Here's blog post 2 of 10 counting down the best albums of the decade. The countdown starts here. Let's get right into it:
45. Van Lear Rose - Loretta Lynn
I was late to the game on this one. At the time it was released, I had a hard line bias against country. So this album is important for two reasons. First, it solidified the genius that is Jack White. This album sounds so good. From the opening sustained guitar lick, it takes you into a world of denim jeans and dive bars that is American as it gets. I don't know if people knew Jack was capable of this yet, as all we had heard before this was the child-like blues with Meg. But he clearly lovingly produced this to showcase Ms. Lynn to a new generation. Of corse, it helps that she writes such wonderful stories that make you wanna grab that pitcher of slow-gin fizz for the road with her.
That brings me to the second point. This album broke down the country music wall for me. After listening to it, I went back to the masters like Williams and Cash and started to understand just what real american music is. Now I can't imagine a life without. And it's opened my mind to other musical styles since I know I can no longer afford to keep the bias that blocks me from great artists.
44. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne
He really is a martian. There is so little human about the way he raps, or the emotions he conveys. I can't relate at all to the uber-misogyny at all. But much like a good slasher film, it's impossible to ignore the talent of Weezy. And when he takes on the state of hip-hop late in this decade in Dr. Carter, you do think he came here to save hip-hop from the ridiculousness of it's gangsta obsession. Plus Lollypop just may be the pop song of the decade that transfers you to the VIP room at the club in a way that no song has before or since. It feels dirty in all the right ways.
43. Cold Roses - Ryan Adams & The CardinalsAs the decade turns, I miss Ryan Adams more each day. He dominated the first 6 years of this decade for me. I'll talk more about his early decade stuff later in the countdown (hint), but for now, let's talk about his remarkable 2005. It started off with this double album jem that solidified his amazing talent for me. Adding the fantastic Cardinals backing band was a stroke of genius that allowed the focus to widen on the music instead of just Ryan. It allows great songs like Magnolia Mountain (massive guitar solos) and Cold Roses (longing harmonies to die for) to feel like true triumphs of collaboration, not just Ryan spitting out another song. Later came two more solid albums that year, which allowed Ryan to coast to my favorite artist of the decade.
42. Graduation - Kanye West
Ah, the other crazy-prolific troublemaker of this decade, Mr. West. Just like Ryan Adams, he's a love 'em or hate 'em figure. I will always side on the love 'em side. He's taken hip-hop and turned it into a canvas where anything is possible. On Graduation, Kanye starts to show the mental cracks that led to the late decade meltdown in profound ways. Listen to Can't Tell Me Nothing now through the lens of Taylor-gate. He basically telegraphs exactly how he will fall from grace. The whole album shifted hip-hop in the futuristic direction it now has settled in to. And Stronger introduced the rest of the world to the amazing sounds of Daft Punk. But the best song here is Flashing Lights. From the crazy strings, to the cold as stone beat, it is so different than any pop song before it. It's a chilling masterpiece.
Ah, the other crazy-prolific troublemaker of this decade, Mr. West. Just like Ryan Adams, he's a love 'em or hate 'em figure. I will always side on the love 'em side. He's taken hip-hop and turned it into a canvas where anything is possible. On Graduation, Kanye starts to show the mental cracks that led to the late decade meltdown in profound ways. Listen to Can't Tell Me Nothing now through the lens of Taylor-gate. He basically telegraphs exactly how he will fall from grace. The whole album shifted hip-hop in the futuristic direction it now has settled in to. And Stronger introduced the rest of the world to the amazing sounds of Daft Punk. But the best song here is Flashing Lights. From the crazy strings, to the cold as stone beat, it is so different than any pop song before it. It's a chilling masterpiece.
41. From A Basement On A Hill - Elliot Smith
I doubt this is the best Elliot Smith album. But for some reason I haven't been able to get past it to go and discover the rest of his collection. This one is just so beautifully sad. Posthumously released after his suicide by the unbelievably horrid method of stabbing of himself in the heart with a knife, it is soaked with heartache. It tells the story of someone in so much pain, and reaching out one last time to find balance in a world they do not belong. The lyrics in Twilight weep. The remarkable thing though is how good the production is on this record. I once heard that Elliott was trying to make his White Album while recording these songs. The experimentation shines through. And luckily for us, we get to hear his vision from beyond.
I doubt this is the best Elliot Smith album. But for some reason I haven't been able to get past it to go and discover the rest of his collection. This one is just so beautifully sad. Posthumously released after his suicide by the unbelievably horrid method of stabbing of himself in the heart with a knife, it is soaked with heartache. It tells the story of someone in so much pain, and reaching out one last time to find balance in a world they do not belong. The lyrics in Twilight weep. The remarkable thing though is how good the production is on this record. I once heard that Elliott was trying to make his White Album while recording these songs. The experimentation shines through. And luckily for us, we get to hear his vision from beyond.
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