Best Music of September, 2008: Honorable Mentions & More
Choosing Patricia Barber's The Cole Porter Mix for my September "Best of the Month" pick was no easy task. There are a ton of noteworthy new and recent releases out there right now, enough to merit mentioning a few more, at least...
Honorable Mentions
The Mighty Underdogs – Droppin’ Science Fiction
Blackalicious’s Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truth Speaker, Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow, Mr. Lif, Chali 2na, MF Doom, and Julian and Damian Marley. All on Def Jux Records. And it’s even better than it sounds on paper. * CD
Joan Jeanrenaud – Strange Toys
This Kronos Quartet alum’s second solo effort is an edgy must-listen for cellists and fans of the instrument alike. * CD * MP3
Anat Cohen – Notes from the Village
Israeli-born Anat Cohen speaks with equally facile longing on both the sax and clarinet. With a band to be proud and a growing cache of street cred, she’s a horn player to watch and a New York voice all her own. * CD * MP3
Lafayette Gilchrist – Soul Progressin’
Whether or not you nuy into the hype that Lafayette Gilchrist is the next Thelonius Monk, the guy’s a showstopper, and what Soul Progressin’ lacks in sheer originality, it more than makes up for in muster. * CD * MP3
More Notable Recent Releases
Saul Williams – The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust
Trent Reznor’s touch takes the spoken-word guru to fabulously creepy new depths. * CD
Grupo Fantasma – Sonidos Gold
Horny, horny, horny! Bring on the ballsy, ballistic brass! * CD * MP3
Art Tatum – Piano Starts Here: Live at the Shrine (Zenph Re-Performance)
Like the pseudo-Gould version of Back's Goldberg Variations before it, this sounds as good as, if not better, than the real thing. * CD * MP3
Vladimir Horowitz – Horowitz in Hamburg: The Last Concert
More like a prayer card at a funeral than a must-have, this one’s still nice to keep around. * CD * MP3
Ximena Sariñana – Mediocre
Attention, Fiona Apple fans: Ximena Sariñana is no mere mediocre machine. * CD
--Jason Kirk
football customized jerseys on February 11, 2011 at 12:38 AM
More like a prayer card at a funeral than a must-have, this one’s still nice to keep around.