Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#2 – Tift Merritt – Tambourine

Gateway albums — your first exposure to an artist — usually take on special meaning. It’s hard to shake the warm feelings you have toward a record for introducing you to a new favorite.

Tambourine was my introduction to the brilliant and sadly unheralded singer-songwriter Tift Merritt. And while it isn’t my top-ranked album of hers, it is a fantastic recording that lands just shy of my top spot for 2004.

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