// This is the last digest for 2005.
// Lots and lots of Top 10 lists. You still have time to send 
// your list to the NN and to: cityrec@ci.grants-pass.or.us
// Enjoy! [BP]

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Subject: NN: Re: Best of 2005 
   From: "Duncan Belcher" (duncan.belcher@mobilecommerce.co.uk> 
   Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:55:58 -0000 

This is the first time that I have sent my Top 10 list but I have enjoyed
so many CDs this year that I wanted to share them with you all. Although a
Top 10 is fairly easy to compile, putting them in order has been very
difficult. But I have done it and listed below are the 10 CDs in the order
that I am happy with now. This could change tomorrow. No Nanci CD this
year as Hearts in Mind came out in the UK last year. I hope that I will
have a Nanci CD to choose from next year.

1. The Girl who couldn't fly - Kate Rusby
I discovered Kate Rusby this year and now wonder why I missed her before.
She has become one of my favourite singers with such a great voice This CD
really is very good but her previous album 'Underneath the Stars' released
2 years ago is even better. I am now starting to collect all her back
catalogue and had the pleasure to see her live last month. No doubt this
year's top discovery.

2. Prairie Wind - Neil Young
I brought this CD on the basis of hearing 'The Painter' on the radio. I
was not disappointed. This is Neil's best CD in years and maybe his best
ever. 'It's a Dream' is one of the songs of the year and perfectly
expresses how I felt when I turned 50 this year.

3. Jacksonville City Nights - Ryan Adams	
Ryan Adams released 3 albums this year and this is the best by a long way.
Back to his country routes and sounds like a Whiskeytown album, this is
his best since Gold and his version of 'You are always on my mind' which I
believe was a bonus track on the UK edition is amazing. 29 the third
release of the year arrived today. On first listen it will take some time
to get into and will require serious listening.

4. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
This album was my No 1 Summer album. Purchased on the back of rave
reviews, this album lived up to the hype. Beautiful harmonies and great
pop tunes.

5. Kicking Television - Wilco
A late entry as this was only released in November but this is a first
class live album. Having been unsure as to the direction the band was
taking with their last 2 albums I purchased this not knowing what to
expect. I should not have been concerned. The new songs sound great
performed live and older songs like 'Misunderstood' and Via Chicago are
giving new life. Some songs are full of noise but it all seems to fit
perfectly.

6. Nashville - Josh Rouse
This is one album that could easily have been the album of the year a
month ago and could be back up there in a month's time because every time
I return to it I realise what a great album it is. 

7. Live at the Fillmore - Lucinda Williams
Until Wilco came along the live album of the year and another record that
I played all the time during the summer. Not consistent enough to beat
Wilco though. The voice however is so sexy. 

8. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
This album was on many albums of the year lists in magazines and
newspapers. It is very good and you are always discovering something new
about it. I have not heard anything else like this all year, and to my
surprise has become one of my favourite car albums.

9. Coles Corner - Richard Hawley
Recommended by a friend this album was purchased after hearing only the
title track, one of the most beautiful songs I have heard all year. The
rest of the album is very good as well and perfect for a lazy Sunday
afternoon.

10. Tourist - Athlete
My first purchase this year and it lasted to make the top 10. I loved the
first album and even though this may not be quite as good the songs do
linger and the melodies and production terrific. 

Other CDs that didn't make the list this time but worth a mention are:

Concrete Prairie - The Idaho Falls
The Big Picture - Bap Kennedy
Cold Roses - Ryan Adams (Again)

Thanks
Duncan 

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Subject: Re: NN: Best of 2005 
   Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:27:11 -0500 
   From: rebeffa@aol.com 

Some years I think it is too hard to put together a 10 best list. There
were quite a few albums I really liked, several of which have been
mentioned here like Josh Rouse's excellent album and the wonderful Tracy
Grammer CD and ep. What prompts my reply, and I think I have read all the
top ten emails, is the absence of what may be my favorite of the year -
certainly at times it has been.

This is a folk-pop album by an established singer-songwriter that my 15
year-old daughter stole from me the day she heard it - it took weeks for
me to beg it back. It has a song on it that should have been made the
temporary National Anthem and daily required listening for Mr Bush. It is
a sonic delight which marvels the ears in headphones and delights one in
the construction of the songs. It is not a perfect album, but has more
than a few simply outstanding songs. 

The album is Ellis Paul's American Jukebox Fables and should be on
everyone's top ten list.

Ron Beffa


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Subject: NN: Top Ten of 2005 
   From: "Dennis Freeman" (dennis@inhometutors.biz> 
   Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 11:11:16 -0500 

Not sure I can get to 10 but here are the new CDs that gave me most
pleasure in 2005, more or less in order:

1. Begonias - Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell.
I'm sorry to see this absent from most people's top tens as I learned
about this CD from this list. An absolutely gorgeous, almost flawless
album

2. Red Dog Tracks - Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez
From the opening track, this album feels special; a gentle, generous
spirit flows throughout

3. A Bigger Bang - Rolling Stones
Once a Stones fan, always one, I guess.  I've played this a lot even
though only a handful of songs really stand out.

4. Fijacion Oral, (Vol 1 is Spanish and a little better, but Vol 2 in
English is good too)  - Shakira
I'm no doubt a little influenced by her physical beauty, but this is a
musical delight too

5. Hearts in Mind - Nanci Griffith
A highlight of my year was seeing Nanci at Atlanta Botanical Gardens. 
These songs are great live

6. Tambourine - Tift Merritt
Another album I played a lot earlier in the year.  An uneven collection
but the first three tracks are guaranteed to lift your mood.

7. Humming by the Flowered Vine - Laura Cantrell
A very pleasant CD, although having also discovered Not the Tremblin' 
Kind (2000) this year, I'd have to say the earlier work is better.

An honorable mention to Neil Diamond's 12 Songs. 

And happy holidays to all!

Dennis Freeman
http://www.inhometutors.biz



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Subject: NN: My best of 2005 
   From: Bn2Synthsz@aol.com 
   Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 11:29:52 EST 

Hey there,
I'm coming out of lurkdom to submit my Top 10 CD list of 2005.

I went a big crazy with my CD purchases this year --- but I'll venture to
make a list that is truly representative of what I've enjoyed this past
year.

1. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning: Bright Eyes
I started hearing a couple of tunes from this CD early in the year and
just had to have it.  I actually turned my 16 year old daughter onto
wunderkind, Connor Oberst, and we have all his CDs now and have seen him
twice this year (he played at the Newport Folk Festival this summer which
was pretty wild!).  Bright Eyes is an acquired taste, I think, but once
you "get" it, you'll appreciate what he's trying to do with his
recordings.

2. Tin Lily: Jeff Black
Another new find this year.  All it took was one song that stayed with me,
"Nineteen."  Check him out.  There are lots of songs to discover on
http://www.jeffblack.com 

3. Prairie Wind: Neil Young
What can I say?   Another Neil classic.

4. Boys, Flowers, Miles: Antje Duvekot
Don't forget her name.  You'll never forget her music, that's for sure!

5. Good Soul Food: Live at the Ark: Steve Forbert
How I managed not to get into Steve Forbert in a major way all these years
is beyond me.  Better late than never!

6. Love and Thirst: Joyce Andersen
Again, all it took was one song---"Riding on a Train."   You'll be hearing
more from this wonderful songwriter!

7. Half a Million Miles: The Kennedys
I absolutely love the Kennedys and never would have gotten into them if it
wasn't for Nanci.  So, thank yew...Miss Nanci!

8. The Forgotten Arm: Aimee Mann
An interesting tale told in song....

9. Haughty Melodic: Mike Doughty
I haven't had the pleasure of seeing Mike in person but I'm loving this
CD.  I heard great things about his gigs with Dave Matthews this  fall.  

10. The Living Room Tour: Carole King
Being one of those fans who listened to Tapestry day in and day out when
it was first released many moons ago, it sure was sweet to hear this 
wonderful double CD this year.  Carole rules!

Honorable mentions: Fair and Square: John Prine and American  Jukebox
Fables: Ellis Paul


Kathy
Marblehead, MA


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Subject: NN: The Best of '05 (In My Humble Opinion)  
   Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 19:13:36 -0800  
   From: "Ryan McCabe" (ryanpmccabe@gmail.com> 

RyPod's Best of 2005 (in no particular order):
1. James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
2. David Gray - Life in Slow Motion
3. Antony & the Johnsons - I am a Bird Now
4. Kate Bush - Aerial
5. Bettye Lavette - I've Got My Own Hell to Raise
6. Lizz Wright - Dreaming Wide Awake 
7. Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could be Held
8. Lewis Taylor - Stoned
9. Bruce Springsteen - Devils and Dust
10. Shawn Amos - Thank You Shirl-ee May (A Love Story)

Honorable Mentions: Kanye West - Late Registration; Burt Bacharach Ð At
This Time; Amos Lee - Amos Lee; "The Light in the Piazza" Broadway Cast
Recording; Josh Kelley - Almost Honest


The Best of the Reissues:
1. One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds - Lost and Found
[Various Artists]
2. Eurythmics - We Too Are One [Remastered]
3. Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight [Remastered]
4. Eurythmics - Savage [Remastered] 
5. Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run: 30th Anniversary Edition
6. Patti Smith - Horses: 30th Anniversary Edition
7. Elton John - Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy [Remastered]

-- 
Ryan P. McCabe
ryanpmccabe@gmail.com

~Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. 
It just makes me want to set myself on fire


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Subject: NN: Best of 05 
   From: "Sarah Dietze" (curlygurl07@comcast.net> 
   Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2005 17:15:32 +0000 

1. Exploration - Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion
2. Jacksonville City Nights - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
3. Brad Paisley - Time Well Wasted
4. Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die
5. Walk the Line Soundtrack
6. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
7. Nanci Griffith - Hearts in Mind
8. Kathleen Edwards - Back to Me
9. Delbert McClinton - Cost of Living
10. Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell - Begonias

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Subject: NN: My Top 10 
   From: "Susan Krauss" (sekrauss@comcast.net> 
   Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2005 22:02:23 -0800 

 1.  Ferron - "Turning Into Beautiful"
 2.  Bonnie Raitt - "Souls Alike"
 3.  Judy Collins - "Portrait of an American Girl"
 4.  Cheryl Wheeler - "Defying Gravity"
 5.  Jackson Browne - "Solo Acoustic Vol. 1"
 6.  Nanci Griffith - "Hearts in Mind"
 7.  John Prine - "Fair & Square"
 8.  Tracy Grammer - "Flowers of Avalon"
 9.  Alison Brown - "Stolen Moments"
10.  Ellis Paul - "American Jukebox"

Just under the radar:

Kathy Mattea - "Right Out of Nowhere"
Bruce Springsteen - "Devils & Dust"
Sugarland - "Twice the Speed"
Trisha Yearwood - "Jasper County"

Best Concerts of the Year:

10/9 - Ferron (Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA)
11/18 - Bonnie Raitt (Warfield, San Francisco)
11/12 - Shawn Colvin (Amador, Pleasanton, CA)
11/6 - Lucy Kaplansky & Richard Shindell (St. John's Presbyterian Church
(aka Freight & Salvation), Berkeley, CA)
3/12 - Alison Krauss & Union Station w/Jerry Douglas (Berkeley Community
Theater, Berkeley, CA)

susan in alameda


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Subject: NN: Top Ten 
   From: "John Graveling" (kai21@dial.pipex.com> 
   Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 09:35:03 -0000 

My top 10 and I honestly couldn't split the last ones, so it's actually
11.

1. James McMurtry - Childish Things
2. Eric Taylor - The Great Divide
3. Joy Lynn White - On Her Own
4. Son Volt - Okemah & the Melody of Riot
5. John Prine - Fair & Square
6. Daddy - At the Womens Club
7. Kate Campbell - Blues & Lamentations
8. Eliza Gilkyson - Paradise Hotel 
9. Neil Young - Prairie Wind
10.  Rodney Crowell - The Outsider
     Jon Randall - Walking Among the Living

Best gigs:
Rodney Crowell 2 nights at the 12 Bar simply amazing, all acoustic and
backed by the great guitar duo Will Kimbrough & Pat Buchanan. 
Crosby*Nash at QEH
John Prine at Shepherds Bush
Kate Campbell & Will Kimbrough at any number of venues across the U.K.
Trish Murphy at the Granary, Buckingham
Tom Kimmel at the Cabbage Patch in Twickenham on his first visit to the
U.K. since he opened for Nanci on her "Flyer" tour, back in 1992/3.

John Graveling



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Subject: NN: Nancinet Holiday Music Exchange 
   Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:34:23 -0800 (PST) 
   From: "JAMES WARD" (jward39212@yahoo.com> 

Hello all.....

First, I just wanted to ask everyone if the Holiday Music Exchange was
successful for all involved or if any of you did not exchange music as
expected.  Please let me know!

Second, here is my TOP TEN list for 2005

1.  Hearts in Mind - Nanci Griffith
2.  There's More Where That Came From - Lee Ann Womack
3.  Paradise Hotel - Eliza Gilkyson
4.  Dolly Parton - Those Were The Days
5.  Amos Lee - Amos Lee
6.  Begonias - Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell
7.  Dreaming Wide Awake - Liz Wright
8.  Heart and Soul - Joe Cocker
9.  I've Got My Own Hell To Raise - Bettye Lavette
10. Back to Bedlam - James Blunt

Here's to everyone having all the best in 2006!!!!!

James

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Subject: NN: Holiday Music Exchange 
   From: prive@charter.net 
   Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 12:19:33 -0500 

My experience with the Holiday Music Exchange was fantastic. Hope the
recipient of my choices feels the same!
Molly in Oregon

PS Keep the "Best Of" lists comin', I'm countin' away!

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Subject: NN: Music History 
   From: "Steve Robertson" (stever@mindspring.com> 
   Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 17:11:40 -0500 

Nanci has been known to look back into the history of American roots music
Ð both to cover some of the old songs and to get inspiration for new
songs. I found a new streaming video at FolkStreams that does a good job
of covering some of that history. Back in the mid Twentieth Century, John
and Alan Lomax and John Cohen (of the New Lost City Ramblers) discovered
that Madison County, NC was a hotbed of ballad singers who had preserved a
lot of the old songs in a version very close to the original. This new
video is titled "Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound." It
features extensive interviews with John Cohen and Sheila Kay Adams (voice
coach for the  movie "Songcatcher") and some pretty good a cappella ballad
singing:

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,120

If you find this video to be interesting, you might also be interested in
our upcoming "retreat." You can spend three days and two nights exploring
the music of the Southern Mountains at a beautiful spot on top of a
Southern mountain (near Highlands, NC) with Sheila Kay Adams as your main
host and guide:

http://www.americanaretreats.com/

Steve R.

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Subject: Re: NN: Music History 
   From: NanciNetter@aol.com 
   Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 01:59:12 EST 

Steve, thanks for sharing this info...the film at that link is quite
delightful!  I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in these kind of
ballads and their historical significance!

David (in Oregon)


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Subject: NN: Top Ten for 2005 
   From: "Hank Van Slyke" (chevelle@pnx.com> 
   Date: 29 Dec 2005 

Happy New Year, fellow Nancinetters!  Here's my list, in no particular
order ...

John Hiatt -- Master of Disaster
Rodney Crowell -- The Outsider
Stephen Bruton -- from the five
NG -- HIM
Kate Bush -- Aerial
Brian Setzer -- Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1
Daddy -- At The Women's Club
KGSR "Radio Austin" Broadcasts Vol. 13
Honeybrowne -- Something To Believe In
Reckless Kelly -- Wicked Twisted Road

(as soon as I mash the send button, I'll think of ten more)

Honorable mention:
Springsteen -- Devils and Dust

Best show:  Johnny and Edgar Winter at the Beaumont Civic Center in
mid-November 2005.  All proceeds went to the Southeast Texas Food Bank,
which was pretty drained after helping Katrina refugees and then Rita
survivors.  Johnny sat down all the time, he's not as spry as he used to
be.  Edgar is a dynamo, and they both still 'got it'.  Johnny and his band
played first, then they played some songs together.  They each got a key
to the city, presented by a whole raft of radio personalities and city
officials.  Then Edgar and his band played for nearly two hours and for an
encore he played thirty minutes of Tobacco Road.  I hope someone got it on
video.

Y'all drive safe out there!

Hank "happily working on the 12 days of Christmas" Van Slyke


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