It's Only Rock-n-Roll

In With the New. Some new music for the new year. Rosanne Cash: Black Cadillac (Capitol, 2006). With the loss of her step mother and both parents all within the space of two years, this is her loving memorial, if you will. In the title track she laments, "one of us gets to go to heaven, one has to stay here in hell." While in "I Was Watching You," she looks down from heaven at her parents wedding day and then watches their marriage fall apart knowing there's nothing she can do to stop it. As the sole matriarch of a family of tragedies and triumphs she finally comes to grips with her past, and accepts the truth that long after life there's still love; the love of her husband and kids; the love of her daddy who is still watching over her. Her grief is transcended finally by her father's faith. A faith that is now hers to bare. This is her finest album since Interiors, and its courage is as undeniable as it is redemptive. A Belle & Sebastian: The ...

REBELS WITH A CAUSE! Steve Earle: Jerusalem (Artemis, 2002). Even in his earlier days, back when he courted the same audience that Dwight Yoakam and John Anderson used to own, Earle was sort of a rebel rouser. His class-consciousness earned him high praises from rock critics, but down in Nashville he was thought of as a light-weight Joe Ely. His addiction to heroine, combined with a propensity for shooting off his mouth, earned him a reputation as a radical. Jerusalem will certainly do nothing to quell his critics. If anything, with songs like "John Walker's Blues" and the title track, he's more likely to incite them. With a plethora of post 9/11 albums, all seeking to somehow make sense out of senseless violence, Earle's courage comes off as genuine. And even if it does cost him at the cash register - Wal-Mart has threatened not to carry the album - in the end history will be on his side. A. Todd Snider: East Nashville Skyline (Oh Boy, 2004). America's f...

The Best of the 1970s: The dawning of the age of the Singer/Songwriter, as well as the rise and fall of Album-Oriented Rock and Disco. This was the decade that ushered in and out three profound genres. Name me another decade that saw the likes of Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, and the Bee Gees fight over who's stamp would define it better and I'll show you, well, you know what, forget it. There was no other decade like this. And yet, in many respects, this was a terrible decade for creativity. Save for the Joni Mitchells, the John Prines and the Stevie Wonders, this was a very narrow-minded decade. Unlike, its predecessor (the '60s) and its benefactor (the '80s) the 1970s were as predictable as dirt. No sooner had AOR exploded on the scene in late '69 than it began to fizzle out within a few years; by 1975 it was in its death throws, replaced by the early new wave/punk movement. Disco, too, became of a victim of its own fame. By 1979, it had become the nation's nu...

The Best of the 1980s: Indie Meets Major! I don't know about you, but I found this to be, overall, the best decade in pop music. It was diverse, transitional, unconventional, and, at the same time, popular. Not since the 1960s has there been such an influx of divergent musical genres and styles. It was tough choosing only 40, but here goes. 1. The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (Shanachie, 1986). 2. The Clash: London Calling (Epic, 1980). 3. Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A. (Columbia, 1984). 4. DeBarge: In a Special Way (Gordy, 1983). 5. Ornette Coleman: Of Human Feelings (Antilles, 1982). 6. Mekons: Fear and Whiskey (Sin import, 1985). 7. Lucinda Williams: Lucinda Williams (Rough Trade, 1988). 8. Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (Def Jam, 1988). 9. Prince: Sign O' the Times (Paisley Park, 1987). 10. X: Wild Gift (Slash, 1981). 11. Marshall Crenshaw: Field Day (Warner Bros., 1983). 12. James B...

2005's Honorable Mention Picking only 30 albums was difficult. In light of that I thought it only fair to list the albums that would've made it had the list been a top 40. Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine (Epic/Cleanslate). Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph). Franz Ferdinand: You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino). James McMurtry: Childish Things (Compadre). Art Brut: Bang Bang Rock & Roll (Banana Recordings). The Perceptionists : Black Dialogue (Def Jux). My Morning Jacket: Z (ATO/RCA). Bell Orchestre: Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light (Rough Trade). Wide Right: Sleeping on the Couch (Poptop). Four Tet: Everything Ecstatic (Domino). Life is cruel sometimes

TWO-FERS: Two albums each from various artists over the last three decades. R.E.M.: Lifes Rich Pageant (I.R.S., 1986). Not content to leave his lyrics in the dominion of obscurity, Michael Stipe finally enunciates and the result is not only an album that’s covertly political (Murmur) , but one that’s overtly political as well. At the same time it’s also their most popular effort. But for all the accolades “Fall on Me” earn them – and they certainly deserve it – it’s the more blunt songs like “These Days” and “The Flowers of Guatemala” that boil my juices. Their socialism is real, as is their ambition, and while this is not quite as potent as their debut, for staying power, it's right up there. A- R.E.M.: Document (I.R.S., 1987). For the record “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” is the finest song they’ve done, but for most of this “major breakthrough” I find myself wondering what all the fuss is about. Sure “The One I Love” finally puts them on the charts like ...