I Found Ten: One Man's Excellent Year In Music, Is Another Man's Disappointment

 

Of course I did not listen to everything in 2022. Even if I had the time, I wouldn't want to waste it. 

I've read through Mojo and Uncut and the New York Times, and I was curious about very little. Maybe that's on me. But when you are consistently confounded or disappointed, or just plain hungry, it's easy to reach for comfort food.

I did listen to enough, though. I bravely made my way through a third of the SZA record before I lost patience. Dry Cleaning got to my nerves much sooner. Mojo's #1, "Dear Scott" from Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band left me cold. (I should have known better.) I wanted to like Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, but the reviews of the record were more interesting than the music. Wilco's "Cruel Country" was half great. Yard Act was third rate Fall. I won't listen to Beyonce for no other reason than I have liked nothing prior and I can't imagine this one will be the game changer.

So...that leaves...well...a lot that I didn't get around to. But while others were getting through Cass McCombs, Kendrick Lamar, Joan Shelley, Big Thief and Richard Dawson (I prefer his earlier, "Hogan's Heroes" material), I rediscovered the often overlooked 80's catalogue of The Ramones, classic records by War after years of only knowing the hit singles, Rhiannon Giddens, The Soft Boys "Underwater Moonlight," which I hadn't heard in over 25 years, the very extensive swamp pop and R&B catalogue from legendary producer Jay Miller, as well as my usual best friends Queen, Bowie, Rundgren, Sparks, Marvin Gaye, Thin Lizzy and the always entertaining Studio One and Trojan Records rosters.

Honorable mention goes to Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard for releasing a very fine debut record. This is #11 on my Top 10.

There were ten records released this year that I played more than a few times. Some of them were played a few dozen times.

 

Here they are.

10. Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder- Get On Board
Two legends who first played together in The Rising Sons back in the 60's, this record makes me feel good. It oozes authenticity. You can hear the love for the music from the artists, as well as the love of the artists for each other.

 

9. Eddie Vedder- Earthling
A suprisingly accessible record, with Eddie wearing his influences on his sleeve. "Earthling" plays like a greatest hits of classic radio, with songs that have obvious nods to Tom Petty, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Lennon & McCartney. "Mrs. Mills" is worth the price of admission just to hear Ringo Starr be Ringo Starr.
 

 

8. Cecile McLorin Savant- Ghost Song
I hadn't heard a note of Cecile McLorin Savant's music before this release. But much of this record was so musically stunning, I was afraid to dig deeper into her catalogue. I still might but I can't imagine anything topping "Ghost Song." There are many twists and turns on this album and it is an exquisite ride if you are willing to get in. The title track is one of my favorite songs of the year.

 

7. Charlie Gabriel- 89
The legendary Charlie Gabriel is a senior member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, yet this is his first solo record. Charlie's playing on "89" is absolutely sublime. I've seen Charlie Gabriel play more times than I can remember. He was a frequent guest at both Shannon Powell's Sunday night jams and Bob French's Monday night residencies at the long lamented Donna's Bar & Grill on N. Rampart Street in New Orleans. Never a bad time was had. "89" is a beauty.

 

6. Tommy McLain- I Ran Down Every Dream
It’s easy to get lost in Tommy McLain‘s story. I bet it’s even easier to fall for the sexy special guests like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and Van Dyke Parks. But the real star here is C.C. Adcock, because he produced a record solely based on the love for the artist and the material. That’s a lost art.
"I Ran Down Every Dream" is a melancholy trip down memory lane from an artist who had it all and lost it all. You can feel that on every song.

 

 

 

The Top Five-

 

5. Horace Andy- Midnight Rocker
Horace Andy is one of my favorite reggae vocalists. His appearance on Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" kept him in the spotlight outside of the reggae world, and "Midnight Rocker' is a perfect combination of old and new Andy. There is even an excellent cover of Massive Attack's "Safe From Harm." If you aren't a reggae fan, try this record.

 

 4. Tears For Fears- The Tipping Point
In short, these two guys have no business making a record this good 40 years on. "The Tipping Point," Tears For Fears first new album in 18 years, is gorgeous. It has a vibe similar to their last record, "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending," which is actually my favorite TFF record. I will give all due credit to producers Charlton Pettus and Sacha Skarbek for not fixing what wasn't broken. The songs are smart and they do not pander, though you will be reminded every now and then, either with a chord change or a vocal flourish of the band's heyday.

 

3. Dr. John- Things Happen That Way
Why the hell is this being touted as a country record? All of the PR prior and all of the reviews after its release, all refer to it as Dr. John's country album. Did anyone listen to it, or did they just see a couple of Hank Williams tunes and an appearance by Willie Nelson and decide, "Okay. Must be country." This record is pure Dr. John New Orleans grease that would not sound out of place next to "Gris Gris" or "Gumbo." With the exception of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," arranged in 3/4 time with some tinkling piano that would make Floyd Cramer proud, the rest of the country songs that are covered have that sinister vibe and subtle voodoo funk of Mac's most iconic work. "Things Happen That Way" is a fantastic last word from a New Orleans legend. It is not a country record.  It's a Dr. John record. A damn good Dr. John record.

 

 

2. Wet Leg- S/T
I've said it all too many times already. So to wrap it up, this is everything everyone has been saying it is and more. Wet Leg is my second most played record of 2022.

 

 

1. Elvis Costello & The Imposters- The Boy Named If
This was my most played record of 2022.

In brief, the new Elvis Costello record is one of the best of his career.

That is all.

Okay, that is not all.

It's not just because we are 45 years on from "My Aim Is True." 

Or, that Mr. McManus has tried the patience of his fans with more genre hopping releases than they'd care to remember.

Or, that no band members were in the same place at the same time at any point during the making of this album.

It's all of those things and the fact that this record reminds me of so many classic Elvis moments both solo and with his bands The Attractions and The Imposters, that I couldn't help but play "Name That Tune" while each song unfolded. For this alone, "The Boy Named If" is the most fun I have had with an Elvis Costello record in years. 

This is not to say I haven't loved his output for the last 25 years. I have. From his trip-hop experiments to his collaborations, I have loved most of it. But "The Boy Named If" is a blast from the needle drop. You don't need to figure it out. It's rock and roll.

It's hard to ignore the "Goon Squad" keyboards and "5ive Gears In Reverse/Beaten To The Punch" drive of the opener, "Farewell OK."

Or the subtle vibe and keyboard quotes of "The Beat" on "Magnificent Hurt."

Or, the similarities between "Trick Out The Truth" and "God's Comic."

Or, the melody and arrangement of "Paint The Red Rose Blue" owing more than a bit to Costello's cover of Bill Anderson's "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face."

Or, the absolutely gorgeous album closer, "Mr Crescent," which sounds like an unintentional mash-up of "All The Rage" and "Sleep Of The Just."

Intentional or not, Elvis & The Imposters have taken their greatest moves and created something brand new. "The Boy Named If" is not only musical in ways Costello hasn't been since "Imperial Bedroom," it rocks in ways Costello hasn't rocked since "Blood & Chocolate."

I can't recall the last Elvis release where I thought, "I love every single track."

Kudos to the band: Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas, & Davey Faragher.

And to the genius producer Sebastian Krys, for making "The Boy Named If" sound like the band was feeding off each other's sweat and chops in a studio together.

 

And there it is.