‘The Best of Everything’ is the final track on Tom Petty’s excellent 1985 album, Southern Accents.
Having always been a huge fan of this album, I was surprised to see that it received generally tepid critical reviews. Individual tracks receive high marks (‘Rebels,’ ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’ and the title track, specifically) but the album as a whole was dismissed as an uneven hodgepodge.
I knew Jenny Lewis’ ‘Late Bloomer’ was the best song of 2014 before I’d even finished listening to it the first time.
It’s rare that I “get” a song after just one listen (let alone half of one) but this elegant snapshot of a young woman’s coming of age struck a nerve instantly.
For the second time since 2011, Miranda Lambert released my favorite album of the year. Platinum, like its predecessor, finds her at the peak of her powers, bending country music to her will, practically becoming her own genre.
The best song on an album full of great ones is ‘Priscilla,’ Lambert’s plea to the former Mrs. Presley for advice on how to manage a marriage in the spotlight.
Morning Phase, Beck’s unofficial sequel to his melancholy classic Sea Change, turned out to be every bit as good as its predecessor.
Filled with minor key ruminations on love, loss and rebirth, the record makes for one hell of a wallowing good time.
If I weren’t such a radio-averse music snob, this would probably be my song of the year. It’s a perfectly crafted piece of ear candy — a whole party in three minutes.
Ariana Grande’s voice goes a mile high and an inch deep, and that’s exactly what this song requires. The staccato horn fills serve as a sublime introduction to the verses, and the whispered chorus is a stellar left-field touch.
