My favorite music from 2008

Cheap Trick – Budokan!
It’s hard to believe that Cheap Trick were relatively unknown in US before their now legendary live LP, At Budokan, shipped in February 1979. In Japan, however, Cheap Trick’s mix of big pop hooks and soft-core hard rock proved the perfect combination. The fans who packed Tokyo’s Budokan arena in 1978 were in hysterics over Cheap Trick. Released there in October 1978, it was never intended for American markets. For 20 years, the ten songs on At Budokan were the sole experience of the two riveting shows Cheap Trick had recorded at the immortalized stadium. The treat here, though, is the DVD. Shown only once before, 30 years ago on Japanese TV, the DVD is the visual complement to the April 28th CD. Shot with multiple cameras and professional production values, you’ll see the band take the stage and then rip through their set. You’ll have that feeling of having been at the show. The audience excitement level, the great songs, and the enthusiastic performances are all there. Cheap Trick is as much fun to watch as they are to hear. Nielsen looks like a cross between Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman and is frantic as he bounces from one end of the stage to the other, tipping his cap and mugging at the crowd. Carlos, meanwhile, is cool as he smokes a cigarette while he runs through drum fills. As for Peterson and Zander, they simply play well and look pretty. Together, the misfits and the sexy rock stars make for a terrific show.

Nikka Costa – Pebble to a Pearl
Nu-soul diva, with an earthy, down-home funk, bouncy beat and girly harmonies straight out of Motown. A groove album, one that’s all about feel, how the rhythm runs, and how the band plays. A wonderful live, loose atmosphere – she really belts out the songs and unleashes a fire. A gem, a true blast of retro-soul with its own distinct groove.

Kathleen Edwards – Asking For Flowers
One of the very best of the young songwriters out there. She has an interesting worldview with a very honest voice and plenty of attitude. It’s certainly stimulating to the ear to hear a vocalist reside in their comfort zone, and it adds overall sincerity.

David Gilmour – Live in Gdansk
Recorded and filmed in 2006 at the Polish city’s shipyards, the very same historic location where Lech Walesa’s Solidarity began. This 2 ½ hour package documents the entire concert. Gilmour’s band — Rick Wright, Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, keyboardist Jon Carin, bassist Guy Pratt, and saxophonist Dick Parry — is accompanied by the Baltic Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.  It is utterly charming, compelling, and emotionally moving. It includes a live performance of Gilmour’s entire On an Island album and a boxful of Pink Floyd hits. With the orchestra accompanying the band, the dreaminess and spaciness of the originals comes through, and Gilmour is in fine voice as well. The live version of the album rocks more, perhaps because of the steady presence of Manzanera, who adds extra punch to Gilmour’s airy bluesy on guitar. It would have been amazing to be in that audience.

Shelby Lynne – Just a Little Lovin’
Shelby’s personal homage to the late, legendary Dusty Springfield. She doesn’t attempt to sound like Springfield. She uses her own phrasing and rhythmic sensibility. The readings are close, intimate. They’re understated but direct. Her delivery takes these songs straight to the listener’s belly. The tight but easy sensuality in her voice adds a very different aspect to them.  The multidimensional persona she displays on her records is still here. Her diversity, confidence, and wide-ranging ability are showcased throughout.

John Mellencamp – Life, Love, Love & Freedom
Mellencamp’s second consecutive album to use the word "Freedom" in the title is really his reflection on the lack of freedom, along with a life that seems to be almost over, love still idealized and death. Musically, close to the first five Bob Dylan albums, he brings real conviction to his reflections on death with experienced, mature wisdom. Yet it remains as much about him as it is about the world he sees around him.

Allison Moorer – Mockingbird
A natural sounding set of covers that run the gamut from rock and blues, to jazz, country, and traditional and indie folk. Patti Smith’s "Dancin’ Barefoot" is a contender for best track on the set. Her articulation captures what is at the heart of Smith’s song, expressing a powerful desire as it surrenders to raw need. It’s saturated in scorching electric guitars, tambourines, cymbals, popping drums and organ; they wash through it all violently, yet reflect the lyrics perfectly. She can sing anything; her voice sways, swings, and swoops through acoustic guitars, bluesed out keyboards, and whispering drums. It’s wonderful. It reflects the deliberately forgotten, topically tragic side of the American country tradition. She ups her own stake here both creatively and emotionally. It is her warmest, most ambitious, and gutsy record yet.

Susan Tedeschi – Back To The River
With a vibrant, versatile voice (like a mix of Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt) capable of adding subtle emotional shifts to slow-burning ballads or rocking out with the big boys,
Tedeschi wrote or co-wrote all but one of the 11 tracks here, and while these songs are based in her beloved blues, like Raitt, she has branched out from there to become a solid pop artist with a real and accessible vision, and the blues is just the motor. There are some wonderful moments here, including the big and funky title track. Her voice, which is a wonderful instrument, strong and hushed by turns, and she carries the full weight of the world’s possibilities when she sings, ranging from wounded to determined, delicate to brash, always getting to the emotional center of the song. She continues to develop as a songwriter.
 
Rachael Yamagata – Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart
A singer-songwriter-pianist with a great sultry voice – dark and vulnerable; gritty and cynical. –  The disc wears very well with repeated listens and really showcases her ability to combine attitude with aptitude.

Neil Young – Sugar Mountain – Live At Canterbury House 1968
Just a few days before the release of his self-titled, debut solo album, Neil Young performed two nights at the Canterbury House in Michigan. Sugar Mountain presents Neil in a very intimate solo setting. The set list relies heavy on songs from his Buffalo Springfield days including solo performances of "Mr. Soul", "Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing" and "Broken Arrow". The rambling between songs is quite charming and the title-track recalls Decade, where the first song from this show actually surfaced.