The Top 25 of 2007, Part 2 (20-16)

20. WEARY & WIRED-Marc Ford (Blues Bureau Int'l )

Sometimes I am just really in the mood for a blues rock record and thankfully, Marc Ford obliged this year. Ford, former guitarist of the Black Crowes, is one of my personal favorites and this solo effort really showcases his raucous blues chops amidst 15 inspired tracks. Sure, the vocals aren't particularly noteworthy and the lyrics are what you expect from a blues rock record, but Ford's playing is so top-notch it drives Weary & Wired to transcend being just a solo disc from a guitar player who was once in a great band. "Featherweight Dreams" is a great, upbeat opener and the campy claps in "Dirty Girl" make it even more catchy than it was destined to be. The epic "Smoke Signals" is Ford's tour de force and even the somber "Currents" has Ford at the top of his guitar game. A surprising and satisfying release and a cure for those needing a blues rock fix.

Official site

Now hear this!

Get the blues for under 10 bucks!

19. IN RAINBOWS-Radiohead (Ato Records / Red)

Truth be told, Radiohead lost me a little after OK Computer and then lost me completely after Kid A. So, when I heard that they were putting out a record that didn't exactly sound like the band farting into a Moog synthesizer, I was on board. And I was pleasantly surprised. I still don't think anything here approaches the absolute perfection of The Bends and OK Computer, but there are some good rock tunes here. "Bodysnatchers" is delightfully fuzzed out behind Thom Yorke's borderline indecipherable lyrics and the acoustic beauty of "Faust Arp" recalls the time when these guys wrote great songs. The rest of the disc does flirt with the really obscure and inaccessible sounding stuff of later discs without immersing you in it. The result is a new Radiohead that fans of the distant and not-so-distant past can both fully appreciate.

Official site

Headspace

Get some 'head (and take your mind out of the gutter)

Previous Radiohead list appearances: OK COMPUTER (#1 in 1997), KID A (#14 in 2000)

18. SNAKES & ARROWS-Rush (Atlantic)

A smart return to the past in sound yields one of Rush's most impressive discs in a long time. The musicianship here is what you would expect: each their own virtuoso. Neil Peart's drumming is Herculean, of course, and Geddy Lee's bass playing is as dextrous as ever. But coming out of this disc is the rebirth of Alex Lifeson as a guitar god. His solo acoustic piece, "Hope", is chill-inducing and his work on the disc's instrumentals, most notably "The Main Monkey Business" further cements him as the trios most underrated member. "Far Cry" might be the band's best single in over 20 years and the complexity of "Workin' Them Angels" really draws upon Rush's strengths of both lyrical and musical power. Now, if we can just get Geddy to quit triple-tracking his vocals...!

Official site

I need that Rush!

Previous Rush list appearances: VAPOR TRAILS (#9 in 2002)

17. WHITE CHALK-PJ Harvey (Island)

Spooky. Ethereal. Challenging. Read my full review here.

PJ's official site

Listen

Get it!

Previous PJ list appearances: IS THIS DESIRE? (#9 in 1998), STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA (#4 in 2000)

16. YOU CAN'T WIN-Dolorean (Yep Roc)

The beauty (and I mean that literally) of this disc is its simplicity. Al James doesn't have a great voice. In fact, it is quite limited. The music is simple. But James gets what KT Tunstall gets: the concept of "the song". Folky, but not overtly so, the disc is peppered with mandolins, piano, and strings, but it is really James' narratives that propel the songs. "Heather, Remind Me How This Ends" is blissfully sad and the lyrically clever "In Love With The Doubt" and "What One Bottle Can Do" are high points of the disc and showcase James' writing style. On top of it all. the opening title track's hypnotic repetition is so brilliant, you wish everything so simple sounded this good.

Check it out.

Actually, you can't lose if you pick this one up.