Pop & jazz & more

The year in music

by Jim Macnie

U2

Branford Marsalis

1) Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (Elektra). There's a certain kind of poetry that was never meant for books, and as these guys figure out how to articulate it, some kind of baked beans and bottled beer rock 'n roll is born. Long story short? The confluence of Bragg, Wilco and Woody Guthrie was a boon for all involved. 'Specially Woody.

2) Shelby Lynne: This Is Shelby Lynne (MCA). Not for being the country "chanteuse" her cheerleaders claim, but for being the ornery outsider with the glamour jones who made her most convincing disc after trading Nashville protocol for Memphis earthiness.

3) Free the West Memphis 3 (Koch). Raunch and rollers standing up for a trio of tough teens and alleged murderers, and damn if doesn't create one of the most compelling old school outings in a while. Old school here means guitars, growling, viciousness, and a sizable dose of carnal energy. From L7's stoner anthem to Eddie Vedder's X update to Tom Waits's woe-is-me blues, it's a reminder of how youth has a perpetual weight on its shoulders. Retrial!

4) Madonna: Music (Maverick). To hell with those who claim star power is still getting her over. This thing's nothing but craft -- thought-out, rigorously designed, judiciously assembled music with a capital m. That's why its cheesiness resonates so effectively. Notice I didn't say deeply.

5) U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind (Interscope). Their inherent pomp kept my ears closed for years, but with cultural concepts and flag-waving left behind, Bono's titanium earnestness remains musicianly enough to drive these "old-fashioned" song songs. And yeah, even their most casual ditties sound like anthems.

6) Le Tigre (Mr Lady). To me, Bikini Kill looked good on paper only. But Kathleen Hanna's part time project trades feminist ire for socialist frolic without deep-sixing the politics. And instead of guitar coagulation, the music is built on some trashy joie de vivre that puts 'em closer to the B-52's than the riot grrrls.

7) Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos: Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!) (Atlantic). The downtown Santana made the record of the summer by tightening the grip on its Cuban lingo and letting its hedonism run wild. Wait -- did I say Santana? I meant Booker T. & the MG's.

8) Steve Earle: Transcendental Blues (E-Squared/Artemis). John Lennon and Paul McCartney dug Carl Perkins and Buck Owens. Ole Steve has called this beaut his take on Revolver, and so be it -- the twain has finally met. Given the karma he kreated during his fuzzy years, I'm sure that transcendence is a wise goal. And here it seems that braiding mandolin plinks with reversed feedback is a righteous method of prayer.

9) The Delgados: The Great Eastern (Beggars Banquet). Sure, you can get over on mood alone, but what's that got to do with pop? These skilled Brit mopes spend their time trumpeting rainy days and foggy romances, but pinch themselves awake when it comes time to get back to the song at hand.

10) PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (Island). If if recall correctly, working the raw side of the tracks is how this feisty emotionalist earned her stripes. But as this keenly focused suite hones in on the topography of her heart (and the geography of her psyche, Polly Jean and her guitar-toting cohorts never sounded more sonically refined. The result is her most self-confident and approachable outing.

BUBBLING UNDER

OutKast: Stankonia (LaFace)
Sleater-Kinney: All Hands On the Bad One (Kill Rock Stars)
Joseph Arthur: Come to Where I'm From (Real World/Virgin)
The 6ths: Hyacinths and Thistles (Merge)
Lee Ann Womack: I Hope You Dance (MCA)
Geoff Muldaur: Password (Hightone)
D'Angelo: Voodoo (Cheeba Sounds/Virgin)

JAZZ

1) David Berkman: Communication Theory (Palmetto). Lots and lots of smarts. Enough, in fact, to keep the Brooklyn pianist clera of any academic vibe that bubbles up. That makes this swing-fest jewel one of the modern mainstreamÕs most agile and thoughtful dates.

2) Keith Jarrett Trio: Whisper Not (ECM). There's romance galore: age and temperament have brought out Jarrett's sentimental side. But there's chops galore too, and when he rolls through Bud Powell's "Hallucination" with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette kicking, you know what bop is.

3) Dave Douglas: Soul On Soul (RCA). The celebrated trumpeter's interpretations of Mary Lou Williams canon is thick with colors. Reeds are creamy against tattering cymbals; brass pierces a bass's lope. Douglas's way with arrangements is as inspired as his horn playing.

4) Uri Caine: The Goldberg Variations (Winter + Winter). It takes courage to reimagine a classic as drastically as pianist Caine has here. But more impressively, it takes skill to make the new territory seem a natural place to frolic. From DJs to out-scat, he convinces.

5) Magali Souriau Orchestra: The Birdland Sessions (Koch). There's nary a melodic cliche or rhythmic commonplace in this de facto suite of pastoral tunes for large ensemble. A big band whose music opens slowly, like a rose? A big band that never stomps? The composer-arranger-pianist's debut, featuring New York's next wave of hipsters, is a marvel.

6) Orrin Evans: Grown Folks Bizness (Criss Cross). You might not know him, but you should. The Philly pianist has been knocking at the door for a couple of years now, and in his hands he has an cagey kind of ardor, one that likes to keep a smile on its face while throwing its weight around. File under: Exploration.

7) Greg Osby: The Invisible Hand (Blue Note). Try grabbing any one melody or any single rhythmic episode -- not a chance, my friend. They're there and gone, like mirages. And that kind of mystery and sophistication - not to mention Jim Hall's guitar lines -- keeps you coming back for more.

8) Medeski Martin & Wood: Tonic (Blue Note). They built their rep on vampery of the plugged-in and funked-up kind, but here's where a delicate side moves to the fore. Nice, nice, nice. And guess what, the funked-up vampery still gets some dap, too.

Branford Marsalis

9) Branford Marsalis: Contemporary Jazz (Columbia). The hook-up between the leader and Jeff Watts is enormous. Inflections, nuance, insinuation -- I guess that's called communication. And yes, they get a kick out of ripping your head off, too.

10) Andrew Hill: Dusk (Palmetto). He can be too sketchy for his own good, but when the pianist-composer is on, he's one of our most captivating leaders. Dusk finds him focused, and the sensuality his charts encourage from the three-horn front line suggest the once-thorny vet now wears his heart on his sleeve.

BUBBLING UNDER

New Directions (Blue Note)
Tony Malaby: Sabino (Arabesque)
Medeski Martin & Wood: The Dropper (Blue Note)
Dave Holland: Prime Directive (ECM)