My thinking right now is that The Felice Brothers' Yonder Is The Clock is duking it out, bareknuckle style, with Joe Henry's Blood From Stars for my favorite album of 2009. The gospel comp Fire In My Bones is coming in a strong third, with the likes of Lucero, Dave Perkins, Aaron Strumpel, The Antlers, Darcy James Argue, The Clientele, and Leonard Cohen lurking in the shadows.
The common denominator? They're all guys. Well, Darcy James Argue has some women in his big jazz band, and a couple of the Bubbas have their token female backup singers, but still ...
It's not that I believe that none of the women have made good albums in 2009. They have. I'm particularly fond of the latest efforts from Imogen Heap, Florence and the Machine, Eleni Mandell, Gretel, Laura Gibson, Camera Obscura, Madeleine Peyroux, Trembling Bells, Marianne Faithfull, St. Vincent, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's just that I don't like any of them as well as I like the motley, testosterone-fueled group listed at the top. It's puzzling, possibly indicative of underlying psychological trauma.
2 comments:
You've listened to the wrong women I'm afraid. Emily Jane White's second album 'Victorian America' will be my number 1 album from 2009, followed by Alela Diane's 'To be still'. Two other women with beautiful albums are fighting for the third place: Hope Sandoval (Through the devil softly) and Tiny Vipers (Life on earth). You should check 'em out. Sam Baker (Cotton) will be the first male artist in my list.
Meshell Ndegeocello's new album Devil's Halo is the best of 2009 for my money!
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