35. GIL - "The Album"(BMG/Germany, 2000)
Gil showed here that he was ready to take music seriously, ditching the pop fluff of his debut in favor of more sophisticated melodies and more substantial lyrical content, including topics such as social responsibility ("Right Now", not the Van Halen song) and sex (the outstanding "Out Of My Bed (Still In My Head)", which should have been an international hit single). The heavy "Stop" and the country cover "It's Your Love" are other high points.
34. WAVE - "State Of Mind"(Warner/Canada, 2002)
You can dismiss them as a two-man Canadian version of BBMak if you want to, but there's no denying that in their two albums, these guys put out some of the most appealingly breezy pop songs to be found anywhere. "Save a Little Part", "Morning Delight", and "Moon Underwater" are good enough, but wait until you hear "Don't Say Sarah", where the guys do the best Hall & Oates since Hall & Oates!
33. KAVANA - "Special Kind of Something: The Best of Kavana"(EMI, 2007)
When I realized this compilation had been issued in anticipation of his making a comeback, I was ecstatic since it had been far too long since hearing his wonderfully smooth voice. Two years later, that supposed comeback still hasn't materialized, but at least this disc gives us all his best tracks plus three previously unreleased songs, including the beautiful duet "Heart Like The Sun" with the legendary Lulu. Oh Kav, where art thou?!?
32. SUGAR RAY - "Sugar Ray"(Atlantic, 2001)
Their smash breakthrough album "14:59" got all the attention, but I'm a much bigger fan of this disc. Between the hot rockers "Sorry Now" and "Answer The Phone", the mid-range numbers "Waiting" and "Under The Sun", and the cool breeze of "Stay On" and "Just a Little", I can't skip over a single track on this album whenever I listen to it. And they saved the best for last: the fantastic (and cleverly titled) "Disasterpiece".
31. COLIN HAY - "Company of Strangers"(Lazy Eye, 2002)
This has got to be one of Colin Hay's best albums; his skill for melody ("Dear J") and sardonic wit ("Lucky Bastard") have never been in finer form. From the introspection of the title track to the rumination of "Lifeline", and from the helplessness of "No Win Situation" to the cautious optimism of "Beautiful World", this is probably the album that would have made me a Colin Hay fan if I hadn't been one already.
"Don't Say Sarah" is such a good pop song, in the best, most expansive meaning of the phrase. Wave were pretty good at those.
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