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About the Bopper Current Music Beach Music Club Bop
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Best Songs of 2008
Best Albums of 2008 SteelDrivers - Bluegrass/Rock/Country - Best album of the year? Best New Group of the Year? New group of veteran nashville studio musicians have released the best album of the year so far. I am not a big bluegrass fan, however this album hooked me from the first few bars. Great playing, great songs (not a bad song on the album), Gutsy vocals - Highly recommended.
Cracked Ice - Soul Noir - R&B - Old style R&B with a taste
of beach music. If you like R&B, this band is not to be missed. Different
singers, horns, it has it all.
Sheryl Crow - Detours - Rock - This is one of Sheryl's
best albums. Filled with great songs and very well produced. She is a little
more pop on this outing, but very enjoyable.
Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Loving - Pop - Shelby covers
the songs of Dusty Springfield. She does more than cover, she re-interprets
great songs- this album is highly listenable - not to be missed.
Lizz Wright - The Orchard - R&B - This album does not
contain a killer like "Hit the Ground", but overall the album is stronger
than her last. Lizz is more rootsy, more folk, but her voice is still one of
the pure pleasures of new R&B.
Eric Lindell - Low on Cash, Rich in LOve - Rock - One of my favorite discoveries last year returns with a strong second album. I cannot help it, I just love this honky tonk brand of R&B influenced rock. Love it. Van Morrison - Keep it Simple - Rock/R&B - Van's latest is very well produced, honoring his love for the blues and R&B. No real killer songs, however album grows on you - nice outing. Stanley Turrentine - Look Out - Jazz - Remastered and re-released - great album from one of jazz's best tenor saxophone players. Melody Gardot - Worrisome Heart - Femal Vocal - Love this album, in the Diana Krall, Norah Jones vain. James McMurtry - Just Us Kids - Rock/Texas - New album from James (son of Larry) does not disapoint. One of our more literate rockers, great music and great songs that tell stories. If you are a fan of Bush, stay away as James is not. Also has some live versions of older songs (interesting to me - James rocks better in the studio than he does live - on record anyway.) The B-52's - Pump - Rock - They are back in fine form, this album rocks. If you like the B's, you will like Pump. Walter Trout - The Outsider - Blues - Electric blues - scorching guitars, if you are a fan of electric blues - check Walter out, you will not be disapointed.Walter Becker - Circus Money - Rock - Half of Steely Dan is better than no Steely Dan at all. If you are a fan of the Dan, you will like this latest outing from Becker. Steve Winwood - Nine Lives - Rock - I just love Steve Winwood. His newest is vintage Winwood, great songs, and then there is always his organ playing. Not to be missed. Steve Tyrell - Back to Bacharach - Easy Listening - Tyrell has a fabulous voice and his rendering of the classic songs of Bacharach is sonic delight. Sonny Landreth - From the Reach - Rock - Landreth is one of the best slide guitarists around. He used to be with John Hiatt. This is his latest solo outing - good songs, great slide - if you do not know about Sonny - do yourself a favor and check this out. Solomon Burke - Like a Fire - R&B - I have to admit, I was not crazy about the last two Burke albums (even though they got great reviews). But this third outing in the come back career of Burke is delightful. Solomon has one of the best voices in R&B, the songs are good, and the production is first rate. Robert Cray - Live at the BBC - Blues/R&B
- Up until now, I have not thought that Cray's live outings even began to
catch his essence. Ray Bonneville - Goin by Feel - Texas - Bonneville is one those Texas troubadours, a little bit of folk, rock and country influences. This is a very nice album. Nicholas Payton - Into the Blue - Jazz - Payton is one of the best of the new jazz players. His trumpet just soars - this album might be his best to date and that is saying something. Little Feat - Join the Band - Rock - The Feat are joined by lots of guest artists (Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Sonny Landreth, Dave Mathews and more). This is all the classic Feat songs plus a few more - great fun. Different takes on the familiar - dare you to play this without smiling and tapping your toes. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - The Legends - This is a compilation of four EP's on Itunes. Do not know how this is packaged as a CD. Basically, you have Shepherd who is a blues guitar genius playing along with the living founders of the blues - some are acoustic, some are electric, all are great renditions of the blues. Brubeck Braid - twodet/deuxtet - Easy Listening/Instrumental/Classical - Fabulous piano (David Braid) coupled with cello (Matt Brubeck) - cross between jazz and classical - simply beautiful. Brad Meldau Trio Live - Jazz - Discover why many think Meldau is the best living jazz pianist. Sweet and so good. Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal - Texas/Rock - Escovedo delivers the best rock album of the year and of his career. This is one of my favorite artists, so pardon me for being blown away. B.B. King - One Kind Favor - Blues - One of B.B.'s problems is that he has been around so long and is so prolific, that sometimes some of his releases just feel like you have been there already. Not so with "One Kind Favor". New songs, new arrangements, however it is the piano playing of Dr. John coupled with Lucille that makes this album shine. Mutlu - Livin It - Rock/Pop/R&B - Acoustic pop with R&B backup vocals makes for a very fun outing from this new artist. Buddy Guy - Skin Deep - Blues - The father of Chicago electronic blues unleashes a new album of scorching guitar with that Buddy kind of sneering vocals. Hard to believe this guy is so old. One of his best. Teddy Thompson - A Piece of What You Need - Folk/Pop - Teddy delivers another lp of hooky songs- I love this guy. John Beasley - Letter to Herbie - Jazz - One of the best jazz albums of 2008, Beasley is great accompanied by Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, and Jeff Tan Watts. Chris Potter - Gratitude - Jazz - Potter pays tribute to some of jazzes best players in a superb jazz outing. Although this was released in 2001, just discovered it via Itunes so it is new to me. January - Marcin Wasilewski Trio - Jazz - Beautiful piano trio - mood setting. Johnny Vidacovich, June Yamagishi, George Porter, Jr. - We Came to Play - Funk/Jazz - guitar bass and drums just get down in long extended sets - if you like funk - this is not to be missed. Toby Lightman - Let Go - Pop - Fun R&B influenced album from Toby a new soulful songstriss. Hucknall - Tribute to Bobby - R&B - I do not know who this guy is, but he delivers an album of Bobby Blue Bland's biggest hits. Very well arranged, brings new treatment to some great songs. North Mississippi AllStars - Boulderado:Live at the Fox - Blues - Electric Blues rocking live. The Fireman - Electric Arguments - Rock - Paul McCartney and Slow with a great album of electronic pop. Over the Rhine - Snow Angels - Rock - Great collection of original Christmas songs. Mavis Staples - Mavis Staples Live: Hope at the Hideout - Blues - Mavis with a tight tight small band has never sounded so good. David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything that Happens Will Happen - Rock/Pop - Byrne and Eno reunite for a great album of hooky songs. Dion - Heroes - Rock - Love the new Dion as he reinterprets old classics acoutically. Stephanie McKay - Tell It Like It Is R&B - One of my favorite R&B albums of the year, the girl can sing. McCoy Tyner - Guitars - Jazz - Tyner is joined by guest guitar players for a superb jazz outing. Joan Osborne - Little Wild One - Rock - Osborne's latest featuring new songs - she is just one of the best. Dan Dyer - Self Titled - R&B - White falsetto rythm and blues singer - very nice. Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws - Rock - Need a new dose of Fleetwood Mac - then here it is. George Duke - Dukey Treats - Jazz - Newest Duke does not disappoint - funky jazz at it's best. steve begor - the bopper
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