of high distinction among the legion of female singer-songwriters armed with acoustic guitars. And if not, well, at least you can still catch some good music around town for the price of a drink or two plus $5 in the tip jar.

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Songs For Bright Street