Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#4 – Subtitulo – Josh Rouse
Singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is unique among the artists I admire in that he scores at the highest levels in terms of both my appreciation and his accessibility.
There are few performers I enjoy as much and none I’ve been able to see live in as intimate settings as Rouse. I’ve attended three of his shows now, and in each case was close enough to touch him in a venue the size of a large living room.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#5 – Continuum – John Mayer
John Mayer’s third album signaled a shift from the pop-rock of his first two efforts toward a blues and soul sound more consistent with his live shows. It also brought the oft-maligned wunderkind his first taste of widespread critical acclaim.
I was already a big Mayer fan but Continuum solidified him as one of my favorites. I loved the musical direction and more sophisticated songwriting, and the way the album fleshed out his already impressive catalog.
The Lovin’ Spoonful held the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of August 9, 1969, with ‘Summer in the City,’ the folk rock band’s first and only #1 hit. This was also the most overtly rocking song they had released to that point.
Dropping in the middle of a record heat wave in New York City, ‘Summer in the City’ was the right song at the right time. It spent three weeks in the top spot and earned critical acclaim for its shifting keys and use of sound effects.
Throwing back to the week of August 8, 1956, we find the doo-wop group The Platters atop the Billboard singles chart with ‘My Prayer.’
The song was written in 1939 by Romanian violinist Georges Boulanger as an instrumental titled Avant de Mourir, with lyrics later added by Carlos Gomez Barrera and Jimmy Kennedy. It found some success in the U.S. that year as ‘My Prayer,’ including in a recording by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#6 – Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Apparently 2006 was a great year for brash young English women, because I’m following Lily Allen’s debut with the classic sophomore album by Amy Winehouse.
Back to Black, inspired by Winehouse’s temporary split from Blake Fielder-Civil, is one of the great breakup albums of all-time, and the greatest example of the neo soul movement that spiked in the 2000s.
Meet Me In Montauk 