Our Top 5 Picksby Ted Kaneby John Bennettby Cory Tressler Travel SectionRecipes and MoreBack Issues


1) Sarah Vaughan - The Definitive Sarah Vaughan
2) Elvis Costello and the Impostors - Get Happy
3) John Hiatt - Bring the Family
4) Talking Heads - Fear of Music
5) The Ramones - End of the Century

1) Pretenders - Break up the Concrete
2) Randy Newman - Harps & Angels
3) Labelle - Back to Now
4) Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
5) Van Morrison - Moondance



1) Tori Amos - A Piano, The Collection
2) Al Kooper - Rekooperation
3) Lou Reed - Between Thought and Expression
4) Adrian Belew - Lone Rino
5) Lucinda Williams - Little Honey


1) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds-Tender Prey
2) John Adams-Shaker Loops
3) Nico-Drama of Exile
4) Various Artists-A Century of Recorded Poetry
5) Chet Baker-But Not For Me

1) BATTAGLIE & LAMENTI, 1600-1660, Montserrat Figueras, Jordi Savall, AliaVox, 2000
2) Jean-Baptiste Stuck, TIRANIQUE EMPIRE, Lunaisiens, Alpha 2007
3) Sigismondo d'India, SECULAR VOCAL MUSIC, Brilliant Classics, 2003
4) Philip Glass, MUSIC IN TWELVE PARTS, Philip Glass Ensemble, Orange Mountain 2008
5) Francois Couperin, PIECES DE VIOLES, Pierlot, Balsaa, Eguez, Hantai, Mirare 2008

1) Metallica ~ Death Magnetic
2) The Network ~ Money Money 2020
3) The Strokes ~ Is This It?
4) The Flaming Lips ~ Clouds Taste Metallic
5) Vampire Weekend ~ Vampire Weekend

1) Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs
Modern Dylan spanning from 1989 – 2006. Different arrangements and demos of many fantastic songs. Recent Dylan burning brightly with a mature voice and musical mastery. Translates every genre of music as only Dylan can. Disc 1 favorite the organic and timeless “Red River Shore”. Disc 2 favorites “32-20 Blues” & “Cocaine Blues”.

2) The Black Keys – Attack & Release
Everything must change. Musicians must try different things. Mix two unconsciously cosmic blues players from Akron with the current Brian Wilson/Rick Rubin love child and you produce a smart, well-crafted album.

3) Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
Tom Petty. “Scare Easy”, “Orphan of the Storm”, “Lover of the Bayou”, and “Bootleg Flyer” ring of classic Petty. Mike Campbell is the biggest Rock Star that very few people recognize for being one of the true American Rock ‘n’ Roll virtuosos.

4) Mike Gordon – Green Sparrow
Polyrhythmic layers of funky cowboy rock music.

5) Ryan Adams – Cardinology
Almost the album that all Ryan Adams fans were waiting for. I love the Cardinals. I guess I have been feeling super Patriotic this year. Adams and all the other artists on this list deliver their artistic flair in an undeniably American personification of music.


1) grizzly bear "yellow house"
2) burial
3) the housemartins
4) denise dill
5) sister nancy "transport connection"