Paul Simon waited six years between You’re the One and his next studio release, 2006’s Surprise.
But he wasn’t slacking off. In 2003, Simon reunited with Garfunkel for a memorable performance of ‘The Sounds of Silence’ at the Grammys. That appearance led to a reunion tour that spanned two years and included runs in the U.S. and Europe. The duo would go on to perform together several more times over the next seven years.
Top Ten Songs of 2011 – #6
Miranda Lambert is responsible for two of my top three albums this year: her fourth solo album, Four the Record, and Hell On Heels, the digital-only debut of Pistol Annies, a group formed with two friends and fellow songwriters, Angeleena Presley and Ashley Monroe.
Lambert had a hell of a year. She became the first artist in the history of Billboard’s country charts to have her first four albums debut in the #1 spot. And the Pistol Annies album debuted atop that chart as well.
Top Ten Songs of 2011 – #7
Another year, another stellar Ron Sexsmith album that goes completely unnoticed by the general public.
What I find interesting is that when I look up reviews of Sexsmith’s work, invariably the critics heap him with praise and bemoan his lack of popularity. But come December, when it’s list-making time, I have yet to see Sexsmith’s Long Player Late Bloomer show up on anybody’s best-of.
Top Ten Songs of 2011 – #8
Childish Gambino’s full-length debut, Camp, is the best rap album I’ve heard in years.
Donald Glover is a gifted rapper and an even more gifted lyricist, spitting hilarious, often thought-provoking, rhymes over meaty beats that belie the lack of star power behind the production.
Top Ten Songs of 2011 – #9
Miranda Lambert’s Four the Record is my favorite album of 2011, so it might seem weird that its only song on my top ten countdown is sitting at #9.
But I think the album’s overall strength and consistency keeps it from having the sort of standout track that places higher on a list like this. I could have easily chosen the compelling ‘Mama’s Broken Heart,’ the aching ‘Look at Miss Ohio,’ the old-school ‘Same Old You’ or any of a dozen other songs to represent this great record.
