1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN- The Rising: This articulate and compassionate disc is easily the most impressive album of the year. Even the songs that at first blush sound like he could have written them in his sleep 20 years ago have a dark side that take on greater significance. 2. GEORGE HARRISON- Brainwashed: His best work since “All Things Must Pass”. It reveals a man totally at peace with himself and his God (if not necessarily with the rest of the world) who played a mean ukulele. 3. SONIC YOUTH- Murray Street: Their albums are usually hit or miss depending on…

SKIN-CRAWLING KING SIZE SHACKLES, GLAD TO HAVE ‘EM ON: FROM THE MOUTHES OF BROKEN TEETH IN 2002 Junior Kimbrough ­ You Better Run (The Essential Junior Kimbrough) (Fat Possum/Epitaph) Just what you¹d want to hear if you walked into any Mississippi backwoods juke joint in the 1990¹sŠnew blues the old ways, old men broke, versa, a busted make-shift stage wobbling defiantly and without care into the night. Ralph Stanley ­ Ralph Stanley (Sony/DMZ) Like it’s his first album ­ post-mortem; the songs of bluegrass spiritual heaven. Time has made this voice that of the reaper, always on the verge of…

The Hives -Veni Vidi Vicious (Burning Heart) Really it’s a 2000 release but tough poop! This is one of the catchiest CD’s I’ve heard in years. Their earlier releases have more of a straight up punk sound, but Veni is just good old garage rock with some supreme riffs. There are a couple of tracks that touch on the punk flavor…all the better. Hearing them on the radio kinda took away some of the “exclusive”, cool vibe but they deserve all the praise they’ve received. The Donnas – Spend the Night (Atlantic) A band who has shown some real progression…

Top Thirteen Solomon Burke, Don’t Give Up on Me Blind Boys of Alabama, Higher Ground VA None But the Righteous: Masters of Sacred Steel. Dave Holland Big Band, What Goes Around Peter Wolf, Sleepless Dixie Chicks, Home Spoon, Kill the Moonlight Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Tyranny of Distance Norah Jones, Come Fly mth Me. She is an average singer who sings pop tunes – not jazz. She makes my list for what she doesn’t do. There are no triple octave leaps, with pretension of hip hop gospel and hands held high. She simply sings the melody without embellishment….

1. Beck Sea Change DGC/Geffen Records Once again, he’s outdone himself. Even Jackson Browne should be suitably impressed with this gloom n’ doom beauty. Take Mutations and remove any semblance of humor. 2. Aimee Mann Lost in Space Superego Records I don’t understand how Bachelor No. 2 got raves and this one seems to fly under the radar for most. If she has more of these in her misery treasure trunk, by all means keep em comin’! 3. Super Furry Animals Rings Around the World Beggars/XL Records A real mish-mosh of Beatle-pop, electronica insanity and 70s cliché-isms. A real feast…

These are a few of my favorite things. Albums of 2002 Fingathing: Superhero Music On their second album, Fingathing make hip-hop fun again by adding cello, long drum interludes and an array of vocal samples. Mum: Finally We Are No One Another sophomore release, this from an Icelandic band whose work recalls Bjork’s “Vespertine.” Music boxes, bells, and crisp layered sounds conjure images of snow and ice-covered lakes. Deadly Avenger: Deep Red An assortment of soundtrack flavors, breakbeats and old school funk, co-starring the Budapest Film Orchestra. The album comes with stickers too! Dom and Roland: Back for the Future…