60. UNAMERICAN - "Unamerican"(Universal, 2000)
Despite their name, and their British origins, this rootsy rock band almost couldn't sound more American. Thought-provoking lyrics, solid melodies, and Steve McEwan's hearty voice make songs like "She's a Bomb" and "I So Really Want To Believe You" stick in your head for days.
59. "TRON" - soundtrack(Disney, 2001)
Wendy Carlos' electronic masterpiece was one of the movie scores that first got me into soundtracks in the first place. Believe it or not, it took Disney nearly two decades to see fit to release it on the format it was all but made for ... but at least they gave us a few bonus tracks.
58. ROOSTER - "Circles And Satellites"(BMG/UK, 2006)
The music that inspired their sound -- Cream, Led Zeppelin, Free -- was popular 15 years before they were even born, but you wouldn't know it listening to these British lads. Unfortunately we only got their debut and this album, thick guitars, throaty vocals and all, before they disappeared.
57. A1 - "The A List"(Columbia/UK, 2000)
Packed with top-notch pop -- great uptempo tracks "Same Old Brand New You" and "No More", wonderful ballads "She Doesn't See Me" and "One More Try", and their superb cover of A-Ha's "Take On Me" -- this is the album that should have launched them to world stardom.
56. MATT WERTZ - "Everything In Between"(Nettwerk, 2004)
Popular in Christian circles, he made his secular debut with this semi-major-label disc, and it's a beauty. Bubbling over with irresistibly catchy, soul-tinged melodies and his endearingly raspy voice, I suppose it's inevitable that I'd end up underwhelmed by his follow-up album.
55. SAM & RUBY - "The Here And The Now"(Rykodisc, 2009)
As warm and cozy as its cover art implies, this album is just plain beautiful. Not only is the music breezy and uplifting, but the voices of Ruby Amanfu and Sam Brooker complement each other wonderfully. It's a delightfully enchanting album that simply must be heard to be appreciated.
54. THE 5 BROWNS - "The 5 Browns"(BMG, 2005)
If you've seen them in concert, as I have, their appeal doesn't need to be explained. In every combination -- solos, duos, and ensembles -- these five piano-playing siblings and their prodigiously nimble fingers breathe a dazzling new life into a wide variety of classical favorites.
53. MIKA - "Life In Cartoon Motion"(Universal, 2007)
His irrepressibly campy style may be too much for some (and it almost was for me), but you just can't deny that he makes some catchy tunes. Between "Grace Kelly", "Love Today", and the cloying "Lollipop", I'm still a bit surprised that it was as big a hit in the States as it was.
52. LAZYBOY - "Lazyboy TV"(Universal/Denmark, 2004)
It's such a total embodiment of the digital age -- chill beats overlaid with miscellaneous factoids of trivia, sometimes joined by a theme -- and the short attention spans that seem to have come with it, that at my age I'm wondering whether or not I should be worried that I like this album so much.
51. WESTLIFE - "World Of Our Own"(BMG/UK, 2000)
With stellar upbeat tunes like "Bop Bop Baby", "When You're Looking Like That", and "Imaginary Diva", and lush ballads such as "Drive", "Don't Say It's Too Late", and "Queen Of My Heart", it's safe to say that the boyband-that-won't-go-away has never been better than on this album.
Great bunch of albums and so diverse too! I loved Rooster when they first came out. It's a shame they were limited to 2 albums, I'd love to hear more from them. And I keep hearing great things about Sam & Ruby yet still haven't checked that out! I must rectify that shortly!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kudos! Yeah, I'm sometimes amazed myself at what a broad arrangement of stuff I like. Good to see another Rooster fan, too. Oh, and yes, you simply must check out Sam & Ruby ... a total stress reliever on those bad days.
ReplyDelete-T