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Questions, Answers, & Questions: A year-end playlist

It should be understood, of course, that the ongoing debate Peter and I enjoy concerning the virtues of singles v. albums is, to some extent, an argument for the fun of arguing. Which is to say we are both drawn to great songs, and both respect the rare accomplishment of a coherent and gripping album of songs.

I suspect, for example, that come the end of this fast-moving decade we will both consider Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator) a singular, signature achievement.

Regardless, I've quit noodling with my year-end compilation. Early in 2007 I wrote that it seemed to be a particularly good year for the music (if not the business), and pulling this year-end list together more than confirmed that hunch. This has been an extraordinary year for music, which may explain why I spent a week (instead of an hour) juggling my top-20 list for the magazine. Ordinarily I don't assemble this compilation until much later, but, this year, I dumped tracks onto the computer and juggled them while working. (Or pretending to.) In a couple of cases I came back to albums that were much stronger than I remembered.

All that said, the list that follows isn't a preview of my year-end ballot. Some of what's here is on my top-20, some not. Missing, for example, is a hard country segment. For reasons of space and sequencing, I was unable to include tracks from Jim Lauderdale, Gene Watson, and, perhaps, Porter Wagoner. I didn't go back to hunt for a track from him because I didn't think the sound would cohere with the balance of these offerings. There were several others like that.

What this is, then, is an attempt at an audio essay. It is a collection of the songs which moved and entertained me this year. It's a reflection of whatever it is I'm drawn to in music. My chief concern was sequencing twenty songs into a coherent whole that linked to and commented upon itself and added up to some kind of commentary. It's all intuitive. Sorta.

There are jokes and smirks and idiosyncratic logic within this list, and you'll see some of it and guess at more and not care at all, that's my bet. But here 'tis. The internal rule is that the album has to have come out in 2007 (which I've broken, once, to my knowledge), and I'll only use one song per artist.

1. "Juarez" by Sam Baker (from Pretty World).
2. "Down In A Hole" by Jason Isbell (from Sirens Of The Ditch).
3. "Dry Town" by Miranda Lambert (a Gillian Welch song from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).
4. "Drinkin' Problem" by Lori McKenna (from Unglamorous, with Tim McGraw on harmonies).
5. "Methamphetamine" by Son Volt (from The Search).
6. "Oxycontin Blues" by Steve Earle (from Washington Square Serenade).
7. "If I Were You" by Chris Knight (from the long-delayed Trailer Tapes).
8. "If You Catch Me Stealing" by Eilen Jewell (from Letters From Sinners & Strangers).
9. "Poor Old Dirt Farmer" by Levon Helm (from Dirt Farmer).
10. "Long Dark Night" by John Fogerty (from Revival).
11. "Rescue Me" by Tom Gillam (from Never Look Back).
12. "Bible" by Romi Mayes (from Sweet Somethin' Steady). I realize this came out in 2006 in Canada, and that if it was released at all in the States nobody much noticed. Which is a pity.
13. "99 And 1/2" by Mavis Staples (from We'll Never Turn Back).
14. "Come Over Here" by the Spirtulaires Of Hurtsboro, Alabama (from Singing Songs Of Praise).
15. "Helen" by the Cave Singers (from Invitation Songs).
16. "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (from Raising Sand).
17. "Rest Your Weary Mind" by Elizabeth Cook (with Bobby Bare Jr., from Balls).
18. "Blanket" by Gurf Morlix (with Patty Griffin on backing vocals, from Diamonds To Rust).
19. "Stay On The Ride" by Patty Griffin (from Children Running Through).
20. "Don't Cry A Tear" by Lyle Lovett & His Large Band (from It's Not Big It's Large).

I have toyed with explaining this more, and perhaps I'll come back and do so if there's any need. But for the moment, I'll let the music do the explaining.

Enjoy.

Posted by grant on November 23, 2007 9:22 AM | Permalink

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