Most people that know me know I'm a big music fan, I love discovering new music and rediscovering gems from the past.
In no particular order here is some of my favourite cds of the past year.
Matthew Mayfield - A Banquet of Ghosts
Discovered this on www.noisetrade.com a great wee site with some amazing music....and it free. Something about this guys voice & the way it carries and is carried by the melody that grab my attention. Great tunes particularly love the track 'Take What I Can Get' & the bluesy 'Track You Down',
Charlie Peacock - No Mans Land
Let's face it Mr Peacock is a musical genius. And this new album brings together all that great about him. Whether its a bit of soul, a bit of country a bit of folk. It's all here & it's all at home here. The combination of his soulful voice and the beautifully produced tunes is bliss. Highlights are the opening Death Trap, the folky soulfulness of Mystic as well as Kite in a Tree
Matthew Perryman Jones - Land Of The Living
Another discovery I made on Noisetrade a few years back, absolutely love what this guy does. Land Of The Living sees him take a step in a more musically intense direction though all the more stunning for it. It's surely an injustice he's not up there with the best of them. Lyrically this cd is full of what a man on the radio used to call depth charges, that slowly sink into your soul & explode with truth,
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
Everybody loves a bit of Bruce. this is up there as one of my favourite of the past year this is the Boss at his best with a patriotic heart he addresses what he sees wrong and the hopelessness of his homeland. Great tunes with almost an overall Irish feel to it.
Chris Taylor -Frame the Light
There's something about Chris Taylor that resonates with me, there's something in his music & his words that draw me in. I feel that through his songs I can see myself,I see my struggle, I see my search, I see my failings, I see my hope. I love this album, to these ears probably Chris's best album to date. musically Frame The Light takes me on a sonic journey. And on this journey we pass rock n Roll, some blues even a little electronica but all in the frame work of what I believe Chris does best & that's a man his voice, his hollow wooden instrument & his honest and open heart
More to follow....
