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Beck poured his heart out in 2002
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SEA CHANGE, Beck (Interscope)
If Hank Williams lived in Silver Lake and took midnight drives in the desert, he still might not have come up with a bunch of bluesy, falling-out-of-love songs as desolate as these. Lyrically, he's a loser baby, but Beck's famed irony is as gone as the girl who inspired these songs, while his fusion tendencies (rock, country, string sections) bloom under the restraint of producer Nigel Goodrich.
Top Tracks: The Golden Age, Lost Cause, All in Your Mind |
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THE BEST BOOTLEGS IN THE WORLD EVER..., Various
Mash-ups — the combination of a vocal track from one song and the instrumental from another — are the first meaningful artform to come out of home studio programs. They're extremely illegal (this album has no credited artists or record label) and, for fans who know their music, extremely entertaining. Freelance Hellraiser's Strokes/Christina Aguilera mash-up of is one of the top 5 songs of the year.
Top Tracks: A Stroke of Genius, Smells Like Booty, Bium Bium Bamabalo |
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IN SEARCH OF..., N.E.R.D., (Virgin)
The Neptunes produced dozens of indistinguishable hits this year for teen singers desperate to appear down, but they saved the really good stuff for themselves. Mixing rock, rap, irony, and lap dancing, they proved that hip hop still has a sense of humor, and they let everyone in on the joke.
Top Tracks: Lapdance, Truth or Dare, Rock Star |
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UP!, Shania Twain, (Mercury)
She's gonna getcha once she's gotcha insight. She's gonna getcha if it takes all night, two CDs, 38 songs and a bushel of exclamation points. Up! is Twain's Pearl Harbor on the human ear. Don't worry, though, she has no interest in bombing anyone's brain.
Top Tracks: Nah!, I'm Gonna Getcha Good!, Waiter! Bring Me Water! |
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION, Missy Elliot, (Elektra/Asylum)
She dropped 40 pounds on doctor's orders, and slipped back 20 years for an old school rap celebration that's nostalgic without being anti-present. No one in pop music consistently generates more great hooks or more goodwill.
Top Tracks: Work It, Back in the Day, P***ycat |
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SONGS FOR THE DEAF, Queens of the Stone Age, (Interscope)
Josh Homme and Nick Olivieri are either Satanists or satirists — it's hard to know which from their laughably impenetrable, highly melodic speed metal ditties. With Dave Grohl providing guest drum thunder, Songs nearly lives up to its title.
Top tracks: Gonna Leave You, Go With the Flow |
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THE EMINEM SHOW, Eminem, (Interscope)
Offensive enough for his gay-baiting and femme-hating, but what about the self-pity of Cleaning Out My Closet and the shlocky indulgence of Hailie's Song? Woe is he, but when it comes to phrasing, wordplay and the sheer joy of being an ass, Eminem remains forever unchallenged.
Top tracks: White America, Without Me, My Dad's Gone Crazy |
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ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL, The Streets, (Vice)
A rapper from the not-so-gritty streets of Birmingham, England who makes the desperation of the working/drinking classes just as frightening as the drugs and violence in South Central.
Top Tracks: It's Too Late, The Irony of it All |
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THE RISING, Bruce Springsteen, (Sony)
He'll get the Album of the Year Grammy just for not embarrassing himself. But The Boss' Sept. 11 songs were empathetic without being too maudlin, and a few of them still managed to rock.
Top Tracks: You're Missing, Empty Sky, Waitin' On a Sunny Day |
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CEE-LO GREEN & HIS PERFECT IMPERFECTIONS, Cee-lo, (Arista)
"I have millenniums of material and rivers of rhythm," boasts Cee-lo. Okay, maybe not millenniums, but at least 8 great tracks that mix spirituality and absurdity (he is the first rapper to my knowledge to write about a super chicken) over hypnotic afro-funk grooves.
Top Tracks: Big Ole Words (Damn), Spend the Night in Your Mind, El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken) |
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Norah Jones leaves a lasting impression
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COME AWAY WITH ME, Norah Jones, (Blue Note)
Is it jazz? Is it pop? Who cares? What matters is that singer-pianist Jones — drawing from jazz, pop and country — creates music that seduces subtlty, entertains thoroughly, and lingers in the heart long after the CD has finished spinning. |
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MTV UNPLUGGED 2.0, Lauryn Hill, (Sony)
Yes, there's too much chatter on this album, with Hill, offering up her views on life, love and whatever else crosses her mind. But the power of her music — hip-hop delivered solo with raw vocals and an acoustic guitar — makes this one a keeper, despite the superfluous patter. |
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FANTASIA CUBANA, Chucho Valdes, (Blue Note)
The best jazz pianist in the world today offers up his renditions of compositions by some of history's finest composers — including Debussy, Ravel, and Chopin. The result is classical music invigorated with fresh improvisational ideas — and a little rhythmic heat courtesy of Valdes' native Cuba. |
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SEA CHANGE, Beck, (Interscope)
The rightly acclaimed, but sometimes cryptic singer-songwriter tears down the walls of irony that circumscribe his music, revealing a heart that's broken but still beating. |
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SEAN-NOS NUA, Sinead O'Connor, (Vanguard)
This album isn't about politics, or rage, or the singer's troubled family history. Instead, on this release, O'Connor serves up a set of traditional Irish songs, including "Molly Malone" and "Paddy's Lament," performing them with restraint and vocal charm. |
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BRAMBLE ROSE, Tift Merritt, (Lost Highway)
A rising singer-songwriter who blends country, pop and rock into music that sounds youthful and modern, but holds on to its folksy roots. |
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RED HOT + RIOT, Various, (MCA)
Fela Kuti, a Nigerian musician who died of AIDS-related complications in 1997, was the inventor of Afrobeat, a brew of African rhythms, funk, jazz and rock. On this tribute album, contemporary artists, including Common, D'Angelo and Kuti's son Femi, bring his music back to rollicking life. Purists are advised to check out some of Fela's original material, featured on such re-released albums as Opposite People/Sorrow Tears and Blood. |
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PHRENOLOGY, The Roots, (MCA)
This Philadelphia-based band is setting a standard for quality and innovation in hip-hop. With the addition of an electric guitarist, the Roots' new CD rocks harder than their past sets. As a result, the music cuts deeper than almost everything that passes for rap on Top-40 radio. |
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WIRETAP SCARS, Sparta, (Dreamworks)
Refugees from the late lamented group At the Drive-In formed this rock outfit, which melds smart lyrics with punk-tinged riffs. |
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HIGHLY EVOLVED, The Vines, (Capitol)
This Aussie band isn't as tuneful as The Strokes, but they're far more innovative than the Hives. It's not rock 'n' roll Nirvana (yes, that Nirvana), but some of the tunes get you pretty close to heaven. |
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DIVA CONFESSIONS
Whitney, Mariah and Shania, looking to move units, took to the media to tell us all about their personal business. It would be far better for their fans if they focused on putting out good music instead of simply providing good copy. |
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