So YESTERDAY I was talking w/ my good friend Jaymz and we were talking about our “Best Of” lists for our blogs and I honestly didn’t think I had enough new music in 2007 to really mention but it turns out that I had way more than I though I did. I was gonna do a best, 1-10 type list but I just don’t feel that’s fair because at certain points I liked some over others and vice versa. So instead, I decided I would just list them here and give a little description of the best things I picked up this year. So here it goes:
Norah Jones – “Not Too Late”
So honestly, I totally forgot I even picked this up this year! That’s not to say that it isn’t good. I thought this was a great album. There are some great songs on here but ya know, I like to compare Norah to AC/DC. Kinda crazy I know but hear me out. When AC/DC puts out an album, before even hearing a single song off of it, you know what it’s gonna sound like. It’s gonna rock, it’s gonna be fun and if you like the other 20-something albums they’ve put out, you’ll like this one. Same w/ Norah. I have loved everything she’d put out up to this point so I figured, how can I go wrong? And I was write. The album is well played, has some great songwriting and Norah just always delivers w/ that breathy voice of hers. A sure hit for 2007!
Lacuna Coil – Karmacode
This was a great band that my good friend Spoob turned me on to earlier in the year. He had seen them at Ozzfest and really talked them up to me. After FINALLY caving in and giving a listen to these Italian Goth Metal gods, I was sold. Great songs, great songwriting and played with guts and gusto. I was really excited that I liked this album so much. Songs like “Our Truth”, “Devoted” and their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” really captured me and made me a fan. Much to my surprise, upon picking up their earlier albums, I found the previous album “Comalies” to be an even better album that this one but while this is so, “Karmacode” was a great change of pace for me that I enjoyed well throughout 2007.
Megadeth – United Abominations
2007 was a year of metal for me! I have to say that the last time I bought a Megadeth album I wasn’t even able to legally drink booze but in 2007, I purchased their newest album “United Abominations” and lemme tell ya, I wasn’t let down by any means. Dave Mustaine was back with a new line up musicians but still showing that he could still lead the pack. In a time where Metallica has basically let down their true “older” fans, Dave was back with an album that was full of political consciousness and grit. “Washington Is Next” is a bold statement of the current state of our administration and those statements carried over into other songs such as “Amerikhastan”, “Gears of War” and the albums title track. A REALLY great surprise on this release was a re-recording of the classic track “A Tout La Monde” which featured a vocal duet with Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia. This was a great rendition of this song and this album was a triumph for Dave & Co. in 2007.
The Donnas – Bitchin’
This was a release I was anticipating more so than just about any other release this year. I’ve been a Donnas fan for many years now and it’s so fun to watch a band literally grow up and just get progressively better with each release. After their major label debut with “Spend The Night”, Atlantic records was disappointed w/ the lack of “hits” on the album so for their follow up album “Gold Medal”, they brought in none other than the career killer himself, Butch Walker to produce and even co-write. The end result was an album that the general public pretty much wrote off and for us Donnas fans, while it had good points, it just wasn’t them. With their newest release “Bitchin'”. They did it on their own terms and put out and album that just floored us all the fuck over! It is a true hair metal classic for modern times. Had this album come out in the 80’s, this one could’ve run neck and neck w/ classics like Ratt’s “Out Of The Cellar”, Cinderella’s “Night Songs” and Poison’s “Look What The Cat Dragged In”. Yes, it’s THAT good. This album really showed the world just what they are capable of when they are steering the ship and all I can say is that the future is wide open for these girls! One of my fave albums of the year without a doubt!
J.J. Grey & Mofro – Country Ghetto
There’s nothing better than pleasant surprises. This year Lady L. and I made our annual trek out to Walnut Creek to see The Allman Brothers Band who are known to pull in tow with them some really great opening acts. Well, this year they were pulling along with them J.J. Grey & Mofro and The Drive By Truckers. We didn’t know shit about Mofro and all we had heard was pure positive hype about The Truckers. Well, we totally missed Mofro no thinking much of it but caught the Truckers who were disappointingly awful to say the least. While in line to get my 5 dollar beer, I heard people raving about how great Mofro was and what a hot set they did. Later that night, singer JJ Grey joined the Allmans on stage to perform “Smokestack Lightning” and he just floored me. I went out right away and picked up “Country Ghetto” and man, Lady L and I were sucked in. Muddy, murky swampy soul music from Florida just filled the room and we were loving it. It’s definintely “mood music”. You can’t and shouldn’t be doing a lot of shit when grooving to this disc. Matter of fact, this is the disc to wind down to after a long day. maybe a beverage or smoke of your choice and just let it take you down the muddy Mississippi.
Loud Lion – EP
This was something completely different. First, take members of The Donnas, Rooeny, Andrew W.K, and Bleu. Add a singer than sounds JUST LIKE Joe Elliot and record a hand full of songs as a tribute to the classic great sound of Def Leppard. But instead of doing Def Leppard songs, do all original songs and make it SOUND JUST LIKE Def Leppard… right down to the slick production sound of Mutt Lange. This stuff was fantastically cheesy and really well played and produced. The band had two sings in movies, “The Hills Have Eyes” from the movie of the same name and “Love Will Break Your Heart” from the Balls Of Fury movie. The songs are great fun to listen to and they obviously put some original though into the concept. So far, there is just their EP when can be purchased from their MYSPACE page, http://www.myspace.com/loudlion. There has been no news of a possible tour or other songs but one can only hope that this might formulate into something a bit more. But then again, this just may be something that’s better in a small dose.
Donita Sparks & The Stellar Moments – EP
After seeing former L7 member Donita Sparks open for The Donnas, I just had to get a copy of the EP which is fantastic. I was never an L7 fan but what Donita has been doing these days is really fascinating stuff. The material, at best, can be compared to a kind of psychedelic punky Talking Heads. Songs like “Dare Dare” and “Curtains For Kathy” really stand out as choice numbers and it’s just great fun to listen to. I don’t really know how else to describe it other than that I REALLY like this material and you should give it a listen. You can give it a spin over at http://www.myspace.com/donitasparks. Yet another great and welcomed surprise in 2007!
Blind Melon – 2007 Demos
Ok, so while this wasn’t an “official” release and I didn’t buy it, I did happen to get my hands on the 2007 Blind Melon demos. As most know by now (maybe from reading this blog!), Blind Melon reunited all it’s surviving members and recruited 25 year old Travis Warren to fill the HUMONGOUS shoes of dearly missed and departed former singer Shannon Hoon. The band had a VERY successful run of shows at the end of this year which earned them a great bit of positive reviews and positive press. The band also stated that while they were out to keep the spirit and songs alive that were made w/ their old friend that they were not going to be a nostalgia act. They have recorded an entire album w/ Travis and let me tell you, the songs are FANTASTIC! In all honesty, the album really seems to pick up where they were left off and the new songs are just fantastic. Songs like “Wishing Well”, “Down On The Pharmacy” and “Tumbling Down” just really capture that vibe of that signature Blind Melon sound. The lyrical content is quite changed obviously but yet they seem to touch upon similar concepts of life, struggle and that never ending search for inner peace. All I can say is that this will DEFINITELY be a top release for 2008… without a doubt!
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