My Top Ten of 2006

For any of you who give a rat's ass, here's my Top Ten list of albums for 2006:

1. The Beatles - Love
George Martin and his son have taken the original Beatle master tapes and created a mish-mashterpiece.

2. Hem - Funnel Cloud
My new favorite band's latest was an instant classic.

3. Daniel Tashian - The Lovetest
Nashville's Daniel Tashian is my new favorite crazy bastard (i.e. Ryan Adams) of a songwriter. This infectious album wasn't even officially released - it was made available on Tashian's blog page.

4. Lindsey Buckingham - Under The Skin
The genius turned finiished this one in a shade under a decade, and it was worth the wait.

5. Teddy Thompson - Separate Ways
The son of Richard and Linda Thompson has proven that he has the goods. Great voice, great songs.

6. Hem - No Word From Tom
A collection of unreleased songs, live tracks and covers, including Radiation Vibe by Fountains of Wayne and So. Central Rain by R.E.M.

7. The Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
Yes, I admit that I love this album. It's not even country- it's more along the lines of 70's California pop.

8. Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
The Rilo Kiley singer's first solo album is excellent, with some help from the harmonically angelic voices of the Watson Twins.

9. The Bees - High Society
Daniel Tashian's (see #3) current band's sophmore release, which is even better than the first.

10. Garrison Starr - The Sound of You and Me
This was my first introduction to Garrison Starr, who's been around for awhile. I feel her pain.