Top Ten Music list for 96

[Water Records <water...>]

The Best Albums of 1996

by Seth Rogovoy

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Dec. 19, 1996 -- For this critic, at least, the year
just past will be remembered as the Year of the Women, as the following
list of the best albums of 1996 makes clear. It was a year when women's
voices rocked hard, sang sweetly and purred suggestively, but mostly it
was a year when women created groundbreaking works of musical art in the
CD format, proving that there is still intelligent life to be had in the
pop-song format. And for that I am grateful.

The usual disclaimers apply. This list is meant to indicate the highly
subjective preferences of one listener over the past year. These are the
albums I returned to in those all-too-rare moments when I could listen to
something for sheer pleasure, and not because I was writing about it on
deadline. The difference between the Runners-Up and most of the Top 10 is
practically nil. The absence of any album from this list does not imply a
negative judgment -- it just as likely means I never heard it. I am only
one listener with two ears; thousands of CDs were released over the last
12 months; you do the math.

And now, the best albums of 1996:

1. Album of the Year: The Nields, "Gotta Get Over Greta" (Razor and Tie):
With a concept and lyrics that were truly Blake-ian in scope -- subtitle
this "Songs of Innocence and Experience" -- and a soundtrack equally as
ambitious, the Nields created a work of immense power and suggestion,
along the way blazing a path toward a new, alternative folk-rock
possibility. It's no wonder that after this they were signed to a major
label. The best thing about 1997? "Gotta Get Over Greta" gets re-released
by Guardian/EMI, and we get to relive it.

2. Ani DiFranco, "Dilate," "More Joy, Less Shame" EP, and, with Utah
Phillips, "The Past Didn't Go Anywhere" (all Righteous Babe): Up until
this year, DiFranco's only flaw has been that, unlike the Nields, her
recordings did not quite live up to the power and promise of her live
shows. With her more recent, experimental work, she has found a way to
get around that, by steering in a different direction, incorporating a
postmodern, folk/hip-hop fusion. DiFranco is a nuclear force -- not since
Bruce Springsteen and perhaps not since Bob Dylan has anyone had as much
potential to revolutionize rock.

3. Shawn Colvin, "A Few Small Repairs" (Columbia) and Suzanne Vega, "Nine
Objects of Desire" (A&M): Two of the most eloquent heirs of Joni
Mitchell's legacy come up with their most eloquent statements about love
and marriage in the '90s. Vega's is an edgy take on urban domesticity,
while Colvin's is from the perspective of the aftermath of a breakup.
Both are career-topping achievements.

4. Amy Rigby, "Diary of a Mod Housewife" (Koch): Asks the question, "Is
there rock 'n' roll life after age 35 and parenthood?" and answers it
with a most unequivocal, roots-rocking "Yes!" I, for one, am glad.  Now I
can keep on doing what I've been doing for at least a few more years.

5. Dana Mase, "Sitting With an Angel" (Water): Another former rock 'n'
roller finds ways to age and mature gracefully and retain an alternative
edge while tending to matters of the spirit and the heart.

6. Barbara Kessler, "Notion" (Eastern Front): State-of-the-art folk-pop,
with catchy hooks and melodies, well-crafted narratives and, above all, a
voice that slowly insinuates itself and doesn't let you go.

7. Patty Griffin, "Living With Ghosts" (A&M): With just an acoustic
guitar and 10 homespun songs, Griffin grabs a listener with the raw,
naked power of her voice, a feral howl that could be the folk answer to
Kurt Cobain.

8. Jim's Big Ego, "More Songs About Me" (Tangible), and Jim
Infantino/Jim's Big Ego, "Titanic" (Gadfly): Whether he's updating Warren
Zevon for the '90s or breathing some Beastie Boys dust into the
contemporary folk genre, Infantino is a brilliant, eccentric visionary
with a funky streak a mile wide.

9. Lou Reed, "Set the Twilight Reeling" (Warner Bros.): Love becomes Lou,
and in return he gives us his most intimate, personal recording in years.

10. Stan Ridgway, "Black Diamond" (Birdcage): More noirish portraits of
the American landscape, fame, politics, sex, violence and money from one
of the more idiosyncratic weirdos ever to pick up a guitar.

Runners-Up: Soul Coughing, "Irresistible Bliss" (Slash/Warner Bros.), Dar
Williams, "Mortal City" (Razor and Tie), Erica Wheeler, "The Harvest"
(Signature Sounds), David Krakauer, "Klezmer Madness!" (Tzadik), Elvis
Costello, "All This Useless Beauty" (Warner Bros.), The Kennedys, "Life
Is Large" (Green Linnet), Various Artists, "Festival of Light" (Six
Degrees/Island), Paula Cole, "This Fire" (Imago/Warner Bros.),
Cornershop, "Woman's Gotta Have It" (Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.), Bernice
Lewis, "Isle of Spirit" (Sanctuary/Blue Bhikku).

Honorable Mention: Peter Stone Brown, "Up Against It" (Tangible), Nick
Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Murder Ballads" (Reprise), Cibo Matto, "Viva La
Woman" (Warner Bros.), Amy Fairchild, "She's Not Herself" (DonkeyDisc),
Los Lobos, "Colossal Head" (Warner Bros.), Various Artists, "Songs in the
Key of X" (Warner Bros.), Rasputina, "Thanks for the Ether" (Columbia),
Ramblin' Jack Elliott, "South Coast" (Red House), Pulp, "Different Class"
(Island), Ratsy, "Squished Under a Train" (Ratsy), Holly Palmer, "Holly
Palmer" (Reprise), Steve Earle, "I Feel Alright" (Warner Bros.), Fred
Eaglesmith, "Drive-In Movie" (Vertical), Pete Nelson, "The Restless Boys'
Club" (Signature Sounds).

So you think this critic is all wet? E-mail your picks for the best
albums of 1996 to rogovoy (at) berkshire(dot)net and we will feature them in an
upcoming column.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Dec. 19, 1996.
Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1996. All rights reserved.]


*****************************************
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy (at) berkshire(dot)net
http://www.berkshireweb.com/rogovoy
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
*****************************************

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