Tag Archives: Decades

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Song of the Day #6,605a: ‘The Levee’s Gonna Break’ – Bob Dylan

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…

#3 – Modern Times – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan’s 32nd studio album, released 44 years after his debut, was the most critically-acclaimed album of 2006. And it capped off an unofficial trilogy (following Time Out of Mind and “Love and Theft”) as celebrated as his great work in the 60s and 70s.

That’s pretty extraordinary, even taking into account that plenty of music critics are in the bag for Dylan no matter what he does. How many artists put out some of their best work past retirement age?

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Song of the Day #6,605: ‘His Majesty Rides’ – Josh Rouse

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.

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Song of the Day #6,604a: ‘Stop This Train’ – John Mayer

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.

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Song of the Day #6,603: ‘Back to Black’ – Amy Winehouse

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.

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Song of the Day #6,602a: ‘LDN’ – Lily Allen

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…

#7 – Alright, Still – Lily Allen

I say this every time I revisit the Decades series, but it’s worth saying again. The best part of Decades is revisiting albums I haven’t listened to in forever and remembering how much I liked (and usually still like) them.

That’s certainly the case for English singer-songwriter Lily Allen’s debut album Alright, Still, which I haven’t played in full for probably a decade and a half. Listening to it today, I was instantly reminded of every lively little nuance, every endearing quirk that made this record such a refreshing blast.

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