Dec 29, 2010

Best Albums of 2010

I know there were other albums that came out this year that I missed that could have made it to this list, but this is the best I heard in 2010 as of December 29th. An honorable mention goes out to Glossary for their album Feral Fire, which I was way late to the party for. If I'd grabbed this gem earlier, it certainly would have made a dent on the chart.


Top 10 Albums of 2010

There's just no way around it. Jamey's The Guitar Song is a monster. While it's not an album most can sit down and digest in one sitting due to the dark side of the yin yang decidedly outweighing the light side…(even some of the happy songs carry an air of sorrow) this is truly the best mainstream country album of the year and, quite likely, the last 20 years. Aside from a couple of slightly shoddier songs, the writing is top of the heap - Johnson is without peer in the Nashville mainstream. The bearded one is no savior though; Nashvegas won't change overnight. However, the fact that this record has already moved 500,000 copies bodes well for the future. Jamey may not even have a top 10 hit off this release, but it won't matter. The Guitar Song is a monumental success.
Must listens: Cover Your Eyes, Can't Cash My Checks, How I Don't Love You



Blending his eccentricities with warm vocals, a love of classic soul and a forward-thinking approach, Cee-Lo gave us an album anyone with an appreciation of R&B can love. Even your grandmother would dig it, if it weren't for "F*ck You," the viral smash that begat the sanitized Glee cover hit. The Lady Killer is strange, but comfortable… fresh, but throwback… immediately catchy, but layered. It gets no better in modern R&B.
Must listens: F**k You, Satisfied, Love Gun





In any other year, this would have easily topped my list, especially since it's Two Cow Garage's best album to date. Some say they've abandoned alt-country/rock for power pop, but there's still plenty of twang to go around. The songs are catchier this time around, and yes, poppier, but that doesn't diminish the effect. TCG's songwriting has never been better, and they never lack in the emotion category, making this a true winner.
Must listens: Lydia, Jackson Don't You Worry




FTM interviewee and pal Austin Collins' Wrong Control was my favorite release of early 2010 and has held up to many, many further listens. Austin falls somewhere in the realm of Ryan Adams and the Replacements with some of the Texas soul of the country troubadours. Despite his joking, affable personality, the songs are mostly downers, but in the best ways possible. They're moody but catchy and entirely cathartic. AC deserves a higher standing in the alt-country genre, and with albums like this, it's only a matter of time, not chance.
Must listens: Conventional Lust, Centerpiece



Despite being snubbed by the Grammys (wtf??), this awkwardly titled hip-hop opus is better than that of the anointed King of Hip-Hop, Kanye's, admitted strong new release. It's more accessible, though far from standard rap in this day and age. Big Boi's personality really gets to shine apart from his pairing with Andre 3000 in the legendary OutKast, showing him to be much more than the more street-friendly half of that duo. The beats are unique, the lyrics are top-notch (often hilarious) and BB's delivery has never been better. Here's to showing the youngsters how it's done.
Must listens: Tangerine, General Patton, You Ain't No DJ



This guy is only 23?? Probably the strongest songwriter in my Top 10, Pug is the true modern-day heir to Dylan if anyone is. His songs speak the poetry of an old soul but crackle with the vitality of youth. If he's doing this at this age, think of what's to come.
Must listens: Messenger, Not So Sure, Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)






Bluegrass on meth, Four Loko folk, Americana… I don't know what you want to call this, but I call it good music. Ripping up their instruments like Old Crow Medicine Show with a little less twang and a few less nefarious leanings, Trampled by Turtles sings loud and proud on the up-tempos and low and soulful on the slower numbers. It's all good.
Must listens: New Orleans, Wait So Long






I actually hate this album, but I felt obliged to help out a pal. Seriously, this one's full of catchy alternative pop rock Americana goodness and with songs this good, Kasey's bound for years of being on this list. He's already got a new album slated for early '11 and I can't wait!
Must listens: I Was a Photograph (Blake's Song), All Lit Up






Rodney takes his Texas charm on the road with this set of internationally flavored country tunes about love, loss and unease. Drew Kennedy produces and provides a standout track. What else do you need?
Must listens: Take Me Back Wife, Waiting on the Pain






While Cee-Lo's release tread new ground with an old R&B sound, this one's a complete blast from the past. Fans of Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding will feel right at home listening to these 70's flavored soul songs. Strong writing and even stronger performances propel this album to memorable heights.
Must listens: The Game Gets Old, Window Shopping





The Next 30
11. Paul Thorn - Pimps and Preachers
12. Truth & Salvage Co. - s/t
13. Dirty Sweet - American Spiritual
14. The Black Crowes - Croweology
15. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
16. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
17. Randy Houser - They Call Me Cadillac
18. Hellbound Glory - Old Highs and New Lows
19. The Black Keys - Brothers
20. Drive-by Truckers - The Big To-Do
21. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
22. Sean McConnell - Saints, Thieves & Liars
23. Reckless Kelly - Somewhere in Time
24. Lissie - Catching a Tiger
25. The Dirty Guv'nahs - Youth is in Our Blood
26. The Fox Hunt - Long Way to Go
27. Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give
28. Emory Quinn - See You at the Next Light
29. Whitey Morgan & the 78s - s/t
30. Randy Rogers Band - Burning the Day
31. The Roots - How I Got Over
32. High on Fire - Snakes for the Divine
33. Elizabeth Cook - Welder
34. John Moreland and the Black Gold Band - Things I Can't Control
35. Great American Taxi - Reckless Habits
36. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
37. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
38. Marty Stuart - Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions
39. Bleu Edmondson - The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
40. Old 97's - The Grand Theatre Volume 1

Top 10 Things You Can Expect NOT To Hear on Country Radio in 2011

10. Gucci Mane as a guest rapper

(may happen by 2012 though)


09. Steel guitar as a lead instrument; Fiddle as more than a token accent


08. Taylor Swift …singing about drinking, divorce or actual sorrow


07. A NEW solo song by any of the following: Willie Nelson, George Jones, Joe Diffie, John Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless or Ray Price.


06. A song that puts the singer in a negative light


05. Jason Aldean …performing a song you'll care about by 2012


04. An urban pride song

(and for Bucky fans, this has nothing to do with Keith)


03. Gary LeVox …unaided by studio wizardry (and unfueled by pastries)


02. A song not about death or disease that could bring a tear to your eye


01. ANYTHING that makes you think "Holy crap, I can't believe they played that!"

Dec 28, 2010

10 Worst Albums of 2010

A qualifier first: When I say "worst," I mean "the worst I've heard." When I say "the worst I've heard," that doesn't include some obvious offenders I may have listened to once out of curiosity or for a review, so you won't see entries from folks like Kid Rock or Rascal Flatts on here. My 10 worst albums of 2010 is comprised of albums I listened to 3 or more times with the expectation that I would or possibly might enjoy said albums. It was not to be with these 10.


Santana - Guitar Heaven
The melding of one of the greatest guitarists of all time with popular rock singers performing eternal rock classics… sounds good on paper right? Wrong! So wrong. This turd features a grand total of zero songs that were worth the effort. In fact, most of it is flat-out unlistenable. The worst of the bunch? Predictable names hated by the critics ….Gavin Rossdale turns in a cardboard performance of "Bang a Gong" and Scott Stapp destroys "Fortunate Son." Guitar Heaven isn't just a bad album, it's an affront to classic rock and a black mark on Santana's legacy. Somebody stop him, please.



Sugarland - The Incredible Machine
This is a frickin' mess, but as Levar Burton used to say, you don't have to take my word for it.




Lil Wayne - Rebirth
This album doesn't prove rock and rap can't coexist. It merely proves Lil Wayne and rock don't work well together. Wayne sounds okay here, and the music isn't horrible… the songs are just so haphazardly thrown together. Hip-hop may not always depend on focused songwriting, but rock does and nothing here comes together the way it should. No big deal; Wayne has already put out another album since, and has the highly anticipated Tha Carter 4 on the way.
"Drop the World" ft. Eminem



Shooter Jennings and Hierophant - Black Ribbons
Shooter's big concept album falls flat after about 2 listens. There are a couple of good songs in the mix, God Bless Alabama in particular, but they do little to bring this mess together. I'm not a Shooter fan, but I keep checking out his new material hoping some of his birthright talent shines through. Aside from a few good songs, not yet.







John Mellencamp - No Better Than This
Some will feature this album on their best of lists; not me. While the concept is strong: Mellencamp with an ensemble, recording stripped down folk, rock and country-ish tunes in mono, the final product is listless and flat. John sounds disinterested and the songs run together. This coming from someone who has no problem listening to Sun Kil Moon perform an entire album of slow fingerpicked acoustic songs with no harmonies.






Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns
Most people who read this are saying "well duh!" right now, but Linkin Park is a pretty talented band who've proven they can exist beyond the rightfully dead genre of rap-rock. They've put out several songs I'd count as guilty pleasures and they continue to change up their sound in an intelligent and inspired manner. However, with A Thousand Suns, they completely lost the fire of previous recordings, diving headlong in a sea of slow electronically driven art rock. As if to fully distance themselves from the meathead Limp Bizkit fans and the like, Linkin Park put out a boring pile of sleep-inducing tracks, with few cuts worthy of repeated listens.



Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2
Perhaps Rob needs to stick to directing. He's still as fiery and weird as ever, but this collection of songs is poorly written with lyrics so bad that they distract from the rocking.










OK Go - Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky
They still make great videos, but their songs lack the pure pop rock fun of previous releases. Nothing to hang your hat on here.











Ratt - Infestation
Why did I have any illusions that this would be good? I guess it's because I keep hanging on to my junior high love of hair metal, hoping for a return of rock that's actually fun. If this album is any indication, hair metal won't be returning to the mainstream anytime soon. Stephen Pearcy can't sing for shit and the lyrics are insipid. Maybe they were always this bad?





Turley - Anger Management
Besides "My Soul Bleeds Black and Gold," an anthemic ode to Turley's favorite former NFL employer, the Super Bowl Champion Saints (Who Dat!), I deleted most of this album from my iTunes. He sings in the same monotone growl the whole album and the songs are mostly just plain bad. There's hope for Kyle Turley in the country business, if he can only find the right songs to fit his attitude driven delivery, but few of these songs fit that description. Please don't beat me up, Kyle.

A Closer Look: Bucky Covington fans

Here's a look at the Bucky Covington artist page on iTunes with related information to the right and also a list of what Bucky fans also purchased...










And here's a closer look at that list....


Dec 27, 2010

Best Songs of 2010

In the order they appear on the official FTM iTunes playlist, these are my favorite songs of 2010, one selection per artist maximum. The bold shows my 10, errr 11, no 12 absolute favorites. Some of the songs have links and others have embedded YouTube vids where you can give them a listen and judge for yourself.

Against Me! - Suffocation
Alan Jackson - Taillights Blue
Arcade Fire - Modern Man
Austin Collins - Centerpiece
Band of Horses - Older
Big Boi - Tangerine
Blitzen Trapper - Below the Hurricane
Cee-Lo Green - F**k You
Danzig - On a Wicked Night
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Gold Teeth on a Bum
Dirty Sweet - You've Been Warned
Drive-by Truckers - The Flying Wallendas
Elizabeth Cook - Mama's Funeral
Eminem - Cinderella Man
Emory Quinn - Hand in Hand
The Fox Hunt - When the Roll's Called
The Gaslight Anthem - Bring it On
Great American Taxi - Unpromised Land
Hellbound Glory - Be My Crutch
High on Fire - Snakes for the Divine
I See Hawks in LA - Shoulda Been Gold
Jamey Johnson - Can't Cash My Checks
Joe Pug - Not So Sure
John Moreland - Stoned
Kanye West - Monster
Kasey Anderson - I Was a Photograph (Blake's Song)
My Darkest Days - Set It On Fire
Nightjar - Check Your Mirrors
Paul Thorn - Love Scar
Phosphorescent - The Mermaid Parade
Randy Houser - Addicted
Ray Wylie Hubbard - Loose
Reckless Kelly - Thelma
Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide it Away
Rodney Hayden - Waiting on the Pain
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Window Shopping
Spoon - Written in Reverse
Surfer Blood - Slow Jabroni
Trampled by Turtles - New Orleans
Trombone Shorty - Hurricane Season
Truth & Salvage Co. - Call Back
Two Cow Garage - Lydia
Yelawolf - Pop the Trunk

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