This site requires the free Flash Player browser plugin.

Please download the free player for your web browser.

Thank You.

by Al Kooper of the Boston Herald

Not so fast. Before you start searching for the musical gems of 2010, here’s the best of the hundreds of downloads I sifted through in 2009. If I were a record label, publisher or DJ, I could probably make a living doing this, but I’m only compensating for not being able to go to record stores anymore to slake my musical thirst. The running order is not based on quality, but will make a great playlist spinning in this particular sequence.

1. “Spilt Milk,” the entire album by Kristina Train. This grows on ya when ya least expect it. If her record company wakes up, it’ll realize it has the heiress apparent to Dusty Springfield and steal some of Norah Jones advertising money. What a voice!!! Choose your favorite track for your playlist.

2. “Wilco (The Song”), Wilco. Jeez, I waited for this like I used to wait for Elvis albums in the 50s. I learned more from the Elvis albums, but this is a great listen. They keep getting better, damn it!

3. “Batoman,” Amadou & Mariam. I have belatedly gone berserk for African music. This is my favorite track in the genre. Great guitar playing!!!

4. “Naked,” The Trews. A well-known Canadian quartet (with brothers that actually get along), this Jack Douglas-produced goodie shows his Beatles lineage and makes you wonder why the Trews haven’t stormed the U.S.

5. “Chance,” James Maddock. He’s young, English and living in New York City. This is a track Springsteen wishes he had in his arsenal: a great song, arrangement and vocal all in one. As catchy as catchy can be.

6. “Cello Song,” the Books, featuring Jose Gonzalez. It’s the groove that grabs you first, then you slowly discover the rest. Wonderful listening. Gomez could have done this.

7. “Heavy Cross,” Gossip. If you’re not on the Beth Ditto train, you’ve missed the boat. On their first major label album, produced by Rick Rubin, they are at their modern, Joplin-esque best. Culturally, Ditto has doublehandedly put plus-size women on top with more Vogue space than they’ve ever had before. Cheers!

8. “Know Better Learn Faster,” Thao. I don’t know how a trio can reproduce this track live, but there’s always technology. On a small indie label, Thao is touring the world based on the music itself. Best of luck, mates! P.S. That’s a gal singing lead (I had no idea).

9. “Granddaddy,” Beep Beep. With more lineup changes than Obama’s security force, Eric Bemberger’s gang forges on with a great track.

10. “Kandi,” One eskimO. What a concept - a tribute to the great r & b thrush Candi Staton’s ’70s output with Candi samples throughout.

11. “Running Out of Love,” Candi Staton. The real thing, recording again in 2009. A voice that is always welcome.

12. “Beautiful Freak,” Phil Roy. An odball track that grows on you. Quite inventive musically, well sung and arranged.

13. “Pay It Back,” The Silent Years. College pals from Detroit make some fine noise under the guise of indie rockers. Great brass and string parts on a catchy track.

14. “Lovin’ You is Sweeter Than Ever,” Donna Gardier. There are many versions of this song, but I like the mood and groove of this one. Puts me in a good place.

15. “Idris,” The New Mastersounds. V intage r & b instrumental conjuring up the early ’60s. Right on the money. Well done, lads!

16. “Hold On,” Nigel Lewis, featuring Lynette White. Reggae singer gets huge attack of vintage soul. No one’s the wiser and all parties party.

17. “A Change Gonna Come,” Urban Mystic. Inspired by the Obama presidential slogan, this baby took on a life of its own. Now my second fave version after the classic Sam Cooke original.

18. “Gunpowder,” Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. A new group from Austin, Texas, with a deep soul sound. Really fun to see or dance to.

19. “Find Me a Place,” Jupiter One. You wouldn’t know it from this track, but many of their tunes are used in video games. Just a great indie-pop song that caught my ear and would not let go. Also from Austin, these guys relocated to Brooklyn for more snow and cold.

20. “Barefoot Reel,” Willy Porter. I found Willy on iTunes six years ago. Went to see him live and joined the converted. Nice to hear another soul taking up the mandolin (besides myself).

21. “Flower Petals,” the Subdudes. These guys play soul folk music and I don’t mind. Nice to have a new album again (even if I played on a track or two).

22. “Maker (Acoustic),” Fink. An Englishman well-versed in all music (and with a history in electronica and DJ-ing) gravitated to folksy acoustic blues in 2006 and met with some success. Here’s why.

23. “Black John,” Soul of John Black. I am following his recording career and am fascinated. He has all the right influences and is starting to make really good albums. This is my latest fave.

24. “Balaclava,” the Honeydogs. I heard these guys at South by Southwest Fest many years ago and we became friends. I played on their second album and always enjoy a new one by them. This is Beatle-y but I have no idea about the title or lyrics. I asked Adam, the writer, and he said: “You don’t wanna know - too gruesome!” Still, great guitars and great harmonies.

25. “I’ll Give You a Ring,” the Novaks. A little Stonesy - Bill Lloyd tipped me off to this. My thanks to him and the Novaks for putting more good music in my life.

26. “Bodhisattva Blues,” 7 Worlds Collide. This is nuts! Neil Finn from Crowded House grabs Jeff Tweedy and other Wilco lads, KT Tunstall and some frothing Finn friends to make an album like they’re a real band. It’s pretty damn good - and this is my favorite track.

27. “Mr. Soul,” Rush. Yes, it’s the Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield song; yes, it’s the Canadian prog rockers. What a surprise - not a joke!

28. “A Bower Scene,” the Decemberists. Half a song - 2 minutes long - with great production and arrangement. I have no idea what the lyric is about, but a good short listen.

29. “Sally Go ’Round the Roses,” Anny Celsi, featuring Evie Sands. Celsi made noise with “Little Black Dress” about three years ago. This is from her latest, a cover of the Jaynetts classic - but I can’t tell who’s Anny and who’s Evie.

30. “St. Teresa,” Joan Osborne. I once complained that the album from whence this track came was too white for me, because I love Joan’s r & b side. It still is, but I do enjoy her vocal on this one.

31. “So Long,” Visqueen. I can’t keep up with who is in this band. They come and go like used Kleenex. But this is a great song and honestly portrayed (whoever it is).

32. “Midnight Train,” the Tractors. Make no mistake, this is Tulsa, Okla., blues bar music, but there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?

33. “Hard Times,” the Bottle Rockets. Make no mistake, this is St. Louis blues bar music, but there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?

34. “Today,” Todd Rundgren. Todd’s back and in great shape on this track. Nice guys aren’t finished yet - get it “Today.”

35. “She Comes to Me in Dreams,” Great Lake Swimmers. Another Canadian band. The instrumental track sounds a bit Fleetwood/Buckingham, but the vocal approach is more Band-ish. Not a bad combo, actually.

36. “Hey, Soul Sister,” Train. They have become a guilty pleasure. Yes, they’re Top 40-oriented, but I am always seduced by at least two or three tracks on each album. Here’s the latest gooey listen (maybe it’s the uke).

37. “Always Be My Baby,” Brian McKnight. Smooth-as-silk soul from the always reliable McKnight. This one’s a step or two above the usual fine fare however - four stars for song, vocal, arrangement and production.

38. “Daisy Chain,” N’dambi. This Texas-born protege of Erykah Badu has emerged on the regenerated Stax label and with good reason. At first I thought she was a guy. Then I listened to the lyric and saw a photo. A great female tenor with potential for tenure.

39. “Wear Me Out,” Jesse Winchester. It does my ears good to hear someone from the ’60s still poignant and right on target.

40. “Nightwatchman (Live),” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. A comparatively recent crowd favorite and a natural for live inclusion. What can I say? They can still rock it down. Three cheers for Benmont!

41. “Go Easy Little Doves, I’ll Be Fine,” Brooke Waggoner. I’ve picked a few Brookes from the Lake of the Lost and this is no exception. She should be on the wagon to the top.

42. “The Only Night,” James Morrison. A mere 25 with teenaged good looks, this UK lad has taken his country by storm. What will he do in the United States with the name of a deceased rock star and a living legend wrestler? 2010 will tell.

43. “The Garden of Even,” the Drawing Room. Modern music with prog roots. Extremely well-done all around and quite listenable. Allegedly the musings of one man with help on live gigs.

44. “Come in from the Cold,” George Benson. A Marc Broussard tune, well-covered by Benson on his latest album. I forget sometimes what a great talent he is. This is a gentle reminder.

45. “Honey Bee (The Fillmore 11/04/1966),” Muddy Waters. This track was recorded many times by Muddy over the years, but this version has Muddy’s best slide playing. Just released this year.

46. “For Granted,” Soulive. Don’t take them for granted! This evolving jazz/r & b instrumental combo gets better and better at doing its thing.

47. “Old Enough,” Rickie Lee Jones. We lost Laura Nyro but Jones continues to grow and mellow at the same time. And she’s not “Old Enough” yet. The other singers are uncredited. Do I hear James Taylor here?

48. “Light a Roman Candle With Me,” Fun. Can’t find a bio on this band because of their generic name, but they are just what they say they are.

49. “Glass Paperweight,” Winter Gloves. Canada has become a hotbed of talent this year.

50. “End of the Year,” Other Lives. From Stillwater, Okla., and produced by Joey Waronker, this is very ambitious. There are at least three songs within this six-and-a-half-minute epic masquerading as one. I remember back when there was music like this - boundary-less and experimental. So why not now? It’s a new year!

Legendary musician and Somerville resident Al Kooper’s accomplishments include recording with Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, founding Blood, Sweat & Tears and discovering and producing Lynyrd Skynyrd. His “Black Coffee” won the 2006 Blues Award for Comeback Album of the Year. His latest CD is “White Chocolate.”

Original article at: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1222624

>> Other News Items

>> Email this article